Student Schedule

Note: this is here just to give you a general idea of the semester’s schedule. Homework dates are subject to change but major assignment dates should stay put.  Also, more detailed descriptions of assignments and links can be found on the home page of our class website!  ALWAYS double-check the website for updates and details!

 

Week 1:  Getting to know each other

HW due Thursday Feb 4 by 8 am

  1. Watch “(un)Learning my Name” by Mohamed Hassan and read Zayn Malik and the Songs that Bring us to Prayer”  by Hanif Abdurraqib
  2. Write a post responding to Hassan and Abdurraqib on OpenLab. 

HW due Tuesday Feb 9 by 8 am

  1. Comment on at least three of your peers’ name posts.  
  2. Read and Annotate: “How to Read Like a Writer” by Mike Bunn. 
  3. Write  Post about Mike Bunn article

Week 2: Getting Started on Unit One 

HW due Thursday, Feb 11 by 8 am

  1.  Read the first 7 pages of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (this is the prologue, all about the word “fuku.”) Don’t forget to read the footnotes! 
  2. Write a blog post of at least 300 words about Oscar Wao on Open Lab 

HW due Tues Feb 16 by 8 am

  1. Read “Understanding Discourse Communities”  by Dan Melzer and answer the questions your professor has asked on Perusall. 
  2. Choosing a Discourse Community that you are a member of, answer the questions on page 111 of the text and post on the blog.  

Week 3: First Drafts!

HW due Thurs Feb 18 by 8 am 

  1. Read and annotate: “Tell ‘Em All to come and get me: A Year of Being ‘Alright’”  by Hanif Abdurraqib. 
  2. Finish up the scene you wrote in class today. Make sure it is at least two (clearly defined) paragraphs.

HW due Tuesday Feb 23 by 8 am

  1. READ: “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott 
  2. Write and post a  Less Sh*&ty First Draft of UNIT ONE. (Make sure you look at the assignment sheet so you know what I’m looking for!) 
  3. Write a short Reviewer’s Memo that you add at the end of the Draft.

Week 4:  Finishing Unit One and Starting Unit Two

Due by Thursday Feb 25 8 am

Finish Unit One: At Least 1000 words

HW due by Tuesday March 2

Pick one of the following articles (whichever interests you the most) to read and annotate: 

  • Vox “The Year We Gave up on Privacy” 
  • The Atlantic: “I’m Not Black I’m Kanye”
  • Science News: “How Coronavirus Stress May Scramble Our Brains” 
  • The Cut: “Is Marriage Obsolete?” 
  • Sports Illustrated: “Why I’m Behind the Athletes’ Bill of Rights”

 Write a blog post of at least 300 words responding  to your article

Week 5: Finalizing topics and starting research for Unit Two

HW due Thursday March 4

Brainstorm ideas for Unit Two on Open Lab (at least 400 words) 

HW due Tuesday March 9

Unit Two Proposal Due 

Week Six: Finding Mentor Texts 

HW due Thursday March 11:

Mentor text annotation part one.  In class, summary and quotation from first source.

HW due Tuesday March 16:

Pick one of the articles we looked at in week four (from Vox, the Atlantic, Science News, etc
) to be your “mentor text” for this unit. If you don’t like any of the following articles, you can pick one of your own (approx 2500 words and well-researched), but it needs to be approved by me. Do a reverse outline of one of these articles.

Week 7: Research

Hw due Thursday March 18:  

  1.  Finish research (at least two more sources– annotate and write 150 word summaries of each)
  2. Start working on your rough draft. 

HW due Tuesday March 23

Using the reverse outline you wrote for your mentor text last week as a guideline, write a rough draft of your article.  At least 1200 words

Week 8:  Polishing it up. 

HW due Thursday March 25

  1. Go through your rough draft and annotate paragraph by paragraph it like Hsiao did HERE
  2. Write a 2-3 paragraph plan for revision

March 27-April 4 Spring Break !

Week 9:  Starting Unit Three

Remember! Unit 2 is due April 6!!

HW due Thursday April 8

  1. Read:  “Documenting all the Small Things that are Easily Lost.” 
  2. do the assignment described in the article above.  

HW due Tuesday April 13

Write a proposal for Unit 3.  

Week 10: Multimodal Mentor Texts 

HW due Thursday April 15

  1. Find a mentor text for the genre you’d like to compose in that you can learn from and emulate. 
  2. Post an analysis of your mentor text 

HW Tuesday April 20 

  1. Start working on your project!
  2. Post evidence of progress on your project

Week 11:  Unit Three. And Revision! 

HW due Thursday April 22

  1. Keep working on Unit Three.  But also:
  2. Bring in your Portrait of a Word paper. We’re going to talk about revision. Read my comments on that paper and your peers’ comments on that paper! 

HWdue Tuesday April 27

Compose a rough draft of Unit Three. 

Week 12:  More Unit Three. More Revision. 

HW due Thursday April 29

  1. Finish Unit Three!
  2. Bring Essay Two to the next class.

TUESDAY MAY 4: UNIT THREE DUE!!

Week 13: Finishing it up!

HW due Thursday May 6:

  1. Read what you wrote in week one in response to Mike Bunn
  2. Write a note to your beginning-of-the-semester self. Post on website
  3. Check in online about how revision is going 

HW due Tuesday May 11: 

  1.  Post a Draft of your Final Reflection.  
  2. Keep working on your portfolio!

Week 14: May 9-15: Last week

FINAL PORTFOLIOS (WITH REFLECTION) DUE 5/20