Media and Majors:
Exploring Discourses, Genres, and Writing in (and about) the Disciplines

 

Required Materials:   

• Jordynn Jack and Katie Rose Guest Pryal, How Writing Works: A Guide to Composing Genres (2016, 1st edition, ISBN#978019985985)
• All other short readings will be provided in PDF format by Prof. Andersen online

Course Goals, Descriptions, and Expectations:

Curricular description: This course is designed as an introduction to academic discourse and effective college-level writing.   We will practice critical thinking and explore what it means to be a college writer in this course.  By the end of the course, you should be able to think critically, argue effectively, and provide a supported and sustained written argument.

The best way to learn to write effectively is to write.  A lot.  In this course, you will be expected to write in both formal and informal ways, and move through the process of writing.  You will also learn how to effectively find, evaluate, and use sources to back up the points that you are making.  Lastly, you will learn the language of the writing discipline, and practice it within your own writing.  

Course-specific description: How do the situations we find ourselves in affect how we communicate? How can we be more attentive to the situations surrounding us, particularly regarding our academic communications, in order to make our compositions more powerful and/or effective? And how does the media with which we surround ourselves not only affect our discourse, but also public perceptions of topics that matter to us as (beginning) professionals in specific fields of study? Krista Ratcliffe, a well-known scholar in the field of composition and rhetoric, tells us that “rhetoric is the study of how we use language and how language uses us” (2003). If we follow this definition, we can see rhetorical choices being made all around us in our everyday lives, and in fact, it becomes apparent that each one of us makes rhetorical choices even though we don’t recognize them as such. But by emphasizing the importance of audience and the genres appropriate to the situations and professions in which we find ourselves, we can make better rhetorical choices as communicators. Our class this semester will explore these ideas through an examination of composing in several different disciplinary areas – the humanities, social sciences, hard sciences, and arts – using the lens of media analysis as a framework for our discussion. In looking at some common genre conventions, and by thinking about the influence of mainstream media, this class will serve as a place to explore some of the rhetorical patterns you’ll find in other classrooms as well as in your professional lives. Additionally, we will pay special attention to the ways modality – mode or form – affects our rhetorical choices and use of genre in these disciplinary areas, particularly in digital environments. Through our semester-long consideration of rhetoric in these ways, this class will be a place to think about what it means to effectively communicate and compose in different academic and professional situations.

Centenary Greater Expectation Learning Outcomes (CGEs):

In March 2004, the Centenary Faculty adopted the Centenary Greater Expectation Learning Outcomes.  It is very important for assessment purposes that all stakeholders understand the value added that is part of a Centenary education.  By the time students graduate from Centenary College, we expect that in addition to more discipline-specific outcomes, students will be able to:

• CGE 1. Communicate in diverse settings and groups, using written, oral, and visual means.
• CGE 2. Understand and employ both quantitative and qualitative analysis to describe and solve problems.
• CGE 3. Interpret, evaluate, and use information discerningly from a variety of sources.
• CGE 4. Integrate knowledge of various types and understand complex systems.
• CGE 5. Work well in teams, including those of diverse composition, and build consensus.
• CGE 6. Understand and employ the integrity, social responsibility and ethical behavior required for a diverse democratic society.

In ENG1000, you will be fulfilling the requirements of the CGE Learning Outcomes 1, 3, 5 and 6.   

Course-Specific Learning Goals:

• To build on the knowledge gained in ENG1001 by emphasizing and expanding upon 1001’s key components
• To acknowledge each student’s voice and value as a writer
• To develop healthy practices/habits for writing to be carried with you beyond this course
• To become conscious of your personal writing processes and to appreciate their importance in the completion of writing tasks
• To learn to interact with other writers by forming a supportive community that is open to constructive feedback
• To develop skills of interaction as writers and learners in a digital community
• To think critically while being open to new ideas and respectful of others’ voices
• To recognize rhetorical conventions in order to better integrate them into your own writing and analytical skills base
• To recognize, more particularly, the expectations of communication and composition within specific disciplines in order to better incorporate them into your work in classes (or professional situations) in those areas
• To understand the importance of genre conventions in communicating effectively within particular disciplinary communities
• To improve your skills of analysis when approaching resources for a research-based assignment
• To effectively analyze, integrate, and cite those resources in a research-based assignment
• To understand the impact of mainstream media on public perceptions of your field(s) of study

Course Requirements:

Digital Materials:

• A laptop, tablet, or other reliable digital device (preferably not your phone) that you can bring to class, charged
• Regular access to a reliable internet connection (This could be a computer lab here at Centenary.)
• Regular access to a computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader (The computers in the labs at Centenary should already have this downloaded. You can download this for free on your personal computer at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.)
• A Google Drive account (also free; this comes with a Gmail account).
• A WordPress account (If you do not have a free account, you will have the opportunity to get one when I invite you via an email to participate in the course blog.)
• In addition to our textbook, short readings will be provided by me online via a shared Google Drive folder linked on our WordPress site and/or in class.

Assignments:

For descriptions of the major writing assignments, please see the Major Assignments page. For descriptions of our semi-weekly writing assignments, please see the Blog Post Info page and Rhetoric and Advertisements Presentation Info page.

In-class writing and “low stakes” writing assignments:

Throughout the semester, we will frequently be writing together in class. Sometimes we will be reflecting on major assignments, other times we’ll be responding to a question we’re all struggling with during class discussion. We’ll also use the course textbook for weekly prompts based on writing practices we’re trying to cultivate during this course. All of these assignments should be saved in your Google Drive folder for the class. If you’ve typed the assignment, you can upload the document to the Google folder. If you only have a hard copy of the piece, simply take a clear photo of the page and upload the image to the Google folder. While I will not comment upon each piece, I will review them in order to make sure our class is on the right track and will consider them part of your participation in the class. Additionally, we will be assigned some shorter writing as homework, which we will discuss in class or use as springboards for your major assignments. Again: While we will most likely discuss these pieces during our individual conferences throughout the semester, I may not comment on each minor piece in writing. I will consider these in connection with your in-class assignments as I calculate your final grade.

Turning in assignments:

All assignments should be turned in electronically, via a Google Drive folder. At the beginning of the semester, I will share a Google Drive folder with you which contains blank Google documents pre-titled for each assignment you’ll need to turn in this semester. (Please be sure to give me a Gmail address or an email address connected to a Google Drive account.) Each assignment you compose should utilize these pre-made documents in order to ensure that we have access to all drafts and changes, and to avoid any technological difficulties.

An additional note on submissions: I expect you to be able to resolve any technological difficulties you may be having well before your assignment is due. Not being able to upload a file, broken links, or an “email glitch” is not a valid excuse for handing in late work. Not sharing a document with me properly in your Google Drive folder for our class will also not be considered a valid excuse. If you need assistance you can always call or email the Centenary Helpdesk. You can contact me as well, although the sooner you reach out to me the better in terms of how much I’ll be able to help you. To clarify: any missing assignments, broken links, or inaccessible files/videos/images are your responsibility to take care of before the assignment deadline.

Course Policies:  

• For the majority of course policies, please refer to the grading contract for this course. However, keep the following in mind as well:
  • Academic Honesty: All students are expected to adhere to Centenary College’s policy concerning academic honesty.  Any student found cheating, plagiarizing, submitting non-original work, etc., will receive a grade of zero (0) for that work.  Flagrant cases of academic dishonesty may result in the student being dismissed from the class and referred to the Academic Review Board for further action or sanction as deemed appropriate, up to and including dismissal from Centenary College.
  • “Publication” of Written Work and Assignments: By your continuation in this course and by submitting written assignments and work, you understand that you are granting me permission under the Federal Education Records Act and  a limited license to publish that work for the purposes of grading the work.  That limited license extends to my submission, within my sole discretion, to various electronic grading tools (e.g., grading books, cite checkers, etc.) and to other faculty members.
  • Academic Code: Students should be aware that all violations of the Academic Code, which can be found in the College Catalog and the Student Handbook, will be reported by the faculty member to the Academic Review Board for their consideration.  
  • Inclusivity Statement: English is an evolving language that continuously changes to meet cultural, technical, and sociopolitical needs. In recent years, discussions of identity and inclusion have been shaping the way we use pronouns. With that in mind, please respect the pronoun choices of your classmates as we participate in class discussions and peer review. When appropriate, gender-neutral pronouns should be used. They/them/their/theirs/themself are commonly accepted forms of gender-neutral pronouns, but by no means are those the only, or even the most common, options. I encourage you to identify your pronouns when you feel comfortable doing so, and to refer to others in ways that align with their identities. Additionally, our awareness of harmful terminology in everyday speech is constantly shifting as we learn and grow as individuals. As a result, this class will be a place for us to think critically about the ways our words impact those around us. Language that degrades the humanity of others in- and outside of our classroom (i.e., words or phrases that are classist, ableist, racist, gender-exclusionary, anti-LGBTQIA, etc.) will be analyzed critically with an eye towards respectful communication and thinking, as our classroom community develops greater awareness of identity in the texts we confront. This class values inclusion, kindness, diversity, and thoughtful conversations that interrogate cultural concepts, and it is important for our language use to reflect that.

Academic Assistance:

• Accommodations: Students with documented disabilities are entitled under the law to reasonable accommodations. I am committed to an access-friendly classroom, and am willing to do whatever I can to help you succeed in this course. If you have a disability and need accommodations, please notify me as early as possible during the semester and contact the Office of Disability Services: dso@centenaryuniversity.edu or call 908-852-1400, ext. 2251.
• Academic Success and Advising Center: The Academic Success and Advising Center offers assistance through Suzanne McCarthy, Senior Director of the Academic Success and Advising Center. Contact academicsuccess@centenaryuniversity.edu or call 908-852-1400, ext. 2353. The Academic Success Center, located in the Harris & Betts Smith Learning Center, provides academic support services for undergraduate students of the traditional college. Services are available at no cost to the student.  Information on all services as well as schedules are available here, or by contacting Suzanne McCarthy: mccarthys@centenaryuniversity.edu or 908-852-1400, ext. 2376. Services include:
  • Mentored Study Groups
  • Individualized Tutoring Sessions with Professional Tutors
  • Success Strategy Workshops
  • Academic Coaching
• Writing Collaboratory: Students seeking help with writing assignments, as well as those wishing to develop their writing skills in general, are invited to visit The Writing Collaboratory, a tutoring center specializing in writing. The tutors, who offer one on one assistance, are advanced-level undergraduates specifically trained in proven methods. The Collaboratory hours are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. To get more information or to set up an appointment, send an email to collaboratory@centenaryuniversity.edu or call 908-852-1400, ext. 2400.
  • “Extra Credit” Opportunity: Attending at least one tutoring session for each assignment will be considered an Above Contract Standard behavior, and will improve your contractual standing for the assignment at hand. Writing Center workshops do not count, although I encourage you to attend them. I will only count individual tutoring sessions for “extra credit.” Make sure you ask your tutor to email me proof of your attendance.