Writing about Difference (American Culture and Identity) syllabus James Chase Sanchez This syllabus focuses on analyzing and creating arguments about difference (racial, sexual, gender, etc) in American culture and identity with the major writing assignments being a cultural narrative, a supreme court judge paper, and an online ad campaign. It is also encompasses many of the cultural and “difference” terms that might be utilized in analyzing and creating such arguments.
Rhetoric of the Cinema syllabus Kassia Waggoner The syllabus uses a movie theme to teach writing as argument. The major assignments include a visual rhetoric analysis, a critical reflection, and a theme-based argument. In addition, students are asked to become pseudo movie critics through a class blog and to create a movie trailer of a fictional movie incorporating the skills they learn throughout the semester.
Major Assignments
Essay 3 PDF James Chase Sanchez This is a learning service assignment that Tyler Branson and I created which focuses on creating a public profile and reflective research project that engage with multiple audiences and cultural situations.
Visual Argument assignment sheet Kassia Waggoner I used this assignment sheet in my Writing as Argument class as well as my Rhetoric and the Cinema Class as a way to teach visual argument. If you are interested in teaching visual rhetoric or visual analysis, this is an assignment sheet of instructions for students about how to approach the paper topic.
Public Figure rhetorical analysis Mary McCulley I used this assignment as a unit in my Writing as Argument class. In it, students analyze how a public figure constructs his/her identity and how that identity presents a message about their beliefs.
Rhetorical Situation report Tyler Branson This assignment requires students to pick a contemporary issue of local/national/global importance and map out the landscape of the debate according to Bitzer’s notions of Exigence, Audience, and Constraints.
Critical reflection assignment Kassia Waggoner This assignment sheet was used in my Rhetoric of the Cinema Class, but it could also be used in a Writing as Argument class or even an Introductory Writing Class. It asks students to make an argument about why a movie did or did not deserve to win an Academy Award. They must take into consideration the arguments of critics as well as form their own standard for what makes a movie deserving of such an award.
Cultural Narrative assignment James Chase Sanchez This assignment requires students to discuss and analyze their cultural norms and identity in relationship to a broader understanding of culture in America by examining what a norm is and how people exist within and outside some of these norms. Students must argue for what certain norms are in America, how they can tell, and how their own identity relates to these arguments.
Supreme Court Judge assignment James Chase Sanchez This assignment asks students to analyze previous and current Supreme Court cases and be able to “play” judge, asking them to only have a very limited understanding of the law at hand and to be able to analyze the historical debate and public opinion as well.
