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Perfecting Eloquence: Jesuit Pedagogy in the First-Year Writing Classroom

More on educating the heart, mind, and body

In the past few decades, Jesuit institutions have adopted the phrase cura personalis, or "care for the whole person" in many of their mission statements and marketing materials. Cura personalis acknowledges that students are more than just intellectual or academic entities; rather, they are human beings with bodies and souls in addition to their minds.

For more on cura personalis, read "Cura Personalis: Some Ignatian Inspirations" by Barton Geger, S.J.

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Syllabus 92 Lists the course objectives and logistics. plain 2023-05-09T14:03:25-07:00
ENGL1010: First-Year Writing Seminar
Engaging with the Jesuit Tradition as writers
PROFESSOR (EMAIL)
MEETING TIME
CLASSROOM
OFFICE HOURS
First-Year Writing Seminar is a semester-long workshop in which you will develop your abilities as both a critical reader and a compelling writer. By the end of the semester, you will have composed a portfolio of well-revised and meaningful writing. We will meet three times a week to:
- Read and discuss a wide range of texts
- Write and develop skills such as research, rhetorical analysis, and critical thinking
- Grow in companionship as a community of writers
COURSE OVERVIEW
This semester, we will explore how the intellectual and spiritual tradition of the Society of Jesus can develop us as readers, thinkers, writers, and speakers.
First, we will examine our literacies as a classroom community: what skills and knowledge do we bring to our work this semester? To do this, we will develop metacognitive practices inspired by The Spiritual Autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola and use the narrative form to write about our personal formation.
Second, we will practice our skills in essay composition. To do this, we will experiment with the ancient rhetorical genre of the encomium, which allows us to reflect on two vital aspects of Ignatian spirituality: gratitude and finding the glory of God in all things.
Third, we will use the tools of rhetoric, graphic design, audio composition, and filmmaking to create public service announcements about issues that our society grapples with today. While doing this, we will ponder the ways in which Jesuit pedagogy orients its students toward serving the needs of others.
Fourth, we will compose and deliver speeches that are designed to inspire our classmates to action on a variety of campus issues. explore the Jesuit conception of eloquence, and ask ourselves what the traditional notion of eloquentia perfecta looks like in the contemporary writing classroom.
Finally, we will reflect on our growth as writers throughout the semester. To do this, we will undertake a Writer's Examen: a metacognitive assignment modeled after the spiritual practice first developed by St Ignatius centuries ago, and still prayed by thousands of people worldwide.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES
At the end of the semester, your final course grade will be broken down into the following components:
- Assignment #1 (Literacy Narrative) ........................ 15%
- Assignment #2 (Encomium) ................................... 15%
- Assignment #3 (Public Service Announcement) .... 15%
- Assignment #4 (Speech) .......................................... 15%
- Final Portfolio .......................................................... 20%
- Participation ............................................................. 20%
Each assignment will be graded according to the objectives listed on the assignment handout. Participation will be graded through a holistic evaluation of class attendance, engaged participation in class discussion, completion of in-class assignments, and respect towards fellow classmates.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
- A notebook and a pen/pencil to write with
- Printed copies of the assigned readings
- A laptop computer
READINGS
In traditional Jesuit classrooms, course readings were the models of excellent writing that students were expected to imitate in order to develop their own sense of compositional style. In this course, students will do more than simply imitate readings: they will engage with them and ask questions about them; they will try and discern what each one says about its subject matter and how the author uses the tools of rhetoric and writing to communicate that message.
Most days, there will be a short reading to spark discussion about and/or model a certain course objective. Students are expected to take notes on the reading and come to class prepared to write, speak, and ask questions about its themes and style.

ATTENDANCE
Our course aims to develop writing skills and foster companionship, but both of these things can only be achieved with consistent, on-time attendance. Accordingly, any unexcused absences—along with any unexcused missing work—will negatively impact your participation grade.
However, Jesuit education seeks to develop the mind, body, and soul, and each student must take care of their mental, physical, and spiritual health in order to prepare for the rigor this course provides. Accordingly, students should feel free to ask for excused absences and extensions, if necessary, in order to prioritize their health.
CONFERENCES
In addition to class, each of you will have one-on-one conferences with me during the course of the semester. These conferences will be 15-20 minute conversations that explore assignment drafts, research questions, and concerns you may have about the assignments or course. You are expected to come to each conference with questions and ideas about your work and your writing process.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The Jesuits have long believed that the goal of education in the humanities is to understand the human experience and construct a moral character. Submitting work that has been composed by an AI or another person does not align with this goal. Therefore, any work found in violation of SCHOOL NAME’s Academic Integrity Policy will be treated as an alarming and serious matter. Students who plagiarize in this class risk receiving a 0% on the assignment in question and/or failing the course.
ACCESSIBILITY
Since their early work as missionaries in Asia, the Jesuits have emphasized the need for adaptability in their work. Jesuits believe that while the purpose of their mission shouldn’t change, the way they go about it should adapt to the culture around them.
Similarly, this course is designed to be accessible to all. While the mission of the course will remain unchanged, students are encouraged to communicate both with their professor and other campus resources about any accommodations necessary to succeed in this course.