Introduction to Summer English 102

 We have 10 weeks to discover who we are, whether it be students, teachers, engineers, nurses, mothers, astronauts, or basket-weavers. During this time, I challenge you to also contemplate what you want out of your education, especially when it comes to learning through writing. During the first week of the semester I will introduce you to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." While the history of ancient rhetoric dutifully connects to today's issues of media, television, and other technologies of communication and states of being, my intent here is to guide you on a "place-conscious" journey. What is "place?" What is place-based writing? How can narrative writing about environment sequence into a committed argument for change? We must learn about where we live -- the past and present -- before we can make an argument for the future. We do this through listening, reading, watching,  which in turn develops into investigation, interpretation, and argumentation.

A Blog?

As your instructor, my first goal of this course is based in its environment: let's go paperless. This is going to be challenging for me, as well as for you, I am sure. But let's give it a shot. Everything you will need to participate in this class will be found on Blackboard and in the one textbook for the class, Graff et al's "They Say, I Say." (Ok, so almost paperless....)
This class blog is an experiment. There are lots of blog options out there through Wordpress, Edublogs, and even Blackboard, but Blogger seems the easiest to use (in my opinion). So that we stay in sinc, we will all be using this blog server. You may try and make an argument for Wordpress; I am open to considering it if you really want to use it.  Each of you will be charged with weekly blogs related to course assignments and reading, and also evaluation and reflecting on your "place." Daily writing, as assigned, will also be created on the blog, unless otherwise instructed. Yes, these plogs are open sourced to all classmates. Therefore, a big part of the class will be based in trust, respect, and civil discourse.  More info on all of this as the weeks and Units progress.

Rhetorical Blogging

Blogging is a great way to brainstorm, freewrite, and keep photos for assignments and presentations. It can also be a handy peer review and assessment tool. Some of you may know a lot about blogging, some of you may know very little. It is all about playing around with the software, clicking buttons, uploading and linking. Take your time, as your neighbor, look at tutorials. We will talk about blogging throughout the semester, learning bits at a time about the genre. Blogging is a big part of public rhetoric and argument today, and discussing with others about what we see, how it effects others, and how it effects yourself is just the beginning of your journey "out of the cave." If you have any input on how to better utilize blog tools and content, let me know, and if you want, you can have time during class to show me and your peers what you have discovered.