The calendar below offers a detailed breakdown of the course, with clearly labeled columns for class date, work due by class, and work we’ll do in class, as well as where to find/post the material. Since our class is a living organism, this schedule is a living document. If anything changes, I will inform you in advance through Canvas announcements.
Diagnostic Exercise
This one-hour writing exercise will help me assess your current skill level and better meet your needs for the duration of our course.
| Date | 👩🏾🏫 In-Class Agenda | 📝 Work Due |
| Class 1: 7/7 & 7/8 | 🔺Diagnostic Exercise 🔺Review Syllabus & Calendar (Canvas/Blog)🔺Introduce Critical Response Essay | 🔺Read Day 1: Introduction🔺Diagnostic Exercise by end of class (Canvas/Assignments)🔺Introductions! (Canvas/Discussion)🔺Syllabus Review (Google Doc) |
The Critical Response Essay (WC: 1000): Our Own Englishes
Critical response—the ability to craft a reader’s presence and engage with a text on the level of argument, method, and materials—is an essential part of academic writing. In this progression, you will learn to distill concepts and deploy them analytically, identify arguments, and critically engage with the readings on the level of annotation, analytical response, and the authors’ and your own arguments.
| Date | 👩🏾🏫 In-Class Agenda | 📝 Work Due |
| Class 2: 7/11 & 7/12 | 🔺Discuss Young’s essay🔺Review models of writing and reading🔺Close read Young’s essay🔺How to Write a Precis (Blog) | 🔺Young (2011), “Should students use they own English?” (Canvas)🔺Discussion Board 1 by 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Discussion) |
| Class 3: 7/13 & 7/14 | 🔺Summarize Young’s essay🔺Essay 1 Planning/Claim Practice🔺Says/Does of Yu’s essay🔺Review Warrants, Inferences, Deductions🔺Have drafts ready for peer review in next class | 🔺Formulating Claims (Blog)🔺Warrants, Inferences, Deductions (Blog)🔺Sample Student Paper – Yu, “Sovereignty Through Storytelling” (Canvas)🔺Essay 1 Phase 1 due by Fri 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Assignments) |
| Class 4: 7/18 & 7/19 | 🔺Peer Review – Essay 1 Phase 1 (Canvas)🔺Understanding Essay 1 General Feedback Post (Blog)🔺Incorporating Feedback | 🔺How to Effectively Do Peer Review (Blog)🔺Discussion Board 2 by 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Discussion) |
The Conversation Essay (WC: 1200): Harnessing Our Anger
No essay exists in a vacuum, and many essays reference and engage each other to illuminate their own particular subject matter. Conversation is a metaphor for the type of essay in which the author engages with multiple texts and exhibits to develop an argument or idea of his/her own. In this progression, we will focus on entering into conversation with texts, fueling discussion and deeper analytical thinking, and working with multiple texts while remaining present as the author.
| Date | 👩🏾🏫 In-Class Agenda | 📝 Work Due |
| Class 5: 7/20 & 7/22 | 🔺Introduce Conversation Essay🔺Discuss Ahmed’s essay🔺Discuss Lorde’s essay🔺Close-read Ahmed and Lorde | 🔺Ahmed (2010), “Feminist snap” (Canvas)🔺Lorde, (1981) “The uses of anger” (Canvas)🔺Discussion Boards 3 & 4 by 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Discussion) |
| Class 6: 7/25 & 7/26 | 🔺Conversation Venn Diagram🔺Says/Does of Benedict’s essay🔺Bridging Ahmed and Lorde🔺Formulating Claims that Invite Conversation🔺Essay 2 Planning/Claim Practice🔺Have drafts ready for peer review in next class | 🔺Sample Student Paper – Benedict (2009), “The Giddiness of the Performance”🔺Dunleavy (2014), “How to Write Paragraphs in Research Texts”🔺Discussion Boards 5 & 6 by 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Discussion) |
| Class 7: 7/28 & 7/29 | 🔺Peer Review – Essay 2 Phase 1 (Canvas)🔺Introduce Retrospective Essay🔺Introduce Final Portfolio🔺Approaching CompilationTasks for Essay Revision | 🔺Essay 2 Phase 1 due by Fri 11:59pm EST (Canvas/Assignments) |
The Final Portfolio: Assembling a Literary Canon
Your final portfolio should contain a retrospective essay—which may be a traditional essay or a creative-critical, multimodal piece as long as it’s around 500-800 words—along with revisions of Essay #1 and Essay #2 based on general feedback posts, personalized feedback, and peer review. I am available to work with you throughout the semester during one-on-one appointments and in class. Your final portfolio may also include one piece of writing produced outside of this class to illustrate a writing skill you didn’t have the chance to showcase in this class.
| 👩🏾🏫 In-Class Agenda | 📝 Work Due | |
| N/A | 🔺Review blog posts🔺Review general and personal feedback🔺Optional student conferences (see Calendly) | 🔺Final Portfolio due by 11:59pm EST on 8/2 (at the latest) |