For this course, the self-authorship autoethnography preparation assignments which you will complete throughout the semester will be connected to and building up to the final two assignments: the self-authorship autoethnography, and the self-authorship TED talk. Details about the mini-assignments will be explained in class and posted on our class google site.
1. Self-authorship autoethnography preparation mini-assignments (4% each) (48% total):
Identity: Identity map, self-portrait and analysis
Critical incidents: Autobiography of significant life moments (written and oral)
Family influences: Interview a family member
Joy: Artistic expression of what brings you joy
Healing: Healing poem and analysis
Transitions: Artistic expression of a transition and analysis
Cultural Influences: Interview another culture and analysis
Emotion: Exploring and responding to emotion
Stereotypes: Explore a stereotype
Relationships: Exploring relationships
Vision: Rewriting a limiting story
Agency: Celebrating agency
2. Group-led lesson on a social category (15%)
3. Self-authorship autoethnography (20%)
4. Self-authorship TED talk (7%)
5. Engagement (10%)
In preparation for the final autoethnography and TED talk assignments, you will be completing a number of mini-assignments (listed above).
Self-Authorship Autoethnography Preparation Mini-Assignments (48%)
The purpose of each mini-assignment is to help you further explore your own identity in terms of who you are, your relationship to the world around you, and how you want to be the change, as you journey towards self-authorship. The details about each assignment will be discussed and agreed upon together in class (see list above for planned mini-assignments), with each mini-assignment worth 4% of your grade. We will encourage each other to experiment with a variety of modes, such as narrative writing, poetry, drawing, collage, etc., but there will be some flexibility in terms of the modes you may choose to use to complete each mini-assignment. Each of these mini-assignments will act as data sources for your final autoethnography.
Student-led Session on a Social Category (15%)
For this assignment, you will work with a group to prepare and lead a class session on a social category, such as social class, race, gender, religion, ability, age, etc. You will need to locate some sources about this social category and read/view them, interview people based on your chosen social category, plan an engaging session for your classmates with a variety of interactive activities, lead the class through your session in a timely, engaging and organized way, and provide a reflective activity at the end. The purpose of these sessions is to learn more about how social categories shape our identities, and to develop leadership and teamwork skills.
Self-Authorship Autoethnography (20%)
Autoethnography is a kind of research method in which you explore your own self in relation to the world around you, with the aim of gaining insights that can be meaningful for you and others. In our case, we are going to explore what we have learned about ourselves through the various mini-assignments we have completed, in order to help us better understand ourselves and how we can be the change in the world. The research question you are answering here is "Who am I and how do I want to be the change?" To complete the autoethnography, you will need to analyze all of your data sources that you have produced. This means reading through what you have written and looking again carefully at visual pieces in order to identify important themes and insights that can help you answer the research question. You will then present your findings in a written essay, exploring in more detail the 2-3 most important themes that you identified that tell you something about your identity in terms of who you are and how you want to be the change. This essay should be minimum 1000 words, and should be supported by excerpts from your mini-assignments and additional relevant sources.
Self-Authorship TED Talk (7%)
As you complete your autoethnography, you will prepare a 5 minute speech, imagining that you are giving a TED talk in which you share with your audience an important insight you have learned about yourself throughout the course. You may very well choose to present an insight of focus from your autoethnography, or another, but it should be one that you think would be helpful and interesting for your audience to know— that they might benefit and learn from.
Note: Depending on time and student needs, some of the mini-assignments may change. Any changes will be communicated to you well in advance of any deadlines.
Please conform to the following specifications and follow APA style for all major written assignments.
Use 12 point Times New Roman font, double-space, 1” margins.
Type your personal details in the top left corner of the first page (Name, ID, Course/Section #, Assignment/Draft #, Instructor, Date of Submission).
Include page numbers in the top right corner (in the header)
Provide a suitable title for your assignment and center it on the first page after your personal details.
Your assignment should be carefully proofread and checked for typing and other errors before submission.
A = 100-94
A- = 93-90
B+ = 89-87
B = 86-83
B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-77
C = 76-73
C- = 72-70
D+ = 69-67
D = 66-63
F =59-
Note: 0.5 below a letter grade will round up to the next letter grade.
Assignments must be submitted before class on the due date, unless otherwise stated.
Assignments submitted late may still be eligible for a grade, with my permission.
All written assignments must conform to APA style and must be submitted to Turnitin.com. Information about Turnitin is available on this site's homepage.
I will give you a chance to check your final grades before I post them to Banner, in the unlikely event of an error. If you have any sincere questions about why you received the grade you did, please communicate with me. However, please do not use this opportunity to try to negotiate your grade as this is a violation of academic integrity. Once posted on Banner, all grades are final and cannot be changed.