Discovering Composition - Fall 2015 Schedule
UNIT 1: Noticing Cultural Rhetoric
Weeks 1-4:
We will consider:
Launchpad Readings & In-Class Activities: Carmody, Tim. "Stephen Colbert, First Star of the Age of Youtube." Medium.com. 19 December 2014. Sorgatz, Rex. "Have You Heard the One About...? 2014: A Year in Being and Not Being Funny." Medium.com. 17 December 2014. Bitzer, Lloyd F. "The Rhetorical Situation." Philosophy & Rhetoric 1.1 (1968) 1-14. Plato. "Allegory of the Cave." The Republic. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1963. ...more TBD Major Assignment 1: What have you noticed? (15%) For this assignment, you will be conducting a comparative analysis of the rhetorical elements at work in two “texts” we have covered so far in the course. The purpose of this assignment is to begin thinking about a thread you have noticed up to this point in the material we’ve considered, which you will identify and discuss in these two “texts”. Guidelines:
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UNIT 2: Discovering Cultural /Rhetorical Influence
Weeks 5-8
We will consider:
Launchpad Readings: The Internet of Newsletters McNeil, Joanne. "Tiny Letters to the Web that We Miss." Medium.com. 24 June 2014. ...more TBD Major Assignment 2: Open Letter (15%) Write an open letter addressing a question/cultural value/topical issue you have identified in the material we have covered thus far. (This means you may use material from the first unit, as long as you build upon rather than re-tread the ground covered in your reflective essay.) Your letter should be addressed to either society at-large or a specific sector within society, but your goal will be to inform the reader of this issue using a critical lens in a call-to-action of sorts. Your letter should be 1500-2000 words and posted to Medium using images to enhance your points. The overall effectiveness of your visual elements (selection, use, layout) will be considered as part of the grading criteria. |
UNIT 3: Intervention
Weeks 9-16
You will be appealing to a certain group of subscribers, so devising and understanding audience will be a key component of this unit. You will be studying the strategies and voices used in other successful email newsletters, then developing your own. We will be considering color/design/image for rhetorical purposes and critiquing the Newsletters to which you've subscribed.
We will consider:
Launchpad Readings:
Beard, Jo Anne. "The Fourth State of Matter." The New Yorker. 24 June 1996. newyorker.com.
Major Assignment 3: Topical Email Newsletter (30%)
Your culminating assignment will draw from writing and field research activities you have worked on throughout the semester in the form of a culturally themed email newsletter appealing to a given audience of your choosing. You have identified a cultural issue or value that interests or concerns you, and the purpose of your newsletter is to inform others of this issue by curating articles, videos, essays, and other forms of media which enhance your overall message.
Once you have selected your curated media, you will design the first issue of your newsletter using TinyLetter. You will also draft a newsletter blurb highlighting your angle and approach, in order to attract subscribers. You are required to include both visual elements and at least one video or audio recording. We will discuss the guidelines of this assignment in more detail during the first few weeks of class, as we begin to conduct semester-long research. Ultimately, the assignment guidelines will be decided upon as a class. Your newsletter should include at least five (5) links to other media (be they articles or videos, etc.), one GIF, and a coherent essay thread which conveys your cultural interest/concern in an engaging way. The idea is to inform readers with material to which they will want to subscribe, while bringing awareness to a culturally relevant issue.
Weeks 9-16
- choosing the thread/cultural or topical issue you would like to focus on for your email newsletter
- reflecting on your CompBooks, noting the cultural/rhetorical influences that have impacted you and charting the growth of ideas
- workshopping newsletter plan (voice, audience, and aim)
- voice and the "personal brand"
- reviewing/critiquing popular email newsletters
- practice using TinyLetter
- establishing the "brand" (voice, ideals, concerns) of newsletter
You will be appealing to a certain group of subscribers, so devising and understanding audience will be a key component of this unit. You will be studying the strategies and voices used in other successful email newsletters, then developing your own. We will be considering color/design/image for rhetorical purposes and critiquing the Newsletters to which you've subscribed.
We will consider:
- the personal brand in the digital space
- appealing to specific audiences
- affecting social change through composition
- developing your voice
- aesthetics of the newsletter
- juxtaposing media for rhetorical impact
Launchpad Readings:
Beard, Jo Anne. "The Fourth State of Matter." The New Yorker. 24 June 1996. newyorker.com.
Major Assignment 3: Topical Email Newsletter (30%)
Your culminating assignment will draw from writing and field research activities you have worked on throughout the semester in the form of a culturally themed email newsletter appealing to a given audience of your choosing. You have identified a cultural issue or value that interests or concerns you, and the purpose of your newsletter is to inform others of this issue by curating articles, videos, essays, and other forms of media which enhance your overall message.
Once you have selected your curated media, you will design the first issue of your newsletter using TinyLetter. You will also draft a newsletter blurb highlighting your angle and approach, in order to attract subscribers. You are required to include both visual elements and at least one video or audio recording. We will discuss the guidelines of this assignment in more detail during the first few weeks of class, as we begin to conduct semester-long research. Ultimately, the assignment guidelines will be decided upon as a class. Your newsletter should include at least five (5) links to other media (be they articles or videos, etc.), one GIF, and a coherent essay thread which conveys your cultural interest/concern in an engaging way. The idea is to inform readers with material to which they will want to subscribe, while bringing awareness to a culturally relevant issue.