Syllabus on the Syllabus: Teaching Lynda Barry in the College Writing Classroom

This chapter tackles how Lynda Barry's Syllabus had been taught in the college writing classroom. It starts with the creative personification of the writer's block of three known artists that have been felt by college students. The pedagogy of the Syllabus pushes students to think carefully about genres and their expectations as readers. The chapter covers a case study of using the Syllabus in UCLA's composition classroom, which involved experiments of simultaneously removing and constructing restraints with life drawings. Moreover, the visual bombardment and fragmented pedagogical diary format of the Syllabus helped students understand the form and graphic aspects of comics easier. Barry's work also aided students to understand that writing is a process instead of a gift.