Course Description and Schedule for Advanced Writing
In this course, students performed critical analyses of written and visual texts. The interrelation between word and image was a primary focus of discussions and assignments throughout the semester. This was not a lecture class; students workshopped their essays and discussed the technical aspects of writing with their peers. The first portion of the course introduced technical aspects of non-fiction writing. The remainder of the semester incorporated a visual element into the readings and assignments. The final project required students to edit an image in Photoshop, construct a visual argument, and write an argumentative essay justifying the visual choices. Prior experience with Photoshop or other digital editors was not necessary for this course.
Course Goals:
· Gain experience in the technical aspects of non-fiction writing
· Successfully complete writing assignments in a variety of genres (narrative, argument, etc.)
· Communicate ideas clearly in multiple media
· Recognize and appreciate “text” as a rich category not limited to the written word
· Become adept at critically analyzing and writing about visual texts
· Incorporate visual elements into writing assignments
· Improve editing and communication skills through peer review exercises
· Develop professional presentation skills
Schedule:
Week One
T: Introduction to the course; Review syllabus
R: Marshall, “From the Poets in the Kitchen”
Week Two
T: Sanders, “The Most Human Art”; Lamott, “Shitty First Drafts”
Reading response 1 due
1-page draft of essay 1 due (post to Bb and bring copies to class)
Small group workshops
R: In-class video and discussion (Adichie, "The Danger of a Single Story")
Week Three
T: Doty, selections from Still Life with Oysters and Lemon
Reading response 2 due
Essay 1 due before class
R: Doty, “World into Word”
Week Four
T: Straub, “Responding—Really Responding—to Other Students’ Writing”
2-page draft of essay 2 due (post to Bb and bring copies to class)
Small group workshops
R: Small group workshops
Week Five
T: No class – view murals on campus for class credit
Essay 2 due in Bb by 7pm
R: Prestidge, “Artists Adorning Buildings in Richmond Mural Project”
In-class workshop on murals
Week Six
T: Rose, “Writing around Rules”
3-page draft of essay 3 due by midnight Sun. (post to Bb)
Peer review comments due before class (post to Bb)
Small group workshops
R: Small group workshops
Week Seven
T: Berger, selection from Ways of Seeing
Essay 3 due before class
R: Goggin, “Visual Rhetoric in Pens of Steel and Inks of Silk: Challenging the Great Visual/Verbal Divide”
Reading response 3 due
Week Eight
T: LaGrandeur, “Digital Images and Classical Persuasion”
Reading response 4 due
R: Workshop on website comparison
Week Nine: Spring Break
Week Ten
T: 4-page draft of essay 4 is due by midnight Sun. (post to Bb)
Peer review comments due before class (post to Bb)
Small group workshops
R: Rader, “Reading and Writing about Your Campus”; “The Campus Photography Essay”
Reading response 5 due
Week Eleven
T: Helmers, “The Elements of Critical Viewing”
Essay 4 due before class
R: Barthes, “Rhetoric of the Image”
Reading response 6 due
Week Twelve
T: “Picturing Argument” from Picturing Texts (edited by Faigley et al.)
R: Photoshop project
Week Thirteen
T: Photoshop project and workshop
R: Bring image collection for workshop
Week Fourteen
T: Workshop on visual arguments
R: Workshop on visual arguments
Week Fifteen
T: Presentations
R: Presentations
Week Sixteen
T: Presentations
R: Presentations