My bad. I’ll have feedback to everyone tomorrow (Monday) 🙂

Thanks for your patience while I try to survive my own life.

Greetings all–

Writing with a couple of updates for you:

1) Feedback
I am 2/3 of the way through your Project #1 submissions! Look for feedback from me by the end of the day today, including recommendations for revision and resubmission (remember: we talked about revise and resubmit protocols for scholarly journals on Monday?). The choice to R&R or not is ultimately yours, but receiving full credit for the assignment is contingent upon fulfilling the criteria for the assignment.

Here are a couple of resources from professional scholars on how to handle R&R protocol as the author: Get a Life, PhD and Inside Higher Ed. All of these steps are not necessary for a successful R&R at your level, but the advice is sound.

2) What’s coming up?
Project #2 should be well underway: your annotated bibliographies will be due when we return from the holiday (11:59pm Sunday October 14), and you should bring at least some notes/a working outline to class on 10/15. In class that day, you’ll spend some time with your writing groups to go over what you’ve got so far and provide feedback on what questions readers of your argument paper might have, which should inform your progress moving forward. We’ll talk paper logistics on 10/15 as well, and you should prepare to submit your essay for Project #2 by 11:59pm on Sunday October 21.

Your annotated bibliography should act as prewriting for your essay. Treat it as such. Pose questions. Make connections. Start to analyze. I’ll be scoring the annotated bib as prewriting, meaning that you should use it as a tool towards figuring out what you want to examine more closely in your essay. 

3) Stuff to help you

I’ve gathered together a few resources for choosing a topic, developing a research question, drafting an argument-based essay, and general writing support.

Evaluating Sources | Purdue OWL

Choosing a Topic | Purdue OWL

Generating questions Purdue OWL.ppt

Hey all–

It’s come to my attention that *many* of y’all don’t have experience using databases and/or online research for scholarly and credible articles, so we’re going to work in a step-by-step of library resources and other online spaces to find good information and peer-reviewed writing, and we’ll talk about why peer review and collaboration are normal and even productive aspects of the writing process.

We will also look more closely at an example of an annotated bibliography and an argument essay. In class, we will work together to critique these pieces using the Google Docs commenting function and pay close attention to how each piece fulfills genre requirements for the two pieces under Project #2: the Annotated Bib of four (4) texts and the Researched Argument Essay.

I’ll be working on getting feedback to each of you on your Rhetorical Analyses ASAP.

Please make sure to check the course calendar! I’ve included a few updates from our most recent class and for our upcoming project goals.

Labor log #4 DUE

UPDATED: To read: “How Daquan Went From Homegrown Instagram Account to Modern Media Conglomerate” by Taylor Lorenz and There is No Such Thing as a Free Watch by Jenny Odell

To do: respond to reading, ~300 words, Commons blog (tag #Week4)

Rhetorical Analysis (Project #1 DUE)

Submit as a “Post” to the course site, check “Project #1” category, privacy settings are up to you, but be sure to invite me if you choose to post privately.

EVERYTHING IS DUE THE SUNDAY BEFORE OUR CLASS IS SCHEDULED BY 11:59pm

Very impressed with folks’ blog posts about Contrapoints and Black Mirror! Looking forward to talking more about these ideas tomorrow, when we get to hang out together at long last!

I’ll see everyone at 5:40 tomorrow 9/17, and please remember to bring whatever notes you have about your upcoming rhetorical analysis project. We’ll be working in small groups to go over your notes and get feedback on what other questions folks want answers to RE: your chosen artifact. We will also watch a short video that practices the analytical strategies you’ll need for your own rhetorical analysis.

We’ll also be talking a bit about the rhetoric readings from a few weeks back (comic; Visual Rhetorics) as well our plans for the next chunk of the semester. Please come prepared with questions and concerns, as this is our opportunity to communicate about how things are going so far.

Bring your device if you like, but you’re welcome to use the (old/janky/slow) computers in our classroom as well.

None of this please:

Hey all–

I know you’re missing our in-person meetings (although I’m not sure I’ll even recognize you all when we *finally* come back together!), but I wanted to do a quick check-in about what y’all should be working on before our next class.

Remember on our Week #1 calendar the promise of Project #1 ??? well here we go: your Rhetorical Analysis!

This week, you’ll need to take a look at this graphic on rhetorical analysis by Dr. Carmen Kynard. You’ll need to work on your responses to these questions for your chosen artifact and be prepared to bring your notes when we meet in person on 9/17.

RE: choosing your artifact: you’ll need to choose something specific enough that you can actually examine it thoroughly in just a few pages.

For example, the color blue is a terrible choice of artifact. Why? You can talk about the sky, Indigenous pottery, the uniforms of the New England Patriots, the ocean, etc. This topic is too broad.

Good options include:

BBHMM – Rihanna (YouTube)

This poem by Arielle Tipa

This photo:

This GIF:

etc. etc. etc.

Get it? 

Hey all–

Just writing with a quick check-in.

I’ve looked through your Week #1 responses and first Labor Logs, and I’m excited! Lots of different formats and insights, and I look forward to getting responses to each of you this weekend. Stay tuned!

You should all have moved on to WEEK #2, in which you’ll have to find a short piece (text + visual element[s]) to analyze for your blog post (tag #Week2), and a couple of videos to watch.

You have another set of labor logs due for this week as well, and I advise you all to reflect on the format you chose for LL #1 and adjust thoughtfully. If you liked your first format, go with it; if you need another set-up to convey what work you’ve done, lean into that. You’re welcome to browse your colleagues’ logs for inspiration, if you like.

I’ll also be assigning you to a semester-long writing group, with whom you’ll be collaborating, reviewing, and brainstorming for the rest of the term. In future weeks, you’ll be responding to the blog posts written by the others in your group. More details to come.

If you’re feeling as though you’ve fallen behind, just jump back in. 

Finally, as always, check. the. course. calendar.

Getting emails about where we’re meeting, why we’re not meeting, what you should be doing will remain unanswered. I teach over 50 students this term alone, and I made the course website simple and navigable so that you can find information easily. You’re smart; no helplessness allowed.