3e Progress

[barclay_barrios]

This blog was originally posted on January 28th, 2015.

I’m happy to say that we’re pretty much done with the bulk of the work on the readings and apparatus for the third edition of Emerging.  Whenever I go through a revision cycle I am reminded of just how much work it can be to put together a textbook.  Fortunately, I am also reminded of just how much fun it can be, too.

I’ve had many great and engaging conversations with my editor Sarah just talking about interesting essays: “What did you think about … ?” “I loved it but I am concerned about ….” “Yeah me too but it would work so great with ….”  That kind of work always takes me back to what I love most about teaching: the intellectual energy of shaping a course.

And we ended up with some great pieces.  I might talk about them a bit more in coming posts, but for now I will say that one of my favorites is by Yo-Yo Ma.  Why?  Because Ma.  But also because I think the essay represents the kind of work I love to see students do: it is engaged, it is reflective, it is smart, and it draws from multiple disciplines.  Awesome.

I still have to work on the assignment sequences and I pray we get all the essays we want (permissions is a byzantine process, to say the least).  But it’s nice to see the next edition coming together.