I originally devised this assignment when using the 2000 edition of the textbook, which of course predated arguably one of the most memorable moments in American history, the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was very surprising for me to discover that many of my students disagreed with Brian Gnatt’s observation that, prior to 9/11, “[his] generation [had] no single event of the same caliber.� The nature of their disagreements reflects, I suppose, the “diverse and idiosyncratic personal experience� that the McQuades speak of in their new chapter intro. For example, my college is sandwiched between two military bases; consequently, students are much more likely to site wars – from Korea to Viet Nam to the first and current Iraq wars – as their most memorable moments because they themselves served in those conflicts, or they have family who served or were lost or injured. Other students described a certain level of trauma and emotional proximity to the Columbine school shootings, as they experienced reactionary discipline codes and lockdowns at their own schools as administrators grappled with the tragedy. What I enjoy most about this assignment, and why I think it continues to work even though the McQuades have since revised their chapter, is the way students gleefully accept the task of putting themselves on an equal footing with the editors of their own course text. It’s an exciting occasion to have students work both with and against the grain of these experts, and they come away with an understanding of what it takes to create a college textbook. Here is the assignment: The first edition of Seeing & Writing, published in 2000, was already out-of-date the following year because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Imagine a chapter on “Capturing Memorable Moments� that doesn’t mention 9/11! The editors knew immediately that they would have to revise chapter 3, but this is not rare; you can imagine that many textbooks contain information that needs updating almost as soon as they are printed. Your task is to play the role of editors, to update once more the chapter “Capturing Memorable Moments.� Together, you will decide what material stays in, what comes out. Then, you’ll choose your own material to include in the new chapter. This is material written or created by other people and published in a variety of sources. The only part that you yourselves will write this time is the new introductory essay of the chapter. You may choose from a wide range of images (photographs, video stills, drawings, paintings) and writings (poems, stories, interviews, essays, articles). Keep in mind that the material you select should inspire students to write college-level papers. Please proceed with this in a way that recognizes the comfort level of everyone in your group. If you feel you’re too close to the Iraq War right now, or that it’s too early to decide what material best captures it, focus on something else. And you don’t have to limit yourself to covering recent events; if you believe other events or issues should have been presented before, here’s your chance to get them in. Things to do, things to think about:

1. Trade contact information with your group members. Make sure you can get a hold of each other if you need to.
2. Schedule a few group meetings next week. You’ll need at least a session to plan, another to look at your materials and maybe a third to pull everything together. One idea is to meet in the library each day during the time we would normally have class (and when you’re not scheduled for your conference with me).
3. Examine the photographs and pictures. What hits you the hardest? Which images call to you? Identify images that you think are so strong, they should not be cut from the chapter. Why are these important to you?
4. Do the same for the essays. We’ve already read many of them, but read the remaining material in the chapter and talk about which ones to keep, which ones to replace.
5. Don’t forget the section at the back called “Looking Closer.�
6. Have fun with your research. Use the checklist on the back of this sheet to make sure you have everything.
7. Look for writing of high quality that discusses an issue in a complex way. A newspaper article is okay every once in awhile for effect, but you can’t always get a good essay out of those.
8. You don’t have to do a formal bibliography, but do write down: the name of the publication where your material first appeared (magazine, newspaper, Web site) and the author’s (photographer’s, artist’s) name. Attach this sheet at the back of the chapter.
9. Write the new introductory essay last, after you’ve culled the material for the chapter. Use the original chapter intro as a model. What do you have to say, as students in the year 2005, about the ability of images and words to successfully capture memorable moments? What can you tell readers that will prepare them for the material in your new chapter?
10. How long does this have to be? Roughly the same length as the chapter in the book.