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10/24: Pause, Breathe, Take It In
I caught up with grading this weekend and want to take a minute to pause and take stock of what we’ve done. At this point in the semester, we have: Access your Blackboard grades for this class alongside your WordPress site. Look at this content together and compare what you’ve produced to how you’ve been assessed. Take a minute to reread some of your work. Take out a piece of paper or open a document, and answer the following questions: At the end of class, you will email me you work OR hand it in. HOMEWORK If you haven’t already, email me at andrea.efthymiou@qc.cuny.edu indicating who you will work with…
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9/26: Rhetoric as a Human Operation System
I’ve offered feedback, either as comments on your blog posts or via email, to your Counterstory drafts. As you move toward your final–due on Tuesday, October 3–keep the assignment rubric in mind. I’ll be looking for you to tell stories, to use narratives with composite characters that help me understand the stock story and counterstory that build the purpose of your final piece. I will expect to see your purpose stated early on in your final draft, and I will also expect you to quote Martinez and another outside source. Today, we will look together at Angelis’ and Jade’s drafts as strong examples of creating composite characters. We’ll revisit Downs’…
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9/19: Narrative as Argument
Today we’ll start with a round-robin reading of our Counterstory Assignment. Each of us will choose a couple sentences to read aloud to the group and we’ll go around, reading and listening, reserving any feedback until the end. We share patterns and reflections after each member of our community reads. We’ll then access “Argument as Emergence, Rhetoric as Love” by Jim Corder, available on our course Blackboard site. Corder’s purpose in this article is define argument, but his intent is to offer a different definition than that proposed by other scholars. Rather than stating a position, acknowledging a counterargument, and proposing a solution, Corder proposes that “argument is emergence toward…
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9/14: Drafting the Counterstory Assignment
Today you’ll work in small groups with the rubric for your Counterstory Assignment to move forward with this assignment. A good place to start is by access your websites, which are now linked in the right-hand navigation menu, and share your thinking with your group. Take turns sharing your work with each other, and when turning your attention to the rubric, discuss how you envision moving forward. Take notes for yourself to help you track your plan. What will you do next? What questions do you have? What are you excited about? Where are you stuck? I will circulate to answer questions. HOMEWORK Your shitty first draft of the Counterstory…
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9/12: Style: Crafting Stock Story & Counterstory
You did great work last class with your lightening-round presentations of Martinez’s articles “A Plea for Critical Race Theory Counterstory” and “Alejandra Writes a Book”. We’re going to look more closely at both of those texts to understand Martinez’s style and the rhetorical strategies she uses to communicate her purpose to her audience. Starting with “Alejandra Writes a Book,” we’ll consider: We’ll then identify how these representations look different in “A Plea for Critical Race Theory Counterstory.” IN-CLASS WRITING On a sheet of paper, create two areas (columns, circles, use two sheets if you’d like, whatever feels right to you). In one area, start by making a list or writing notes about a…
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9/7: Aja Martinez & Counterstory
Your job today is to craft a presentation of the text you were assigned for homework. Get into groups and discuss either Aja Martinez’s “A Plea for Critical Race Theory Counterstory” or Aja Martinez’s “Alejandra Writes a Book” (depending on which group you were assigned). Consider the questions below:
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9/5: “Single Stories” and “Counterstories”
We’ll discuss the role of storytelling in activism. Stories can lead to persuasion, protest, and policy changes. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s story–and the many stories that circulate in her life–inform her writing, non-profit work, and public engagement. As you watch, take note of anything you like, find interesting, relate to, or have questions about. Be ready to describe “single stories” Adichie held about other people or places and “singles stories” that were imposed upon her. Consider Adichie’s definition of a single story. We understand single stories to be stereotypes that gain traction, eventually becoming common narratives often fueled by hate or fear and subconsciously accepted as some sort of truth. Single…
