In Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor (2014) Lynda Barry radically re-imagines "the syllabus" as a fanciful, hand-lettered and illustrated document akin to a graphic memoir. Barry's book reproduces multiple syllabi from her UW-Madison courses, conveying ordinary information (office hours, assignments) using extraordinary handwork: watercolor monsters, stick-figure dialogues, a recurring squid, snatches of re-copied Emily Dickinson poems, and personal asides. As a professor of both literature and creative writing,I am especially intrigued by Barry's use of hand-lettering and hand-drawing in lieu of digital media. This is not just retro; rather, it suggests that some forms of learning are embodied, one-of-a-kind, and even a little messy. Classroom documents that incorporate an autobiographical voice, hand-lettering, visible revisions, and even amateur drawings can, perhaps, spur the co-creation of a classroom space that discourages perfectionism while celebrating the productive art of play. At the same time, perils emerge: do "creative" syllabi encourage student creativity, or simply showcase the instructor? Can handmade syllabi be flexible, inclusive, and interactive in ways that complement, without replicating, digital texts?
Bio: Angela Sorby is Professor of English and Creative Writing at Marquette University. She has published a critical study, Schoolroom Poets; three volumes of award-winning poetry, most recently The Sleeve Waves; a co-edited (with Karen Kilcup) anthology, Over the River and Through the Wood; and a co-edited (with Sandra Kleppe) collection, Poetry and Pedagogy Across the Lifespan.