Introduction: This assignment asks students to tell a story about an experience they’ve had in which they felt they were stereotyped or misunderstood, using the concepts of literacy and discourse communities to focus particularly on the role of language. Students have just written a rhetorical analysis, and now they’re using concepts and interpretative lenses we discussed to analyze their own identity formation within a certain discourse community, paying particular attention to the role of stereotyping. See “Schedule” on our course blog for readings and daily activities.
Click here to view the syllabus associated with this assignment.
This assignment contains three parts: Assignment Sheet (PDF), Writer’s Letter Directions (PDF), and Peer Review Sheet (PDF)
Assignment Sheet
ENG 2100: Writing 1
Identity, Rhetoric, and Propaganda in the “Fake News” Era[1]
Section JMWB • Fall 2018
Project 2 Assignment: Literacy Narrative
Your next major writing project (“Literacy Narrative”) will ask that you tell a story about the various ways you identify yourself in the world and how others see you (or how you think they see you).
Think of the various ways you would describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you. Pay particular attention to the language you use. Why is this language significant? What discourse communities are you part of? How have those communities changed over time and why? What stereotypes do you think people may have about you and other people in a discourse community you’re in (those who are outside that group?)? What are some stories you could tell about how you’ve been misunderstood or just not fully known because people draw conclusions about people who are “like you.” How do language and literacy come into play in your story? Your story could be focused on language acquisition (traditional literacy narrative similar to the ones we’ll read in class), or it could focus on the literacy practices associated with a group you’re part of. (Remember that language can involve words or other symbols and literacy is how we “get by” or come to have power or cultural capital within certain communities or groups.) What words have been associated with people in your group(s)? Why is the particular language associated with your group(s) significant? What’s the history of that language or the words you consider important in your story and that have been used to describe you?
Stereotypes function as glosses or vague snapshots of people in a certain group rather than full pictures of an individual. What are examples of this principle in your life? How have you resisted stereotypes and tried to assert yourself as an individual? What positive function can group identity have? What are the negative functions? For your next assignment I’ll ask you to look at examples of stereotyping in culture: either in media, literature, pop culture, or politics. For now I want you to focus on yourself: tell a story and analyze your own story using some of the lenses we’ve explored so far this term. You’re doing a rhetorical analysis of your own story and experiences, in a sense.
Expectations
Narrative (30%)
Do you tell a compelling story with realistic dialogue, sensory description (show not tell), and details that make readers want to keep reading? While you may include reflective writing about the topic for the assignment, do you avoid clichés, generalizations, and vague reflections, and instead focus primarily on one particular moment or example that captures the point you’re trying to convey?
Thesis/Analysis (30%):
What is the thesis or the “so what?” of the piece? What insight does it offer? What argument does it make about the relationship between language and identity? Do you use concepts / key terms from the course text about language, discourse, discourse communities, and ideology to provide an analytical component to your piece?
Organization (20%):
Does the organization make sense and add to the meaning of the piece? Is it interesting and logical?
Style, Grammar, and Editing (15%):
Have you edited and proofread carefully so that no grammatical or spelling errors detract from the message and your credibility as a writer?
Process (5%):
You complete your first draft, you give feedback to your peer partner(s) on theirs, and you provide your readers (your peers and me) a writer’s letters on your first draft that includes the following: your reflections on your writing process so far (how much time you’ve spent on the invention and drafting process, how “finished” the draft is, and what you still need to work on and what you’re happy with). In other words, knowing your paper will be graded using the above criteria, how well have you addressed each one of them? You also include specific questions you have for your reviewers. For your final writer’s letter, you revisit these questions and add a detailed explanation of what you changed after getting feedback (what you revised) and what you gained from this assignment.
Specs
- ~1,500 words / 2.5 single-spaced pages
- 20% of course grade
Dates
- Draft 1 with writer’s letter (peer review): Wed, Oct 31
- Revised draft with writer’s letter: Wed, Nov 7
[1] Image credit: “Keep Your Head Up” by Joeri Mages. Used by permission through Creative Commons licensing.
Writer’s Letter
Paper 1
REVISED Writer’s Letter Assignment: Literacy Narrative
For the revised, final draft of your Writer’s Letter, please respond to the following and save it as page 1 of your draft. Please use paragraph form as with a cover letter; don’t respond to these questions in bullet format.
Describe what your topic is and why you chose it.
How has this project changed how you view your own literacy story and history as part of a discourse community or communities?
Describe your main point/insight/thesis.
Describe how you support that thesis in your paper (be specific: in the first section I do <x>; in the second I do <x> etc.
Write about your revision and final drafting process. What did you revise based on feedback for this final draft? Be specific; use terminology and concepts from the rubric below that I’ll use to give you feedback and determine your grade.
What was the peer review like for you? What did you find useful? Not so useful? What would you like to do differently or wish would be done differently next time? Was it more helpful this time than last?
What’s the purpose of writing this paper? Why do you think I chose this assignment? What do you think could be improved if I use this assignment again?
Were the readings on literacy and language from Join the Conversation helpful for this paper (especially the Introduction to “(re)Making Language,” “Language, Discourse, and Literacy,” “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” The Meanings of a Word,” and “Mother Tongue”? Any feedback you have would be helpful as we revise this text for larger rollout for ENG 2100 classes next fall.
What grade do you think this paper warrants, using the rubric below? Be specific: use the rubric to determine how well you think you did and support your grade with examples from your writing itself.
Title the file: “LastnameFirstname_LiteracyNarrative_final.docx” (no need to convert to a Google Doc this time).
GRADING CRITERIA
For this paper I’ll be looking for the following. (Each category is worth a certain percentage of the overall paper grade as indicated below, based on 100% total.)
Narrative (30%)
Do you tell a compelling story with realistic dialogue, sensory description (show not tell), and details that make readers want to keep reading? While you may include reflective writing about the topic for the assignment, do you avoid clichés, generalizations, and vague reflections, and instead focus primarily on one particular moment or example that captures the point you’re trying to convey?
Thesis/Analysis (30%):
What is the thesis or the “so what?” of the piece? What insight does it offer? What argument does it make about the relationship between language and identity? Do you use concepts / key terms from the course text about language, discourse, discourse communities, and ideology to provide an analytical component to your piece?
Organization (20%):
Does the organization make sense and add to the meaning of the piece? Is it interesting and logical?
Style, Grammar, and Editing (15%):
Have you edited and proofread carefully so that no grammatical or spelling errors detract from the message and your credibility as a writer?
Process (5%):
You complete your first draft, you give feedback to your peer partner(s) on theirs, and you provide your readers (your peers and me) a writer’s letters on your first draft that includes the following: your reflections on your writing process so far (how much time you’ve spent on the invention and drafting process, how “finished” the draft is, and what you still need to work on and what you’re happy with). In other words, knowing your paper will be graded using the above criteria, how well have you addressed each one of them? You also include specific questions you have for your reviewers. For your final writer’s letter, you revisit these questions and add a detailed explanation of what you changed after getting feedback (what you revised) and what you gained from this assignment.
Peer Review Directions
Peer Review Directions: Literacy Narrative
Your Name:
Writer’s Name:
- Read over the writer’s letter and the paper in their entirety first, making note of the questions the writer asks of you as a reader. If you notice anything that trips you up or that you have questions about, make a note about it in the margin of the paper using the “Comment” feature. (Put your cursor where you want to insert the comment, go to “Insert” at the top menu bar, then choose “Comment” and type your comment in the margin. This allow you to comment without changing the writer’s words.)
- Write the title of the piece below. Is it creative? Does it make you want to keep reading? Does the title point to the thesis or insight of the paper?
- What kind of story is the writer telling? What is this piece about?
- How well does the writer hook you in as a reader? (e.g. are there descriptive details that help you imagine the story better and make you feel a bit of what they went through?) Where could the narrative itself be stronger?
- Write what you believe is the writer’s thesis/insight below. Also, make a comment in the paper where you believe the thesis is insert a comment there simply reading “Thesis.” (This will help you discern how well the writer has completed one of the main goals for this assignment, #2 on the grading rubric, next page).
- Is this thesis focused enough at this point? Could it be clearer? Is it interesting to you? Does it give you an insight that you may not have thought about otherwise? If no to any of these, what advice could you give as a reader about how to make the thesis stronger and more compelling?
- Do they include any concepts / key terms / critical lenses we’ve discussed in class?
- In terms of organization (#3 on the rubric), do you see any paragraphs that seem out of place / could be deleted / further developed? Describe them here.
- Did you feel “tripped up” or lost at any point reading this?
- What did the writer do really well in your view? What’s the strongest part of this piece of this piece of writing?
- What area do you think the writer most needs to work on to make the piece stronger? (Again, pay close attention to the writer’s own questions and self-critique here as well.)
- Finally, make sure you’ve responded to any questions the writer asked in the cover letter.
When you finish, save this document and post it to your group’s folder, using the writer’s name in the title to avoid confusion. For example: Mike’sReview.docx (and your name will appear as the person posting). Prof. Blankenship will post feedback for you on your draft in the same folder (within your Google Doc saved in your group’s file) by end of day Friday.
GRADING CRITERIA
Narrative (30%)
Do you tell a compelling story with realistic dialogue, sensory description (show not tell), and details that make readers want to keep reading? While you may include reflective writing about the topic for the assignment, do you avoid clichés, generalizations, and vague reflections, and instead focus primarily on one particular moment or example that captures the point you’re trying to convey?
Thesis/Analysis (30%):
What is the thesis or the “so what?” of the piece? What insight does it offer? What argument does it make about the relationship between language and identity? Do you use concepts / key terms from the course text about language, discourse, discourse communities, and ideology to provide an analytical component to your piece?
Organization (20%):
Does the organization make sense and add to the meaning of the piece? Is it interesting and logical?
Style, Grammar, and Editing (15%):
Have you edited and proofread carefully so that no grammatical or spelling errors detract from the message and your credibility as a writer?
Process (5%):
You complete your first draft, you give feedback to your peer partner(s) on theirs, and you provide your readers (your peers and me) a writer’s letters on your first draft that includes the following: your reflections on your writing process so far (how much time you’ve spent on the invention and drafting process, how “finished” the draft is, and what you still need to work on and what you’re happy with). In other words, knowing your paper will be graded using the above criteria, how well have you addressed each one of them? You also include specific questions you have for your reviewers. For your final writer’s letter, you revisit these questions and add a detailed explanation of what you changed after getting feedback (what you revised) and what you gained from this assignment.