Please note: This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Week 1 (Jan 10-14):
Lectures:
- Introduction to Course and Syllabus: 1102.1.1
- Blogging, Discussion Board, Blackboard Instructions: 1102.1.2
Activities:
- Purchase subscription to College Writing Online
- Create a blog on mattbarton.net
- Join a discussion thread on mattbarton.net
Blogging and Forum Assignments:
- Blog #1: Describe your previous writing instruction and your current writing skill level. What do you feel are your key weaknesses? What do you hope to gain from taking this course?
- Forum #1: Respond to this thread: What is writing, and why are we studying it?
- Forum #2: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 2 (Jan 17-21):
Lectures
Activities
- Read the following sections of CWO (College Writing Online):
Introduction to Research (Goto Page 3)
Read
all the sub-sections here, from Demystifying Research to Citing Sources.
- Write Draft of Project #1
- Upload Draft to Designated Blackboard Forum - Due Sunday 1/23/04
Blogging and Forum Assignments:
- Blog #2: Think of some powerful examples from movies, books, images, or historical events that illustrate each of the following rhetorical concepts: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Describe each, then explain why they are so effective.
- Forum #3: Respond to this thread: This Land: Rhetorically Examined, in Retrospect.
- Forum #4: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 3 (Jan 24-28):
Lectures
Activities
- Read the following sections of CWO:
Collaborating (Goto Page 2.5)
Read all sections here; it's very useful information.
- You may also want to read my PaperGradingCriteria
- Write two peer reviews, post them to Blackboard forum - Due Sunday 1/30/05
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #3: Read "Why Johnny Can't, Like, Write" by Susan McCloskey, then answer the following questions in your blog: What is McCloskey writing about? What argument is she making? Who is she writing for? What solutions does she propose? Is her argument effective, and why or why not? Also, don't forget to make a comment on someone else's blog.
- Forum #5, #6: There are may interesting threads now in general discussion. Choose any two you like and write responses, OR start your own thread. Make sure that you quote or refer to previous posts if possible.
Week 4 (Jan 29-Feb 4):
Lectures
Activities
- Carefully read your Strunk and White's Elements of Style
- Read the following sections of CWO:
Revising (Goto Page 2.8)
Editing (Goto Page 2.9)
- Submit the final draft of Project #1 in Blackboard. Click here for instructions. Due Friday, February 4th
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #4: Read George Orwell's Politics of the English Language. Answer the following questions in your blog: What is the subject and argument of this essay? Why does Orwell think language is in such a bad state, and why does he care if it is? What assumptions does this article make about writing and good style? Finally, does Orwell break any of his own rules in this essay?
- Forum #7: Respond to this thread. The instructions are in the first post.
- Forum #8: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 5 (Feb 7-11):
Lectures
Activities
- Read the following sections of CWO (College Writing Online):
Managing (Goto Page 2.3)
- Upload Draft to Designated Blackboard Forum - Due Sunday 2/13/05
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #5: Play September 12th. This is a FLASH game with a political agenda. Play it until you think you think you can identify this agenda. Write a lengthy blog in which you describe the game and its agenda. Then, EVALUATE the game and whether you think it is an effective way to get this message across.
- Forum #9: Respond to This thread. Instructions are posted.
- Forum #10: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 6 (Feb 14-18):
Lecture
- Comments about Project #1 Results 1102.6.1
Activities
- If you haven't done so already, please review the citation guidelines at CWO:
Citing Sources (Goto Page 3.8)
- Write two peer reviews, post them to Blackboard forum - Due Sunday 2/20/05
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #6: Watch "Get Creative" at Creative Commons:
http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/
What is the purpose of this movie? What is the point of this movie? Is it effective at getting its message across? Is it persuasive? Make sure to describe the film as well as its purpose. Do you agree with the film about "what the internet is all about?"
- Forum #11,12: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 7 (Feb 21-25):
Lecture
- Using Computers to Improve Your Writing 1102.7.1
Activities
- Upload the final draft of Project #2 to Blackboard - Due Friday 2/25/05
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #7: Watch "Endangered Gizmos" at EFF: http://www.eff.org/ then read more about Endangered Gizmos. When you are finished exploring, answer these questions in your blog: Why do these gizmos represent a threat to the entertainment industry's status quo? How and why is Congress intervening in this struggle? Do you agree with the EFF that these policies prevent innovation? Why or why not?
- Forum #13: Respond to this thread.
- Forum #14: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 8 (Feb 28-Mar 4):
Lecture
Activities
- Upload rough draft of Project #3 to Blackboard Forums - Due Sunday, Mar 6
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #8: Visit Seeing is Believing and study how cell phones are changing various parts of the world. How are these technologies affecting human and cultural diversity? How have cell phones affected your own local culture and families?
- Forum #15, 16: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 9 (Mar 7-11):
Lecture
Activities
- Write two peer reviews, post them to Blackboard forum - Due Sunday 3/13/05
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #9: The blog for this week involves the website Behind the Label. Browse through the website until you have a pretty good idea of its purpose, focus, and organization. See if you can figure out what this site is about and why it exists. How does the site use multimedia to get its point across, and is it effective?
- Forum #17, 18: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Spring Break (Mar 14-18)
Week 10 (Mar 21-25):
Lecture
Activities
- Upload Final Draft of Project #3 to Blackboard Due Friday 25th
- Upload rough draft of Project #4 to Blackboard Forums - Due Sunday, Mar 27th
- Take the Spring Semester Survey
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #10: The blog for this week involves the Strong Bad Flash Movie entitled English Paper. Watch the film a few times and then answer the following questions: What is this film satirizing or making fun of? What "writing process" does Strong Bad follow to produce this "well-thought out English paper?"
- Forum #19, 20: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 11 (Mar 28-Apr 1):
NOTE: There will be no class on Tuesday, Mar 29th.
Activities
- Write two peer reviews, post them to Blackboard forum - Due Sunday Apr 3
Lectures
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blogging Topics Wiki: Please visit The Blog Topic Wiki and consider submitting a blogging topic for the weeks ahead. You can also edit previous entries.
- Blog #11: Read Espen Aarseth's introduction to game studies. Do you agree with Aarseth that computer and videogames are worthy of serious intellectual study? Why or why not? Be sure to quote the article in your blog.
- Forum 21, 22: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 12 (Apr 4-8):
Activities
Lectures
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #12: Visit the BBC News website. Look or listen for a story that catches your attention. See if you can find the same story reported on FOX News or CNN. See if you can find rhetorical differences between the BBC coverage and FOX or CNN's. Hint: Look for articles involving American issues. — Blog Topic contributed by Krystal Herbert
- Forum 23, 24: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 13 (Apr 11-15):
Activities
- NO CLASS MEETINGS THIS WEEK.
- Upload Rough Draft of Portfolio to Blackboard Due Sunday Apr 17
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #13: Explain if peer reviews help you out when reconstructing your essay before the final draft is due. How do comments from other students help you in writing a better essay? Peer reviews are extremely helpful to me when writing an essay. Name some things that you struggle with when writing an essay that peer reviews point out and correct for you. — Contributed by Sean Lonergan
- Forum 25, 26: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 14 (Apr 18-22):
Activities
- Write two peer reviews, post them to Blackboard forum - Due Sunday 24
Blogging and Forum Assignments
- Blog #14: Visit this site How WiMAX Works and read the text. Describe how you think that technology like this will affect society, particularly education and communication, in the years to come. (Hint: This is a technology that will make it as easy to connect to the Internet from anywhere as cell phones to connect to the phone network.)
- Forum 27, 28: Free topic. Either start your own topic in General Discussion on the forums, or respond to an existing topic. Remember: The topic must be intellectual and not frivolous if you wish to receive credit.
Week 15 (Apr 25-29):
- Upload Final Draft to Blackboard- Due Sunday May 1
- Upload Final Exam to Blackboard Due Friday May 6