Saturday, November 28, 2015

Week 14 Agenda [Tentative]

Monday, November 30th
  • Stage 5 Essay Peer Review Essay
  • Homework
    • continue planning/constructing Stage 5 Public Text
    • continue drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay (due w/Final Portfolio)
    • continue drafting Stage 6 Reflective Essay (due w/Final Portfolio)
    • continue revising previous assignments in preparation for Final Portfolio deadline

Wednesday, December 2nd
  • Final Presentations
  • Homework
    • continue planning/constructing Stage 5 Public Text
    • continue drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay (due w/Final Portfolio)
    • continue drafting Stage 6 Reflective Essay (due w/Final Portfolio)
    • continue revising previous assignments in preparation for Final Portfolio deadline
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Final Presentation Guidelines

The final three class meetings (12/2, 12/7, and 12/9) will consist of presentations of your Stage 5 Public Texts. Each of you will be required to showcase your Stage 5 Public texts to the class, as well as discuss its overall rhetorical dimensions. Don’t worry if you’re not done constructing your public text. Your presentation is meant to give the class a good idea of what you are creating, your rhetorical reasoning behind your chosen form for your public text, and how effectively you are communicating with your Stage 4 theory to a public audience.
Here is the presentation schedule:

Wednesday, 12/2
Arevalo, Abraham
Benavides, Brendaly
Bonilla, Luis
Esquivel, Pedro
Gao, Yuncheng
Garcia, Adrian
Garcia, Alondra
Garcia, Noe
Gonzalez, Anna

Monday, 12/7
Goris, Jonathan
Herrera, Marilyn
Martinez, Adeladia
Munoz, Robert
Ongcal, Ireneo
Rios, Justin
Rodriguez, Anllely
Rodriguez, Iris

Wednesday, 12/9
Salazar, Alejandra
Salinas, Hipolito
Sanchez, Arturo
Sanchez, Erick
Tafolla, Robert
Torres, Oscar
Truong, Tiffany
Valdez, Samantha

Presentation times are non-negotiable, so make sure to come prepared on your assigned date. For those of you working with digital picture files, videos, or web sites, you will have the computer in the classroom at your disposal.

Here are the requirements for your presentation:
  1. Keep your presentation between 6-8 minutes at the most
  2. Start by stating your Stage 4 theory
  3. Showcase/describe your Stage 5 Public Text by answering the following questions
    • How does your public text connect to your Stage 4 Essay theory?
    • What is the purpose of your public text? Who is the primary audience for this public text?
    • How easy/difficult was it to construct your public text? What other forms did your public text take before you settled on this final form?
  4. Provide one (1) open-ended question for class discussion.
    • Don’t ask closed questions like this: Did you like my public text?
    • Ask open questions like this: Why/how is my public text rhetorically effective? Why/how is this the best form to communicate my Stage 4 theory? What specific audiences will my public text impact the most/least?
In addition to this, on one of the days you are not presenting, you will be required to complete a 1-page, typed summary AND response to your favorite Stage 5 Public Text presentation. This document should 1) state the name of the author of the public text, 2) detail what the presentation covered, and 3) discuss how/why this public text is rhetorically effective/ineffective. Summary/responses will be due at the start of class for credit.

I'm looking forward to all of your Stage 5 Public Text presentations next week!
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Final Portfolio Guidelines

A writing portfolio is a collection of REVISED writing assignments that are representative of a student's work throughout an entire semester. 

Your Google Drive shared folder will count as your final portfolio for this course. As discussed at the beginning of the semester, your final portfolio is worth 60% of your final course grade. Bear in mind that I will grade your final portfolio as a whole--not as the average of different project grades. Also, incomplete portfolios may not receive a passing grade. 

YOUR FINAL PORTFOLIO IS DUE ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11TH BY 10PM. No late work will be accepted.

Below is an up-to-date list of all the files that you should have in your shared Google Drive folder by the assignment deadline. I have also included the correct file names. Finally, I would encourage all of you to visit the UTPA Writing Center (STAC 3.119) prior to the deadline for assistance with any grammar or MLA-related issues in any of your assignments.


ASSIGNMENT FILE NAME IN GOOGLE DRIVE
Downs & Wardle Response D&WResponse_YourFullName
Diaz Response DiazResponse_YourFullName
Haas & Flower Response H&FResponse_YourFullName
D&W/H&F Response DW&HFResponse_YourFullName
Stage 2 Essay Stage2Essay_YourFullName
Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry Stage3Plan_YourFullName
Stage 4 Research Essay Stage4Essay_YourFullName
Stage 5 Reflective Essay Stage5Essay_YourFullName
Stage 6 Reflective Essay Stage6Essay_YourFullName
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Monday, November 23, 2015

Public Text Samples and Resources

Here's a list of public texts created by former students:

And here are some resources to help you gather ideas and create your own Stage 5 public text. Enjoy!
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Week 13 Agenda [Tentative]

Monday, November 23rd
  • **MEETING IN BUSA 217**
  • Activity: Stage 5 Description/Drawing
  • Stage 5 Reflective Essay
  • Exploring Your Stage 5 Public Text Possibilities
  • Homework
    • continue planning/constructing Stage 5 Public Text
    • begin drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay in Google Drive
      • in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage5Essay_YourFullName
    • read/print/bring Stage 6: Reflecting on Reading, Writing, and Learning in Your Portfolio to class for discussion on Wednesday, 11/25
    • continue revising previous assignments in Google Drive

Wednesday, November 25th
  • **MEETING IN BUSA 217**
  • Discuss Stage 6
  • Final Portfolio Guidelines
  • Final Presentation Schedule/Guidelines
  • Homework
    • continue constructing Stage 5 Public Text
    • continue drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay
      • print/bring three (3) copies of draft for peer review on Monday, 11/30
    • begin drafting Stage 6 Reflective Essay in Google Drive
      • in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage6Essay_YourFullName
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Monday, November 16, 2015

Week 12 Agenda [Tentative]

Monday, November 16th
  • Quiz on Sommers' "Revision Strategies"
  • Stage 4 Peer Review
  • Homework

Wednesday, November 18th
  • Discuss Stage 5: Adapting Your Theory to a Public Audience
  • Homework
    • Stage 5 Drawing/Description
      • type a one-page, single-spaced preliminary description of your public text that also discusses 1) who your public text will be for AND 2) the overall purpose of your public text
      • hand-draw a preliminary picture of your public text (color is ok, but not required)
      • staple your picture ON TOP of your writing assignment
      • bring drawing/description to class on Monday for discussion/credit
    • **REMEMBER, WE WILL MEET IN BUSA 217 (COMPUTER LAB) ON MONDAY, 11/23 & WEDNESDAY, 11/25 **
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Monday, November 9, 2015

Anatomy of an Essay: Structuring Your Stage 4 Essay

As discussed in class, there is no one way to present a theory. Your Stage 4 essay will give you the opportunity to share your unique theory about writing, reading and/or learning with your target audience. Overall, Stage 4 asks you to state your Stage 3 research question and interest in it; to discuss your primary/secondary research and findings; and ultimately to explain your own original theory about writing, reading, and/or learning.

In order to help you structure your essay in the best way possible, here is a schematic that explains each section of your Stage 4 essay, what you should consider in each section, and some questions to help you compose the best essay possible. In addition to the guidelines below, you should also study both of the Stage 4 Essay Samples available on our course blog in order to see how previous students have completed this assignment.
  • Your Introductory Paragraph/s
    • Your title is part of your introduction, so don't forget to include a PERSUASIVE title
    • In this section, your job is to compel your target audience to listen to what you have to say. There are various way to do this, such as by discussing your research question and interest in it. Another good tactic is to also include interesting facts or quotes that you have found as you have researched your topic. In my own experience, I have found that the inclusion of personal stories (that is, your own real-life stories) really help draw in readers. If your research revolves around procrastination, for example, you could include a personal anecdote of a time when you procrastinated and the repercussions for that behavior. Overall, your introduction should 1) draw in your reader and 2) state your thesis: the overall idea of your paper and your stance around that topic. 
    • For a more detailed breakdown of the types of information your introduction should include, check out this HANDOUT. 
  • Your Middle Paragraphs
    • The middle of your essay should provide your target audience with discussions surrounding the primary/secondary research you compiled for Stage 3. As the researcher and author, it will be your job to include the best primary/secondary research for your target audience, which means that you will have to decide what interviews, survey results, and secondary sources to include in order to best convince your audience that your original thesis is correct. This does not mean that you should not include those sources that do not agree with your original claims, but rather that you should confront these counterarguments, and discuss in your essay what the significance of these counterarguments means to your overall project.
    • Don't think of this section as one long paragraph, but as multiple paragraphs. Consider how SUBHEADINGS can help you organize these paragraphs into cohesive sections. Ask yourself: How do Diaz, Kantz, Sommers, etc. contrive their subheadings? In your essay, for instance, one section could focus on discussions revolving around your primary research, while the next section could detail your secondary research. The final section of your essay could be reserved for your conclusion and Stage 4 theory. This is not the only way to structure the middle portion of your Stage 4 essay. Nevertheless, you should all consider this structure and how it can aid you in communicating all of your ideas to your target audience.
    • Remember to cite ALL your sources both in-text and in your Works Cited page (for samples and guides, click on the 'Resources' Tab and look at links under 'MLA Style and Citation Help')
    • Here are some questions you should also consider as you compose your middle paragraphs: 
      • Where did you get the information from and why?
      • What did your sources have to offer to your overall topic?
      • If some of your sources did not agree with you or with each other, what do these disagreements mean?
      •  Overall, how/why are these sources important to proving your thesis statement right?
  • Final paragraph/s
    • Your Conclusion
      • Start by restating your question and/or thesis and your overall interest in your topic. 
      • If you included an anecdote in your introduction, remind the reader of the impact of that experience and how it revolves around your overall topic
      • Summarize the main observations you made throughout your essay
      • Finally, now that you have discussed your topic and research in your essay, what is your theory about writing, reading, and/or learning? What is the answer to your research question?
  • Works Cited Page
    • This is the last page of your essay that includes the bibliographic citations for all of the primary and secondary sources referenced in your essay. 
    • Click HERE for an example of a Works Cited page. 
    • Remember, all primary/secondary sources will need to be formatted in MLA style and listed alphabetically on the Works Cited page. Visit the 'MLA Style and Citation Help' section of our course blog for specific details.
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Week 11 Agenda [Tentative]

Monday, November 9th
  • Stage 4: Pursing Your Question, Developing Your Theory
  • Activity: Drafting a Compelling Introduction to Your Stage 4 Essay
  • Homework
    • begin drafting introduction to Stage 4 Essay in Google Drive
      • in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage4Essay_YourFullName
    • print/bring three (3) copies of Stage 4 intro draft for peer review on Thursday
    • continue compiling primary/secondary research for your Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry

Wednesday, November 11th
  • Continue Discussing Stage 4 Essay
  • MLA Style & Citing Sources
  • Activity: Stage 4 Intro Peer Review
  • Homework
    • continue drafting Stage 4 Essay in Google Drive
      • print/bring three (3) copies of Stage 4 Essay draft for peer review on Monday
    • print/read Sommers' "Revision Strategies"; quiz on article on Monday 11/16
    • continue compiling primary/secondary research for your Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry
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Monday, November 2, 2015

Week 10 Agenda [Tentative]

Monday, November 2nd
  • Research/Writing Day [NO CLASS]
  • Homework
    • continue primary/secondary research
    • continue drafting Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry
    • print/bring three (3) copies of Stage 3 draft for peer review session on Wednesday, 11/4

Wednesday, November 4th
  • Stage 3 Peer Review
  • Homework
    • continue primary/secondary research
    • continue drafting Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry
      • due for Instructor feedback by noon on Saturday, 11/7
    • print/bring Stage 4: Pursuing Your Question, Developing Your Theory to class for discussion on Monday
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