Hi everyone,
after a rather epic battle with technology today (in which I was unable to get my wordpress and headway dashboards to not crash my computer), I have generated a draft of my syllabus...I realize now that I have forgotten things like "course description" and "course requirements" etc... So I guess i will work on getting those together for tomorrow.
Hannah Markley ENG
101-104
Office Hours: Tues. 1-4 pm Tues./
Thurs.
Office: Callaway 5:30pm
– 6:45pm
Email: hmarkle@emory.edu
The Rhetorics of Drugs
[COURSE
DESCRIPTION]
[COURSE
REQUIREMENTS]
[REQUIRED
TEXTS]
[GRADING
POLICY]
LATE
PAPERS
[ATTENDENCE
POLICY]
The Internet and Drugs: Genre, Rhetoric and New Media
4-Week Assignment Sequence
Thurs.
Aug 29: Discuss Syllabus and
Opening Remarks.
-
watch four YouTube clips
together and define four different genres
-
divide into groups four groups
based on these genres
HOMEWORK:
1) Find a YouTube videotext
from the genre assigned to your
group.
2) Post a brief description of your videotext to the class blog, explaining why you think it belongs to
your generic category
Tues.
Sept. 3: “YouTube, Text, and
Genre”
-
pair off into groups of 2 based
on genre and share videotexts between partners.
-
Twenty minute free write
identifying and comparing the two different genres
of videotext.
-
Class discussion based on
questions or points of confusion generated by the free writes
HOMEWORK:
1)
Using your free write, post to
the class blog at least two questions or points of confusion that arose when
you were comparing the two different videotext
genres. These questions should also
begin to address the ways in which genre
is connected to the representation of
the drug in the video.
Thurs. Sept. 5: “Prezi, Diagrams, and Multimedia
Presentations”
-
switch partners so that every
pair has a free write and questions based on the four different genres
-
each pair should construct a
paper diagram that includes all four genres
-
begin working with Prezi and
discuss questions or problems with the format
HOMEWORK:
1)
Finish making your Prezi with
your partner outside of class. The Prezi
should be based on the diagram you have done together in class.
2)
Post to your class blog 250
words, making observations and asking questions that offer some meta-commentary or make some meta-cognitive contribution. Ideally, rather than addressing the content
of your Prezi or free write, you will focus on the experience of using YouTube
to find videotexts, as well as the
process of using Prezi to construct your multimedia presentation.
Tues. Sept. 10: “Presentations and Peer Review”
-
student presentations using
Prezi (5-10 minutes/ pair)
HOMEWORK:
1)
for each presentation,
including the pair who has presented, write a 250 word peer evaluation: What stories
did the presentation tell about each of the four genres of videotext? What metastory
did the presentation tell about videotexts,
genres, and drugs in general? What
worked in the presentation? What didn’t
work?
2)
These responses should be
turned in IN CLASS, rather than posted to the class blog.
Thurs. Sept. 12: “Class Wiki”
-
the class as a whole will
collaboratively generate a class wiki, building from the terminology we
explored and discovered in the peer review responses, including AT LEAST: genre,
videotext, metanarrative, narrative, rhetoric, and drugs.
-
The goal is to thematize the
conceptual issues we have been working with for the past few weeks and gather
together all the data we have generated in pairs.
HOMEWORK:
1)
Familiarize yourself with the
class wiki and add at least two observations, questions, or pieces of information
that see to be missing.
2)
Return to YouTube and select a videotext for your final project. You are welcome to return to one of the
original videos you watched in the first week or any other video we have
discussed in class.
3)
Your videotext for your final project MUST: fit into one of the four genres, discuss, address, or tell a
story about drugs in some way, and should be no longer than 8 minutes (no
shorter than 5 minutes).
Tues. Sept. 17: “Reading and Research”
-in class,
“read” your videotext and write 500
words, documenting a “detailed” reading, keeping in mind that the “details” are
the building blocks for story, genre, and
the meta narrative concerns you will
be tracking.
- discussion in
class of readings, context, and
“research parameters”
HOMEWORK:
1)
conduct two different “modes”
of research: what are the social, political, and historical
contexts of your videotext and how
was it originally received? What is the digital context of this videotext? Who made it? Who posted it? Where did originally air?
2)
Write 500 words summarize these
contexts for your video. Aim to connect the broader contextual
questions to the videotext’s
meaning-effects. This does not
merely mean connecting a detail from the video to a political or social
context; rather, it means understanding the political or social context as part
of what conditions the meaning-effects
and the rhetoric of the videotext.
Thurs.
Sept. 19: “Paper”
-
bring to class your 500 word
“reading” and 500 word “research” findings.
-
Discuss proper citation and
generate bibliographies of sources
-
Free write based on the
readings and research using either a diagram or full sentences. Situate the free write in terms of the critical and conceptual language from
the class wiki
-
Make any additions to the class
wiki necessitated by reading and research findings
HOMEWORK:
1)
Reversion your reading and
research findings into a 1200 word paper based on the connections made in your
free write in class. The best papers
will make explicit connections between the details of the videotext, the
contextual conditions of the videotext, and the over arching critical language
in order to describe rhetorical practices
that combine to represent the
drug. All papers should be able to
address in some manner this questions:
In what way do genre
and context shape our conception of
the drug both in the videotext and in general?
Cinematic Heroin:
Representation, Rhetorical Productions, and the Entertainment Industry
Tues. Sept 24: First
Paper Due.
-
SCREENING: Human
Traffic or Requiem for a Dream (TBA)
Class will go late this evening. If you are unable to stay for the whole
screening you will be asked to finish the film outside of class.
HOMEWORK:
1)
make an observation or ask a
question on the class blog about the film.
Thurs. Sept. 26: “Sequence Analysis”
-
we will break up into four
groups
-
each group will be responsible
for a different aspect: music, blocking, gestures/facial expressions, and shot
framing
-
we will watch the same clip
from the film and each group will focus on one of these aspects connecting them
to the plot of the film, general themes, and narrative strategies
-
as a class we will discuss and
share this information to see how all of these aspects fit together
HOMEWORK:
Read David Boothroyd “Cinematic Heroin and Narcotic
Modernity”
This essay is very difficult.
Please post questions, confusions, things you don’t understand, etc. to
the class blog. Are there points of
connection with the film? With your
portion of the sequence analysis?
Tues.
Oct. 1: “Representation and
Drugs”
-
discussion of Boothroyd in
terms of the sequence analysis and other general observations
-
define conceptual, critical,
and technical terms as a class
HOMEWORK:
Find a film or television episode of your choice. This will become the text you will work with for this assignment, so choose something
fun and relevant to your interests. It
should “represent drugs” in some way.
Thurs. Oct 3: “Representation and Drugs”
-
share the film or episode that
is your text.
-
Write a summary in class of
your text, highlighting the most important or most interesting moment that
illuminates some aspect of representation through drug rhetoric.
-
class discussion
HOMEWORK:
1)
From the class free write,
focus on the “most interesting scene” and give a detailed, thoughtful summary
of this moment. This will become your
sequence so it is important to be detailed.
Post this mini-sequence summary to the class blog.
Tues. Oct. 8: “Individual Sequence Analysis”
-
in pairs discuss the
mini-summary of your sequence
-
as a group we will discuss some
aspects of these summaries and will look at a few sequences as examples
(depending on availability) and begin to make “sequence analysis” observations
in terms of music, blocking, gestures/facial expressions, and shot framing.
HOMEWORK:
Do a sequence analysis of your text, focusing on a specific
scene. The analysis should cover all of
four aspects and begin to connection them to the thematic concerns.
Thurs.
Oct. 10: “Peer Review of Sequence
Analysis”
-
in groups of two partners will
read and review one another sequence
analysis, even if they are not familiar with the
text.
-
class discussion working to
thematize some of the general points of connection between rhetorical tactics,
representation, and drug-effects in cinema
HOMEWORK:
Begin to look into the context of your text, including social,
historical, and political contexts of the drug and its effects. Write 500 words giving a description of these
contexts and post it to the class blog.
Tues.
Oct 15: “Peer Review of Research
and Context”
-
in pairs you will discuss with
your partner the researched contexts of your text.
-
Work on a diagram that begins
to illustrate the connections between the text, the sequence analysis, and the
context.
HOMEWORK:
Finish working on your diagram and write a blog post that lists and
defines the metanarrative connections
between your text, sequence analysis, and context in terms of critical and
conceptual language.
Thurs.
Oct. 17: Student Presentations
-
each student will give a 5-10
minute presentation on their diagram.
You may use a paper diagram or a Prezi format, but be prepared to
account for all the information effectively.
HOMEWORK:
Write a peer review response to each student presentation, focusing
on the rhetorical tactics and drug representations that they have
articulated. What have you learned? What might they be missing or not noticing? TURN the RESPONSE in IN CLASS.
Tues.
Oct. 22: Student Presentations
-
we will finish student presentations
and discuss some of the responses if we have
time.
HOMEWORK:
Write a peer review response to each student presentation, following
the parameters above to be turned in IN CLASS.
Thurs. Oct. 24: Responses and Discussion
-
based on peer review responses,
each student will begin to thematize their thesis based on their presentation
of text, context, and sequence analysis in terms of our critical and conceptual
language
-
we will workshop thesis in
pairs and then as a group.
HOMEWORK:
Begin writing
your paper. You should draw on all the
materials we have generated and organize your paper in terms of your
thesis. This is a DRAFT. It need not be perfect, but it should be
TURNED IN for CLASS on Tuesday.
Tues.
Oct. 29: Revision and Peer Review
-
in pairs each student will read
and workshop one another’s papers
-
class discussion of drafts and
workshoping tactics.
HOMEWORK:
Revise your
draft based on the peer review process and our workshop discussion.
Thurs.
Oct. 31: FINAL Draft of Papers DUE
-this class will be a discussion of our critical and conceptual
language. What does cinema tell us about rhetoric, drugs,
politics, history, and society? Why do they hold such a strange place
in the entertainment industry?
HOMEWORK:
Read Michael
Pollen “Desire: Intoxication/ Plant: Marijuana.” From The
Botany of Desire.
Writing On Drugs: Styles, Tones, and Affective Modes
Tues. Nov. 5: Genres of Writing
-read
together and discuss Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”
-
discuss the Pollen article
-
how are these different? What are they
each staging and in what context? Who is the audience?
HOMEWORK:
1)
Walter Benjamin “Hashish in
Marsaille”
2)
Post to the class blog two
questions or observations that relate the Benjamin to either Coleridge or
Pollen (or both).
Thurs. Nov. 7: Genres of Writing
-
in pairs discuss the
differences similarities and rhetorical strategies of all three texts
(Benjamin, Coleridge, and Pollen)
-
class discussion we will define
these parameters on the class wiki, with particular attention to style, tone,
and affect.
HOMEWORK:
Write a 500 word response using the parameters we defined that
discusses one of the three texts. Pay
special attention to textual details, word choices, and rhetorical
strategy. What is the author trying to
do and what is the role of the “drug” in this strategy? Post to the class blog.
Tues. Nov. 12: Choosing Texts
-
you will decide which genre you
would like to spend more time with: literature, sociological non-fiction, or
historical/theoretical essay
-
we will have a list of
recommend texts from which you might choose, or if you have something you have
found on your own this may be acceptable
-
we will discuss in pairs in a
general sort of way, what the genre
the text you have chosen falls into and what expectations that might entail.
HOMEWORK:
Begin reading your text of choice.
Prepare a paragraph to be read in class of your initial
observations.
Thurs. Nov. 14: Sharing Texts
-
we will share our initial
reactions to our texts which 1) means summarize and 2) discuss generic
conventions and context
-
in pairs discuss your text with
your partner in terms of generic conventions, tone, rhetorical choices, and
affective modes (how does it make you feel, how does the author feel?) How do you know?
HOMEWORK:
You should continue reading with the goal of finishing your text for
class on Tuesday. Begin to formulate a
summary of the text as a whole what is it about? How does it fit into a genre? Post a synopsis to your blog.
Tues. Nov. 19: Literature Reviews
-
in class we will discuss what a
literature review looks like
-
each student should begin
researching their text, looking to find who else has written about it, what has
been said, and how this relates more broadly to the rhetorical effects or
tactics.
HOMEWORK:
Complete your literature review which should be around
500-800 words. IT will be longer than
normal summaries, because you are summarizing more arguments. Be careful to cite appropriately.
Thurs. Nov 21: Thesis Writing
-based on a
summary of your text, your general understanding of how it works and represents
drugs, to formulate a claim or a generalization in terms of critical and
conceptual language (genre, tone, style,
affect, rhetoric, metanarrative etc).
- situate thesis
sentence in terms of your literature review.
Where does it fit? Does it
fit? Is it in conversation or adding to
someone else’s claim?
- we will
discuss and workshop these issues.
HOMEWORK:
Refine your
thesis in terms of literature review and the critical conceptual language. Post your refined thesis to the class
blog.
Tues.
Nov. 26: Thesis and Concept
Mapping
-
draw diagrams that illustrate
the thesis by picking out specific moments from the text and showing how they
prove or help you to explain your thesis in terms of a general thought about
drugs, rhetoric and literature.
-
Share with a partner and look
for any thing which is difficult to explain or challenging your original claim.
HOMEWORK:
Over the break you should start to write paragraphs that are based
on your concept map and diagram. The
paragraphs need not be connected, but you should have at least 4 paragraphs
that explain your thesis through a moment from the text, focusing on rhetorical
strategy and representation of the drug.
Thurs. Nov. 28: THANKSGIVING NO CLASS
Tues. Dec. 3: Revision
-
in pairs using the paragraphs
you have written, explain each piece of your argument to your partner. Is it clear how they are connected? Can you explicitly state how they are connected?
-
Formulate transitional
sentences that make explicit the connections between paragraphs.
HOMEWORK:
Begin to pull together your paper based on the literature review,
your diagram, paragraphs, and the transitional sentences. Bring your draft to the next class.
Thurs. Dec. 5: Student Presentations and
Feedback
-
each student will present their
paper based on their draft. They may
read no more than a paragraph and are responsible for describing and explain
the rest of their argument informally
-
we will give general feedback
as a group that is geared toward ironing out a final draft.
Tues. Dec. 10: Student Presentations and Feedback
-we
will finish student presentations and feedback on drafts.
FINAL PAPERS DUE DEC 12
No comments:
Post a Comment