Refer to the Spring 2025 Academic Calendar for all holidays etc. This schedule is subject to change based on class needs and any college schedule changes.
Weekly Agendas will contain more detailed information about each week’s reading and writing.
Overview of Classes
Week 1: Course Overview & Discourse Communities
Monday, January 27, 2025Wednesday, January 29, 2025–no classes scheduled
Monday, February 3, 2025
Objectives:
- To read, write, talk, and explore to get acquainted with the course, each other, the practice of noticing, and the concept of discourse communities
Texts:
- Video: “The Changing Room Illusion” by Michael A. Cohen
- Blog post/Newsletter: “Small Change” and other pieces from The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker
- Personal Essay/Newspaper Article: “HERS/ She’s Your Basic LOL in NAD” by Perri Klass
- Slideshow: “Discourse Communities” by Carrie Hall
Writing:
- Discussions due F 1/31 and T 2/4
- Follow the Week 1 Agenda
Week 2: Understanding the term “Discourse Community” (DC); Noticing Noticing
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Monday, February 10, 2025Wednesday, February 12, 2025–college closed
Objectives:
- To explore the concepts of discourse communities and code switching through our experiences and through our course texts
Texts:
- Reading/Writing Resource/Essay: “How to Read like a Writer” by Mike Bunn.
- Play: Susan Glaspell, Trifles
- Personal Narrative: “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan
- Video: Lisa Beasley, “What is Code Switching?” and others
- “Double-Entry Reading Journals” (Butte College)
- Project 1 instructions
Writing:
- Discussions due F 2/7 and T 2/11
- Follow the Week 2 Agenda and Project 1 instructions
Week 3: Reading and Writing About Discourse Communities
Monday, February 17, 2025–college closed
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Objectives:
- To develop our thinking and writing about discourse communities based on a deeper examination of our experiences and further examination of our course texts
Texts:
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen (Part One: Encounter, Part Two: Re-encounter)
- Spoken Word Video: “Unlearning My Name” by Mohammed Hassan
- Podcast/Interview: “On Passing” (both audio and written transcript available)
- Reading/Writing resource: “Quotation Handout” by Carrie Hall
Writing:
- Discussions due W 2/19 and F 2/21
- Follow the Week 3 Agenda and Project 1 instructions
Week 4: Reading and Writing About Discourse Communities
Monday, February 24, 2025
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Objectives:
- To refine our thinking and writing about discourse communities; to continue exploring course texts; to continue drafting and revising Project 1; to present our work and offer each other feedback, critique, and support.
Texts:
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen (Part Two: Re-encounter; Part 3: Finale)
- Reading/Writing resource Essay: “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird
Writing:
- Discussions due T 2/25 and F 2/28
- Follow the Week 4 Agenda and Project 1 instructions
Week 5: Finishing Project 1; Writing Opinion Essays
Monday, March 3, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Objectives:
- To complete our Discourse Community essays (Project 1) and all related work; to write a reflection about the Discourse Community essay; to begin the Opinion Essay (Project 2)
Texts:
- Novel: Passing by Nella Larsen
- Project 2: Op-Ed/Opinion Essay instructions
- NYT video op-ed: “Greta Thunberg Has Given Up on Politicians
- Op-Ed/Opinion Essay: “College Students Have Something to Say. It’s Just Not What You’d Expect” by Jonathan Malesic
Writing:
- Discussions due T 3/4 an Th 3/6
- Follow the Week 5 Agenda and Project 1 instructions
Due Dates:
- Project 1 and all related work due on OpenLab by the start of class on W 3/5
Week 6: Developing Research Questions
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Monday, March 10, 2025
Objectives:
- To continue reading op-ed/opinion essays; to learn research techniques
Texts:
- Op-Ed/Opinion Essay: “What We Are Not Teaching Boys About Being Human” by Ruth Whippman.
- Your mentor op-ed/opinion essay texts.
- Reading/Writing resource: Lateral Reading (Stanford History Education Group).
Writing:
- Discussions due F 3/7 and T 3/11
- Follow the Week 6 Agenda and Project 2 instructions
Week 7: Reading Op-Ed/Opinion Essays as Writers
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Monday, March 17, 2025
Objectives:
- To identify features of the Op-Ed/Opinion Essay; to find, read, and examine mentor texts
Texts:
- Article: “TV’s Battle of the Binge: Why the Wait Can Be Worth It” by James Poniewozik.
- Student op-ed “OPINION: Weekly episodes are better than binge watching” by Olivia Franklin.
- Reading/Writing resource: “Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks” (The Op-ed Project).
- Reading/Writing resource: “How to Write an OP-ED or Column” (Harvard Kennedy School Communications Program).
- Other Op-Ed/Opinion Essay mentor texts
Writing:
- Discussions due F 3/14 and T 3/18
- Follow the Week 7 Agenda and Project 2 instructions
Week 8: Ethos, Pathos & Logos
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Monday, March 24, 2025
Objectives:
- To understand the rhetorical appeals; to consider how to be persuasive
Texts:
- Reading/Writing resource: “Developing Strong Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
- Reading/Writing resource: “Thesis Statements” (Purdue OWL).
- Reading/Writing resource video: “Ethos, Pathos & Logos” (Texas A&M University Writing Center).
- Reading/Writing resource TedEd video: “How to use rhetoric to get what you want” by Camille A. Langston
- Reading/Writing resource TedEd video: “What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion” by Conor Neill
Writing:
- Discussions due F 3/21 and T 3/25
- Follow the Week 8 Agenda and Project 2 instructions
Week 9: Polishing and Finishing Op-Ed/Opinion Essays
Wednesday, March 26, 2025Monday, March 31, 2025–no classes scheduled
Objectives:
- To review quotation and citation practices; to present our work and offer each other feedback, critique, and support; to finalize the Op-Ed/Opinion Essay and all related work; to write a reflection about the Discourse Community essay
Texts:
- Reading/Writing resource: “Citation and Formatting Guide.” (City Tech Library).
- Reading/Writing resource: “MLA Sample Works Cited Page (Purdue OWL).
- Reading/Writing resource: “Handout: Quoting Others (Purdue OWL).
- Reading/Writing resource: “The Quote Sandwich” (Washoe School District).
- Project 3: Multimodal Composition instructions
- Film: Passing (2021), directed by Rebecca Hall
Writing:
- Discussions due T 4/1 and F 4/4
- Follow the Week 9 Agenda and Project 2 instructions
Due Dates:
- Project 2 and all related work due on OpenLab by the start of class on W 4/2
Week 10: Multimodal Composing
Monday, April 7, 2025
Wednesday, April 9, 2025Monday, April 14, 2025–Spring BreakWednesday, April 16, 2025–Spring Break
Objectives:
- To consider how a written text is transformed into a visual text
Texts:
- Film: Passing (2021), directed by Rebecca Hall
- Movie trailer: Passing
- Passing Scene with Irene, Clare, and John Bellew (content warning: N word)
- Interview: Passing actors and director
- Podcast: “On Passing” (both audio and written transcript available)
- Graphic Essay: “College Students and Social Media” by Chelsea Harrison.
- Photo Essay: “Love and Black Lives, in Pictures Found on a Brooklyn Street” by Annie Correal.
- Graphic Memoir: “A Father, and a Childhood, Cloaked in Secrets” by Sophia Glock
- Interactive Essay: “How the Legend of Zelda Changed the Game” by Zachary Small and Rumsey Taylor,
- Interactive Article: “Inside the Deadly Maui Inferno, Hour by Hour” by Mike Baker, Malika Khurana, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Riley Mellen, Natalie Reneau, Bedel Saget, Elena Shao, Anjali Singhvi and Charlie Smart
- Interactive Article: “My mom grew up with the rare flavors of Hong Kong,” Text, photographs and video by Alex Lau
- Illustrations by Matt Huynh
- Multimodal compilation: 1619 Project
- Multiple examples: “Innovative Storytelling from 2023”
- Multiple examples: “2023: The Year in Visual Stories and Graphics“
Writing:
- Discussions due T 4/8 and F 4/11
- Follow the Week 10 Agenda and Project 3 instructions
Week 11: Drafting & Building Project 3: The Multimodal project
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Objectives:
- To learn from mentor multimodal texts
Texts:
- Additional mentor texts
Writing:
- Discussions due T 4/22 and F 4/25
- Follow the Week 11 Agenda and Project 3 instructions
Week 12: Drafting Continued & Multimodal Presentations
Monday, April 28, 2025
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Objectives:
- To draft the multimodal composition; to present our work and offer each other feedback, critique, and support; to catch up on work; to have time for rest and recuperation.
Texts:
- Read “Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process” by Liz Lerman.
Writing:
- Discussions due T 4/29 and F 5/2
- Follow the Week 12 Agenda and Project 3 instructions
Week 13: Multimodal presentations (cont’d.)
Monday, May 5, 2025
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Objectives:
- To complete the multimodal composition; to begin work on the final reflection and portfolio
Texts:
- Reflection mentor texts
- Project 4: Final Reflection and Portfolio instructions
Writing:
- Discussions due T 5/6 and F 5/9
- Follow the Week 13 Agenda and Final Reflection and Portfolio instructions
Due Dates:
- Project 3 due on OpenLab by the start of class on M 5/6
Week 14: Reflections, Revisions & Portfolios
Monday, May 12, 2025
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Objectives:
- To consider which work to revise; to compile work for the final portfolio; to draft the final reflection.
Texts:
- Our ENG 1121 readings and all of our writing
Writing:
- Discussions due T 5/13 and F 5/16
- Follow the Week 14 Agenda and Final Reflection and Portfolio instructions
Week 15: Conclusions
Monday, May 19, 2025
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Objectives:
- To finish the Final Reflection and Portfolio; to complete ENG 1121 successfully!
Texts:
- Your own ENG 1121 writing
Writing:
- Discussions due M 5/19 and
- Follow the Week 15 Agenda and Final Reflection and Portfolio instructions
Due Dates:
- Project 4: Final Reflection and Portfolio due on OpenLab by the start of class on M 5/19
Have a happy, healthy, productive, and peaceful summer. Check the Fall 2025 Academic Calendar to find out when the semester begins in August.
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