Types of Assignments

First Year Writing Program

There are a few things you need to know for the majority of our students. Most of our students come from the first year writing program. There are a few terms that your students will ask about and you will need to have a firm understanding of.

What is your definition of literacy? It is the ability to proficiently read and write for a specific audience and purpose.

What is a discourse community? A tight-knit group or community that uses specific language practices in specific events or subjects (Course Pack, 12).

What is a literacy sponsor? It is one who has been a positive influence or motivating factor in one’s literacy development. (someone who enables or supports you in acquiring a particular type of literacy e.g.: a teacher, a coach, your church pastor, your grandmother)

What is Rhetorical Analysis? Ethos (“a strategy in which a writer uses his or her own perceived personality to help sway his or her audience”), Pathos (a strategy in which a writer (or speaker) appeals to the audience’s emotions in order to make an effective audience”), Logos (“a strategy in which a writer appeals to the audience’s sense of logic in order to make an effective argument”), and Kairos (“a term that refers to the right rhetorical action at the appropriate moment) (Problem Posing, 6).

What is Burkean Parlor? Whenever a scholar becomes interested in a topic, it is their responsibility to become very familiar with that topic. This familiarity comes, at least in part, from a lot of reading. It is important for a scholar to become familiar with what others have written on an issue before so that they can perform the following: contribute something new to the topic, develop credibility with readers by showing that they understand the history, context, and complexity of the issue, and give credit through citation to the scholars who informed their thinking on the issue (Course pack, 10).

What is the CARS Model? Creating a Research Space (Course pack, 11)

a. Establish a territory – pick what you are going to talk about, create an introduction to your subject matter using a small amount of research that has already been done on the topic, or by generalizing the topic

b. Narrow down your Niche - slowly move from the opening of the paper to the main thing you want to talk about. Discuss a gap in research, question previous research, expand on previous research or argue against previous research.

c. Occupy a niche - show what information, opinion or fact you wish to add to the topic. Explain what you want to talk about, in an organized manner showing what research you have collected.

What is Allegory of the Cave? The allegory appears in Plato’s Dialogues: there is a cave and in this cave are prisoners held by chains who cannot turn their heads. They face a blank wall. Behind them is a raised road where people and animals pass throughout the day. On the other side of this road is a fire to light the cave. All the prisoners ever see are the shadows of whatever passes on the road, never the real thing. The only “reality” the prisoners know are shadows. The prisoners’ conversations would be about shadows, then, not reality. They are ignorant. However, a prisoner who is “set free” may go out into the real world and experience what is tangible, the true forms. He is educated.

The significance of the Allegory is that our knowledge is always limited by our perspective. In many ways, we are those prisoners—our “chains” are deeply held beliefs, narcissistic concerns, and ignorance of others’ points of view. In order to break free, we must open ourselves up to new knowledge (in the allegory this is sunlight). Let’s say you think: “I am a bad writer.” Using the allegory, you are talking about a shadow; your perspective was formed by a limited point of view. In this class, we hope you can leave that shadow behind. This allegory is also good to keep in mind as you do research of controversial topics. Those who can only see one side of an issue are like the prisoners. The truly “educated” take equal consideration of all valid perspectives.

Photo Essay (1301 prompt): Choose a key theme from the course (discourse community, literacy sponsor, literacy, Burkean Parlor, CARS model, dialogue, rhetorical terms, etc.) and create a photo essay illustrating your understanding of these themes. This essay should be comprised almost entirely of images you create and collect. The images should help tell a story about the concept.

English 1302 Concepts (2nd Semester Freshman Writing: Ethnography)

Course Texts: Ethnographic Inquiries in Writing & Fieldworking

What is literacy? How do you know a literacy event when you see it? How will you go about looking for literacy in its natural habitat or in context? Think of this essay as the framework for your study. (A literacy event is any activity whose focus is mediated by a piece of text.) The ethnography assignment calls on students to study how literacy works in a specific context, or “natural habitat.”

Literature Review

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliographies are a collections of research that help support the writers argument while reviewing the research and writings of other scholars pertaining to certain subjects. These essays use citations and brief summaries to explain what is being argued in each academic article while relating it back to the writers main point.

Here is an example of a prompt:

Annotated Bibliography (9 Points): Since good ethnographic research involves both fieldwork and traditional library research, you will need to gather sources that inform what you learn in your fieldwork. These sources should be books, peer reviewed journal articles, and other relevant sources approved by your instructor. Since the research you’re doing is scholarly, you will only use scholarly sources to support your claims. (That means no Wikipedia or Dictionary entries, for example.) You must annotate five items, including three peer reviewed articles and two other secondary sources.

English 1302 Ethnography Samples