ENG 100 – Composition
Section #6 (CRN 73944)
MWF 11:30 am-12:20 pm, UHM KUY 409
Fall 2016 Course Outline
Instructor: Ida Yoshinaga
(ida@hawaii.edu), ABD, Creative Writing/English
MA, Creative Writing/English & Sociology
Phone & Office #s: (808) 956-3057 only during office hours (no voicemail); KUY 522 Office Hours: MW 10:15-11:15 am & by appointment
Mentor: Jordan Luz
Email: jrluz@hawaii.edu
CLASS THEME
Digital-era composition for new-media audiences in the “convergence” era
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Available at Revolution Books, at a 10% student discount:
Jenkins, Henry. 2008. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: NYU Press. Print. [Electronic version is also acceptable.]
Online materials available at no additional cost
• Modern Language Association (MLA) style/citation, and other, resources in the Online Writing Lab (OWL) of Purdue University: https://owl.english.purdue.edu
• “Resources” and other parts of the ENG 100 course website (log in with UH user ID/password): https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal
• UHM Library links, as “The starting point for your ENG 100 research”: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/libraryessentials/
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
20 points: AN INFORMATIVE, ANALYTICAL essay (1,250 words, or about 5 double-spaced pages), addressing 5 questions on media literacy that the class collectively brainstorms and composes, based on the first third of Convergence Culture, describing how the new communication platforms limit or facilitate the circulation of critical or grassroots content [this breaks down to: 3 points for tiered, preparatory exercises; 7 points for a detailed outline with 3 reliable sources; 10 points for the full paper draft with improved sources].
20 points: A COMPARISON-CONTRAST, EVALUATIVE essay (1,750 words, or about 7 double-spaced pages), distinguishing the democratic (or oppressive/exploitative) potential in the technologies of 2 different ICT platforms, in response to 5 major concerns of the public interest, that the class collectively brainstorms and composes, based on the second third of Convergence Culture [3 points for tiered, preparatory exercises; 7 points for a detailed outline with 5 reliable sources; 10 points for the second draft with improved sources].
35 points: A RESEARCHED, PROPOSAL (problem-solution) essay (2,000 words, or about 8 double-spaced pages), written in multiple steps, making a persuasive argument about how a select, new-media, ICT platform, used in specific ways, might help solve a social problem or advance socio-economic justice, so as to engage 5 specific rubrics for evaluating equity and equality that the class collectively brainstorms and composes, based on the last third of Convergence Culture [5 points for an informal, 300-400-word, literature review; 10 points for a detailed outline with 7 reliable sources; 20 points for the full draft with improved sources]. (As one of the tiered, preparatory steps, we will review the formal research process, as well as protocols for a literature review, with a UHM Library staff.)
15 points: STRUCTURED PEER FEEDBACK to the first drafts of the above 3 papers, each response written about a draft by a different peer, following specific response protocols (5 points for each filled-out, feedback template, posted to either the Laulima 100 website, or to another media platform, as directed by the instructor).
10 points: PARTICIPATION, including in-class comments and questions, and online discussion.
Regular class attendance: Since this class relies heavily upon peer collaboration, as well as hands-on exercises to which you will receive immediate instructor feedback, regular attendance is critical. After 3 absences, students’ overall course grade will go down (decreasing by 3 points—out of 100 possible total points—per session missed). Frequent or long tardies, and early exits from the class session, will be penalized at the rate of 1 point per tardy/exits.
Late drafts and assignments will be penalized at the rate of 2 points per day past the deadline. [Technology problems are not an excuse for lateness, so try to submit your work early.]
Mandatory mentor meetings: This section is a mentored class, meaning you will have an MA student in English attending our regular sessions to help you. You must meet with the mentor at least 4 times during the semester, including once at the beginning of the term (within the first 2 weeks of instruction, as an intake interview) and also once a month for 3 months in a row (e.g. once each from September through November, or February through April). Please make these appointments with your mentor whose information is on the first page of this outline. 3 points will be deducted from your total score, for every mentor meeting you miss (for a maximum deduction of 12 points). DO NOT SCHEDULE THESE ALL AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER, or the mentor might not be available; spread them out, about 1/month.
Disruptive behavior, such as noticeably distracting cell-phone, mobile-device, or social-media participation NOT directly related to the class topics under immediate discussion, or such as other actions that draw the instructor’s or peers’ attention away from the discussion of these topics, will be penalized by 1 point per incident, after an initial warning by the instructor.
Though not required, you can propose 1-2 optional, extra credit writing assignments to the instructor, on the course‘s topics and course materials, for her approval (which can collectively garner 5 points more over the course of the semester), to be submitted to the designated Laulima Discussion Board by the last day of instruction for the semester.