Spring Syllabus
Writing 150: Writing and Critical Reasoning: Education & Intellectual Development
Spring 2021
Instructor: Dr. Dissinger
Email: dissinge@usc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Writing Remix Podcast
**THIS IS AN ANTI-RACIST CLASS (CLICK TO SEE THE WRITING PROGRAM‘S ANTI-RACIST STATEMENT)***
WELCOME SCHOLARS:
Class, this semester we will write. We will use language to cultivate real VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE. We will share that knowledge with each other to build a working learning COMMUNITY.
No one is in competition with anyone.
We are a TEAM.
My job is to GAIN your trust, to ADVOCATE for you, and to help you be the BEST WRITER, create the best WRITING, and SUPPORT your intellectual passions, curiosities, and projects.
A BIT ABOUT THE THEMATIC:
Our national “understanding” of EDUCATION is one-dimensional. KNOWLEDGE SEEKING is multi-faceted. People are multi-faceted. So, you will embrace, trust, and create AUTHENTIC KNOWLEDGE. This means questioning, challenging, and deconstructing traditions, traditions that have TRAINED you to be COMPLIANT, SCARED, and ACCEPTING of the world for what it is.
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT is a process of SELF-ACTUALIZATION. It is a process to FIND and UNDERSTAND your PASSION. You have to TRUST your intellectual INSTINCTS. This is your chance to LEARN on your OWN TERMS.
TAKE THIS CHANCE SERIOUSLY.
Now, in order to do this EXPLORING we’re going to use writing, we’re going to use language, we’re going to communicate with each other, do interviews, and record EVERYTHING we are learning.
We’re going to read essays, poems, and stories. We’re going to watch videos, listen to music & comedy, and engage with podcasts. We’re going to explore, take notes, take pictures… whatever you need to do in order to LEARN, to SELF-ACTUALIZE, you will do.
You will do as the poet Adrienne Rich said: “Claim your education.”
Follow the WHY the HOW the BECAUSE of things.
Oh, and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE…
Now, as for writing strategies, we’re focusing:
• Invention
• Arrangement
• Style
• Revision
But, most importantly we’re focusing on:
• IDEAS!!!!
Without IDEAS, without PURPOSE, your audience has no reason to read your writing. So, we’re going to work on providing VALUE, CONTRIBUTION, and (again) IDEAS!
I’m going to be honest with you all, cultivating a strong writing VOICE is a lifetime journey. That’s the truth. Honing your CRITICAL THINKING skills is a lifetime process. KNOWLEDGE SEEKING is a lifetime process. All of these things are lifetime processes because YOU will EVOLVE and CHANGE all the time.
A BIT ABOUT THE THEMATIC:
In this particular thematic, we’re going to face the HEGEMONIC CONSTRUCTS keeping us from EVOLVING as people, as a COMMUNITY. We’re going to DECONSTRUCT and INTERROGATE SYSTEMIC problems in the education “system.” We’re going to SELF-REFLECT, be OPEN to a VARIETY of IDEAS, DIG INTO UNCOMFORTABLE topics, and we’re going to MAKE MISTAKES.
Some of the things we’re going to engage will make you uncomfortable, might be offensive, and will challenge your (un)conscious biases, and believe me when I say WE ALL HAVE (UN)CONSCIOUS BIASES. It’s a fact. But this doesn’t mean we have to be controlled by them. NOPE! That’s the beauty, the LIBERATING POWER of AUTHENTIC EDUCATION, and INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT.
So, if this sounds good to you, welcome.
Okay, just to summarize:
This Writing 150 thematic will focus on questions pertaining to education and intellectual development — topics that are relevant for every single human living on the planet, and have an especially deep resonance for college students who are transitioning between two key educational periods of their lives. How do we know what we know and why do we learn what we do? Is public education really in crisis in America and if so, what can we do about it? Is college worth it? What role should education play in an internet-saturated world? These are just some of the questions various sections might explore. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and move beyond them to engage in key debates about education today, from kindergarten to college and beyond.
SOME OF THE SEMESTER’S WRITING GOALS:
• Produce IDEA DRIVEN writing designed to deepen yours and your audience’s appreciation on topics of YOUR OWN CHOICE. Follow your
INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY and BRING VALUE to your AUDIENCE.
• Develop a personal writing process, which helps you generate, consider, and communicate your IDEAS to your AUDIENCE.
• Develop AUTHENTIC pieces that take risks, are fearless, and are CONTRIBUTING to the discussion, not merely SUMMARIZING. It’s not about SOUNDING SMART. It’s about BEING SMART, VALUABLE to your READERS, and REAL. BE YOU ALL SEMESTER.
- CULTIVATE a classroom culture centered on CRITICAL THINKING, PERSONAL REFLECTION, and EMPATHY in order to navigate the difficult issues before us as a COMMUNITY.
MY GOALS/PROMISES:
• To support, answer your questions, and be as available as possible for all your needs as a student in my class.
• To provide VALUABLE and CLEAR feedback on ALL assignments, ancillary and major projects.
• To be your advocate.
• To be open to reasonable critique and suggestions about the course from you, my students.
• To treat each student as equal adults to each other.
- To be honest and transparent.
We’ll add to these goals and promises in class as the course goes on so you can CLAIM and PERSONALIZE your educational JOURNEY, and keep me at my best.
CLASS CONTENT/TEXTS:
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by: Paulo Freire
We’re going to use a digital version that’s on Blackboard.
• NOTE: ALL our content will be on Google Drive and here on Medium.
MORE ABOUT TEXTS/CONTENT/ETC:
All of your writing will be done on Medium. In the first week, or before we start, I need you to set up a Medium account and publication. If you have questions please refer to the Medium Help, or watch this video:
If you don’t feel comfortable having your name and identity associated with your work publically, you can use a pseudonym. Please contact me with questions, concerns, and anything else.
Like I said before, everything you’ll need for this course (readings, links to videos, music, etc) I’ll provide and will be in a shared Google folder on Google Drive. At some point, you might have to rent a film online, but I’m sure some of you will find a work-around or something.
The other readings will be from our posts and publication. Yes. On top of having a public audience, we’ll all be an audience to your LANGUAGING.
ALSO:
None of this is final. The beauty of writing online is we can easily COLLABORATE, REVISE, and REPOST. So, if you feel we need to add to the COURSE OBJECTIVES or MY PROMISES or alter the Syllabus, the Course Schedule, etc… we can.
This is your course! This is YOUR education! CLAIM IT!
THE 4 MAJOR WRITING PROJECTS:
This semester, you’ll write 4 major projects. I’ll supply a writing prompt, a prompt that will challenge you to look deeply into an IDEA, something that is interesting to you, something that you are CURIOUS about. The prompt will not LEAD you to a fixed answer. Instead, you’ll PROVIDE VALUABLE ANALYTICAL CONTRIBUTION to your audience.
There is no RIGHT ANSWER. Anything you want to EXPLORE in these projects is the correct JOURNEY to take. The challenge is to make sure your audience walks away having LEARNED something from your writing. That’s it!
Now, we’re going to build a rubric for these projects together thinking about:
• VALUE
• CONTRIBUTION
• ANALYSIS
• QUALITY
• IDEA DRIVEN
• STYLE/VOICE
And anything else we find to be an imperative part of a particular project. The goal is to ensure WE ALL understand the GOALS and RUBRIC for each project before you write.
Remember, this is YOUR EDUCATION. So I need your help, participation, and CONTRIBUTION when it comes to the work you’ll engage. You could simply write amazingly engaging posts to your Medium publication.
But, if you’re feeling adventurous, if you have this “itch” to create something else other than a piece of writing, I encourage you to: FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS! This means creating podcasts, graphic novel-like writing projects, short documentaries, etc… whatever it is you feel will ADD to the MEANINGFULNESS for you and heighten the VALUE for your audience, then do it.
Right now, the writing projects are still under construction, but I’ll be posting them soon.
There is a final portfolio, which is the revised version of WP__ (still deciding this). We’ll talk more about this as well, and collaborate on the most equitable and fair way to determine what the portfolio will look like.
All of your major writing projects will be posted to Medium in a specific space with a specific tag. You’ll also write and submit a 2 paragraph reflection to Turn it in on Blackboard so I can privately assess your project.
What About The Rubric?
I’m glad you asked. Each major project will be assessed by a rubric we all come up with as a team. Your input, your ideas, your framing, and your reasoning are necessary for me to know HOW and WHY you want your projects assessed this semester. We’ll talk more about this.
THE GRADE BREAKDOWN:
WP1: 15%
WP2: 10%
WP3: 20%
WP4: 10%
Final Portfolio + Supplemental: 25%
Medium Posts & Submissions: 10%
Participation Attendance, class discussion, and in-class activities: 10%
Here’s the deal though, about the breakdown, we can take about which paper will be the portfolio paper. So this isn’t written in stone.
WP CONFERENCES:
Each WP will have mandatory one-on-one conferences. These conferences are there to ask questions about your project, get feedback from me, and to strategize the best approach to these larger more demanding projects. Because we’re online, We’ll talk about a week in the project cycle where they’ll take place and you’ll just make an appointment with me to do a Zoom. It’s that simple.
OFFICE HOURS:
This is very simple: if you need to talk, email me and we’ll make time to Zoom. BOOM!
LATE ESSAYS:
Life happens, and sometimes assignments can’t be in on time. There are also times where a couple of more days would make you even prouder of the work you’re handing in. Be in contact with me. You’re an adult. Tell me what’s happening. Deal?
Are you seeing a pattern here?
We’re a team. This course doesn’t happen without you, your input, your ideas. I need you to participate in the construction of the course, the course content, and the development of the course activities.
PARTICIPATION & ATTENDANCE:
In this course, there are several ways to participate:
Posting To Your Publication:
Your Medium profile is a great way to keep participating in the class. I’ll be assigning content to engage and respond to, but the more you write and develop that space, the more you engage with your peers’ work by commenting on their work, the more you’re participating. What counts as a post? Well, writing, photos, video links with contextual writing, etc. The idea behind all of this is for you to explore and dig into your INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITIES, so you should WANT TO create content. We’ll talk more about this on our first day. The main thing to remember is each time you post I’ll leave you feedback to help you develop your writing skills and VOICE. So posting is an imperative part of growing as a writer this semester.
Also, these posts are your ancillary/homework assignments. You want to get them done because you want my feedback (again). I’ll leave feedback on your writing as you post. Don’t miss a post because your post isn’t “perfect.” This is a learning experience. I’m not here to find perfect writers. I’m here to HELP.
So, when you post you get credit. It’s that simple.
There will also be, at the end of each WP cycle, a certain number of posts that you’ll submit to the course site for everyone (which I’m thinking will be all three classes) to see. This can be a new post or something you revise from my feedback. You get credit for that as well.
When you post something to your profile that is NOT a WP (Writing Project), I want you to title the work as follows: POST 1 (or whatever number you’re up to at that point): [A creative title that reflects the content your audience will ENGAGE]. For example: Post 1: My Journey Begins. This helps both you and me to keep track of how much work you’ve done. Plus, titles are super important. We’ll talk more about this in class.
Zoom Class Discussions:
I love to have big class discussions about a variety of topics, especially about the content we’ll be engaging in. Being in class and talking is a great way to participate. Posting questions on the Zoom chat is also great. Sharing content via the SHARE SCREEN option that adds to the discussion too. I want us to have deep FEARLESS discussions, so be prepared. Practicing this sort of analytical skillset in the discussion will help you do it when you write.
Zoom Etiquette:
I hate this word, but we have to talk about this. Classes are so much more engaging when people have their videos on during the Zoom sessions. So, if you can have your video on, please have it on. If for some reason you can’t, email me prior to class and let me know, but please keep your participation up. This means typing ideas in the chat, questions, thoughts, sending links, etc… The goal is to BUILD TRUST this semester. Having those cameras on and seeing each other helps A LOT.
In-Class Collaborative Writing:
I love this sort of writing. We’ll be writing together on a chaotic Google Doc to build a WEBBING of ideas, images, and links. Adding to these docs will not only count as participating, but it’s going to heighten your audience awareness even more.
What If You Miss a Zoom Session?
This will happen, especially with time zone issues, internet problems, life, home, etc. Don’t worry. Email me and we can make time to talk about your options. We’ll also talk about recording the sessions together in class.
What About Attendance?
Because of all the technical issues these online courses can create, my attendance policy is malleable. Let me know when you might miss a Zoom session. Let me know when you’ll be late. Let me know about your time zone restrictions. Let me know about anything. But, if you miss a writing workshop there’s nothing I can do for you. That’s it. You missed that. So, think about each absence, each time you’re late as just a pile-up of stuff you’re missing.
Is there a pattern forming here?
Technical Difficulties:
USC has many computer facilities at your disposal, including a laptop loaner program (go to https://itservices.usc.edu/spaces/computingcenters/ for more information). While I understand that technical issues do happen, I suggest all of you get into the habit of saving your documents to the cloud with a free program such as Dropbox (http://dropbox.com). I’ll say it again: back up your work to multiple locations, not just your hard drive. Try to take care of all your technical issues ASAP. Our class is online, so this is truly important. If you need help or are having issues beyond your understanding, please don’t hesitate to email me.
The Writing Center Is Your Friend:
Most of you will need a little extra help with your writing assignments. You’re learning an entirely new way of writing, and it’s not exactly easy. As your professor, I try to see everyone at least once, but let’s face it: I don’t have time to see all my students on a weekly basis. I’d have to sleep in front of my computer and that’s not healthy.
The Writing Center is still doing consultations online. Check it out. Are they going to edit your paper for you? Nope. Are they going to tell you what to write? Not at all. Can they help you? Absolutely. It’s free! Link here: https://dornsife.usc.edu/writingcenter/
PLAGERIASIM & ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
Look, this is all about INTEGRITY, which is why I keep saying write about IDEAS and TOPICS you’re INTERESTED IN, INVESTED IN, and are MEANINGFUL TO YOU. If you do that, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Using outside sources and ideas are fine, you must document all instances when you directly cite, indirectly paraphrase, borrow, or otherwise utilize someone else’s words, ideas, or sundry intellectual materials while writing your stuff, unless you are dealing with a piece of common knowledge (e.g. Abraham Lincoln was a US president). This includes material from other courses you have taken, such as a professor’s lecture or other papers you have written or are currently writing.
You are responsible for abiding by the policies regarding academic integrity in the Writing 150 Course Book, the policies regarding Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards, and the Campus Student Guidebook (scampus.usc.edu/1300-academic-integrityreview/).
When in doubt, ask me about how to cite something, or whether you even need to, seriously!
UGH, Some MORE on this:
Plagiarism — presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words — is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” https://policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies scientific misconduct.
STUDENT SERVICES:
Student Counseling Services (SCS) — (213) 740–7711–24/7 on-call
Free and confidential mental health treatment for students, including short-term psychotherapy, group counseling, stress fitness workshops, and crisis intervention. https://engemannshc.usc.edu/counseling/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 1–800–273–8255
Provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP) — (213) 740–4900–24/7 on-call
Free and confidential therapy services, workshops, and training for situations related to gender-based harm. https://engemannshc.usc.edu/rsvp/
Sexual Assault Resource Center
For more information about how to get help or help a survivor, rights, reporting options, and additional resources, visit the website: http://sarc.usc.edu/
Office of Equity and Diversity (OED)/Title IX Compliance — (213) 740–5086
Works with faculty, staff, visitors, applicants, and students around issues of a protected class. https://equity.usc.edu/
Bias Assessment Response and Support
Incidents of bias, hate crimes, and micro-aggressions need to be reported allowing for appropriate investigation and response. https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/bias-assessment-response-support/
The Office of Disability Services and Programs
Provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange relevant accommodations. http://dsp.usc.edu
Students who require special accommodations must register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP (located in STU 301, open 8:30AM–
5PM, Monday–Friday). The phone number for DSP is (213) 740–0776. Also, with regard to any accommodations or anything else along these lines, please do let me know how I can be of service to you
Student Support and Advocacy — (213) 821–4710
Assists students and families in resolving complex issues adversely affecting their success as a student EX: personal, financial, and academic. https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/ssa/
Diversity at USC
Information on events, programs and training, the Diversity Task Force (including representatives for each school), chronology, participation, and various resources for students. https://diversity.usc.edu/
USC Emergency Information
Provides safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued if an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, http://emergency.usc.edu
USC Department of Public Safety — 213–740–4321 (UPC) and 323–442–1000 (HSC) for 24-hour emergency assistance or to report a crime.
Provides overall safety to USC community. http://dps.usc.edu
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