Introduction: Course Overview & Tips for Being an Online Student
Day 1 Wednesday, August 25
READING:
- Sign up for OpenLab class site: if you encounter problems, please email me at cdeaver@citytech.cuny.edu.
- Review the course site: be sure to read the introduction to the course, look over the syllabus, and open and review all course tabs/sections.
- Review: “Tips for Success” on “The OpenLab for Students.”
WRITING: Introductions
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Day 2 Monday, Aug 30
READING & WATCHING:
- Mike Bunn, “How to Read like a Writer”
- Jacqueline Woodson, “What Reading Slowly Taught Me About Writing”
- José Olivarez, “Maybe I Could Save Myself By Writing”
WRITING: Habits and Techniques
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Unit 1 — Education Narrative
Day 3 Wednesday, September 1
READING:
- Frederick Douglass, “Chapter 7” from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- Malcolm X, “Learning to Read”
- Anita Jang, “The Memory of My Grandmother” (City Tech student essay)
RESOURCES:
- Washoe School District, “The Quote Sandwich”
- Butte College, “Double-Entry Reading Journals”
WRITING: Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Anita Jang
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
IMPORTANT: Our next class meeting isn’t until Monday, Sept. 13, almost two weeks from now. Then we have one more week before the following class meets! This is a lot of time away from class, especially at the beginning of the semester.
To stay motivated and on top of your classwork, I recommend that you look over the next three class agendas and do at least some of the readings and informal writing assignments ahead of our next few class meetings.
Day 4 Monday, Sept 13
READING & WATCHING:
- Read the assignment guidelines for “Unit 1: Education Narrative” (email/ask me if you have any questions about these guidelines).
- Watch “Understanding Genre Awareness”
- Look over the texts from last class and think about them in relation to your own educational journey.
WRITING: Genre Analysis
READING & WATCHING:
- Read the assignment guidelines for “Unit 1: Education Narrative” (email/ask me if you have any questions about these guidelines).
- Watch “Understanding Genre Awareness”
- Look over the texts from last class and think about them in relation to your own educational journey.
WRITING: Genre Analysis
- Respond to the Discussion Question “Thinking about Genres”:
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- What genres do you enjoy when you read, listen to music, watch movies, etc. Make a short list.
- Choose one of your favorite genres and write a paragraph discussing the purpose, audience, tone, and style of that genre. Also, explain why you enjoy this genre.
- Write a Post that does the following (approximately 200-250 words):
-
- Think about the pieces by Douglass, Malcolm X, and Jang. Although these pieces are very different, they are all education narratives: what do you think puts them into this category? In other words, what do they have in common? Share your thoughts on this. In your response, include a list of ingredients that you think are essential to this type of writing.
- As you prepare to write your own educational narrative, set a timer and spend 5-10 minutes brainstorming a quick list of stories, ideas, questions, and moments that are important to your experience.
- Finally, think about which one of these texts might serve as a model for your own narrative. The story in the model text does not need to be like yours. Rather, you like the way the author composes their narrative (their techniques, strategies, and style), and you would like to emulate their storytelling.
Day 5 Monday, Sept 20
READING:
- Plato, The Republic, Book VII, “Allegory of the Cave”
WRITING: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Day 1
- Write a Post that does the following (approximately 200-250 words):
-
- Write a summary of Plato’s text. What’s going on here? Where are we? Who’s there? What do they look like? What’s happening?
- Write a paragraph answering this question: Would you rather be a prisoner from the cave or would you want to be released from the cave? CHOOSE ONE. You cannot choose both! Explain the choice you made and why you made it.
Day 6 Wednesday, Sept 22
READING & WATCHING:
- Read Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” again. Be on the lookout for moments where Plato emphasizes the physical and concrete details that the prisoners experience; for example, pay attention to anything they see, hear, and physically feel (along with what causes it). Find three of these details and think about what they might symbolize.
- Watch the two short videos for Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”: here and here
WRITING: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Day 2
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Day 7 Monday, Sept 27
READING:
- Anne Lamott, “Shitty First Drafts”
WRITING: Drafting
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Day 8 Wednesday, Sept 29
READING:
- Read your peer review partner’s draft and with it in mind do the activities below.
RESOURCES:
- City Tech Library’s “Citation and Formatting Guide”
- Purdue OWL “MLA Style Introduction”
WRITING: Peer Review
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Day 9 Monday, October 4
RESOURCES:
- City Tech Library’s “Citation and Formatting Guide”
- Purdue OWL “MLA Style Introduction”
- Purdue OWL, “Transitions”
- Purdue OWL, “Writing Transitions”
WRITING: Creating a Title & Looking at Transitions
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Day 10 Wednesday, Oct 6
READING:
- Read through the feedback on your draft.
RESOURCES:
- Lindsey Wilson College Writing Center, “Commas Handout.”
- University Writing Center of Texas A&M, “Comma Splice.”
- Purdue OWL, “Transitions”
- Purdue OWL, “Writing Transitions”
WRITING: Workshop Day-Revising
- Work on revising Unit 1: Education Narrative
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Unit 2 — Researching & Argument: Writing an Op-Ed piece
Day 11 Wednesday, Oct 13
- SUBMIT Unit 1 (Education Narrative)
- Write a Post reflecting on the process of writing Unit 1.
READING:
- Read the assignment guidelines for Unit 2: Argument & Persuasion
- Reading TBD
RESOURCE:
- Purdue OWL, “Argumentative Essays”
WRITING: Introducing the Argument & Persuasion Project: Writing an Op-Ed
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Oct 18
READING & LISTENING:
- Readings TBA
RESOURCES:
- The City Tech Library’s Guide to Developing a Research Question
WRITING: Analyzing the Declaration of Independence & Brainstorming Research Topics
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Oct 20
READING:
- Readings TBA
RESOURCES:
- Texas A&M University Writing Center, “Ethos, Pathos & Logos”
- Purdue OWL’s “Handout: Quoting Others”
- Washoe School District, “The Quote Sandwich”
WRITING: Looking at More Genres and Thinking about Argument
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Oct 25
WRITING: Preliminary Research and Picking a Topic for your Op-Ed
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
WRITING: Research Prep
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Oct 27
Library Day
RESOURCES:
- The City Tech Library’s “Citation and Formatting Guide.”
- Purdue OWL, “MLA Sample Works Cited Page”
Monday, November 1
READING:
- The Op-ed Project, “Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks”
- Readings TBA
WRITING: Thinking about Thesis and Structure
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Nov 3
RESOURCES:
- Purdue OWL, “Developing Strong Thesis Statements”
- Purdue OWL, “Thesis Statements”
WRITING: Continue Reading, Note-taking and Drafting
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Nov 8
READING:
- Harvard Kennedy School Communications Program, “How to Write an OP-ED or Column”
WRITING: Drafting & Conferencing
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Nov 10
WRITING: Drafting — Finalizing the Op-Ed
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Unit 3 — Writing in a New Genre
Monday, Nov 15
- SUBMIT Unit 2: Op-Ed Piece
- Write a Post reflecting on the process of writing Unit 2.
READING:
- Read the assignment guidelines for Unit 3: Writing in a New Genre.
- Readings TBA
WRITING: Introducing the Writing in a New Genre Project
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Nov 17
READING, LISTENING & WATCHING:
- TBA
WRITING: Interviews as a Genre & Thinking about Audience
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Nov 22
READING:
- Find an example of the genre you will be using for Unit 3: Writing in a New Genre.
WRITING: Analyzing Samples
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Nov 24
WRITING: Drafting Your Genre Piece
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Nov 29
WRITING: Drafting — Finalizing the Writing in a New Genre Project
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Final Reflection and Portfolio
Wednesday, Dec 1
- SUBMIT UNIT 3: Writing in a New Genre Assignment
READING:
- Read through all your work so far this semester and the comments you received.
- Read through the assignment guidelines for the “Final Reflection and Portfolio.”
WRITING: Thinking about Revisions, Reflecting, and Building the Portfolio
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Monday, Dec 6
WRITING: Drafting
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Wednesday, Dec 8
WRITING: Drafting
- Specific instructions will be announced in class and/or our class site.
Conclusions
Monday, Dec 13
- SUBMIT Final Reflection and Portfolio Assignment
Wednesday, Dec 15
- TBA
Monday, Dec 20
- Last Day of Class
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