Overview for all Units – “You know I really need to know/(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)” – Pete Townshend

Units 2 and 3 are presented together because Unit 2 will basically provide the information that you need for Unit 3. Unit 3 will be a “remix” of Unit 2. A “remix” in music is a “variant of the original recording”. We know what they sound like: think about popular artists today who take an old song and repurpose it in some way. Sometimes the lyrics are retained, sometimes the beats are retained, but there is always a moment of listener recognition, a moment of “I heard this before, but not in this way.” So, with Unit 3, you will be choosing to present your information in a new genre.

Throughout these two Units, we will continue reading and discussing topics related to Units 2 and 3. A few of these readings will serve as technical support, while some of these readings will provide models of what you might do. Some technical readings we will use are:

Donna Kain and Elizabeth Wardle: “Activity Theory: An Introduction for the Writing Classroom”

Laura Carroll: “Backpacks vs. Briefcases”

Anne Lamott: “Shitty First Drafts”

Sandra Giles: “Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You Thinking?”

Unit 2 – Genre Investigation and Analysis

“Find what you love and let it kill you” – Charles Bukowski

If Unit 1 was about exploring the “you” that exists in an academic venue, Unit 2 will be about exploring the other side of you, the you that exists when you are not working, out of school, or have that elusive time know as free time! You must develop a question about a specific topic that interests you. What make you tick as a person? If you tell me taking photos related to New York City transit, I’m curious, but I don’t really know what that means. Explain it to me by finding four sources of different genres that give me a full-blown picture of that hobby or interest. I want you to go in-depth here. For lack of a better explanation, imagine that I’ve landed from Mars and I don’t have any frame of reference for what you’re presenting. You will have to:

• Develop a specific question about a hobby or personal interest you have. DUE:
• Research, gather information on and analyze four sources that are at least three different genres. This will become the annotated bibliography for your sources. DUE:
• Read and annotate your sources with your question in mind. Make note of how the issue is discussed or presented in each source. Develop your argument about how effective each source was in presenting its message and purpose to its audience. Write a report about what the source says, but also how and why it says it. DUE:
• Please bring a copy to class on:
• Final draft: DUE:

Grading:

• Are the ideas clear and is there a central focus to your argument?
• Is there evidence of in-depth research here?
• Are there three different kinds of genres?
• Are the ideas organized in a way that makes sense to both of us?
• Is your language appropriate to the audience? Was there a clear consideration of audience?
• Is there a Works Cited Page?

Learning Objectives:

• Read and listen critically and analytically in a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.
• Use research as a process of inquiry and engagement with multiple perspectives.
• Demonstrate the social and ethical consequences of writing.

Unit 3 – Writing in a New Genre

“Sometimes a remix is good because it reaches a whole new generation.” – A. R. Rahman

In Unit 3, you will be using your research from Unit 2 to compose a document/artifact in a new genre. You might want to write a newspaper article or a children’s book, compose a short story or create a video essay. There will be no new research done. Since I wrote a report about New York City Transit photography in Unit 2, can I create a photo essay about New York City Transit photography in Unit 3? The possibilities are endless, but you need to consider your audience and the best way to communicate with them. This will help guide your genre. You also want to consider the purpose of your final product. What do you want the audience to walk away from the experience of your piece with? Your final product can contain pictures or sound, but it must contain at least 1500 words as well. You will have to:

• Create a proposal that explains what you want to say, how you want to say it, and who you want to say it to. There will be more specific details about this proposal later, but this is the gist. DUE:
• Find two to three examples of a model text. You can use one of the texts you used in the Unit 2, but find at least two more and explain how all of these texts meet the needs of your final project. Not every text has to mentor every aspect of your final project. Please explain what aspects of the text do. Please turn in another annotated bibliography. DUE:
• Write a rough draft. Use your mentor texts to guide the structure of your final assignment. Your project must have about 1500 words in it. Please bring a copy to class. DUE:
• Final draft. DUE:

Grading:

• Did your final project follow the rules of the genre that you picked?
• Did you make decisions about language and design of the project based on your audience?
• Was there clear effort and organization on a global, but also sentence level?
• Did you communicate a clear message that people can learn from?

Learning Objectives:

• Read and listen critically and analytically in a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.
• Compose in 21^st Century Environments.

ENG1101

Units 2 & 3 Topics & Assignment Descriptions

Overview
In order to explain Unit 2, I have to talk about Units 2 + 3 together first, because you’re going to have to use some foresight in the research decisions you make; there will be planning, trial, error, planning again. It’s all part of the process.

In Unit 3, you’ll be writing a document in a new genre, one you haven’t written in before, about the question you’ve decided to research in Unit 2. For example, in Unit 3, you might write a journal article for readers of the American Sociological Review, or the Society and Mental Health journal, or a science article for the readers of Scientific American, or for the readers of a Newsletter series, or create a How-To manual, report, manifesto, or a comic book. You might decide to write in a literary genre. Maybe you want to write a speech addressing a problem you outlined or discovered in your research for Unit 2.

You don’t need to know exactly what you’re going to be doing in Unit 3 yet. HOWEVER, you’ll be doing some things in Unit 2 that you’ll need for Unit 3.

What you need to do for Unit 2…

1. Researching a question you are truly curious about. You will use your research from Unit 2 when you write Unit 3.
2. Researching a variety of different genres, which will inform what you write in Unit 3.

UNIT 2: Genre Investigation & Analysis – Reflective Annotative Bibliography

Unit 2 will be an investigation into and a report on a specific question about a topic that interests you. You will conduct research into various genres (four sources), gather, and evaluate the information in those sources, and present a report on your findings, called a Reflective Annotative Bibliography. This report will be thesis-driven based on your investigating, analysis, and thinking of your sources, and what you have learned from your investigation. You may arrive at an answer to your initial question, or you may find you’re asking the wrong questions and will need to rethink your approach.

Outline of Tasks and Due Dates

1. Ask and develop a specific question. This should be something you care about, something you’ve always wondered about—something that will keep you engaged, as you’ll be continuing this line of inquiry in Unit 3 as well. Complete the Formulating Your Research Question Worksheet^[1] and have your question approved by me. If you change your question, your new question must be approved. (You cannot change your question past X.) The question is due X.
2. Research and analyze four sources consisting of at least three different genres. Complete a Reflective Annotated Bibliography for each of your sources. Instructions for this are after this outline.
3. Write the rough draft of your report. This will have three sections: The Introduction (detailing your initial question), the Reflective Annotative Bibliography, and the conclusion. Remember that format and appearance count, so give yourself time to proofread and make it look great! Include a Works Cited page of your sources. The rough draft is due X.
4. Prepare the final draft of your report. Include a Works Cited page of your sources. The entire report consisting of an introduction, Reflective Annotative Bibliography, and conclusion should be at least 1800 words (excluding the Works Cited page). Due X.
5. Reflect on your reading and writing in Unit 2 and write a reflective letter about the process. Consider: What did I learn from this process? About my own process of thought? About my reading process? My writing process? How can I apply what I have learned to other contexts? Your reflective letter should be at least 500 words. Due X.

Grading^[2]

• Is your document readable and informative? Does it teach us about what you’ve learned, as it relates to question? Does it teach us, not only about the content of the sources you’ve chosen, but also the
  rhetorical situation surrounding those sources?
• Did you do solid research here? One of the main goals of the assignment is to learn something new about your topic AND to help you learn to find information on your own, to be applied to future situations. If you simply choose the first three options on Google, that’s not doing enough, and your topic will most likely not be as nuanced as it could be.
• Did you find sources in at least three different genres? Did the genres you chose “gel” with the content – that is, did the genres you chose make sense for the goals of both Units 2 and 3?
  Your report must look great and must be organized in a way that makes sense to the reader you have in mind (and to me!).
• Is your language appropriate to the audience you have in mind? No matter how you chose to write it, the type of language you use (how it is written) must be consistent and must be appropriate to your audience. You should be able to explain with a good line of reasoning why you chose the language you chose.
• Cite your sources and include a Works Cited page.

Reflective Annotated Bibliography Directions

The reflective annotated bibliography works as a research device, having been adapted from the traditional academic document called an annotated bibliography. While the conventional form only includes a bibliographic entry and a précis, this adapted annotated bibliography adds a terminology/key word list, a reflection component, and a quotables section. These additional sections help you as a writer differentiate between “objective” reporting of the author’s ideas from your “subjective” editorial remarks about the reading (aka, your opinions, speculations, counter-arguments, questions). It also acts as a mnemonic device to help your retain terminologies, key terms and phrases, and an author’s memorable quotes. While this reflective annotated bibliography could conceivably help you review for exams or store information for future pieces of research scholarship, you can also use it to help you formulate paragraphs for an essay.

Note: The example is color-coded, listed as Part 1, 2, and 3, and explained simply to help you become more aware of each section. When you create your own Reflective Annotated Bibliography, you do not have to add these things!

Part 1:

Bibliographic Entry: This section gives the publication information: author, date, title, book or journal, vol., page numbers, print or web. (Please put this in regular Times New Roman, 12 point font.)

Fitzgerald, Jill. “Research on Revision in Writing” Review of Educational Research. 57.4 (Winter 1987): 481-506.

Part 2:

Terminology/Key Words: This section lists key words that the author uses that indicate a relationship to a disciplinary discourse community. You may also use this section to list unfamiliar vocabulary. (Notice the differentiation that I make between “vocabulary” (general words) and terminology/key terms (vocabulary used within a particular, sometimes specialized discourse community.))

Coding System

Cognitive Theory

Error-Detection Method

Linear Model

Participant-Observer Method

Problem-Solving View

Process

Process-Tracing Method

Recursiveness

Revision

Simulation-by-Intervention Method

Stage Model

Subprocess

Part 3:

Précis: This section articulates an objective summary of the reading. It should only convey exactly what the author states in the article without including your opinions. (1) It should state the author’s primary claim and, maybe sub-claims. What argument does the author want to assert? (2) It should acknowledge the types of evidence the author uses to support this claim. What data/facts/evidence does the author use to justify the claims of the article? (3) It should reveal the interpretations that this author arrives at through the claims and evidence. What point or conclusion does the author surmise? (Please put in regular Times New Roman, 12 point font.)

From a two decade period, his author compiles research studies, perspectives, and re-definitions about revision and its role in the improvement of writing. According to the author, these last twenty years of revision studies have reshaped the definition of meaningful revision to move beyond editorial actions. As the author states, “This paper presents a brief historical perspective on the development of the meaning of revision, presents findings from research on revision, and, finally, discusses limitations of the research” (481). Moreover, this survey of revision research consider various aspects of revision decision-making, including age, grade-level, expertise, and instructional response (aka, response to drafts). After summarizing and analyzing the revision studies and limitations, the author suggests further research studies that future composition/rhetoric researchers should pursue.

Part 4:

Reflection: This sections reveals your opinion about what the author has stated. Do you agree or disagree? What speculations do you want to make about this author’s methods of research? What questions do you have? What don’t you understand? What other information do you need to look up to better understand this article? This unconventional section puts forward your ideas. (Please put in italics, Times New Roman, 12 point font.)

This article provides an historical viewpoint for my articles albeit one which needs updating since 1987. Along with articles from 1987 to the present, this information provides a framework to discuss revision and the types of assessment systems in which productive revision—beyond editorial actions (aka: surface characteristics such as spelling, punctuation, and sentence correction)—can take place. The point accrual system that I suggest offers students a course policy system in which they can take control of their earned grade and see the value in revisionary efforts. By reviewing these methodologies of tracking revision habits, I can make a better argument for the types of classroom policies we might put in place to encourage, even instigate, revision.

If American public schools ask students to do little revision (and most of my students come from public schools) then incoming freshmen must be “unlearned” of the counter-productive habits that they were taught about revising in high school. If conditioned for twelve years not to revise, the freshman year composition course must place some re-conditioning structures in place to induce students to alter their normativized habits of textual-stagnation (Note to self: What would be the opposite term for revising in terms of writing? Textual stagnating/textual complacency/textual satisfying/ stifling/ impairing / ossifying/idling/constipating/fossilizing. I’ll need to figure out this specialized antonym for revising/revision. Fallowing?

Part 5:

Quotables: This section directly quotes one to three statements that the author made in the article that you feel really exemplify its claims or interpretations. Or, you will choose a sentence that you feel the author expressed exceptionally well. Include page number(s) where you find the quote. Place quotation marks around the chosen phrase and make sure you cite the phrase verbatim. (Put in regular Times New Roman, 12 point font.)

[T]heory has not always mirrored the practitioner’s belief that revision has a central role in writing. Early views of revision were theoretically dry and uninteresting. (481)

Most recently, Scardamalia and Bereiter (1986) coined the term “reprocessing” to refer to the metnal aspects of revision […] Reprocessing “spans everything from editing for mistakes to reformulating goals. Revision is a special case of reprocessing, applied to actual texts” (790)

Revision means making any changes at any point in the writing process. It involves identifying discrepancies between intended and instantiated text, deciding what could or should be changed in the text and how to make dsired changes, and operating, that is, making the desired changes. Changes may or may not affect meaning of the text, and they may be major or minor. Also, changes may be made in the writer’s mind before being instantiated in written text, at the teim text is first written, and/or after text is first written [list of authors contributing to this definition]. (484)

Over the last decade, particularly during the last [484] few years, methods of revealing individuals’ knowledge of revision, as well as actual revision made on paper, proliferated. The development of methodology mirrored the 1970s’ and 1980s’ reconceptualization of revision as potentially major and significant in nature, not just editorial, as both process and product, and as a subprocess that could occur at any point in the writing process. Five clusters of research methods emerged: coding systems for categorizing revisions; process-tracing methods, including think-aloud techniques, questionnaires, interviews and taped self-evaluations; a particpant-observer method; a simulation by intervention method; and an error detection method. (484-485)

Research on cognitive aspects of the problem-solving view of revision has focused on reasons for breakdowns. Several reasons are plausible. First, one break-down may occur if a writer does not clearly establish intentions for text. (489)

Intentions may be for content or for form or presentation so writers may have difficulty establishing intentions because of lack of knowledge about what to say (i.e., about content-related goals) and/or because of lack of knowledge about how to say it (i.e., about presentation-related goals such as structure, style, format, etc.). On the other hand, writers may actually have the requisite knowledge, but may have difficulty recalling and/or representing the knowledge. (489)

Expert professional writers made one meaning-related revision for every two surface changes; advanced college student writers made one for every three; and inexperienced college student writers made one for every seven. (492)

As a preface to a synthesis of findings of intervention research, it is perhaps useful to note that some research indicates that little emphasis is placed on revision in writing in American public schools. [article offers statistics about this claim]

Research on revision in writing is at a pivotal point. A view of revision that bgins to capture its potential complexity is developing. Research has documented the recursive and problem-solving nature of revision and has described how much writers revise, when they revise, and what kinds of revision operations they make. However, work on the cognitive aspects of the revision process is scant. Issues of how and when writers learn through revision remain virtually unexplored. . Little is known about the circumstances under which the reiviosn process is related to judgements of quality of writing, and intervention studies are just beginning to provide insight into ways of nurturing the development of revision knowledge and abilities. (497)

A crucial design factor is likely to be the extent to which new research examines revision in a broader context than it has in the past. […] The inescapable conclusion is that more research might be shaped to enlighten our knowledge about writers’ revisions in relation to “what’s needed,” rather than merely describing revision operations that are done. (497)

 

UNIT 3: Writing in a New Genre

In Unit 3, you will be using your research from Unit 2 to compose a document/artifact in a new genre. You might want to write a declaration, a manifesto, a rulebook, a magazine article (from a particular publication), a comic book, a children’s book, short story, a video essay. Perhaps you want to create a multigenre piece that mixes multiple genres in the same document, or a multimedia piece with a written component. I hope you get the sense that the possibilities are endless; you have multiple publishing options for your Unit 3 genre. Hint: Think about your audience and the best way to communicate with them. Where could you publish or present your piece? At a TEDx conference? A gathering of experts in your field of study? To an arm of the government? To a school district? Or others? The possibilities are virtually endless.

Requirements

1. You must have a rhetorical understanding of the genre you choose.
2. You must make use of the research you did in Unit 2. You cannot simply write an “article.” You’ll need to be specific, and the genre must contain words. It would help you to have a specific example (or model) of the genre in which you choose to write. You will have written about this genre, in some form, so use the knowledge you already have, and the knowledge you will gain from further research, to craft the best version of a document in the genre you’ve chosen. If you are choosing to do something say in video or song, you must transcribe the words.
3. The final word count for this will be 1500 words, at least.

Some ways you might want to get started…

• Question your intent. Think, “What do I have to say? Why do I care about this topic? What is the best genre for me to communicate what I have to say?”
• Choose a genre you like and that you think best fits your intent. If you decide for instance that you want to talk about bodegas, or your bodega specifically, perhaps an exposé is best. The point here is, the topic and genre should gel.

Outline of Tasks & Due Dates

1. Proposal. Consider again how your research and genre analysis in Unit 2 has addressed/influenced your line of questioning. What do you want to say? Why is your topic important to you and to the community at large? Which genre is best suited to communicating your message? Type your proposal. Due X
2. Outline with sources chosen and genre mentor text (model or example of the genre you would like to compose in). Once you’ve narrowed your focus/have chosen your genre, outline your argument. How will you support your general claim? What kind of sources would strengthen your argument? Which genre will serve as your mentor text? Due X
3. Rough draft. Begin writing. Bring in research and the methodological knowledge you’ve gained from our investigation into genre and rhetoric. Look to your source/mentor text for ideas about structure. Due X
4. Based on feedback on your rough draft, conduct further research, if necessary, to support your
   claims/vision. Incorporate reflection and feedback in order to improve the final product.
5. Final draft. Due X
6. Reflection. Your reflective letter should be at least 500 words. Due X

Grading^[3]

• Genre Awareness. You must show an understanding of the “rules” of the genre you are working in. Part of the Unit 3 assignment is a “genre report” (similar to those you did in Unit 2). Is this thoughtful, and well-reasoned? Do you follow these guidelines in your final project?
• Audience Awareness. Does your project do a good job at anticipating and accommodating the group to which it is addressed? Does your project make the diction, argument, genre, and design choices appropriate to your chosen audience?
• Care. How carefully have you constructed a “finished work” in the genre of your choosing? For instance, a great deal of care was put into how a documentary organizes information and image to convey a particular message to an audience. This criterion will vary depending on your genre, but you must in all cases turn in a finished, organized project that is consistent and free of typos and formatting errors. You should be able to explain why everything is where it is.
• Effectiveness of Message. Do you communicate a clear message to your intended audience? Your audience should walk away either having learned something that could change how they think about your topic, or else with productive questions about your topic. It should inspire nuanced engagement and curiosity in your audience.

1. Need to develop this! ↑
2. Need to simplify this! ↑
3. Again, need to simplify! ↑

Unit 2: Research 

Prof. Ruth Garcia

English 1101, Spring 2020

Unit 2: Annotated Bibliography (1000-word minimum)

Due: ?/?/2020

Assignment

At this point, you have brainstormed issues that are deeply important to you and you have narrowed those down to one in particular. Over the last couple of weeks, you have also worked to develop a question related to the topic you want to investigate.

Now, for this assignment you will do research and put together a 1000-word annotated bibliography of three sources that help you answer your question.

Here is a useful site explaining what an annotated bibliography is and how to do one: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography

Your particular annotated bibliography should include the following:

• Your research question at the top of the page.
• An opening statement (a paragraph) explaining why this topic is important to you, what you know about it, and what you expect to find.
• Three sources that are properly formatted in MLA style.
  • Note that each of your sources should be a different kind of genre. Examples of genres you might include are: newspaper articles, TED talks, personal essays, magazine article, scholarly article, organizations website.
  • You can find more on how to do MLA citations at the link below and throughout the Purdue OWL site: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
  • You can also use Purdue OWL, Easy Bib, or Citation aNchine to do your citations—you can google for the second two sites and the first is at the link above.
  • Make sure your citations are in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
• After each MLA style citation, put a summary of the source that tells what the piece is about.
• Following each summary, you should also include
  • a few sentences that explain the genre, audience, and purpose of the piece.
  • one or two sentences evaluating the usefulness of each source.
  • An important and useful quotation from your source.
• A concluding statement (a paragraph) reflecting on what you have learned about your topic and who would benefit from this information and how.

Note: Below–after “How will this be graded” I have included a template for your annotated bibliography. This is to show you how to organize and format your annotated bibliography.

How will this be graded?

• Your annotated bibliography should be at least 1000 words.
• Your annotated bibliography should be on time.
• Your annotated bibliography should have all the components listed above and be formatted in the way indicated by the template below.
• You should proofread.

The template for this assignment begins on the next page.

Your Name Here

Prof. Garcia

ENG 1101

Date Here

Research Question: Insert your research question here in place of this red text. Then make the text black/automatic when you are done.

Introduction:

In place of this blue text, insert your Opening statement saying what you expected to find before you began your research—this should be about at least a paragraph. Make sure to return the text to black/automatic.

Insert your first source here in place of all this black text and make sure your citation is in MLA style and alphabetized by author’s last name. Notice that the first line of a citation is all the way to the left and other lines of the citation are indented.

In place of this green text, you should insert your summary. In your summary you should make sure to mention the genre, audience, and purpose of the piece. Also, make sure to return your text to black/automatic.

In place of this purple text, you should insert your evaluation of the source and return the text to black/automatic.

In place of this orange text, insert an important or useful quotation from your source and return the text to black/automatic.

Insert your second source here in place of all this black text and make sure your citation is in MLA style and alphabetized by author’s last name. Notice that the first line of a citation is all the way to the left and other lines of the citation are indented.

In place of this green text, you should insert your summary. In your summary you should make sure to mention the genre, audience, and purpose of the piece. Also, make sure to return your text to black/automatic.

In place of this purple text, you should insert your evaluation of the source and return the text to black/automatic.

In place of this orange text, insert an important or useful quotation from your source and return the text to black/automatic.

Insert your third source here in place of all this black text and make sure your citation is in MLA style and alphabetized by author’s last name. Notice that the first line of a citation is all the way to the left and other lines of the citation are indented.

In place of this green text, you should insert your summary. In your summary you should make sure to mention the genre, audience, and purpose of the piece. Also, make sure to return your text to black/automatic.

In place of this purple text, you should insert your evaluation of the source and return the text to black/automatic.

In place of this orange text, insert an important or useful quotation from your source and return the text to black/automatic.

Conclusions:

In place of this blue text, insert your concluding statement saying what you learned about your topic, who you think would benefit from this information, and why and how they would benefit from this information—this should be about a paragraph. Make sure to return the text to black/automatic.

 

Unit 3: Genre

Prof. Garcia

ENG 1101

Spring 2020

Unit 3: Writing in a Genre Assignment

Due: ?/?/20

Assignment

Think about the research you conducted for your annotated bibliography and decide which audience you think would benefit from this information, why they would benefit, and what would be the best way to convey this information to them. You have already started to do some of this thinking in the conclusion of your annotated bibliography, but now you need to pick a specific group with whom to share your research, come up with a plan for how you will share the information you found, and write the proposed document for your intended audience.

Note: This is a two-part assignment.

Part One: Reflection and Genre Analysis

Write a 2-3-page reflection on how to best use the information you gathered and the knowledge you gained with your annotated bibliography.

In your reflection address the following:

• Who do you think would benefit from this information? Why?
• Tell me about your one specific audience—a brief description so I understand who they are, why you chose them, and how this research relates to them.
• Explain why you chose this audience. Give 2-3 well-developed reasons why you think this information is useful for this particular audience. Also, explain what you want to accomplish for this audience. In other words, are you trying to inform them, persuade them, and/or something else?
• How do you think it would be best to reach this audience in a way that accomplishes what you want to have happen by sharing the information with this group? In other words, what genre would you choose for reaching this audience?

(Examples of genres you might consider are: news report, pamphlet, article in a particular kind of magazine or newspaper, YouTube video, podcast, song lyrics, speech, Wikipedia entry, letter to a particular political figure—these are just examples but the point is to pick a genre that would reach and appeal to your audience).

• Why would this be your choice of genre for this group?
• Tell me about this genre. Find three examples of your genre, step back and look them over carefully. Then, answer the following questions based on what you see as common among all three pieces:
  • Where is your genre found? What kind of place/publication?
  • Who creates/authors this type of work? For what audience?
  • Why does this genre appeal to your chosen audience? Or why do you think it does?
  • What is the purpose of this genre? (to Persuade, to Entertain, or to Inform, something else?) Note that there might be more than one purpose to your genre. For example, some types of musicians or poets work to inform through their work but that does not make their music any less entertaining.
  • Finally, what do you see as the main elements or features of this genre, including the length, tone, format, organization, desired effect on the audience, and other key features? Make a list and describe each element in a few sentences.

Part II: Writing in a genre

Now take your research and draft a document for your chosen community in the genre you have chosen and analyzed.

Use the work you did in the reflective writing and the understanding you developed about the genre to write your piece.

Your goal is to share your research and share it with your chosen community to accomplish your desired goal, which you identified in your reflection.

Note: There is no particular word count for this portion of the assignment as the length will be determined by the genre you chose to work in.

How will this be graded?

• Length: Your reflection and genre analysis should be at least 1000 words.
• Careful and thorough thinking:
  • Your reflection should have all the components listed above
  • Your genre analysis should be accurate and detailed.
  • Your genre should make sense for the audience you have chosen to address.
• Genre Execution:
  • The genre piece you produce should be similar to other pieces in the genre you chose to work with.
  • The genre piece accomplishes your goal (to inform, persuade, something else—whatever you said in your reflective piece.)
• Repurposing: The genre piece you produce should use the research from your annotated bibliography and be related to your research question.
• Timeliness: Your project should be on time.
• Proofreading: You should proofread for clarity.

Download (DOCX, 487KB)

Download (PDF, 159KB)

1101_unit2and3

Download (DOCX, 47KB)

 

I am not sure if I completed Unit 2 in full. Is the report necessary or is the Annotated Bibliography and Research Question enough? I looked at your instructions Carrie and also the samples, and it seemed like a report isn’t required, so I opted not to include it. If I need it, that’s fine and will revise.

English 1101

Unit 2 & 3 Projects

UNIT 2: Rhetorical Analysis Project

In Unit 2 you will investigate and report on a research question you choose. You will conduct research into at least four different genres, gather, and evaluate the information in those sources, and present a report on your findings. This report will be based on your investigating, analysis, and thinking of your sources, and what you have learned from your investigation.

Assignments and Due Dates (you will receive additional assignment sheets that explain each step more thoroughly when the due dates come closer)

1. Your Proposal with a research question Due Wed – 10/09 (10 Points): This will outline your intent for the project and the research question you will be investigating. Remember, this should be something you are interested in, since you’ll be continuing with this topic during Unit 3 as well.
2.  Initial Annotated Bibliography Due Mon – 10/16. (40 points): gather information on, and analyze four sources consisting of at least three different genres. I will have a hand out that shows the exact format I would like for you to follow, but essentially you will be summarizing the sources and evaluating their credibility.
3. Reflective analysis of each source Due Mon – 10/21. (50 points): After you have made your first annotated bibliography, I then want you to investigate those sources by means of rhetorical analysis with your research question in mind. Essentially, I want you to think about the reasoning behind the author’s choices they made when writing, and who they were writing for. You will also compare and contrast your analyses of sources to examine how the issue is discussed in a variety of genres.

Your analysis of each source must be at least 200 words. You must analyze not only what the source says, but how and why it says it.

4. Rough draft of your report Due Mon – 10/28. (50 points rough draft + 10 points for peer review): Include a Works Cited page of your sources. Bring two (2) copies of your rough draft to class to participate in the peer writing-workshop
5. 1500-word Final Draft with a Works Cited page Due Mon 11/04. (100 points.)
6. Reflection Paper Due Wed. 11/06 (25 points).: After the final draft you will write a reflection paper that will discuss what you have learned during the process.

Grading:

As always, I will be grading by using the rubric I provided on the first day of class on the syllabus, and how well you follow the directions of each assignment. Please ask me if you need any clarification.

 UNIT 3: Writing in a New Genre

In Unit 3, you will be re-purposing your research from Unit 2 to create a new composition, in a new genre. You might want to write a magazine article (with a specific audience in mind), a comic, a children’s book, short story, a video essay, a podcast etc. You may also create a multimedia piece with a written section if you want to do that instead.

This is to say, the assignment is left largely open. You can choose whatever rhetorical vehicle you want, as long as you are re-purposing your research from Unit 2, and that you are conscious of your rhetorical situation and the audience that you are communicating to. (For example: You cannot simply write an “article.” If you choose that route, then you will have to have a specific publication in mind and write towards that audience.)

Assignments and Due Dates (you will receive additional assignment sheets that explain each step more thoroughly when the due dates come closer)

1. Proposal Due. Wed -11/13. (10 points): The proposal will be a write up about what genre you are composing in and why do you think that genre will be effective in communicating your Unit 2 research to a specific audience. Essentially you will write: What do you want to say? Why is your topic important to you and to the community at large? Why is the genre you chose best suited to communicating your message?
2. Outline Due Wed. – 11/20. (40 points): Once you’ve narrowed your focus/have chosen your genre, you will provide me with an outline your project showing how it will communicate the central argument.
3.  Rough draft Due: Mon – 12/02. (50 points for the rough draft & 10 points for the peer review): Bring two copies of your rough draft to class to participate in the peer writing-workshop.
4. Final draft. Due: Mon – 12/09 (100 points)
5. Reflection Due: Wed – 12/11. (50 points): You will write a reflection on your project after you completed it. I will give you more specific questions at the time that this is assigned but your papers should be at least 500 words.

Grading:

You will be graded in accordance with the rubric I provided the first day of class, but since this is a more specialized assignment, I will be paying extra attention to the following:

1. Genre Awareness. Your project must show that you have a handle on the genre you are working in. This means that you must be conscious of what rules the genre has, and you will have shown that you can implement them.
2. Audience Awareness. As I have stated numerous times (and will no doubt state it numerous more times in class) Your project must have a clear audience, and your project must be conscious of that audience. You will be graded on how well you do this.

Again, I did take a bulk of this assignment from examples from last session’s PD. It worked well and I am impressed with the caliber of papers I’ve received this semester.

English 1101 D371 Paper #2: Research Report

Due Dates

Proposal/Conceptual Outline: 3/16

First Draft: 3/23

Final Draft: 3/25

In this unit, we are reading about the community around us. More specifically, we are reading and analyzing issues that are relevant to New Yorkers. You will choose a relevant topic that interests you, and report on a specific question you’d like to investigate within that topic.

Since the Unit 2 and Unit 3 papers are closely linked, in order to explain Unit 2, I have to talk about Units 2 + 3 together, because you’re going to have to use some foresight in the research decisions you make; there will be planning, trial, error, planning again. It’s all part of the process.

In Unit 3, you’ll be writing a document in a new genre, one you haven’t written in before, about what you’ve decided to research in unit 2. For example, you might write a manifesto, or a comic book. Maybe you want to write a speech addressing a problem you outlined or discovered in your research for Unit 2.

You don’t need to know exactly what you’re going to be doing in Unit 3 yet. HOWEVER, you’ll be doing some things in Unit 2 that you’ll need for Unit 3:

1. Researching a question about a NYC community or issue that you are truly curious about. You will use some of your research from Unit 2 when you write Unit 3.
2. Researching a variety of different genres, which will inform what you write in Unit 3.

So, Unit 2 will be an investigation into and report on a specific question about a topic that interests you. You will conduct research into various genres (4 sources), gather and evaluate the information in those sources, and present a report on your findings. For this assignment, you will not need a thesis statement; rather, I am asking you think investigate, analyze, and report what you have learned from your investigation. You may arrive at an answer to you initial question, or you may find you’re asking the wrong questions and will need to rethink your approach.

1. Ask and develop specific question. This should be something you care about, something you’ve always wondered about – something that will keep you engaged, as you’ll be continuing this line of inquiry in Unit 3 as well.
2. Have your question approved by me (REQUIRED). If you change your question, your new question must be approved. Due 3/16  (You cannot change your question past 3/18).
3. Research, gather information on, and analyze 4 sources consisting of at least 3 different genres.
4. Read and annotate sources with your question in mind. Take notes on the relationship between the source and your question. Consider throughout: what did I learn from this source? About my own process of thought? About my reading process? My writing process?
5. Write your report. The best way to go about this is to write the report for each source, then write the intro and conclusion. Remember that format and appearance count, so give yourself time to proofread and make it look good!

Your analysis of each source must be at least 300 words – this is both content analysis AND rhetorical analysis, which we have discussed and will continue to discuss during this unit. In other words, you must analyze not only what the source says, but also who its intended audience is, what its history is, its purpose, etc. Remember, try to make this as interesting to your readers as possible. This gives you some leeway in choosing how you want to format your report, but make sure you consider what is best for your audience.

The entire report, consisting of source analysis, introduction, and conclusion, should be at least 1800 words. 

Grading System

1. Is your document readable and informative? Does it teach us about what you’ve learned, as it relates to question? Does it teach us, not only about the content of the sources you’ve chosen, but also the rhetorical situation surrounding those sources? In other words, is it a “good” source? Good for whom? Why?
2. Did you do good research here? One of the main goals of the assignment is to learn something new about your topic AND to help you learn to find information on your own, to be applied to future situations. If you simply choose the first three options on Google, that’s not doing enough, and your topic will most likely not be as nuanced as it could be.
3. Did you find sources in at least three different genres? Do the genres you chose “gel” with the content – that is, do the genres you chose make sense for the goals of both Units 2 and 3?
4. Your report must look good, and must be organized in a way that makes sense to the reader you have in mind (and to me!).
5. Is your language appropriate to the audience you have in mind? No matter how you chose to write it, the type of language you use (how it is written) must be consistent and must be appropriate to your audience. You should be able to explain with a good line of reasoning why you chose the language you chose.
6. Cite your sources.

Look HERE for some tips and quite a few examples of Units 2 and 3 for 1101.

• Make sure you review the unit descriptions of Units 2 and 3 in prior blog posts.
• Drafts of these assignments are due on the Open Lab on May 4. You can post them together, and just click both categories: 1101 Unit 2 and 1101 Unit 3.
• There will be an optional Zoom meeting on Thursday, April 30 at 3 pm (link at the bottom of this page) to talk about Units 2 and 3.

Important Upcoming Dates

• Thursday April 30: Optional Zoom meeting to discuss 1101 Units 2 and 3
• Monday May 4: Deadline for posting 1101 Units 2 and 3.
• Monday May 11: Deadline for Commenting on partners’ Units (same partners as before.)
• Thursday May 14: By noon, post a draft of a final portfolio assignment (with reflection) for 1101. This is the assignment as you would give it to students. 3 PM ZOOM MEETING!
• Thursday, May 28: The final syllabi, and all unit assignments for 1101 and 1121 are due. Please note: final syllabi do not need to include the whole schedule for courses–they will include all your course goals and policies.
• Thursday, May 28: Student grades due. All portfolios uploaded to the PD Dropbox folder (I will provide link shortly)

 

 

I have a couple ideas for low-stakes assignments for the Genre Awareness unit in 1101.

First, I’ve found that students most readily know genre as a term related to music/film, and therefore I think it would be useful to start there.

1. In class, play a short clip from a recent horror/thriller film (Midsommar/Us).

Discuss w/ class: What makes this a horror film? Are there any things that, if you took them away, would change the genre?

Writing Prompt: Imagine being asked to rewrite this as a romantic comedy. What would change? What would you have to add to make it romantic and funny?

2. Play clip from Seinfeld’s “The Subway” where riders strain to hear an indecipherable announcement.

Class Discussion: What are the conventions of a subway announcement?

Writing: What other ways can you find that information? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these other different genres/modes? What is unique about subway announcements versus all other genres/modes?

Concepts to tie in (for both): How do considerations of audience/purpose/constraints/genre conventions impact the content and form and mode of the text? Can we write out a procedure for identifying the conventions of a genre given some exemplar?