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Intermediate Writing 2070 Literacies and Discourses of Place: Personal, Communal, and Disciplinary Explorations

Instructor: April Conway E-mail: aconway@bgsu.edu Office: 311C East Hall Office Hours: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Wednesday (and by appointment) Mailbox: 210 East Hall

Some Questions Considered in this Course:

What is literacy? What is discourse? What is rhetoric?

How are literacies and discourses shaped by material and cultural aspects of a place?

How do our experiences with place, literacies, and discourses shape our perspectives of the world, and then

how do they inform how we create knowledge?

How do ideas and practices of place, literacy, and discourse intersect with practices of rhetoric, especially

aspects of agency, purpose, audience, context, and genre and mode?

What are the literacies and discourses found in locations of particular careers, disciplines, and local and global

communities?

What are your responsibilities as a community member to the people and places your discipline/career impacts?

What are their responsibilities to you?

Course Description In order to address the above questions, in this course you will work on developing mastery of the rhetorical principles of planning, executing, and revising prose. You will also work on strengthening analytical writing, both expository and argumentative, valuable for writing on the job. As a class we will engage in numerous critical thinking practices such as analysis and evaluation, and we will compose traditional and multimodal texts. We will also explore ideas and practices of personal, communal, and disciplinary literacies and discourses as explored through a lens of place. “Place” here means the intersection of the material, the cultural, and the metaphorical; a nuanced understanding of place will affect not only our work with literacy, discourse, and rhetoric, but also your work with a community agency. The service-learning conducted with a community agency will be integral to our discussions and your compositions in this course. Additionally, this course will be taught with a focus on feminist pedagogies and epistemologies, meaning there will be a focus on in-class practices such as critical reflection and collaboration, and on issues such as civic engagement and reciprocity.

Learning Outcomes

To understand and practice rhetorical features, like audience, purpose, and context

To recursively practice the writing process, including inventing, drafting, and revising

To further develop research skills, such as use of primary and secondary sources.

To think about what literacy and discourse are and how they operate in various contexts,

especially in particular careers, disciplines, and community engagements

To become proficient in electronic based modes of composition and to consider the rhetorical

decisions and impacts of digital (multimodal) compositions

To recognize standpoint and bias in your own and others’ productions of knowledge

To think critically of intersectional issues such as civic engagement, reciprocity, collaboration,

communication, and literacy, and to practice and develop behaviors related to these concepts

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Formal Assignments Students must complete all assignments in order to pass the course Personal Literacy Narrative To begin a discussion about literacy, you will write a personal narrative that explores your experiences with

literacy as related to a particular place. As part of the assignment, a multimodal version of the essay will be

uploaded to an online platform. This project will be assessed with a letter grade.

Due Dates: Alphabetic Draft Friday Sept. 19 Digital Draft Friday Oct. 5 Grade Weight: 20%

Service with a Community Agency, an Agency Profile Report, and a Final Reflection There are multiple purposes for the service-learning requirement for this course. One is so that you can explore

different types of literacies and discourses that occur in a particular place. Another reason is to practice

collaboration, a skill valued in various communities, including professional ones. Yet another reason is to reflect

on feminist concerns, such as civil engagement and reciprocity, and to consider how these concepts might be

practiced in scholarly and professional spaces. You will volunteer a negotiated 10 hours with a community

agency of your choice.

The purpose of the agency profile report is to become familiar with the agency you will work with before working with them so that you are informed of the mission and expectations of this agency. The reflective essay will be an opportunity to explore issues of literacy, discourses, place, collaboration, civic engagement, challenges, and any other issues or concepts that arise while working with the community agency. Due Dates: Agency Profile Fri. Sept. 10● Hours with Agency Week 11 ● Reflective Essay Mon. Nov 10 Grade Weight: 30% Literacies and Discourses of a Professional Place Based on empirical observations, an interview, and secondary research, you will describe a place that is related

to your discipline or career. You will also research and analyze literacies and/or discourses that are part of this

discipline or career that can be found in this particular place.

Due Dates: Rough Draft Monday December 1 ● Final Draft Friday December 12 Grade Weight: 25%

Final Presentation At the end of the semester you will present one project of your choice to your classmates and instructor, and perhaps to members of the BGSU or larger BG area community. This presentation is to practice revising writing for oral delivery; to practice public speaking; and to share your experiences as a writer, professional, and practitioner of community engagement with your colleagues and fellow community members. This presentation is assessed with a letter grade.

Due Dates: Monday- Friday, December 8- 12, and Finals week Grade Weight: 10%

Informal Assignments Reading Responses This ongoing assignment entails three components. One, you will be required to write informal pieces responding to the content of the readings for each week. These weekly reading responses serve as a way to engage with course material, including learning outcomes and questions; to make connections between texts and experiences; to flesh out thoughts for formal writing assignments; to analyze and reflect on how other writers write; to pose questions; to practice critical thinking; and to demonstrate active reading abilities by

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articulating what you are learning. These reflections will be, at minimum, 300 words posted on the course blog. Though you are expected to read the assigned readings before each class meeting, reading responses are not due until the Sunday (11:59 p.m.) at the end of each week, unless otherwise indicated. In addition to the weekly responses, one week in the semester you will develop 2 questions related to the week’s readings for your peers to consider and respond to. Questions must be posted to the course blog by the Wednesday (11:59 p.m.) of the week you sign up for. Finally, you will need to contribute to the course’s lexicon page on the course blog at least three times throughout the semester. Contributing to the lexicon includes either adding new words and a working definition (including quotes or examples) to the lexicon, or adding a definition to a word already on the lexicon. Due Date: Ongoing Grade Weight: 15%

Course Requirements Required Texts Deans, Thomas. Writing and Community Action: A Service-Learning Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Longman, 2003. Print. Preferably the first edition. ISBN-10: 0321094808

Because so many of the key concepts in this text tie to learning outcomes for this course—civic

engagement; writing processes and genres; personal, community discourses and literacies—WCA will

serve as the core text for the course.

Erdrich, Louise. Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2003. Print. Any edition. ISBN-10: 0792257197 All other texts will be provided in print by the instructor. Other Requirements

Computer, internet, and printing access

Access to BGSU email

Access to Canvas to stay appraised of standing in course

Memory Stick / Jump Drive/Other means to back-up work

Access to Wordpress.com which will serve as host for our course blog

Course Policies Participate Please attend class ready to fully participate as an active listener and as a knowledgeable contributor to discussions and activities. Please bring assigned readings materials to class, and leave cell phones, social media sites, personal email, IM, and side conversations for after class. Those students who have trouble completing a course successfully almost always are those who miss class regularly, don’t ask questions, don’t participate actively in class, and/or fall behind in the assigned readings and activities. Therefore, I expect regular attendance and active class participation, and I will lower your grade if you do not meet these expectations. If you miss more than 2 classes for any reason, your final grade may be lowered. If you miss more than 3, I may recommend that you drop the class. If you are consistently late to class, if you consistently leave class early, or if you consistently disrupt your or others’ learning, your final grade may be lowered. Develop a community of learners We are a diverse group of individuals and can learn a great deal from each other. We will be doing a great deal of learning and writing together. For this to work, each of us will need to be respectful of others, be open to approaches and perspectives different from our own, and be able to provide and accept appropriate and constructive criticism.

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Revisions Revision is an important part of the writing process as it allows for ideas and writing skills to develop and then to be applied to previously generated pieces. Students have 10 days to revise the literacy narrative, the service-learning reflective essay, and the mapping project. It is the responsibility of the student to submit a revised project to me, and a conference beforehand is strongly suggested. Late Work All work must be turned in, completed as directed, on time. I will not accept late work unless previous arrangements have been made with me. All work must be submitted to me by 12 p.m. on the due date.

Email I will usually respond to emails within 24 hours during the week; if you do not hear from me after 48 hours, email me again as your email may have gotten buried. I may not respond to emails over the weekend. Please check your BGSU email regularly. Please consider your audience, tone, and format when drafting emails to a community partner, or any member of our class. Submitting Work

Email final drafts to: aconway@bgsu.edu as a .doc or .docx. Each document should be saved as follows: Lastname_Assignment_Draft.doc/x. For example:Conway_LiteracyNarrative_Rough.doc

When submitting an essay, please include all drafts, peer review sheets, rubric (printed) plus: Papers should follow MLA or APA format, depending on which format pertinent to you. Examples and information on MLA/APA can be found online at the Online Writing Lab at Purdue: https://owl.english.purdue.edu. We will also discuss MLA/APA formats in class. Essays must be double-spaced, typed, 12 pt Times New Roman font, etc.

Writing Conferences

Because college-level writing can be frustrating at times, it is important to get encouraging and specific feedback

from others. I encourage you to make appointments for writing conferences with me throughout the semester

so that I can give you personalized help and assistance. Additionally, you can make appointments for writing

conferences with writing tutors at the Learning Commons in the library. The phone number to make an

appointment is 372-2823, or you can contact the Writing Center at: http://www.bgsu.edu/learning-

commons/writing.html

Please note class will only be cancelled due to inclement weather when Wood County declares a Level 3 Snow Emergency. Information about inclement weather, academic honesty, religious holidays, veteran issues, and other matters can be found in the BGSU Student Affair handbook here:

http://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/student-affairs/documents/2014-15-Student-Handbook.pdf

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Intermediate Writing 2070 Literacies and Discourses of Place

Course Schedule-Fall 2014 (Tentative) Required Texts

Deans, Thomas. Writing and Community Action (WCA) Erdrich, Louise. Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country (Books)

All other texts provided by instructor

In Class For Homework (Due Next Class Meeting)

Week 1

Monday August 25 -Introductions -Syllabus and course blog review -Free write about place, discourse, literacy related to employer expectations handout

-Review syllabus again and make note of any questions -Read Ch 1 in WCA -Read “Feminist Pedagogies”

Wednesday August 27 -Discuss readings -Introduction to Personal Literacy Narrative -Invention activity for lit. narrative

-Read Ch 2 in WCA, pages 25-38, 60-64, 69-82 on the personal essay -Read Ch 1 of Books

Friday August 29 -Discuss readings -Discuss the personal essay as a genre -Discuss rhetorical features audience, purpose, context, author and subject; rhetorical situation -OWL at Purdue review

-Work on lit. narrative - Read Introduction to Lit. -Read Chs 2&3 of Books -Reflect on week’s readings on course blog by Sunday 11:59 p.m.

Week 2

Monday September 1 Labor Day-No Class

-Work on lit. narrative -Read Ch 4 on researching place from Field Working pp. 165-204

Wednesday September 3 -Discuss readings -Lexicon writings -Discuss rhetorical features of development/organization

- Read Ch 2 in WCA, pages 64-67 on revision/peer review -Bring printed copy of lit. narrative

Friday September 5 -Discuss reading -Peer Review

-Read Ch 3, pages 94-124, on community, and Ch 6 in WCA on respect and reciprocity

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-Read chapters 4 & 5 in Books -Reflect on readings on blog -Based on peer review, revise lit. narrative

Week 3

Monday September 8 -Discuss readings -Introduce Service-learning Project -Discuss Agency Profile Report in detail -Develop questions for guest speaker

-Work on lit. narrative -Read pages 330-337 in WCA on Agency Profile Report -Begin research for Agency Profile Report

Wednesday September 10 -Discuss readings - Guest speaker from community partner: United Way’s Word Shop

-Continue research for Agency Profile Report -Work on lit. narrative

Friday September 12 - Alphabetic Draft Lit. Narratives Due -Discuss guest speaker -Review DALN and Cow Bird for digital revision of lit. narrative; analyze samples -Discuss rhetorical possibilities of which platform to choose -Discuss sources for images

-Work on digital literacy narrative -Read Belonging Preface, Ch 2 -Respond to reading on blog -Continue research for Agency Profile Essay

Week 4

Monday September 15 -Discuss readings -Guest speaker from community partners: Toledo Seagate Food Bank and Black Swamp Conservancy

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Reflect on guest speaker on course blog

Wednesday September 17 -Meet in Hayes 107 -Discuss guest speaker -Go over audio integration

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Work on Agency Profile Report

Friday September 19 -Meet in Hayes 107 -Go over video production and photography options (STAC)

-Read Ch 8, pages 338-358, on writing for the community and Ch 9, pages 385-395, on writing with com. in WCA -Respond to readings on blog -Work on Agency Report -Work on digital lit. narrative

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Week 5

Monday September 22 -Free write on Internet, place -Discuss readings -Rhetorically review and analyze DALN and Cowbird pieces

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Contact service agency

Wednesday September 24 -Discuss still image possibilities -Discuss revising literacy narrative -Outline digital literacy narrative

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Contact service agency

Friday September 26 -Work on digital lit. narrative -Email me name of agency, contact person, and your volunteer role by midnight

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Read “20 Ways of Thinking About Digital Literacy” -Read “Defining Technological Literacy” -Respond to readings on blog

Week 6

Monday September 29 -How to upload to DALN -Work on digital lit. narrative

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Have a draft of lit. narrative ready for peer review

Wednesday October 1 -Peer review digital literacy narrative

-Work on digital lit. narrative -Bring Preface and chapter 2 from bell hooks’ Belonging to class

Friday October 3 -Digital Lit. Narrative Due -Discuss/write about digital and alphabetic literacy narrative choices -View student digital lit. narratives -Agency profile report outline

-Work on agency profile report; bring a hard copy to class -Read Ch 8, pages 338-358, on writing for the community in WCA -Respond to readings on blog

Week 7

Monday October 6 - Discuss readings -Peer review Agency Profile Report

-Work on agency profile report

Wednesday October 8 -Introduction to reflective essay for service-learning -Develop questions for guest speaker

- Read Ch 9, pages 385-395, on writing with community in WCA -Read selection from Service

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Learning -Reflect on reading on blog

Friday October 10 No Class-Fall Break

-Go to service-learning site

Week 8

Monday October 13 -Agency Profile Due -Guest speaker Paul Valdez, Assistant Director from BGSU Office of Service Learning

-Hours with community agency -Reflect on guest speaker on blog

Wednesday October 15 -Discuss guest speaker -Discuss weekend’s readings -Discuss hours with community partner

-Hours with community agency

Friday October 17 -Guest speaker Ezekiel Choffel on rhetoric and community

-Hours with community agency -Reflect on guest speaker on course blog -Read selection from Service Learning -Respond to reading on blog

Week 9

Monday October 20 -Discuss guest speaker from Friday -Discuss reading

-Hours with community agency

Wednesday October 22 -Discuss hours with community partner -Develop service learning entry for résumé

-Hours with community agency

Friday October 24 -Research Essay introduction -Introduction to research proposal

-Read Ch 4 pp. 135-167 on academic and discourse communities, empirical research in WCA -“Missed Connections: What Search Engines Say About Women” by Noble -Respond on blog

Week 10

Monday October 27 -Discuss readings -Review online research possibilities -Begin looking for two texts related to your research location

Finish service hours this week -Read Grabill “Community-Based Research and the Importance of a Research Stance”

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Wednesday October 29 -Discuss reading -Infographic workshop for research proposal

-Work on research proposal -Hours with community agency -Locate and bring in one text relate to research location

Friday October 31 -Workshop research proposal -Reflect on week’s readings and respond on blog Finish service hours by Sunday 11/3

Week 11

Monday November 3 -Discuss service hours -Work on reflective essay

-Work on service-learning reflective essay

Wednesday November 5 -Work on service-learning reflective essay

-Work on reflective essay for community agency

Friday November 7 -Service-learning Reflective Essay Due -MLA workshop -Research proposal workshop

- Work on research proposal -Review pages 291-296 from Ch 7 WCA on taking field notes and interviewing -Review “Spatial Gaze” chapter from FieldWorking and bring to class -Visit or look up layout of research location

Week 12

Monday November 10 -Research proposal due by 12 -Discuss readings -Begin to map the research paper’s location

-Read “Exceeding the Bounds of the Interview…” by Selfe and Hawisher

Wednesday November 12 -Discuss reading -Demonstrate how to include images into body of research essay

-Work on research essay -Read Ch 5 from Field Working on interviewing pp. 220-245

Friday November 14 -Practice interviewing in class -Discuss securing interview w/ someone for research essay

-Set up interview -Read pages 297-304 in WCA on methods for research -Reflect on week’s readings and respond on blog

Week 13

Monday November 17 -Discuss reading -Prepare for research in library

-Work on research essay

Wednesday November 19 -Library research day -Work on research essay -Bring disciplinary texts to

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class tomorrow

Friday November 21 -Workshop for research essay -Work on research essay

Week 14

Monday November 24 -Interview check-in -The rhetoric of PowerPoint -Workshop day

-Work on research essay

Wednesday November 26 No Class-Thanksgiving

-Work on rough draft of research essay

Friday November 28 No Class-Thanksgiving

-Work on rough draft of research essay -Bring a hard copy of rough draft to class

Week 15

Monday December 1 -Research essay draft due -Peer review of research rough draft

-Work on research essay

Wednesday December 3 -Workshop day for presentations

-Work on research essay -Work on presentation

Friday December 5 -Research drafts returned - Workshop day

-Work on research essay -Work on presentation

Week 16

Monday December 8 -Presentations -Work on research essay -Work on presentation

Wednesday December 10 -Presentations -Work on research essay -Work on presentation

Friday December 12 -Research essay due -Presentations

-Work on presentation

Finals Week

Friday, December 19 1:15-3:15

-Presentations