1. Research Review

  • Write out your research topic
  • Use your favorite brainstorming technique to reflect on what you learned in your research
  • Why is this research topic important to you specifically? Why is it important for others to learn about? 
  • Who do you think would be interested in this topic? Why?
  • Do you have an opinion on this topic? Is there something you would like to convince your audience?

2. Audience: Think of a specific audience with whom you would like to share your research. Explain why. What do you think your audience knows and thinks about the subject? What might their concerns be about that particular topic?

Freewrite about each of the genres that you can choose from and how they each might/might not appeal to your audience:

  • script for a TED Talk
  • script for a radio or television interview
  • Twitter thread (at least 10 Tweets for the thread)
  • an interview
  • podcast script and (optional) recording of the podcast
  • an infographic or academic poster presentation
  • a graphic short story
  • a play or film script
  • a poem or song
  • a children’s book

3. Genre Choice: Name the type of genre you are working with and why you chose it. Answer the following questions about what you already know about your chosen genre:

  • Are the paragraphs long or short? How long is the overall piece? 
  • Is imagery used? If so, what type? 
  • From what point of view is the piece written? (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person, a mixture, something else?)
  • Is there dialogue or is just one person talking?
  • How is it organized?  
  • What is the tone and purpose?

4. Analyzing your Sample: Find at least one example of the genre that you have chosen. Put a link to the sample and/or a copy of the example in your Unit 3 Writing document. Study the example carefully and then answer the following questions about it:

  • Are the paragraphs long or short? How long is the overall piece?
  • Is imagery used? If so, what type?
  • From what point of view is the piece written? (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person, a mixture, something else?)
  • Is there dialogue or is just one person talking?
  • How is it organized?
  • What is the tone and purpose?

5.  Basic Features: Create an observation list of all of the features that you can observe about your example. Be as detailed as possible!

  • Mark the 5 most important basic features on the list you just created

6. Bruni Research: Notice one place in where the author uses research. Quote the section and discuss the type of research and how the author uses it to support his point. How did Bruni give credit to his sources and avoid plagiarism? How will you use research in your genre? How will you provide credit to your sources?

7. Conference Prep: Carefully review OpenLab announcements, Unit 3 Writing, Course Resources, the Live Class Notes, and your grades on Blackboard and then write out your answers to the following before your conference appointment. 

  • Make a list of all of the items listed on the Blackboard grade book you have completed this semester
  • Make a second list of all of the items listed on the Blackboard grade book that you have not completed this semester 
  • Do you think there are any errors in your grade book that need to be corrected? Are there any grades that you don’t understand?
  • If you would like to complete missing items, write out a detailed proposal for how and when this work will be done.
  • Write out at least one question you have for Prof. Westengard (about anything from the semester)