Communication does not only require pens, paper, Word Processors, and printers; rather, communication more frequently occurs in digital spaces using images, characters, codes, etc. Believing that the “college essay” is the only way students need to learn to communicate is, in my opinion, foolish. It is now common knowledge that we live in a digitized world, so why shouldn’t we learn how to analyze and produce texts that use multiple modes of communication and that might be shared digitally?
This course is not another English literature course. In fact, it is not a literature course at all. It is a course situated in the fields of composition, rhetoric, and literacy studies and will provide you with an introduction to what it means to communicate multimodally to a vast array of audiences and how to analyze new media, which we are confronted with on a daily or even hourly basis. New media refers to mass media that is produced and shared using digital technologies such as websites, online games, and social media platforms. While the term “multimodal” describes, “how we combine multiple different ways of communicating in everyday life”(Arola, Sheppard, and Ball, 2014) using space, sound, images, text, and movement.
It is my aim in this class to introduce you to multimodal literacy, help understand and react to digital rhetorical situations, and teach you how to compose an effective multimodal text. Although this course will not teach you coding or other technology-based skills, it will provide you the opportunity to explore what it means to communicate beyond the page of a college essay.
Our Learning Community
I approach our class, ENG 302: Writing and New Media, as a learning community. This means that we will all be active learners who demonstrate professionalism. Acting professionally means that we do not interrupt fellow learners, ridicule other’s ideas or beliefs, or passively sit during class. In fact, our class will take the a form of a workshop. Rather than spending large amounts of class time lecturing I will facilitate learner agency and responsibility. To do so, I provide a lot of class time to work in small groups, share ideas via Discussion Boards, work on individual projects, and respond to each other’s work. During your working sessions, I will be available during and after class to answer questions and offer feedback.
To reinforce this type of active learning environment, I am using Contract Grading as opposed to traditional numerical grading. I believe that when students focus on achieving a numerical grade, then we (the student and myself) become overly focused on assessment rather than the main objectives of a learning community, which is to learn content, practice concepts, produce projects, and dialogue with each other. I have borrowed my doctoral advisor, Dr. Matthew Vetter’s approach to grading, values effort rather than skill, maximizes learning, and facilitates productive discussions about the work you produce by alleviating instructor and student stress associated with grading.
Learning Outcomes
Over the course the semester, we will all strive to:
Develop reading and composing skills in multiple media
Demonstrate the ability to rhetorically analyze multimodal texts
Demonstrate engagement in the drafting and revision process of multimodal texts
Demonstrate collaborative skills through small group work, peer-reviewing, and presentations
Identify how our perceptions of self and other are mediated through multimodal composition technologies (Outcomes 1 - 6 borrowed from Arola, Sheppard, and Ball, 2014).
Demonstrate an understanding of Creative Commons and designing appropriate citations
Evaluate information critically and use it to accomplish a specific purpose for a specific audience
Recognize differences and similarities between modes of communication
Participate in a learning environment that promotes creativity, agency, and self-reflection
Required Course Materials
A Laptop Since our class focuses on multimodal composing, it is extremely important to bring a laptop to each class period. Many, if not all sessions, will require you to post on discussion boards, work on projects, research, peer review, etc., which means you need to have access to technology. If you do not have access to a laptop, then you can borrow one from Mobile Campus in the Student Center.
Access to Blackboard Homework announcements, grades, and discussion boards will be available through Blackboard so it is very important that you know how to access it and check it on a weekly basis outside of class.
Reading Materials Your reading materials will be provided to you either on Blackboard or printed and given to you in class.
Notebook, pens, pencils, and highlighters Although we will be working a lot of with digital tools, you will still write some traditional texts so it is important to have revision tools like pens and highlighters. Also, you will need a notebook/pens for taking notes during class.
Course Work
Active Participation Grade Active participation is probably the most important aspect of the course because it allows for thoughtful discussions of difficult concepts, provides space for students to work on projects with the instructor, and demonstrates a student’s engagement in course materials. A successful active participant will arrive on time, be prepared, interact in classroom activities, and complete all course work on time.
Informal Writing Grade Informal Writings may take the form of an informal blog post to Blackboard, a mini multimodal project, or blog entries reviewing and comparing concepts and theories we learn over the course of the semester. Informal writings are informal and offer a place for you to share your thoughts, frustrations, and successes. You can even provide useful links, sources, or images to your fellow classmates. They will be evaluated solely on completion and timeliness and failure to complete one will results in a minor penalty.
Reflection Grade You will write five reflections over the course of the semester. These reflections will be short (2 – 3 double-spaced pages), include references to course materials, and reflect formatting and style associated with “college essays.” You will write one reflection for each mini project, the major project, and conclude the semester by including one in your personal website.
The Final Multimodal Project Your final project will be a culmination of what we have investigated and learned over the course of the semester. You will begin by choosing a topic, conducting research, choosing a genre, and developing a clear rhetorical situation. You will then use multimodal modes in an appropriate rhetorical fashion in order to reach your intended audience. You are required to use a combination of scholarly and popular sources, critically integrate those sources, and design appropriate citations for them. You will launch your projects during the final days of class.
The Collaborative Multimodal Project
The Grading Contract
The grading contract guarantees a student the final grade of at least a B as long as the student fulfills his or her side of the contract. Fulfillment of the contract means you have received fewer than three (3) minor penalties or one (1) major penalty (see below for penalty definitions) and if the contract is violated, then the student’s final grade is dropped by one letter grade. However, at the end of the course a student still has the opportunity to increase their grade by one letter grade by producing an excellent final project and personal website (see Course Work for descriptions).
Generally speaking, the use of the Grading Contract de-emphasizes quantitative feedback and allows me to respond to your work in a way that will help you revise and reflect on your projects. Further, a Grading Contract allows for all students to earn a high grade in the course as long as they complete the necessary and required work in a satisfactory manner while exemplary work, attitude, and participation will earn the mastery-level grade of an A.
Minor Penalties may include, but are not limited to, missing more than 4 classes, turning in informal writing assignments late or not at all, arriving late to class more than 5 times, not participating in classroom activities, peer review sessions, or conferences.
A Major Penalty may include, but is not limited to, neglecting to complete a mini or major project, blatantly plagiarizing any aspect of your work, or refusing to revise projects based on instructor feedback.
Course Policies
Technology Policy Although you’re required to have a laptop, you should not have it open unless we are working in small groups, on a project, drafting, etc. If I haven’t asked you to open it, then it should be shut.
Email Policy If you have a question, first reread the syllabus and check Blackboard, then, if you cannot find the answer, feel free to email your question to me. Be sure to include your name, course number, and a clear articulation of your question. Generally, I respond to emails within 24 hours unless it is a holiday or weekend; however, I reserve the right to not answer your email if the question is answerable or if there is not question being asked.
Plagiarism Plagiarism is serious business. It involves representing another person's words or ideas as your own or reusing your own writing (from previous courses, for example) deceptively. It also includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas, whether those ideas come from the internet or print sources. The use of “ghost writers”, or having someone else complete your work, has seemingly resurged recently and if I suspect blatant plagiarism, then I will ask you to submit your work to TurnItIn and we will discuss my suspicion during a one on one conference in my office. Any student caught plagiarizing any assignment for this class will receive a failing grade for the entire course, whether the instance of plagiarism involves one sentence or an entire essay. Just don't do it and to be sure that you aren’t doing it, keep a record of your composing processes. You can also schedule a meeting with me to talk about plagiarism prior to turning in your work. There is no harm in asking about plagiarism, better safe than sorry!
Civility Everyone in our class, including me, must remain civil and courteous at all times. We will often have opportunity to share our opinions and beliefs, but no racist, sexist, heterosexist, or any other negative communication harmful to an individual or group will be tolerated.
This is not a course where I will give you all the answers. I am here as a guide, not a giver of knowledge. I will likely not know the answer to all of your technical questions, so it will be your responsibility to ask others for help whether those are your classmates, librarians, other professors, etc. We will be learning together and it is my personal goal that this class will help you not only learn about digital tools, how to compose a multimodal text, and how to analyze new media, but to also help you learn how to solve problems independently. That said, feel free to ask questions but don’t be surprised if we all find the out the answer together!