The Ohio State University: College of Arts and Sciences

Course Schedule

Date Class Overview Preparation for Class Due Dates
Week 1: Academic Writing – You’ve Heard of It
08/24/21  Introductions & Syllabus

 Class and Individual Objectives

 Collaborative Class Agreements.

  Syllabus (Optional)

 

 

 

 

 

 Accessibility Survey Due

 

 

 

 
08/26/21  Board Activity: Crafting Group Definitions

·      Writing

·      Reading

·      Reading to Write

·      Rhetoric/al

·      Essay

·      Writer

·      Written Communication

  Go on Google, and do a quick search for rules about writing/how to write academically. Read a few websites that seem interesting to you.

 “Reading to Write” from the University of Northern Carolina (Video)

https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-to-write/

 Bring to class 3-5 of the rules you found on Google (with the sources from where you found them)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 2: Myths About Writing
08/31/21  Introduction to “Habit’s Journals”

 Myths About Writing: What we’ve learned

  “What is Academic’ Writing” by L. Lennie Irvin’s  (on Carmen)

 “Leave Yourself Out of Your Writing” by Rodrigo Joseph Rodríguez (on Carmen)
09/02/21  Small Group Brain Storming for Habit’s Journals

 “Rules” List:

Taking inventory

  “Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students” by E. Shelley Reid (on Carmen)

 “Good Writers Always Follow My Rules” by Monique Dufour and Jennifer Ahern-Dodson (on Carmen)

 First Discussion Question/Answer Due on Carmen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 3: Starting From The Beginning – Reading
09/07/21  

Reading strategies
09/09/21 Reading slow and savoring reading

Professional/

Graduate reading: What does it look like? Brainstorm and discussion

  “ What reading slowly taught me about writing” by  Jacqueline Woodson” (Video)

https://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_woodson_what_reading_slowly_taught_me_about_writing/up-next

 “Reading and Writing are not Connected” by Ellen C. Carillo (on Carmen)

 Bring to class one book that you have “savored” along with a small reflection on what about it was enjoyable

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 4: Starting From The Beginning –  Writing
09/14/21  “Essai” – Trying and Attempting: Playful and Exploratory Writing

Process/Product

  “The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer” by Sarah Allen (on Carmen)

 

 “Reinventing Invention: Discovery and Investment in Writing” by

Michelle D. Trim and Megan Lynn Isaac (on Carmen)
09/16/21 Positionality

Professional/

Graduate Reading: Brainstorm and Discussion.

  “The Sixth Paragraph: A Re-Vision of the Essay” by Paul Lynch (on Carmen)

 

 “The danger of a single story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Video)

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

 Spend 30 minutes doing “playful writing.” Come to class with an observation about the experience to share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 5: Starting From the Beginning – Conventions (Format, Style, Grammar)
09/21/21 Rhetoric and affect: Why does it matter?

 

The languages we speak

 

  “Grammar, Rhetoric and Style” Craig Hulst (on Carmen)

 “How Languages Shape the Way We Think” by Lera Boroditsky (Video)

https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think/up-next

  

 

 

 

 

 
09/23/21 Group reflection on “Habits Journals”

Professional/

Graduate Conventions: Brainstorm and Discussion.

 

  “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis” by Laura Bolin Carroll (on Carmen)

 “Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk (on Carmen)

 “Habit’s Journals” Due

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 6: Thinking Ahead: What comes After College?
09/28/21 Introduction to Transferable Skills Project

Putting it all together: the metaphor of the toolbox.

·      What do you want to keep?

·      What do you feel like you need to keep?

·      What do you feel you still need to learn?

 

 This week is design for you to take a breath. No new readings. Take this opportunity to catch up and engage more deeply with any of the readings up until this point.

 

 

 

 

 
09/30/21 Deciding Peer Groups/Individual Groups: Professional/Work? Graduate? Other?

Where academic writing, creative writing, and everything else intersects

  “Writing Knowledge Transfers Easily” by Ellen C. Carillo

 “Life, Writing, and Real Talk with Roxane Gay” on CreativeLive (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wIHRnOfAGY

Chapter from Roxane Gay (Upcoming) from 2021 CCCC’s Conference

 Discussion Question/Answer Due on Carmen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Week 7: Diving Deeper Into the Text
10/05/21 Introduction to the concept of “Second Readings:” What does it mean to read things twice?  “Introduction: Ways of Reading” (1-21) by David Bartholomae, Anthony Petrosky, and Stacey Waite in Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers

 
10/07/21 Inside and outside academic—positioning ourselves  “Hungry” (263-265) and “On Becoming Educated” (266-276) by Joy Castro in Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers Discussion Question/Answer Due on Carmen

 

 

 
Week 8: Diving Deeper into the Text (Continued)
10/12/21  Engaging with difficult truths

Affective Writing: How does it work in multiple contexts)

 Re-reading of Joy Castro’s work.

 

 

 

 
10/14/21 Autumn Break – No Class –Enjoy!
Week 9: Encountering Difficult Texts
10/19/21  What is and is not accessible

Intended audience v. actual audience

Reading as an outsider

  “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” (26-45) by Gloria Anzaldúa in Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers

 

 

 
10/21/21  Multilingual writing

 Students’ Right to their own language

Board Activity: The communities to which we belong

 Re-reading of  Gloria Anzaldúa´s Work

 

 

 This text, with its use of genre merging and bilingualism, can be an emotional experience. Reflect on how reading it felt the first and second time. Has another text had similar experiences? Bring one thought/reflection to share to class (it doesn’t have to be personal).
Week 10: Expanding How We Understand / Use Genre
10/26/21  Rhetoric Across Genres

 Intent v. Outcome

  “The Ordinary Devoted Mother” (72-108) by Alison Bechdel in Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers
10/28/21  Creative writing and academic writing: one and the same?  “Final Exam for My Father” by Joaquin Zihuatanejo (Poem) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6-n39Opsro Discussion Question/Answer Due on Carmen

 

 

 
Week 11: Writing with Impact/Purpose
11/02/21  Writing for non-academic audiences

 Expanding audience

  “Between the World and Me” (277-293) by Ta-Nehisi Coates  in Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers
11/04/21  Accessible language

 Writing complex ideas with simple words

  Excerpts from Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (on Carmen)

 

 Transferable Skills Project Due

 

 
Week 12: Writing with Impact / Purpose (Continued)
11/09/21 Introduction to Final Project This week is design for you to take a breath. No new readings. Take this opportunity to catch up and we can wrap up discussion on any of the readings discussed during the last two weeks.
11/11/21 Veteran’s Day – No Class – Enjoy!
Week 13
11/16/21
11/18/21 Discussion Question/Answer Due on Carmen
Week 14
11/23/21
11/25/21 Thanksgiving Break – No Class – Enjoy!
Week 15: How to Give Constructive Feedback: A Skill to Take With You
11/30/21 Putting into practice everything we’ve learned:

First reading

Second reading

Rhetorical intent

Affective outcome

 Peer Projects: TBD. As a class, based on interests and similar projects, we will determine small groups for peer-review. You will be assigned 3-5 projects to dedicate yourself to for the next two weeks.
12/02/21 The radical potential of reading and writing

Where do you go from here?

 Peer projects: TBD Last Discussion Question/Answer (Class Reflections) Due on Carmen
Week 16
12/07/21 Peer Student Review Peer projects: TBD
12/09/21 Peer Student Review Peer projects: TBD SEI (Student Evaluation of Instructor)
Finals Week
12/14/21 Final Project Due