This course map is subject to change based on the needs of the class and/or any emergency type situations that might arise during the semester. Canvas Announcements and Modules will also provide to most up-to-date information about what we are working on in class. Attendance is key to your success in this course. As a reminder, our class meets face-to-face, so Canvas is not an alternative mode of attendance but rather a way to stay tuned in should you forget the assigned homework or have to miss a class meeting or two. This course map is meant to give you a sense of what we will do for the next sixteen weeks together.

This week is all about introductions. You'll have a chance to get to know your classmates and me, and I'll introduce you to what you can expect from this course (and from me). You'll also have an opportunity to share your own expectations and set personal goals for this course. 

Texts We'll Explore: Course Syllabus; "Daedal" by A.E. Stallings; "Failing and Flying" by Jack Gilbert; "Breaking Up with Perfectionism" from WorkLife with Adam Grant; "The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding" by John Wooden; "Give Yourself Permission to Be Creative" by Ethan Hawke 

During these three weeks, we will explore different types of compositions, including but not limited to the kinds of letters, essays, and poems that you may choose to compose yourself. We'll start by practicing different reading strategies, such as annotation, evidence-interpretation note-taking, and "think aloud," as well as writing strategies, particularly imitation, to begin thinking about the rhetorical situation and the qualities that make a composition "good." 

During these weeks, you should also plan to sign up for a conference to discuss your course goals and thoughts about your first writing project. This conference time will count toward Conference Checkpoint 1. 

Texts We'll Explore: "How to Mark a Book" by Mortimer Adler; "Style & Tone" from The Writer's Way; "Ode to Gumbo" by Kevin Young; "Coal" by Audre Lorde; "Mint Snowball" by Naomi Shihab Nye; "The Ugly Tourist" and "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid; "My Dungeon Shook" by James Baldwin; Chapter VII from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

All writers have to start somewhere, and it's usually with a "shitty first draft." Once you get something written, it becomes easier to develop ideas, rewrite sentences, and fine tune word choice until your work becomes an audience-ready composition of which you can be proud. So the goal this week is to get a "shitty first draft" down (if you haven't already).

This week we will also explore academic support resources, including generative AI tools that can support the writing process. As we explore how we might use AI tools, we will engage in discussions concerning ethical use, academic honesty, and the threshold between originality and plagiarism. This conversation will extend through the remainder of the semester. 

Texts We'll Explore: "The Science of Procrastination" from Plain English with Derek Thompson; "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott; "How to Hoax Yourself: The Case of a Gay Girl in Damascus" by Kevin Young

Maybe you’ve heard the term “peer review” before; maybe you’ve even participated in the peer review process where you exchanged your writing with a classmate and gave each other feedback. Often, the peer review process is guided by the instructor's questions about the assignment and is designed to make sure that you are meeting the assignment’s requirements. Workshops are similar to peer reviews in that they are an opportunity to gain feedback on a piece of writing, feedback that will help you to create effective revisions to your work. However, workshops function differently than peer reviews. Workshops are conducted in groups, maybe even as a whole class. This maximizes the amount of feedback that you will receive. Workshops are also guided by your questions, as the writer, rather than the instructor’s questions. So, before the workshop even begins, you will develop your own specific questions about your work, and the class and I will provide you with feedback.

During this time, you should plan to meet with me for Conference Checkpoint 2. 

Texts We'll Explore: "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts" by Donald Murray; "I Believe in Originality" from This I Believe; "Originality and Creativity" by Shaun Tan; "Daedalus, After Icarus" by Saeed Jones; "Daedalus" by Alastair Reid; excerpts from How to Be Original: Transform Your Assignments and Achieve Better Grades by Alistair Bonnett

For your final portfolio, you will have a variety of choices regarding the type of academic work that you compose, so during this week, you will compose a proposal that defines the work you wish to create and defines the actions that you will take to complete your project--whether that includes conducting research, scheduling time in the podcast studio, or setting up a time to practice your speech with a writing coach. 

Texts We'll Explore: "Daedalus and Icarus Within: The Literature/Art/Writing Connection" by Gabriele Lusser Rico; "Creative Eating: The Oreo Syndrome" by Elizabeth Mosby Adler; "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action" by Audre Lorde; The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe & other academic podcasts

During these weeks, we will once again engage in the writing process. You can plan to compose  "shitty first drafts," receive feedback for revision, work with a writing coach, compose a revision of your work, and then finalize your composition project in preparation for delivering it to your intended audience. You should also plan to meet with me for Conference Checkpoint 3.

Texts We'll Explore: "Creating Possibilities: Embedding Research into Creative Writing" by Jason Wirtz; additional excerpts from How to Be Original: Transform Your Assignments and Achieve Better Grades by Alistair Bonnett

By the time we reach this point in the semester, we will have talked a lot about what makes a composition "good." As we have those conversations, we will document criteria that define quality compositions in general as well as criteria that define specific types of compositions (for instance, what makes a podcast "good" may not be exactly the same as what makes an academic article "good"). We will use these criteria to evaluate Writing Project 2 during your final conference. 

Texts We'll Explore: "The World I Live In" by Tennessee Wiliams

You can expect to deliver one of your two writing projects to an audience beyond our class. Throughout the term we will discuss different ways that we can stylize and deliver our writing to appeal to our intended audiences. During this week, you will have the opportunity to complete your delivery--whether that's submitting to a literary magazine, like Delgado's own Images or publishing an academic article, an online video, or podcast. You will share with your classmates a brief description of your project and your delivery method.

This, our last week of class, we will reflect upon the challenges and celebrate the successes that you experienced during our time together as a class. I will also provide materials to help you prepare for your final checkpoint conference. 

Texts We'll Explore: "Famous" by Naomi Shihab Nye; "Icarus" by E.L. Mayo; "Be Daedalus" by Nanina Alba

We won't have a final exam in this class, but you will need to schedule a final conference with me to co-evaluate your course grade. For this last conference, we will reflect on your self-interview and evaluate together how well you have met the learning outcomes of this course as well as how well you have achieved your own personal goals. This conference will determine your final course grade. You will be able to sign up for Conference Checkpoint 4 during Week 15.