Artifact 1

Goals and Learning Outcomes

Prompt

You will compose a memoir indirectly defining the idea of belonging or authenticity without using the words belonging, belong, belongs, belonged, etc. or authenticity, authentic, etc. You will define this by speaking to an event, moment, situation, or narrative in your life that emblematizes a time, place, event, or experience in which you felt like you did or did not belong. 

Situating

Do many writing spaces create scenarios in which you have to consider the audience or prompt? No. But, that's how we navigate the world. We respond to calls for papers, grant proposals, submitting a lab report, or even coming up with a fire political Tik Tok sketch and consider how it will resonate with grant organizations, your Instagram following, or even future employers. 

In this scenario, let's imagine you're composing for a fictional, student-run magazine called STINGER. Below, you'll see the "poster" or "flier" that has been posted by the student-editor Aindrea Everette, who will be reading all the submissions. In this edition of the magazine, Everette will be focusing on the experiences of belonging (or not belonging) of her peers at Georgia Tech. That's you! For this very human-focused magazine, Everette wants to present work by her peers that is meaningful, evocative, emotionally engaging, and personal--a way for them to be celebrated for their experiences, resiliency, and talent. But, she's an editor, and like most editors, has some generic requirements that must be hit, and doesn't have time to argue with you about editing, so, she'll respond given a Rubric below.

Rubrics: Rhetoric is Situated

Let's consider this contest as a kind of rubric. You see these "rubrics" implied in all sorts of applications or calls for papers or contest fliers like this one. Basically, they often tell us things we will need to hit with this audience to rhetorically succeed. Some are more immediately important than others. In the case of editors, like Everette, (or employers) they have things that the submitters must adhere to to get 'past' the first gate and onto her table. Thus, the situation determines how the rhetoric of this genre manifests.

If you don't hit these first things, "Send us a memoir about a time where you experienced belonging or authenticity without ever using the words belonging or authenticity (or their derivatives" and the length requirements, then you'll probably get an email that begins with "Sorry, but I must reject this work from consideration." Why? Well, consider if you were an editor and asked for these specific, reasonable things to be hit and the person just didn't. Or, their work was very obviously an AI plugin work (that's plagiarism and gives you an immediate 0 for the whole unit), so they're passing off another's work and software manipulation as their own. Do you think that you, as an editor, would want to work with them? Probably not. Better to move along. They would send this person a Rejection (0-65%).

Now, let's say you did all those things. Great! Consider, too that Everette has provided us with some "Things to Consider" that help us understand the genre and what we should try to achieve. She tells us "Lose the Admission Letter" and "Be Specific and Concrete" and "Be Meaningful, Evocative, Personal, and Emotional." We'll discuss these genre-specific things and techniques in class, but if you do not hit most of these things, you will probably get, what I'll call a Thank you for your nice submission... However... (66-89%).

But, if you hit all those secondary "Things to Consider" well and meet those basics from above, you are creating some distinctive work and are probably going to get a "Congratulations, we'd love to publish this work" (90-100). She might include a few little things to change here or there, but she trusts you for paying attention to the basics and the considerations.

No, I do not have $50 to give you, it's a fictional scenario. 

Final Points

• Use concrete examples. Often students will vaguely gesture toward a moment but not delve into detail. So, use imagery, setting, characterization, etc. Pause to give us the senses of place and characters to help us 'get into' the moment with you. (Use all five senses--sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing)

• Illustrated memoirs should follow standard comic or manga formatting with panels, gutters, splashes, speech bubbles, etc. 

• Many students have not created comics before. I have uploaded the first chapter of Scott McCloud's Making Comics to Canvas. However, the GATech libraries could probably get you a copy of the full work if you need it. You will need to sign in and request it, since it is in off-site storage, and may take a business day or two to arrive. You could also request a copy from another USG library. 

• No images or writing may be generated by AI or an LLM (Language Learning Model). If it is done that will constitute an immediate 0 to be awarded to the entire artifact unit (20% of your final grade).

Some combination

• Feel free to experiment with merging a comic and written form-perhaps images, paintings, etc. incorporated within the memoir. Let's talk individually about the parameters for a work like this one. I want to consider how you can be creative and exercise your imagination with this project.

Why are we doing this?

The ability to convey personal experiences and emotions is applicable across a wide range of personal and professional scenarios. 

Reflecting on your life and experiences can be a valuable exercise in encouraging self-awareness and introspection. Creating space to understand your motivations, values, and assess personal growth or development gives you a deeper perspective on yourself and allows you to exercise the psychic "muscles" that you may bring to bear as you consider personal and professional goals now and in the close future. 

Sharing personal stories in a memoir also provides an opportunity to explore culture, society, and their ethical dimensions from your perspective. As we explore this genre and the memoirs of others, this has a recursive effect where you can empathize with and understand people you normally wouldn't meet. If you need some kind of corpo-style justification: collaboration and effective teamwork are essential in the modern work environment that spans continents, languages, and cultural practices.

Finally, life is full of challenges, and writing a memoir can help you reflect on how you've overcome difficulties. This may involuntarily exercise the "muscles" that enable you to balance your academic and personal life. Additionally, writing a memoir is a creative process that can stimulate your imagination. Engaging in creative activities, even outside of your field of study, can enhance your ability to think innovatively and "outside the box." Challenge yourself and grow.

Process

Memoir Presentation

You and group of your peers will compose, off the cuff, a short presentation and guide group discussion on an assigned memoir on Tuesday, January 23. These will be done in class, and require you to have read the assigned memoir. You will need to present on a few things, but will be composed and presented in-class to help you with off-the-cuff presentation skills and to familiarize you with other memoirs. 

Brainstorming Sessions

We will have in-class workshops where you individually or with a small group may discuss the ideas of belonging and authenticity. These will often be guided reflections that may incorporate sharing your work with one another and may focus specifically on your processes.

Peer Review

On Tuesday, January 30, your memoir is due for peer review in "Artifact 1 Peer Review." Submit these as text box entries or as pdf files. These will be due by the beginning of class on that day. This will give you ample time to edit before the final due date.

Submission

The final, completed, polished memoir must be submitted via "Artifact 1 Final" assignment in Canvas by the beginning of class on Thursday, February 1. The document must be submitted as copy-pasted text in the textbox or as a pdf file. 

Reflection

On Thursday, February 1, we will also reflect on your final work in Artifact 1.  “Reflecting” in this case means that you’ll respond in writing to a set of prompts or questions that ask you to consider how and why you made the choices you made in completing the assignment. You’ll then save that reflection and return to it later in the semester as you prepare your final portfolio. 

Why is reflection important? Because when you take a step back to critically review the ways you approached a problem and implemented a solution, you learn how to apply those critical thinking, communication, and project management skills to other subjects and areas of your life.

Dates to Remember

All due dates imply that the work be submitted by the beginning of class that day.

Memoir Presentation in class on Tuesday, January 23.

Memoir due for peer review by Tuesday, January 30 by the beginning of class.

Final Memoir due by Thursday, February 1 by the beginning of class.

Reflection in class on Thursday, February 1.

Grading

This unit accounts for 20% of your final grade in this class. Of that grade:

5% is tied to the Memoir Presentation Activity (In-Class)

10% is tied to out-of-class Journal Assignments

10% is tied to Class Participation

25% is tied to Content submitted to Peer Review (33.33%) and Participating in Peer Review (66.67%).

50% is tied to the Final Memoir