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Week 1: Course Overview & Discourse Communities

For Thursday:

Texts:

  • None! It’s the first day!

Writing:

  • There is no writing due before class on Thursday, because it’s our first day.

For next week on Tuesday:

Texts:

  • Read “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan
    • https://english.washington.edu/sites/english/files/documents/ewp/teaching_resources/amy_tan_s_mother_tongue.pdf

Writing:

  • Write a paragraph discussing your academic and personal interests. If you have a major, what is it and why did you choose it? If you don’t yet have a major, what areas of study are you considering? What types of genres do you enjoy reading, listening to, or watching? Share any other information you’d like, including your pronouns.
  • Think about language and the different ways you communicate or speak. Choose a word or phrase that you use with one group of people (family, friends, co-workers, etc.) that would not be understood by a different group of people in your life. What is the meaning of this word or phrase? How would you explain it to someone who is an outsider?
  • Post your writing for both prompts as a comment on our Discussion: Introductions post.