I look forward to working with you this semester.
Your homework to complete before we meet the next time, on Wednesday, January 18:
- Read over this website very carefully as it constitutes the syllabus for this course. Note that the Syllabus page includes a number of subpages, covering such topics as: the course learning outcomes; the texts you need to buy; attendance, participation, and other policies; and how you will be graded. There is also a calendar of readings and assignments; and posts describing the three major assignments (literacy narrative in three parts, tracing pages, and halfa kucha) and minor assignments this semester.
- Add this site to your bookmarks. Make certain that you can find your way back here, because you’ll be spending a lot of time visiting these pages over the course of this semester.
- Join the class Slack Workspace. Slack is a collaboration and communication tool that our class uses to work together to share ideas, discuss readings, collaborate on projects, and engage with learning.
- Sign up for a basic, free WordPress site. (See further information below about choosing a name for your site.) Do not pay anything for this site; choose the free version with an address ending in .wordpress.com. Make sure to hit the “Launch” button to publish your site to the web.
- Leave a comment on this post asking a question about the syllabus. Put the URL for the WordPress site you created in the “website” line on the comment form. If you want to receive an email every time a new post goes up on this site, check the “Subscribe to site” box before you submit your comment. The first time you comment, it will not show up publicly until I’ve approved it.
- Reply to the survey form at the bottom of this post, which both asks some basic information I’ll need in order to manage communications with you and also asks some questions that will help me get to know you a little bit better.
- Read the following three texts: Andrea Lunsford, “Rhetorical Situations” and “Reading Rhetorically” from Everyone’s an Author; Scott McCloud’s “Setting the Record Straight” from Understanding Comics; and Allie Brosh’s, “Adventures in Depression, Part One” from Hyperbole and a Half. (Note that first two links will take you to the PDF that I’ve uploaded to our electronic course reserves, so you will need to login with your Emory netid and password to access the document. The other link goes to Hyperbole and a Half on blogger. Allie Brosh has since published the story in her book, Hyperbole and a Half, which is excellent, but we can use this version on the web for this course.)
A little more on naming your WordPress site
You can choose a URL based on some version of your name (i.e., janestudent.wordpress.com or johndoe.wordpress.com) if you’d like. Using a version of your name has the advantage that you will be building a digital identity on the web based on your name, which can be really helpful. On the other hand, it also means that this site that you’re building will likely come up near the top of web searches for your name, so consider whether that is something you would like.
If you don’t want to publish your coursework on a site with a version of your name, you can also use some sort of pseudonym for your domain name.
It is also perfectly acceptable for your domain name to be a short word or phrase that is easy to remember and spell, and which speaks to some interest of yours or an aspect of your character (for example: my friend Audrey Watters, a noted educational technology scholar and researcher publishes a site called hackeducation.com or one of my favorite art and design blogs is called thisiscolossal.com). If you’re going to choose a title or phrase as your domain name, make sure you think about it very carefully so you don’t show up on one of those lists of the most unfortunate domain names ever, like the design firm called Speed of Art that ended up with a domain name that sounds like it’s about flatulence in a swimsuit. Note that in the case of your site, you’ll be publishing a page that’s a subdomain of WordPress.com, so if Audrey Watters were in this class her site might be called hackeducation.wordpress.com.
Syllabus Question:
The comics studied in this course relate to which world and social issues? Also how much of the class will consist of group activities and discussions?
Most of the texts are focused on the US, though Thorogood’s is set mostly in England. Half the texts are nonfiction, so 1950s Detroit, 2000s Texas, 2021 London. Sabrina is fictional but feels like nonfiction, I think, and is set in 2018ish Colorado. Kindred is set in 1970s California and antebellum Maryland. Parable of the Sower is set in near-future buy dystopian California.
We’ll work individually or in pairs sometimes, in small groups sometimes, and as a whole class sometimes.
I’m super excited to be taking this class this semester!
A question I have regarding the syllabus is whether will we need to bring in additional supplies like paper or will be provided for us.
Thanks! If I have a drawing assignment in class, I’ll bring in supplies. I’ll also provide tracing paper when you need it. I’m assuming that you can provide other materials necessary outside of class but if that is ever an issue for you, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Will our grades be listed anywhere online throughout the course, or will we see them only at the end of the semester?
No, I don’t use the Canvas grade book. I will give you lots of feedback on your writing. I read and provide formative feedback until the final portfolio is submitted so there are no grades to keep until the end of the semester.
Do we have until the day of the final portfolio submission to earn “excellent” marks on major assignments that were previously given “proficient” or “below proficient” marks?
Yes.
Where can I find the “subscribe to site” box so that I get notified when I new post is published? Also, will you make a new post after every class? I found this one to be quite helpful because it has more specifics about the homework than the schedule does.
Oops, forgot to turn the subscribe button on before the semester started. It’s on now — I think you need to leave another comment but just check the box to subscribe.
I won’t make a post after every class but I usually put up a post looking ahead to what we’ll do during a week and then I write posts whenever I’ve got something to tell you outside of class time.
Will platforms like Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop need to be used for this course?
No, not required. They are available in the media lab in the library. Or if you have them yourself, you are certainly free to use them. They are great tools, but for this class there are simpler, free alternatives available.
Are we ever going to have any essay assignments? Or will all of the writing assignments be in comic form?
Yes, you’ll have an essay due next week. And an essay on Spinning and Stitches.
Hello,
Will the final portfolio be a list of works composed on the website we made or is it going to be another form a media?
You’ll organize your website so that all the work is clearly available and write a reflection letter that explains the work and how you’ve progressed as a writer and thinker.
Is there a certain method of citation (such as MLA, APA, etc.) required? Or is simply crediting the source by providing the website link sufficient?
I’d prefer that you use MLA citation. But we might modify a bit for the web.
Will there be essay/writing/other opportunities for personal narratives or will most writing be analysis-based for what we read?
The first assignment, which is due next week, is a personal essay! Many of the sketch assignments are also based on personal perspectives. But there will also be opportunities for writing analytically.
I am interested in the opportunity “the public nature of this course” gives us as students to create a digital footprint. How often will we be peer-editing each other’s work?
Great! There will be one formal assignment to peer-edit a draft of the literacy narrative comic, but there will be quite a few other times where we’ll look at each other’s work and both offer feedback and think about how to incorporate their insights.
Hi, I was wondering whether I uploaded my Avatar correctly on my WordPress website? It says the Site Icon was changed, but it still displays the default logo whenever I refresh.
How did students in the past typically respond to your system of evaluation? Did they learn to appreciate it? Did they find it effective in showcasing their true understanding of material?
Emory students generally speaking come in with a strong attachment to quantitative grading structures, so there’s usually an adjustment period but in general students have appreciated this system. I believe that ungrading does provide opportunities for students to learn more and to display their learning more deeply.
Is the first essay about one particular experience or can we write about multiple experiences?
You can write about multiple experiences in the essay. For the pre-writing exercise, I asked you to freewrite about one particular moment but when you go to write the essay itself, you can definitely cover multiple experiences.
Excited to take this class!