We’re in the home stretch of the semester, and I know how busy you’ll be over the next few weeks. In this class, you should be focusing your energies on two assignments: (1) revising your Project #3 research paper, and (2) completing your Project #5 digital documentary film. To help you do that, I have eliminated all other readings and homework assignments between now and the end of the semester. Here’s how we’ll spend our time during the next few weeks: On Wednesday, April 27, I will hold short conferences with each team during class. Please come to class ready [ Read More ]
Archive for the ‘Weekly Updates’ Category
Now that your proposals are approved and your scripts are drafted, it’s time for the fun part: filming and editing your documentary films. Your team should begin shooting video this weekend, and I hope you’ll let me know if you encounter any serious problems along the way. Next week, we will focus on some of the more technical aspects of this project, which should help your team stay on track before everyone leaves for Easter break. On Monday, we will discuss basic concepts related to video editing. Before you come to class, spend some time on the Vimeo Video School [ Read More ]
I hope your team work sessions on Wednesday and Friday were productive. If you used your time well, you should be able to finalize your Project #4 prospectus and begin creating your digital documentary film before this week ends. Here’s how we’ll spend our time this week: On Monday, I will meet with each team for 30 minutes to review your Project #4 prospectus. These meetings will take place in my office (211 Premont Hall), not in our regular classroom. All members of your team must attend (if you can’t remember your meeting time, check with your teammates!), and you [ Read More ]
I thought Adrian’s technology demonstration in our class today was incredibly helpful, and I hope it got you thinking about the tools and techniques you want to use for your digital documentaries. Next week will be a big change from what we’ve been doing recently, for a couple of reasons. First, we’ll be shifting our focus to the study of short documentaries to learn how others compose with film. Second, I’ll be at a conference for most of the week, so you’ll be spending time working in teams to plan your digital documentaries. Here’s the detailed plan: On Monday, we [ Read More ]
I think the exercises we completed in Week 10 helped everyone stay (or get) on track with Project #3. I have been very excited to see the progress you’ve made from the time you submitted your original research topics until now. Next week, we’ll finish up the research paper and move on to Project #4 and Project #5, both of which revolve around the creation of original short documentary films. Here’s a quick overview of how we’ll spend our time: On Monday, we will discuss strategies for writing effective introductions and conclusions. Your only homework for the weekend is to [ Read More ]
I hope you are thoroughly enjoying Week 9, a.k.a. Spring Break. When we get back next week, we will pick up where we left off, focusing on strategies for using research to support our arguments. Here’s how we’ll spend each day of Week 10: On Monday, we will not meet as a class; instead, I will hold an individual conference with each of you to discuss your progress on the research paper. At this point, I have received all of your research plans, and I will read them during Spring Break. At your conference, I will help you focus your [ Read More ]
I think the past two days of combined meetings with Dr. Loewe’s class have been very productive. By this point, you should have submitted your “statement of narrowed topic” to me via email. (If you haven’t done this; stop what you’re doing and email me!) I will be responding to your emails this weekend, so by Monday everyone should be ready to move forward on Project #3. Next week is our last week before spring break, and we have a lot to accomplish. Here’s how we’ll spend our time in class: On Monday, we will continue our discussion about finding [ Read More ]
I was very impressed by what I saw during our peer-review activity today. Most of your videos are in great shape, and I can’t wait to watch the finished products next week. Your only homework over the weekend is to put the finishing touches on your video and to begin thinking about what specific topic you would like to pursue for Project #3, the research paper. We’ll spend all three days next week getting started on the research paper. Here’s how we’ll spend our time each day: On Monday, I will introduce the research paper assignment, then we will conduct [ Read More ]
My goal for Week 5 was to help you develop confidence in working with audio- and video-editing tools, but I fear the result has been the exact opposite. Some of you seem intimidated by the tools we’re using for the Video Essay project, and others seem frustrated with the technological problems you’ve encountered. At this point in the semester, it may be time for a short pep talk. Here, then, are a few things to keep in mind as you work on your video essay: Any time you use a new digital tool, you can expect to encounter technological problems. [ Read More ]
I had a great time meeting with all of you in our one-on-one conferences today, and I hope you left my office with a stronger sense of where your video essay is headed and what you need to do next. This weekend, you should revise your script based on our conference. As you do so, keep in mind issues of timing, delivery, word choice, etc., and don’t forget to spend some time finalizing the list of film clips you want to include in your essay. Once your script is finalized, it’s time for the fun part: turning it into a [ Read More ]
I hope everyone enjoyed the unexpected day off today, and I hope you managed to stay safe and warm. The snow day has thrown a wrench into our plans, but we’ll try to get back on schedule during Week 4. Here’s how we’ll spend our time: On Monday, we will catch up on what we missed today, by focusing on rhetorical analysis and conducting an in-class analysis activity using a short documentary film. Before you come to class, please read pages 221–34 in Convergences. On Wednesday, we will discuss the terminology of rhetorical analysis and practice using rhetorical terms to [ Read More ]
I hope you enjoyed today’s Documentary Photography Exercise. Dr. Loewe and I are excited to see what your teams did when we meet together again on Monday. Next week we will complete our collaborative activity, then we will spend two days discussing strategies for rhetorical analysis and how to apply those strategies to documentary films. Here’s a breakdown of how we’ll spend our time in class: On Monday we will meet jointly with Dr. Loewe’s class in our regular classroom. Your homework for the weekend is to obtain copies of all photographs taken by members of your team during today’s [ Read More ]
I think we got off to a great start this week! Our class discussion today was lively and engaging, and I hope we’ll hold ourselves to that high standard as the semester moves along. If you didn’t participate much in today’s discussion, please don’t hesitate to jump into the mix next week. If this class is going to succeed, we need to hear all of your voices! To follow-up on what I said in class, if you haven’t done so already, please do two things before we meet on Monday: (1) leave a comment on last week’s blog post, and [ Read More ]
Welcome to ENGW 1302: Rhetoric and Composition II (Honors). This website will function as the online headquarters for our class this semester. Each week, I will post an update to the website with details about coming week, deadline reminders, links to helpful resources, etc… I plan to use SEU’s Blackboard site to record your grades, but otherwise, everything related to this course will be posted here. If you ever wonder what’s due on a particular date, or what you need to read before you come to class, you can check this website for the answer. If you don’t find what [ Read More ]