Assignments

Below are links to descriptions of our upcoming assignments.

Anthological Exhibition

Due Dates
Exhibition Handout: 9/4
Exhibition Report: 9/9

For our first assignment, you will choose an anthology to present as part of a classroom Anthologic Exhibition. The anthology you choose can be in any form (it does not have to be a book, though it can be). The exhibition will be similar to the setup of a museum or a convention. Each student will set up at a table and will be ready to answer questions about the anthology they have chosen. In addition to presenting your own anthology, you will also act as an attendee to our exhibition. You will visit other students to learn about the anthologies they have chosen and write a 250-word synopsis of the exhibition.

Presenter responsibilities
Each presenter will create a one-page handout for the anthology they have chosen that addresses some of the following questions and issues:

* Do you have to argue that what you've chosen is an anthology, or is this readily apparent? What makes your choice an anthology?

* Who is the editor/compiler? What is his or her background? What qualifies them to compile this anthology?

* Who are the authors? What is their background? What qualifies them to contribute to this anthology?

* Who is the publisher? What kinds of other works does this company publish? How does the work you've chosen compare to these other works?

* Who is the audience for the work you've chosen?

* What is its purpose?

* Are there other anthologies that are similar to this one? If so, how does the text you've chosen differentiate itself?

* How is the work organized? Does it have different sections? Why is it organized this way?

* What can you say about the design of the work (the packaging, the cover, etc.)? How does it fit with the goals and arguments of the text?

Remember that your handout is an argument, and that design of the document is part of the assignment. Be sure to make your document readable and useful to the other attendees. Decide whether it needs bullet points, whether it should include images, or any other design decision that seem pertinent. There are 22 students in the class. Be sure to bring enough copies of your handout for everyone.

Attendee responsibilities
As an attendee, you are responsible for visiting as many other students as possible and collecting information about the various anthologies being presented. The information you collect will be used to write a 250-word synopsis of the exhibition. Boiling your findings down to 250 words will not be easy, so you'll have to be concise and choose your words carefully. That report should consider the following questions and issues:

* What traits did all of the anthologies share?

* How were some of the anthologies different from the others?

* What is the role of the compiler/editor of an anthology?

* What kind of explicit and implicit arguments did the anthologies make?

Grading Criteria
This assignment accounts for 5% of your final grade. When grading this assignment, I will be evaluating the following:

* Is the handout you've designed easy to read and understand? Does it give exhibition attendees a good sense of what the text is about and how the text works?

* Does your synopsis synthesize the different anthologies in a useful way, and have you carefully considered a number of the possible similarities and differences amongst the various texts?

* How thoroughly have you addressed the questions and issues suggested for each of the two parts of the assignment? (You do not have to address every question listed here, but you do need to be thorough.)

* Are your documents written effectively and coherently, with very few grammatical errors?

* Were both parts of the assignment turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Summary Analysis Papers

Due Dates: See course schedule for S-A due dates

As you collect possible texts for your anthology throughout the semester, you will be composing 1-page summary-analysis (s-a) papers. These papers will be extremely useful when you write the preface to your book. In fact, some of the work you do in these papers might be copy-pasted directly into your preface (though, your preface will certainly have to be much more than a copy/paste job).

Your papers will be no more than one page, single-spaced and will have one-inch margins. Please include your name in the upper left-hand corner. One page gives you about 500 words to both summarize and analyze a text (this is not a lot of words). About 300-350 of those words will summarize your chosen text and about 150-200 of those words will be a rhetorical analysis of the text. Keep the following things in mind as you write your s-a papers:

Summary
Summarizing a text is not as easy as it sounds, especially when space is limited. The summary section of s-a papers should very concisely and carefully provide a summary of the text. This will require you to set aside your own thoughts and opinions about the piece while you provide a summary of what the author is saying. Because you are limited to 300-350 words, you won't be able to mention every single point the author makes. Your job is to decide what's important and to provide a reader with a clear, readable, fair summary of the text. Such a summary may require you to quote the article, but remember that you'll have to find a balance between quoting the author and putting things in your own words.

Analysis
If the summary section focuses on "what" is said in your chosen text, the analysis section focuses on "how" things are said. This is not a section in which you give your opinion about the content of the text you've chosen. Instead, your job is to analyze how the argument of the text works. In this section, you should use the rhetorical tools we have discussed in class to dissect and analyze the argument (identifying spans and stases, examing various appeals, understanding how the argument characterizes opposing positions, etc.) Remember to reference chapter 18 in Having Your Say (which will give you some ideas about how to read critically) and chapter 9 in Writing With Style (which will give you some ideas about how to write your s-a papers).

Grading Criteria

The eight summary-analysis Papers will account for 20% of your grade. When grading s-a papers, I will be evaluating the following:

* Have you provided a copy of your source? This is required.

* Is your paper formatted correctly (one page, single-spaced, 500 words max, name in upper-left-hand corner)?

* Have you chosen an appropriate text? Could this text be re-printed as part of an anthology? Does it belong in a book?

* Does your summary fairly represent the argument made by the author?

* Have you used quotations from the author when necessary and used your own words to summarize where appropriate?

* Have you devoted the appropriate amount of space to the two sections of the paper? Remember that the word counts I provide are just guides (not strict word limits), but also remember that both summary and analysis have to be adequately addressed in the paper.

* Does your analysis apply the tools and concepts we've talked about in class?

* Is your paper written effectively and coherently with very few grammatical errors?

* Was the paper turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Topic Proposal

Due Date: 9/25

Your topic proposal will be 250 words (roughly one page, double spaced) and will give me snapshot of where your project stands at the moment. While your goals and ideas for the anthology will most likely shift throughout the semester, by the time you submit your topic proposal you should be thinking about the general shape of your book. Your topic proposal should address some of the following questions:

* What is your research question? What question are you asking and (maybe) trying to answer?
* What is the anthology about? Are there similar texts? How will yours be different?
* Who is the audience for your anthology?
* What are the goals of your anthology?
* What kinds of writings will be included? Essays? Scholarly articles? A collection of both?
* How might you be organizing the text? Will it have different sections?
* How will you be using the tools and concepts we have talked about in class?

Grading Criteria

The topic proposal accounts for 5% of your grade. When grading topic proposals, I will be evaluating the following:

* Is your paper formatted correctly (one page, double-spaced, name in upper-left-hand corner, title centered)?
* Have you provided evidence that you've begun to do research?
* Have you provided evidence that you are beginning to progress on the project?
* Does your proposal explain how you will use the tools and concepts we've talked about in class?
* Is your paper written effectively and coherently with very few grammatical errors?
* Was the paper turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Anthological Map

Due Date: 10/28

After reading the discussion of "Mapping a Conversation" in Having Your Say and after having done some research on your topic, you should have a good sense for how to organize and map the different positions within the topic you have chosen. In this assignment, you will create a visual map of your topic and some of the positions within it. How you organize and design the map is up to you, but you should address the following questions and concerns:

* What are the various arguments people make about my topic?

* How do these arguments overlap? How are they the same?

* How do these arguments clash? How are they different?

* What are the "spans" of the different arguments?

* What stasis points are in play for my anthology? (Are there arguments about definitions? Are there evaluate arguments? Can these stasis points be used to map your topic?

Grading Criteria
This assignment accounts for 5% of your grade. When grading this assignment, I will be evaluating the following:

*Is your map detailed? Have you provided a range of positions and shown that your topic is complicated enough to sustain an anthology project?

* Is your map easy to read and understand? Does it give us a good sense of how the different arguments you have read clash/overlap?

* Does the map show evidence that you have been researching your topic?

* Have you applied the tools and concepts we have talked about in class?

* Was your map turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Book Proposal

Due Dates
First Submission: 10/21
Second Submission: 10/30

The book you are compiling will have a particular purpose and will be for a particular kind of audience. For these reasons, you will have to seek out the appropriate publisher for your book and pitch your book to that publisher. Your proposal will take the form of a letter to the publisher that you think is the best fit for your book. Your book proposal will be about 1,000 words (roughty two pages, single-spaced) and should include the following:

* Your name (remember, you are the editor) and the name of your book
* An explanation of why you've chosen this publisher
* A discussion of why your book is an exciting and unique contribution to an ongoing conversation.
* Names of the authors who will be contributing to your anthology and an explanation of why you chose them
* A description of the book's content and its purpose
* An explanation about what is new or different about it
* Your intended audience for the book (i.e., who's going to buy it?)

Grading Criteria
The book proposal accounts for 10% of your grade. When grading this assignment, I will be evaluating the following:

* Is your book proposal formatted correctly? Does it look like a letter?
* Have you explained why a publisher should be excited about or interested in this project?
* Have you provided evidence that you've researched book publishers?
* Have you clearly articulated the audience and purpose of your anthology?
* Have you properly gauged your audience for this book proposal? Have you shaped your message for that audience?
* Is your proposal written effectively and coherently with very few grammatical errors?
* Was the paper turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Anthology Preface and Table of Contents

Due Dates
First Submission: 11/13
Second Submission: 12/2 (submitted as part of Final Project)

Throughout the semester you have been researching a topic, collecting summaries of possible chapters in your anthology, and considering the purpose and audience of your anthology. Now is your chance to pull it all together by composing the preface to your anthology. Your preface should be 2000-2500 words long, and you will also hand in a 'Table of Contents' for your book. The preface will serve to introduce readers to your text, map out all of the various arguments your text includes, explain how these arguments clash or overlap, and explain the purpose of the book. As you write the preface, think about the issues we have considered all semester long:

* Who is the audience?

* What is the purpose?

* Why did you choose to include the pieces that appear in the book?

* Who are the authors and what qualifies them to speak on this issue?

* What are the various overlaps and collisions that happen between the various texts you have brought together in this anthology?

* How are you having your say? (On the state of the debate? The solution? See chapters 13-17 in Charney)

* How is the book organized? Why?

* What other books are similar to your anthology? How is your anthology different?

Grading Criteria
You will turn in your preface and a table of contents. This assignment accounts for 20% of your final grade. When grading this assignment, I will be evaluating the following:

* Is your paper formatted correctly? (MLA format: one-inch margins, double spaced, citing any texts not included in your anthology on a 'Works Cited' page.)

* Have you appealed to the audience of your text?

* Have you explained the purpose of the text?

* Have you explained how these arguments work clash and/or overlap?

* Does the preface show evidence that you've thoroughly researched the topic?

* Have you chosen appropriate pieces for your anthology?

* Is your proposal written effectively and coherently with very few grammatical errors?

* Was the paper turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)

Book Jacket Design

Due Dates: 12/4 (submitted as part of Final Project)

While many publishers would hire a graphic designer to design the book jacket of an anthology, you will be acting as a part-time graphic designer for your text. You will design front and back covers and inside flaps for your book using Adobe InDesign. Remember that arguments are not only made with words - they are made through pictures and through design as well. Some people will make their decision about whether or not to read your book based on the jacket design. As you design your jacket consider the following things:

*What image or images do you want to include?

*What fonts should you use?

*What colors should you use?

*What "blurbs" should be included and who should write them? (You can make these up.)

*What content should be on the inside flaps?

*How much summary should be included on the back cover or on the inside flaps?

Grading Criteria
The book jacket design accounts for 10% of your grade. When grading this assignment, I will be evaluating the following:

* Is your book jacket formatted correctly? Does it look like the cover of a book?
* Does the jacket design reflect serious thought? Have you carefully considered how you're using image and text?
* Have you done research to determine the best people to "blurb" your book?
* Does the jacket design provide different kinds of information (different genres of writing) that gives the reader a sense of what the book is about?
* Have you properly gauged your audience? Have you shaped your message for that audience?
* Is the text on the inside flaps and/or back cover written effectively and coherently with very few grammatical errors?
* Was the assignment turned in on time? (Reminder: I do not accept late work.)