Assignments (including participation)
Reading for each class period and participate in class. Your reading of the assigned material will be the basis for your participation in in-class activities and discussions and for the papers and assignments.
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Blog or Assignment for each class period. You will either write a blog post or complete another kind of assignment for each class period we meet. These posts and assignments are part of the "writing to learn" methodology I use, and also will be a way for you to structure your own learning. I will provide you with prompts for each of these posts/assignments (although sometimes, I'll ask you to provide prompts). You will complete the blog post or assignment BEFORE coming to class.
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Paper 1: Personal-Research Essay. This assignment requires two modes of writing, personal and research. In it, you will : 1) describe a setting/create a scene where something happens, and 2) incorporate research, interviews, and/or close reading of literary texts. Among other things, this essay will require a blending of personal narrative and rendering of factual information (from reading and/or interviews) in a way that is both interesting and persuasive--that is, you should be making some kind of argument. Ultimately, for this essay, I want you to come to some kind of conclusion, no matter how provisional, about the value of Wilderness in the U.S. today. Good narrative essays expose something intrinsic to humanity as a whole. They set personal experience in a larger context. Blended genre essays like this one are becoming more popular and important in the twenty-first centruy. For one thing, the blended approach has the ability to create contradictions and contributes to a more complicated meaning. It therefore stimulates greater insights than writing in a purely academic or personal form only.
Length: 5-6 double-spaced pages (final draft). In-class workshop. Submit throught Submittable.
Submit Rough Draft September 27 by midnight HERE
Submit Final Draft October 12 by midnight HERE
Models:
Robert Macfarlane's essays in Wild Places is meant to serve as one model.
Alison Hawthorne Deming, Cheetah Run
Barry Lopez, The Stone Horse
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Paper 2: Photo essay. In this assignment, you will construct an argument based on your research topic in which the visual is priviledged over the textual. You will 1) create a photoessay incorporating no fewer than 8 images. At least half of these should be your own images. 2) the images should be accompanied by text in some form. The photo essay has to have a message, a point. It should illuminate something for us. It should convince us of something.The assignment can take different forms. It might be displayed on a poster which you organize in various ways; it could be more like a book -- a series of sequential pages; it might be a web-page or a series of linked webpages; it might be film stills or a self-timed powerpoint slide show. In addition to thinking about the general format, you should consider how words will be used in your photoessay: as a frame (so you would offer one introductory caption/paragraph that the photos themselves build from); as a running side bar (so that the photos and the words work in parallel); as captions (so that each photo is tied in to the overall argument). What is key is that your form and your visual-verbal relationship be appropriate for your topic and argument. (adapted from Stanford U) Clear your topic with me before you undertake it.
Models:
Teju Cole, "Dappled Things" (very strong: stunning photographs and thoughtful essay)
Dennis DeHart, Confluences (very strong: stunning photographs and thoughtful essay)
Troy Jollimore, "Some Version of the Same River" (very strong: thoughtful photographs and thoughtful essay)
A Photo Essay of the Great Depression (strong: many images and explanatory text tell a history of change)
Litter Study (less strong: striking images but not enough textual explanation)
Photo Essay of Rainforest Ecology (weak: good images but no analysis/explanation. This is a show and tell)
How to Create an Effective Photo Essay
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Class Leader:
Starting the third week in October, you will be asked to present material and lead discussion with one other person. This leadership opportunity is designed to give you mastery over material that is important to your work.
Suggested steps for collaborative presentation:
-Exchange contact information with your collaborator.
-Explore primary and secondary sources related to your topic.
-Meet with your collaborator and exchange ideas.
-Set up a 30-minute meeting with me. We will discuss the shape of your presentation as well as the constellation of primary and secondary texts and what strategy you will use to make the content dynamic.
The presentation will last all period and should include the following elements, though not necessarily in this order:
-Primary text(s)
-A passage or two from a secondary, critical source
-Background to discussion
-Discussion (questions for one longer or several shorter discussions)
-An in-class activity designed to add a dynamic quality to the class, to bring out aspects of the topic not covered by the discussion and presentation, or to deepen the topic in interesting ways
Optional elements:
-Film clips, slide shows, Power Point presentations or handouts that help illuminate your topic(s)
Presentation of photo essays: At the end of the semester, you will present your photo essays to the class. You will field questions, and the other students and I will give you feedback that will be helpful in revision before you turn it in.
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Grading
Earn an A/A-
Come to class having read material.
Blog or Assignment for each ** class meeting. Write more blogs than required if you’re inspired.
Comment once a week (or more) on another person’s post.
Turn in 2 essays on time. Work with professor to revise papers if necessary.
Participate in workshops for the 2 essays.
Participate in all in-class activities and discussions.
Lead class discussion with another student once.
Present your photo essay to the class.
No unexcused absences.
No more than 2 classes missed.*
Earn an B/B-
Come to class having read material.
Blog or Assignment for each ** class meeting. Write more blogs than required if you’re inspired.
Comment once a week (or more) on another person’s post.
Turn in 2 essays on time. Do not work with professor to revise papers if necessary.
Participate in workshops for the 2 essays.
Participate in most in-class activities and discussions.
Lead class discussion with another student.
Present your photo essay to the class.
No more than 1 unexcused absence.
No more than 3 classes missed.*
Earn an C/C-
Come to class without reading the material more than three times.
Fail to blog or do assignment for each ** class meeting.
Fail to comment once a week on another person’s post.
Turn in 2 essays but do not work with professor on revisions if needed.
Sporadic participation in some in-class activities and discussions.
Lead class discussion with another student.
Present your photo essay to the class.
No more than 3 unexcused absences.
No more than 4 missed classes.*
Earn below a C-
Come to class without reading the material.
Fail to blog or do assignment for each ** class meeting.
Fail to comment once a week on another person’s post.
Turn in 2 essays but do not work with professor on revisions of needed.
Do not participate in all in-class activities and discussions.
Do not lead class discussion with another student, or if you do, your contributions are weak.
Present your photo essay to the class.
A number of unexcused absences or missed classes.
*There will be two chances for extra credit during the semester to attend Visiting Writer Events. Details to follow.
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