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Date |
Topic |
Reading |
Writing |
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Week One |
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M 8/22 |
Introductions Syllabus overview Why write? What
makes “good” writing? Rhetorical situations |
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W 8/24 |
Myths/constructs about writing Writing as punishment Where do our attitudes and ideas about writing come from? Close reading |
-“I Won’t Use Writing as Punishment” by Clark (pages 3-10
in Essays on Writing) |
RR 1 (Group A): Why, according to Clark, do some students
associate writing with punishment? In
general, how do you feel about writing? |
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Week Two |
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M 8/29
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Myths/constructs about
writing Literacy and identity |
RR 2 (Group B): Read Murray’s article closely and critically. What does he mean when he says
that “all writing is autobiography”?
Do you agree? Why or why not? |
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W 8/31 |
Literacy and culture Literacy and power structures |
-“Superman and Me: The Joy of Reading and Writing” by Alexie (online) -“Mother Tongue” by Tan (online) |
RR
3 (Group A): Cultural and familial expectations can shape a
person's views on literacy. How did expectations influence Alexie
and Tan as writers? How have cultural and familial expectations
influenced you as a writer? |
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Week Three |
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M 9/5 |
Labor Day holiday – no class |
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W 9/7 |
Writing environments/places Prewriting strategies Revision and invention |
-“Shitty First Drafts” by Lamott (pages 69-73 in Essays) -“Internal Revision” by Murray (pages 74-84 in Essays) |
RR
4 (Group B): Describe - in detail - your typical writing process.
When and where do you normally write? How do these writing
habits help or hurt you as a writer? |
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Week Four |
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M 9/12 |
Conferences – no class |
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Draft 1 of the Literacy Narrative due. |
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W 9/14 |
Revision as a collaboration Constructive
criticism Peer response |
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Draft 2 of the Literacy Narrative due (bring two copies). |
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Week Five |
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M 9/19 |
Transitioning into Unit 2 Summary writing They Say/I Say |
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Portfolio 1 due (with the final draft of the Literacy
Narrative). |
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W 9/21 |
Digital literacies Technology, identity, and generational differences Using sources as evidence |
-“I Tweet, Therefore I Am” by Lam (pages 24-26 in Reading Culture) -“Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in
Cognitive Modes” by Hayles (pages 27-33 in Reading Culture) |
RR
5 (Group A): How have digital media influenced us as writers,
readers, and thinkers? How has technology impacted people of
different ages and generations in different ways? What do you
think about these changes? |
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Week Six |
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M 9/26 |
Grammar, dialect variation, and linguistic prejudice Standard English |
-“Teaching Standard English: Whose Standard?” by
Christensen (pages 101-108 in Essays) -“Nobody Mean More to Me Than You and the Future Life of
Willie Jordan” by Jordan (pages 157-166 in Reading Culture) |
RR
6 (Group B): What is Standard English? What are some of the
problems with teaching Standard English? How might students
respond to Standard English in different ways? |
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W 9/28 |
Literacy learning and institutions The purposes of higher education |
-“Lessons From My Year as a Freshman” by Nathan (pages
132-137 in Reading Culture) -“The Value of Higher Education Made Literal” by Fish
(pages 141-143 in Reading Culture) |
RR
7 (Group A): What educational, social, and economic trends do Nathan
and Fish examine in these articles? In other words, how has
higher education changed over the past few decades? How do you
feel about these changes? |
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Week Seven |
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M 10/3 |
Conferences – no class |
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Draft 1 of the Position Paper due. |
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W 10/5 |
Peer response |
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Draft 2 of the Position Paper due (bring two copies). |
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Week Eight |
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M 10/10 |
Transitioning into Unit 3 Rhetoric, analysis, text, interpretation |
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Portfolio 2 due (along with the final draft of the
Position Paper). |
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W 10/12 |
Visual analysis Images of America American history |
-“A Guide to Visual Analysis” (pages 6-9 in Reading Culture) -“Visual Essay: Image, Word, and the Design of the Page”
(pages 14-23 in Reading Culture) |
RR
8 (Group B): Using the examples of Hurricane Katrina, explain how the
use of multiple modes can help readers understand the material
better. In other words, how does combining written text with
visual images help the writer communicate his or her message more
effectively? |
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Week Nine |
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M 10/17 |
The problem of history Historical analysis |
-“‘Indians’: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of
History” by Tompkins (pages 439-451 in Reading
Culture) |
RR 9 (Group A): Why study history?
How can studying history help us understand our lives today? What (epistemological, moral, ethical)
challenges do we face when we study history?
Give examples from Tompkins’ article as well as from your own experiences. |
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W 10/19 |
Practice analyzing images of American history Essay organization |
-“Reading American Photographs” by Trachtenberg (page 489
in Reading Culture) -“Visual Essay: American Photographs” (pages 490-495 in Reading Culture) |
Bring in a photograph from American history to analyze. |
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Week Ten |
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M 10/24 |
Conferences – no class |
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Draft 1 of the Historical Analysis due. |
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W 10/26 |
Peer response |
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Draft 2 of the Historical Analysis due (bring 2 copies) |
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Week Eleven |
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M 10/31 |
Transitioning into Unit 4 Myths about researched writing |
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Portfolio 3 due (with the final draft of the Historical Analysis). |
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W 11/2 |
Practicing synthesis National borders, transnationality |
-“Passport Photos” by Kumar (pages 514-517 in Reading Culture) -“Slumdog Tourism” by Odede (page 518-519 in Reading Culture) |
RR
10 (Group B): How does literacy (both written and visual) impact
cross-cultural relationships between people? How can language be
used to subvert and perpetuate power dynamics between different
communities? Give examples from the assigned readings as
well as from your own experiences. |
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Week Twelve |
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M 11/7 |
-“Intertextuality and the Discourse Community” by Porter
(online) |
RR
11 (Group A): What is "intertextuality," and how does this theory
challenge certain myths about writing? In other words, which
concepts does Porter's article call into question? Give examples
of intertextuality, both from Porter's article and from your own
life. |
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W 11/9 |
Scholarly versus popular sources Globalization, multiculturalism |
-“News from Nowhere” by Chang (pages 509-512 in Reading”) -“M.I.A.’s Graphic Style” (pages 512-513 in Reading) |
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Week Thirteen |
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M 11/14 |
Plagiarism and patchwriting Intellectual property |
-“A Plagiarism Pentimento” by Howard (pages 115-125 in Essays) |
RR 12 (Group B): What
is patchwriting? Why, according to Howard, do writers end up
plagiarizing by way of patchwriting? How have these ideas
influenced your own literacy history? |
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W 11/16 |
Finding and evaluating sources Library day? |
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Week Fourteen |
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M 11/21 |
Fall break – no class |
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W 11/23 |
Fall break – no class |
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Week Fifteen |
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M 11/28 |
Annotated bibliography examples Citation resources |
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W 11/30 |
Introductions and conclusions Discuss presentation strategies? |
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Annotated bibliography due. |
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Week Sixteen |
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M 12/5 |
Presentations |
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Draft 1 of the Argument Synthesis due. Prepare for presentations. |
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W 12/7 |
Presentations |
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Prepare for presentations. |
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Finals Week |
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M 12/12 |
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Portfolio 4 due (with the final draft of the Argument Synthesis). |