WR2 | Syllabus
Writing 2
| Weapons of Mass Instruction: Authority, Education, Pedagogy
Education! Which of the various me’s do you propose to educate, and which do you propose to suppress? Anyhow I defy you. I defy you, oh society, to educate me or to suppress me, according to your dummy standards. . . . Who are you? How many selves have you? And which of these selves do you want to be? Is Yale College going to educate the self that is in the dark of you, or Harvard College? The ideal self! Oh, but I have a strange and fugitive self shut out and howling like a wolf or a coyote under the ideal windows. See his red eyes in the dark? This is the self who is coming into his own.
— D.H. Lawrence, Studies in Classic American Literature
Course Description
Writing 2-3 is an introduction to academic writing and research. This course sequence prepares you for work in a scholarly environment where you will be expected to engage in inquiry, perform analysis, and communicate clearly. We will cultivate these critical practices by reading and analyzing a series of demanding texts, discussing them together, and composing responses to them in the form of essays. Shorter writing assignments will focus on a number of skills that are important for taking part in academic conversations.
During the winter term we will turn our focus to academic research. Our libraries hold an impressive array of traditional and electronic search tools as well as millions of books, journal articles, and assorted media. Although navigating this vast sea of information is intimidating, it is important that you find your way: excellent research skills are fundamental to your undergraduate training, regardless of your chosen field of study. In consideration of its importance, we will spend a significant amount of time learning how to use our library effectively.
Course Theme
Formal education is one of the central features of our early life—a deep, organizing structure that has shaped us in profound and unaccountable ways. Education, like culture more broadly, is so ordinary and pervasive that it has become thoroughly naturalized, its powerful effects rendered virtually invisible to us. Education, in short, is part of the everyday backdrop of life that we take for granted and rarely consider critically.
Although it is quite difficult to escape the naturalizing trance that comes from our habitual exposure to such common features of our lifeworld, it is important to develop a capacity for this form of analysis—to see more clearly the weird within the familiar. During the fall term we will try to step outside of our experiences with formal education in order to gain some distance and perspective. If we defamiliarize these experiences by holding them at a distance, trying to view them as if for the first time, what do we see?
Health Information & Resources
Health Information
Classroom Safety
- Please do not attend class if you have a fever, feel ill, or have any symptoms of COVID-19.
- If you succumb to a respiratory illness: please wear a mask and follow CDC guidance.
Course Policies
- If you miss class or a tutoring session due to illness, please email me to receive makeup information.
Health & Wellness Resources
- The Dartmouth College Health Service (primary care, counseling, wellness).
- If you would like to get vaccinated, find a shot near you.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Resources
The academic environment is challenging, our terms are intensive, and classes are not the only demanding part of your life. There are a number of resources available to you on campus to support your wellness, including:
- Your undergraduate dean
- The Counseling Center
- The Student Wellness Center
- The student-led Sexual Assault Peer Alliance (SAPAs)
Required Texts
- Open Handbook, by Alan C. Taylor.
- Other course readings are located in Canvas.
Important Links
Link | Purpose |
---|---|
No Silo | Course website, syllabus, readings, assignments, the Open Handbook |
Canvas | Submit assignments, contact others, view media |
Tutor Zone | Resources for the 2-3 Tutor |
Conspiracy! | A space to collaborate with other students on our assignments |
FAQs | Frequently asked questions about the course |
Academic Honesty
All work submitted for this course must be your own and be written exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrase) must be properly documented. Please read the Academic Honor Principle for more information about the dire consequences of plagiarism. If you are confused about when or how to cite information, please consult the course handbook or ask me about it before submitting your work.
| Since all work submitted for this course must be your own, the use of any artificial intelligence is not allowed. Any use of a LLM-based AI to brainstorm, outline, write, or edit assignments of any kind is an academic integrity violation. Similarly, students must read, summarize, and analyze our course readings without assistance from AI-derived technologies. These AI programs include, but are not limited to, bots like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude or AI-based writing assistant tools like Grammarly, Quillbot, and WordTune.
If you have any questions about this policy or are not sure if a resource you have found will violate this policy, please ask me.
Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is expected. Bracketing religious observance, serious illness, or personal tragedy, no more than three unexcused absences in a single term will be acceptable for this course. This policy applies to:
- regular class meetings
- assigned X hours
- Tutor meetings
Four or more unexcused absences may result in repercussions ranging from significant reduction in GPA to failure of the course. If you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in the course, please meet with me beforehand to discuss appropriate accommodations.
| As I mention in the Health Information & Resources section above: if you are very ill, please don’t be a hero by dragging yourself into class to avoid an absence. I prefer that you consider the health of the others in our class and stay home if you have a fever or are possibly contagious. If you experience an illness or other human problem of the sort that exceeds three absences, I will definitely listen and try to work out something with you. Of course, this may not be possible if your emergency is so prolonged that it prevents meaningful participation and commitment to the course.
Typical Weekly Workflow
Here is a list of the typical assignments and activities that we will do each week:
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Before we meet to discuss a reading as a class, each of you should carefully read and critically engage the text on your own—interrogating, analyzing, and questioning the arguments, ideas, and assumptions you discover there. What do you see? What do you think?
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As you read, I ask that you annotate the text—that is, mark up the text by adding meaningful symbols, marginal notes, and questions on the document itself. Note: this requires that you print out the text before you begin reading it. Bring this annotated copy of the reading with you to class to help you engage in the group discussion and analysis.
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After making your annotations, take critical notes on the text in your field notebook. These notes will be valuable to you later, when you write your essays (and perhaps further off in the future). Bring your field notebook(s) to every class meeting.
Here are longer, more detailed, descriptions of these three activities:
1. Annotating Texts
Rather than use a laptop or tablet to read our course readings, I ask that you print them out and annotate them as part of your preparations for class. Annotation refers to the process of marking up a text by adding your own words and symbols to the document itself. There is no right or wrong way to mark up a text, but you should develop a system that you are comfortable with and try to stick with it. These annotations are flags to draw the attention of your future self to certain important features of a text at some later time. One key objective during annotation is to notice a text’s structure by flagging its main components—the thesis,
argumentative claims,
and pieces of evidence.
As we try to understand these structural components of a piece of writing, we should also be evaluating and interrogating it. We can use the margins of the text to ask questions, make brief notes, indicate confusion, define unfamiliar terms, and make connections to other texts. This work serves two purposes: first, it helps you maintain a critical focus as you read; second, it helps you later if the text must be used for study or your own writing. If you plan on being successful in college, the ability to rigorously annotate texts is perhaps the most helpful and important skill you can develop.
| Further advice and caveats about annotation may be found in the “Annotation and Critical Reading” chapter of the Open Handbook.
2. Critical Reading Notes
After annotating a text, create an entry in your field notebook and take critical notes. Recent research reveals that taking notes by hand results in a significant boost to attention, brain activity, learning, and recall. In short, experiments show that students who take notes by hand are more successful than students who do so on computers.
I’d like you to give this a try; you may later decide to memorialize these notes in electronic form, either by retyping or scanning to .pdf. Take detailed notes on each of our course texts. Since you will write essays about these texts, these notes will be of significant help to you later. Your aims here should be to:
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Reduce the entire argument to its bare essentials using paraphrase, summary, and selective quotation—carefully documenting page numbers during this activity.
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Interrogate the text by asking questions, raising objections, and making observations.
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Connect and compare the reading to other readings or ideas.
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Define any unfamiliar terms or references.
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Link the text to any outside research you perform.
At the end of this rigorous process you should have a simplified version of the essay as well as a number of critical observations, questions, and ideas that emerged in the process of reading.
| For more detailed information on the creation and purpose of these notes, read the chapter on “Critical Notes” in the Open Handbook.
Bibliography on Handwriting Research
Popular literature
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Hu, Charlotte. “Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning.” Scientific American, 1 May 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/.
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May, Cindi. “A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop.” Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/.
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Kirsch, Melissa. “How to Slow Down.” The New York Times, 24 Sept. 2022. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/briefing/field-sketching-slowing-down.html.
Academic literature
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Allen, Mike, et al. “Is the Pencil Mightier than the Keyboard? A Meta-Analysis Comparing the Method of Notetaking Outcomes.” Southern Communication Journal, vol. 85, no. 3, May 2020, pp. 143–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2020.1764613.
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Alonso, María A. Pérez. “Metacognition and Sensorimotor Components Underlying the Process of Handwriting and Keyboarding and Their Impact on Learning. An Analysis from the Perspective of Embodied Psychology.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 176, Feb. 2015, pp. 263–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.470.
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Berthoff, Ann. “Dialectical Notebooks and the Audit of Meaning.” The Journal Book: For Teachers in Technical and Professional Programs, edited by Susan Gardner and Toby Fulwiler, Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1999, pp. 11-18.
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Canfield, Michael R. Field Notes on Science & Nature. Harvard University Press, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674060845.
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Gortner, Eva-Maria, et al. “Benefits of Expressive Writing in Lowering Rumination and Depressive Symptoms.” Behavior Therapy, vol. 37, no. 3, Sept. 2006, pp. 292–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.01.004.
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Krpan, Katherine M., et al. “An Everyday Activity as a Treatment for Depression: The Benefits of Expressive Writing for People Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.” Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 150, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 1148–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.065.
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Korte, Satu-Maarit, and Minna Körkkö. “Embodied Learning with and through Different Writing Methods.” Embodied Learning and Teaching Using the 4E Cognition Approach, by Theresa Schilhab and Camilla Groth, 1st ed., Routledge, 2024, pp. 54–62. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003341604-9.
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Mandel, Barrett J. “Losing One’s Mind: Learning to Write and Edit.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 29, no. 4, 1978, pp. 362–68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/357021
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Mangen, Anne, and Lillian Balsvik. “Pen or Keyboard in Beginning Writing Instruction? Some Perspectives from Embodied Cognition.” Trends in Neuroscience and Education, vol. 5, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2016.06.003.
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Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.” Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581
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Oatley, Keith, and Maja Djikic. “Writing as Thinking.” Review of General Psychology, vol. 12, no. 1, Mar. 2008, pp. 9–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.12.1.9
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Pennebaker, James W., and Cindy K. Chung. “Expressive Writing: Connections to Physical and Mental Health.” The Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology, edited by Howard S. Friedman, 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 417–37. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195342819.013.0018.
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Van der Weel and Van der Meer. “Handwriting but not Typewriting leads to Widespread Brain Connectivity: a High-density EEG Study with Implications for the Classroom.” Frontiers in Psychology. Vol. 14, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945
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Vasylets, Olena, et al. “The Role of Cognitive Individual Differences in Digital versus Pen-and-Paper Writing.” Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, vol. 12, no. 4, Dec. 2022, pp. 721–43. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2022.12.4.9.
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Wilhelm, Kay, and Joanna Crawford. “Expressive Writing and Stress-Related Disorders.” The Oxford Handbook of Stress and Mental Health, by Kay Wilhelm and Joanna Crawford, edited by Kate L. Harkness and Elizabeth P. Hayden, Oxford University Press, 2020, pp. 704–24. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190681777.013.34.
3. Field Notebook Entries
Your field notebook is a record of your thinking and observations, a chronicle of your attempts to know and understand. It should contain notes, ideas, and questions about our course readings, class discussions, and anything else that seems worth noting and remembering as you explore various fields of inquiry. I like the metaphor of the field notebook as it conjures scenes of exploration, discovery, encounter, excitement, danger.
Keep a tight record of your mind’s travels.
Our objective for the field notebooks is to explore meaning, discover the argumentative structure(s) of our readings, evaluate supporting evidence, ask probing questions, connect to other readings, take notes, plan revision, and think critically. With luck, your notebook will become a central resource in our class discussions and an indispensable aid to you as you craft your essays. I’m providing these notebooks to you; if you fill yours up, just ask for another one.
Formal Papers
Students will submit three formal essays and several smaller writing assignments in response to our readings and class discussions. The formal essays focus on core features of academic writing: argumentation,
synthesis,
close reading,
and analysis
. The exact nature and objective of each assignment will be explained in greater detail throughout the course of the term.
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Formatting: During the fall term papers must be submitted in the MLA style; in the winter term we will transition to the Chicago style. Information on these styles may be found in the Open Handbook.
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Revisions: It is my practice to return essay drafts to you within one week. Afterward, you will have a minimum of one week to revise your writing. During this two-week revision cycle please feel free to drop by my office hours (or make an appointment) to go over your writing or discuss your ideas.
Grading
A few years ago I decided to quit grading, mostly as an emergency response to the realities of teaching during the COVID pandemic. Although I didn’t know it at the time, a large body of research concludes that grading is not just counterproductive, but actively harmful to the process of education. As Jesse Stommel writes, grades are “not a good measure of learning, they inhibit intrinsic motivation, and they create a competitive environment between students and hostile relationships between students and teachers.” Perhaps the foremost scholar on grading, Alfie Kohn, argues that grading produces three predicable effects in students: “less interest in learning, a preference for easier tasks, and shallower thinking” (xiv). If you think back on your experiences in high school, you may very well discover evidence of these effects in your own life.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
For the reasons described above (and others we will explore together), this class will not feature traditional letter grades for evaluation. To be sure, I will give you feedback and encouragement and promise to assist you in any way that I can. I will ask a lot of questions and try to push you to experiment and grow as a writer. You will receive similar feedback from your colleagues in the class. And you will also perform reflective self-evaluations of your writing, thinking, and effort. But at no point will this complex and important work be reduced to a percentage or letter grade.
At the end of the term we will reflect together on your progress, effort, participation, and performance; we will decide together what final grade to enter into Banner. This discussion about your performance in the class will involve our mutual reflection on the following topics:
- Participation
- Attendance
- Collaboration and sharing
- Late, incomplete, missing work
- Growth
- Effort
| There is one important caveat. To earn this right (and to pass the course), all assignments must be completed, a solid attendance record must be kept, and no AI may be used for any of our coursework.
Help With Your Writing
There are many sources of help for your writing assignments. I am happy to meet with you all term during my office hours or by appointment. Each of you will meet with our tutor for 45 minutes each week to go over your writing and plan revision.
If you require further help, the Dartmouth Writing Center is a free support service that is dedicated to helping students through all stages of the writing process and at any point in their undergraduate careers. In one-on-one appointments, peer tutors use facilitative approaches to engage students in active dialogue about writing and help them grow as writers. Tutors can help students develop strategies for generating ideas, find and evaluate research sources, outline and organize information, and revise completed drafts. Students may schedule an appointment with a peer tutor by visiting Dartmouth Writing Center website.
Students With Disabilities
Students requesting disability-related accommodations and services for this course are required to register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS; Getting Started with SAS webpage; student.accessibility.services@dartmouth.edu; 1-603-646-9900) and to request that an accommodation email be sent to me in advance of the need for an accommodation. Then, students should schedule a follow-up meeting with me to determine relevant details such as what role SAS or its Testing Center may play in accommodation implementation. This process works best for everyone when completed as early in the quarter as possible. If students have questions about whether they are eligible for accommodations or have concerns about the implementation of their accommodations, they should contact the SAS office. All inquiries and discussions will remain confidential.
- Please make me aware of anything that may hinder your success in this course.
Symbol Legend
Symbol | Note |
---|---|
Conferences with professor | |
A new major assignment | |
Workshop assignment | |
Assignment due | |
Upload assignment to Canvas | |
Print out work and bring to class | |
Peer work, in pairs or groups | |
Discussion topic | |
Course reading from the Open Handbook | |
Course reading download (.pdf) | |
Question of the day™ | |
Friday Soap Box | |
Short writing assignment | |
Locked content | |
Color alerts used to organize weekly coursework |
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Week 1
| Monday, 9.15
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Review: syllabus, course policies, websites
- Time for questions
Assignments
- Consider these questions: What is education? What is its purpose? Do some thinking and note-taking on these questions in your provided field notebooks.
Please do not research these questions: don’t google them; don’t ask your roommate or call your uncle Pete; don’t prompt an AI bot to generate some “thoughts.” I want to know what you think. Arrive to class on Wednesday with some ideas that you can express and defend.
Wednesday, 9.17
Readings
- Read the entire syllabus very carefully; note any questions or needs for clarification
- Open Handbook, “Annotation and Critical Reading”
- Open Handbook, “Critical Notes”
You do not need to print out readings from the Open Handbook unless you want to.
In-class work
- Question of the day™
- Discuss readings
- Annotation Workshop
- Discussion: What is education? What is its purpose?
Friday, 9.19
Readings
- Open Handbook, “The Joy of Reuse”
- “What are field notes?”
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Discussion: What is education? What is its purpose?
Due
- Essay 1 draft
- Bring a printout of your essay to class
- Submit to Canvas by 10pm
Week 2
Monday, 9.22
Readings
- Nicholson Baker, “Changes of Mind”
Independent work
- Print out, read, annotate, and take critical notes on the reading in your field notebook
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss Baker reading and field notes
Wednesday, 9.24
Independent work
- Return to the text: push for more understanding; map out your confusion; make further observations. Record your thoughts and ideas in your field notebooks.
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss Baker reading and field notes
- Argument Analysis Workshop
Friday, 9.26
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Argument Summary Workshop
Week 3
Monday, 9.29
Readings
- Walker Percy, “The Loss of the Creature”
Independent work
- Print out, read, annotate, and take critical notes on the reading in your field notebook
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss reading and field notes
Wednesday, 10.01
Readings
Independent work
- Return to the text: push for more understanding; map out your confusion; make further observations. Record your thoughts and ideas in your field notebooks.
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss readings and field notes
Friday, 10.03
Readings
- Open Handbook, “MLA Style”
- Open Handbook, “Working with Sources”
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Discuss readings
- Working with Sources Workshop
Due
- Argument Summary Workshop
- Bring a printed copy of your workshop to class
Week 4
Monday, 10.06
Readings
- Paulo Freire, “The Banking Concept of Education”
Independent work
- Print out, read, annotate, and take critical notes on the reading in your field notebook
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss reading and field notes
Wednesday, 10.08
Independent work
- Return to the text: push for more understanding; map out your confusion; make further observations. Record your thoughts and ideas in your field notebooks.
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss Freire reading and field notes
Friday, 10.10
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Discuss Freire reading
- Review answers to Working with Sources Workshop
Assignments
Due
- Working with Sources Workshop
- Bring printout of your workshop to class
Week 5
Monday, 10.13
Readings
- Paulo Freire, “The Banking Concept of Education”
- Walker Percy, “The Loss of the Creature”
Independent work
- Return to the texts: Are these texts in dialogue with each other? Are they describing the same problem or concern? Do they disagree on key points? Try to discover all such connections that you can find and note them in your field notebook.
In-class work
Wednesday, 10.15
Readings
- Paulo Freire, “The Banking Concept of Education”
- Walker Percy, “The Loss of the Creature”
Independent work
- Return to the text: Are these texts in dialogue with each other? Are they describing the same problem or concern? Do they disagree on key points? Try to discover all such connections that you can find and note them in your field notebook.
In-class work
Friday, 10.17
Readings
- Open Handbook, “Altering Sources”
- Open Handbook, “Plagiarism”
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Peer Review of Essay 2.
Assignments
Due
- Essay 2 Draft
- Bring printout of your essay to class
- Submit to Canvas by 10pm
Week 6
Monday, 10.20
Readings
- Wes Anderson, Rushmore (1998). Watch the film in the “Course Media” section of Canvas.
Independent work
- View and take critical notes on the film in your field notebook. Note the timestamp for important or interesting scenes.
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss film and field notes
Assignments
Wednesday, 10.22
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss film and field notes
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
Friday, 10.24
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Review answers to Altering Sources Workshop
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
Assignments
- Bibliography | Works Cited workshop
Due
- Altering Sources Workshop
- Bring printout of your workshop to class
Week 7
Monday, 10.27
Readings
- Wes Anderson, Rushmore (1998)
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss film and field notes
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
- In-class close reading and analysis.
Wednesday, 10.29
Readings
- Wes Anderson, Rushmore (1998)
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Discuss film and field notes
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
- In-class close reading and analysis.
Friday, 10.31
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Review answers to Bibliography | Works Cited workshop
Due
- Essay 2 Final
- Bibliography | Works Cited workshop
- Bring printout of your workshop to class
Week 8
Monday, 11.03
- Wes Anderson, Rushmore (1998)
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
- Show, don’t tell workshop
Assignments
- Show, don’t tell workshop
Wednesday, 11.05
Readings
- Wes Anderson, Rushmore (1998)
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Peer work @ Conspiracy!
- In-class revising, drafting.
Friday, 11.07
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Peer Review of Essay 3
Due
- Essay 3 Draft
- Bring printout of your essay to class
- Submit to Canvas by 10pm
Week 9
Monday, 11.10
In-class work
-
Essay 3 Draft
- Bring printout of your essay to class
Assignments
- Show, don’t tell workshop
Assignments
Wednesday, 11.12
In-class work
Friday, 11.14
In-class work
- Friday Soapbox
- Review answers to Show, don’t tell workshop
Week 10
Monday, 11.17
In-class work
- Question of the Day™
- Eat celebratory donuts!
- Discuss reflections on Essay 1
- Introduction to Writing 3
Friday, 11.21
Due
- Essay 3 Final