WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

In this class, you will always be expected to connect outside sources to the topics of your writing (these sources could be books, articles, videos, film, music, archives, surveys, lectures, interviews, websites, etc). Writing critically with and from multiple, informed sources is perhaps the single, most common trademark for the kind of writing and thinking that is expected of you in the academy.  However, this does NOT mean: that you write about things you don’t care about, that you write as if you sound like an encyclopedia/wikipedia, that you omit your own voice and perspective, that you cannot be creative and energetic, that you must sound like the type of person who might wear wool/plaid jackets with suede patches on the elbows in order to be taken seriously, that you cannot be everything that makes up your multiple selves, that you cannot be Hip Hop/ Soul/ Bomba y Plena/ Soca/ Bachata/ Metal/ Reggae/ EDM/ or Rock-N-Roll, that you cannot have some FUN with it.  As Hip Hop teaches us, when in doubt, always stay flyyyy! You do not give up who you are to be an academic writer; on the contrary, you take who you are even MORE seriously.

Borrowed from Carmen Kynard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQthpsPh18&t=17s​). With gratitude and mad respect!

❝ The details are not the details. They make the design. ❞
                                                                       
~ CHARLES EAMES

​ON READING

​Times are hard and textbooks are expensive! The good news is, I have uploaded most of your reading materials and handouts to our course Moodle site.  This means YOU WILL NOT NEED TO PURCHASE A TEXTBOOK for this course. (Can I get an applause?!?) Still, this is a reading-centric course which will require you to spend a significant amount of time engaging with a variety of texts (written, oral, visual, multi-modal, etc.) It is only through reading that we can become better writers. You will be asked to read widely and thoughtfully, engage with texts personally and rhetorically, take notes, compose regular reading responses and reflections, discuss our course texts in class, and make connections: text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world. Below is a sampling of some of the artists we will be engaging with this semester. I always welcome recommendations from my students!

Amy Tan

John McWhorter

Davis Sedaris

Jamila Lyiscott

Louise Erdrich

Safwat Saleem

Malcolm X

Gloria Anzaldúa

Sherman Alexie

Eudora Welty

Langston Hughes

Vershawn Ashanti Young

❝ Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.❞
                                                                       
~ ALBERT EINSTEIN

​POLICIES, PROCEDURES, & PERTINENT INFORMATION

PARTICIPATION

I care deeply about students being present and engaged in class, and I’ll do my best to make class meetings meaningful and useful. Your attendance will be based on your engagement in  synchronous class discussions. If you are unable to attend a session, you are still expected to complete the coursework due that day. ​Please come to class on time and prepared with relevant readings or texts. I understand that everyone has different approaches to participation, so I welcome you to engage in class in a way that best fits you (by actively listening, writing in the chat, taking notes, asking questions, and/or offering comments). Everyone is required, however, to collaborate with peers during group work. ​

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GRADING

Grading in this remote course is based on the timely submission of weekly assignments. Students will receive credit for each time a weekly assignment is submitted. Some weekly lessons require the submission of one assignment, some require more. This course is designed to be interactive and student-centered.

We will use a Grading Contract for this course. Please see our contract on this site for details. In short, your grade will be based on attendance, submitting all minor and major assignments, and completing of the goals of each assignment successfully. 

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TIME MANAGEMENT

Reading and writing assignments will be due by the start of our class time. The expectation for all classes is that you will work for two hours outside of class for every hour spent in class. Since this class meets synchronously only one day a week for 1.25 hours you will be expected to make up the additional 1.25 normally spent in class doing asynchronous work on your own. This out-of-class work comes in a variety of forms: reading, writing, studying, going to office hours or tutoring, doing homework assignments, peer reviewing, etc. You should plan to spend about 6-7 hours per week on our course: 5+ hours on homework and/or essay writing for this course and 1.25 hours of class meeting time. ​

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ORGANIZATION

I strongly recommend you make an effort to organize our course documents and your work. Create a designated folder for this class. If you do not have one already, sign up for a GMAIL account and make us of Google Docs and Google Drive to save your work in the cloud. Moodle has a tendency to crash, so I recommend completing your writing assignments in Google drive first and then copying and pasting them in Moodle. You will need to return to assignments, so the more organized the better. Computers, as you know, are susceptible to crashing and freezing. Save your work frequently and back up your files. ​

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❝ There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure ❞
                                                                       
~ COLIN POWELL

ASSIGNMENTS

​SMALL ASSIGNMENTS

You will be asked this semester to read, annotate, take reading notes, keep a record of ideas, revisit in-class assignments, collaborate online with your classmates, and engage in a variety of research, writing, and revision assignments. I (your instructor) will review homework on a regular basis. Much of your grade depends on you submitting smaller homework assignments, so do take these assignments seriously. See the Grading Contract for details about late and make-up assignments. If there are extenuating circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact me so that we can arrange a good time to talk and figure out a plan. 

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MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS

​You will complete three Major Writing Assignments, which are listed below and which will be described in more detail within an assignment prompt you’ll receive later. All parts of all major assignments must be successfully completed in order to pass this course. You will write multiple drafts and revise each major essay based on the peer feedback you receive. You will also receive extensive instructor feedback on your “Final” version, which you will then substantially revise again before including the “Portfolio” version in your Digital Portfolio.

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#1: Language & Literacy Narrative / Digital Story

OVERVIEW

During Phase 1, you will be introduced to a variety of texts, ideas, and skills (e.g., rhetorical reading, narrative writing, self-reflection, the social processes of writing, the politics of language and literacy). Among other smaller assignments, you will compose two Language and Literacy Narratives,  one written and one oral / visual.

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DESCRIPTION

Zoom into a particular moment from your life. What moments stand out to you when it comes to how you use language and literacy? Can you recall any family, cultural, or social events related to reading or writing that you found enlightening, encouraging, awkward, challenging, or unjust? A key language or literacy moment when positive or negative emotions soared, where you struggled or triumphed? An object or artifact that serves as a memory of a place, activity, or person connected to your language and literacy development? Remember that your goals are to tell the story as clearly and vividly as you can and to convey the meaning the incident has for you today.

EXPECTATIONS

• a carefully crafted and revised story of a specific moment, event, or experience; 
• vivid details that draw your readers into the scene; 
• 3+ materials and media to support your narrative, such as pictures of artifacts, images, links, video clips, quotes, sound bites, etc. 
• a Digital Story composed of you reading your narrative (voice-over) as well as visual representations and artifacts to accompany your story.
• interpretations of the larger social significance of the event chosen. 

 #2: Disciplinary Literacy Analysis / Infographic

OVERVIEW

During Phase 2, you will learn more about reading texts for what they “do,” summarizing texts, and analyzing texts for their rhetorical and linguistic features. Among other small assignments, you will complete the second major writing assignment of our course, the Disciplinary Literacy Analysis Essay as well as an accompanying infographic.

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DESCRIPTION

Disciplinary literacy focuses on the differences among the various texts used in different disciplines and the specialized reading practices required for comprehension and critical analysis of ideas within each. Some of these differences include specialized vocabulary, types of language used to communicate ideas, text structures and features (e.g., boldface headings and vocabulary, diagrams, charts, photographs, captions), and sources of information within and across disciplines. For this assignment you will analyze the language and literacy characteristics of a discipline of your choice (preferably a field connected to your program of study and/or future career goals).

EXPECTATIONS

• analyze text features and how to construct meaning from them (e.g., graphs, charts, illustrations, and headings).
• analyze text structure and genres, and how to read and evaluate discipline specific information
• analyze the language / specialized vocabulary of your chosen discipline—grammar can help with an understanding of vocabulary, complex sentences, and ideas. 
• 3+ sources including, but not limited to: analysis of a discipline specific peer-reviewed article, interview with a discipline expert or professional, one additional "public" source (pamphlet, website, proposal, policy paper, newsletter, memo, etc.)
• Infographic presentation of findings

#3: Cultural Literacy Analysis / Multi-media Remix

OVERVIEW

During Phase 3, you will practice locating and evaluating sources, composing introductions and conclusions, synthesizing sources, crafting strong thesis statements, and integrating and citing sources. You will compose our third major writing assignment, the Cultural Literacy Research / Re-Mix Essay.

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DESCRIPTION

This assignment asks you to compose a critical essay that provides an analysis of literacy as it relates to a cultural phenomenon, event, movement, or pastime. The essay should focus on how language and rhetoric function in public discourse communities and how certain rhetorical strategies are used to enact social, cultural, and/or political change. This assignment is built on the premise that understanding a particular cultural phenomenon will help us to better appreciate and comprehend that culture’s literary productions, just as a careful reading of a literary text may lead us to better understand the culture from which it emerged.

EXPECTATIONS

• Analyzes the complexity of culture in terms of values, beliefs and practices, through considering language use, emerging literacies, and communication styles.
• Applies understanding of at least one aspect of culture in terms of values, beliefs and practices, through an analysis of communication styles to conduct a sophisticated examination of a  cultural phenomenon or a comparative cross-cultural analysis.
• Examine the linguistic foundations and processes that create identity, privilege and oppression and their impact on inequality and interaction among multiple and marginalized groups. 
• Composes a cross-genre, multimedia, researched, re-mix essay to demonstrate findings.

❝ Do not fear mistakes -- there are none. ❞
                                                                       
~ MILES DAVIS