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By Andréa Mules
 "Some
people like to write already, and other people will
never like to write. But I think everybody has the potential
to like to read." According to Michelle J. Brazier,
getting students to enjoy reading helps them to write
better, whether they learn to enjoy writing or not.
Ms. Brazier is an Assistant Director of the Writing
Program and the Coordinator for the introductory course
Basic Composition, but lately she has become an editor
as well, putting together Points of Departure: A
Collection of Contemporary Essays. This new anthology
is used by all sections of Basic Composition, and is
getting excellent reviews from instructors and students.
Ms. Brazier's goal is a difficult one: "to meet students' writing levels as they come into the classroom from high school or developmental courses, and in fourteen weeks, try to get them to a level where they can tackle Expos," the required writing course for all Rutgers undergraduates. Picking the right reading assignments is a big part of the challenge.
In order to introduce Basic Composition students to a variety of different "reading practices," Ms. Brazier has collected works from many different sources, including articles by mainstream writers and journalists not usually assigned in college courses. For example, students may begin the course reading about factory farming and animal rights, then wind their way through the scientific and spiritual implications of the discovery of life on Mars; reality TV and American democracy; racial profiling, national security, and civil liberties; the global market of soccer; then end the semester by considering the applicability of chaos theory to the business world. In making selections, Ms. Brazier was always looking for "something that has a critical edge to it, an essay that requires a thoughtful response because it raises a complicated – or in some cases, irresolvable – issue."
Before deciding to create their own custom publication for
Rutgers students, previous directors in the Writing
Program struggled to find the perfect textbook that
would fit the mission of the course. After reviewing
dozens of books on the market, Ms. Brazier, with the
encouragement of Writing Program Director Kurt Spellmeyer
and Department Chair Richard E. Miller, set out to create
an anthology that would be innovative and exactly suited
to the needs of the course. After classroom-testing
various essays, she selected the final contents, prepared
sets of questions for each reading, and wrote a general
introduction to the book. Now that Points of Departure
has had enthusiastic acclaim from students and instructors
alike, Ms. Brazier hopes that writing programs at other
schools will see the advantages of using this anthology.
Plans are in the works to create a "national edition"
for widespread sale.
Ms. Brazier takes pride in the wide range of viewpoints in her text and in its ability to get students engaged with real-world issues. "It's important to take students who don't usually read for pleasure and show them that reading can be enjoyable, informative, and educational all at the same time," she says. "Students leave the course with a new attitude about reading. The writing part may always be difficult for them, but once they have the experience of reading something that really pulls them in, there's a much better chance they will become interested in writing as well."
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