Assignments are listed (as HW) on the day they are assigned, and are due at 10pm the night before1 the following class meeting, unless otherwise specified. You should in general also bring a copy to class, so that we have access to it for in-class discussion and/or revisions.
Past and upcoming assignments are listed on the day-by-day schedule. Click the link on the assignment name to see full details.
Note: Everything on this schedule is up for revision until it’s final, so anything still labelled “work in progress” is just that—a work in progress. Consider these your opportunity to get involved in the design of what’s to come. If you see I’m working on an assignment prompt for us and you want it to include some certain element, leave a message on the wiki page for the prompt-in-progress.
First Assignment Progression: Genre and Writing in Professional and Academic Contexts
Lesson 1, Tue, 1/29 — Introductions; Demo of course wiki; In-class writing activity: Letter to Andrew
Hw:
- Purchase the textbook from the bookstore
- Sign up for the course wiki
- Bring in a piece of writing to discuss in response to the first day prompt (see lesson plan)
- Sign and return grading contract
Lesson 2, Thu, 1/31 — Share and Compare: Me on as a writer; In-class writing activity: Loop Writing; Demo of annotated bibliography project
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 1, "Communicating in the Technical Workplace"
- John Swales, "Worlds of Genre—Metaphors of Genre" (PDF)
Hw:
- BP1: Why Engineering? Why Writing? (Due to blog by 10pm 2/4)
Lesson 3, Tue, 2/5 — Discussion of Swales and TWC ch1; Activity sequence: group rehearsal for Reflective Annotated Bibliography project
Hw:
- Comment on one peer’s BP1
- Help edit and tag first Reflective Annotated Bibliography entries
Lesson 4, Thu, 2/7 — Group Activity: Planning and strategizing for Waterproofing New York conference
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 2 "Readers and Contexts of Use"
- TWC Chapter 7 "E-mail, E-Messages, and Memos"
Hw:
- Begin your research gathering
- Compose a group project proposal and pitch it to your group using your assigned work space
- Read through all the proposals and come prepared to discuss your group project on Thursday 2/14
- By the end of class on Thursday, you will need to have a clear idea of what genre your group is studying and how you will divide up the work.
Optional:
- Attend Waterproofing New York conference on 9 Feb
To see the assignment prompt for our First Assignment Progression, the genre study webpage, see lesson plan #4 or click here
To see the assignment prompt for the freebie assignment based on attending the Waterproofing New York conference (or any other science or engineering lecture/conference, see lesson plan #4 or click here
NOTE: No class on Tue 2/12
Lesson 5, Thu, 2/14 — Group work session: Planning for group webpage; memo writing
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 3 "Organizing and Drafting"
- TWC Chapter 4 "Layout and Design"
Hw:
- BP2: Group memo on projects in progress
- Prepare provisional group webpage mockup for peer review
Lesson 6, Tue, 2/19 — Cross-Group Peer Review: Conference webpages on professional academic communication in action
Lesson 7, Thu, 2/21 — Group Work Session: finalizing First Progression Projects
Second Assignment Progression: Discourse Analysis Project
Lesson 8, Tue, 2/26 — Extended group work on Genre Tutorial Webpages; intro to discourse analysis; picking academic journals for BP2
Rd:
- John Swales, "The Concept of Discourse Community" (PDF)
- James Paul Gee, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction" (PDF)
Lesson 9, Thu, 2/28 — Pop Quiz: Gee vs Swales
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 6, "Abstracts and Executive Summaries"
- Joseph Harris, "The Concept of Community in the Study of Writing"
Solo Blog Post 2: Analyzing discourse through professional publications Click here for full assignment sheet
Lesson 10, Tue, 3/5 — Peer Review: BP2 draft in progress
Hw:
- Revise and complete your draft of BP2
- Post your BP2 by 10pm Thursday, 3/7
Lesson 11, Thu, 3/7 — Discussion of Second Progression project; Discussion of Discourse Analysis research
Rd:
- Ann M Johns, “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity” (PDF)
- Elizabeth Wardle, “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces” (PDF)
- Tony Mirabelli, “Learning to Serve: The Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers” (PDF)
- Sean Branick, "Coaches Can Read, Too: An Ethnographic Study of a Football Coaching Discourse Community" (PDF)
- Mary Bucholtz, "'Why be Normal?' Language and Identity Practices in a Community of Nerd Girls." (PDF)
Hw:
- Post your response to BP3 by 10pm Tuesday, 3/12
Solo Blog Post 3: Reading response to two readings on discourse analysis. Click here for full assignment sheet
Lesson 12, Tue, 3/12 — Discussion and Brainstorm session: Discourse Analysis research projects
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 11, "Researching and Research Methods"
- TWC Chapter 14, "Proposals"
Hw:
- Compose one- to two-minute "elevator pitch" that explains how you might approach your discourse community project and tries to convince your peers that this approach is valuable enough for them to try out in their own projects. Bring these elevator pitches to share on Thursday, 3/14
Lesson 13, Thu, 3/14 — Class voting session on quick pitches; proposal as genre
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 5, "using Plain and Persuasive Language"
Hw:
- Compose initial draft of BP4
- Bring for peer feedback on Tue, 3/19
Solo Blog Post 4: Discourse Analysis Research Proposal. click here for the full assignment sheet
Lesson 14, Tue, 3/19 — Peer review: BP4 drafts
Hw:
- Revise research proposals based on peer feedback
- Submit revised proposals to the blog by 10pm 3/21
Lesson 15, Thu, 3/21 — Open Work Day: research projects
Rd:
- TWC Ch 12 "Analytical Reports"
Hw:
- Compose initial draft of discourse analysis report
- Bring for peer review on Thursday 4/4
Spring Break! 3/23 - 4/2
Lesson 16, Thu, 4/4 — Presenting your findings in Analytical reports
Hw:
- Combine the pieces of your midterm project into a complete research report
- Bring five printed copies for peer review on Tues 4/9
Lesson 17, Tue, 4/9 — Peer Review: Discourse Analysis Report
Hw:
- Revise reports based on feedback
- submit to blog by 10pm Fri, 4/12
Solo Formal Project: Discourse Analysis Report. Click here for full assignment sheet
Midterm submission style sheet: Click here
Third Assignment Progression: Group Experiment Project
Lesson 18, Thu, 4/11 — Initial discussion of group final projects
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 15, "Working in Teams"
Lesson 19, Tue, 4/16 — Discussion and group activity: researching writing and gathering data
Rd:
- Sondra Perl, “The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers”
- Carol Berkenkotter, “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer,” and Donald M. Murray, “Response of a Laboratory Rat—or, Being Protocoled”
- Nancy Sommers and Laura Saltz, "The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year" (PDF)
- Jack Selzer, "The Composing Process of an Engineer" (PDF)
- Betty Samraj, Lenore Monk, "The statement of purpose in graduate program applications: Genre structure and disciplinary variation" (PDF)
Hw:
- BP7: Summary and focused response to one article (due 4/18 at 10pm)
Lesson 20, Thu, 4/18 — Group Activity: In-Class composing of initial proposals
Hw:
- Post BP7 by 10pm Thursday 4/18
- Send Andrew an e-mail naming your top three choices are for group mates and explaining what about each person's project proposal or work style made you choose that person. Deadline for e-mails is 10pm Sunday night
Lesson 21, Tue, 4/23 — Group Activity: Proposal drafting
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 10, "Process Explanations and Instructions"
Lesson 22, Thu, 4/25 — Finalizing group proposals
Lesson 23, Tue, 4/30 — Group work day; each group has 10 minute meeting with Andrew; handout for revision contract
Rd:
- TWC Chapter 16, "Preparing and Giving Presentations"
- TWC Chapter 17, "Visual Rhetoric and Technical Communication"
- TWC Chapter 13, "Formal Reports"
- Stuart Greene, "Argument as Conversation: The Role of Inquiry in Writing a Researched Argument" (PDF)
Lesson 24, Thu, 5/2 — Experiment day 1: Write-it-do-it remix [whole class must attend]
- Revision Proposals Due to blog 10pm Saturday, 5/4
- Deadline for submitting freebee assignments for credit, 10pm Saturday
Link to revision contract worksheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RE_WZKvZQeWrmR_eJZUORFJHW4AyhXva_zX08Boog6Y/edit?usp=sharing
Lesson 25, Tue, 5/7 — Free work day; Prezi demo [optional]
Lesson 26, Thu, 5/9 — Experiment day 2: Prewriting & Lego [whole class must attend]
Lesson 27, Tue, 5/14 — Presentations: Problem Solving Challenge & Math Challenge
Lesson 28, Thu, 5/16 — Peer review: Revision project
- If you have to miss this day, email your group for feedback and CC me.
Lesson 27, Tue, 5/21 — **8am - 10:15pm — Presentations: Syllabus Study; Legos; Prewriting; Write It Do It
Final portfolio and group report due by noon