We often think of our courses and approach our individual class discussions as if they were journeys, as if they should move along a line of argument or progress toward some telos, some goal. Correspondingly, we often ask students in these goal oriented courses and discussions to search out an idea, to make an interpretative claim. The "Dictionary of Sensibility" and other hypertexual projects of a similar form begin to challenge these traditional course models and frameworks by moving away from the metaphor of interpretive journey and towards a delineation of a field of inquiry.
During the construction of the dictionary, students are required to emphasize the exploration of a subject area, rather than the search for an idea or a claim. The "Dictionary" values the broad sweep over the sharp focus. In developing a list of keyterms, student must describe, define, and categorize. Their first task is descriptive and definitional rather than interpretative: they must describe the contours and details of a field of inquiry. Description, of course, is a mode of interpretation, but it is one that is likely to open up future interpretive possibilities rather than close them down or limit them as argumentative forms of interpretation often do. This description of a field of inquiry also puts the cognitive brakes on the sometimes moribund habits of interpretation students bring to the classroom. Their old stories no longer seem adequate in the context of the "thick" descriptions the "Dictionary" encourages them build. Through these descriptions, the surface of the object of study suddenly becomes more complex and rich, opening up new possibilities of understanding.
Related terms:
Back to the Launch Page
Back to the list of keywords