Optional Zoom Class: Monday, August 31 at 10:50 am.

Content: We will say hi to each other and chat a bit, discuss any questions or thoughts that came up last week, and then go over our plans for this coming week. Afterwards, I will post either a recording of the Zoom session or a summary of what we discussed/anything that isn’t already in this post.

Due Date(s): All assignments in this week are due by Noon on Monday, September 7.

Goals For This Week

• Learn how to get the most out of annotating
• Learn some basic principles and vocabulary of rhetoric and genre studies
• Learn how to write your own posts on the course site
• Use what you learned to create a piece of writing in a specific genre and analyze your own choices given the situation

Overview of Tasks

• Write your way into the week
• Watch some YouTube videos about annotating OR read equivalent content
• Read about Rhetoric and Genre (PDFs) AND annotate using Hypothes.is while you read
• Watch a YouTube video about the Rhetorical Triangle OR read equivalent content
• Research on your own the conventions for writing a resume
• Write an imaginary resume for yourself AND post it to the course site. (Watch the training video if you need help with posting.)
• Write a self-analysis of your own resume and submit it EITHER on the course site (if you want to share with others) OR on Blackboard (if you only want me to read it)

Grading For This Week

Only two components of our work this week will be graded:

Imaginary Resume— 2 points. Full credit for fully completing the assignment/following all instructions, and 1 point if you submit an incomplete assignment.

Self-Analysis of Your Resume — 2 points. Full credit for answering all of the questions, and 1 point for answering only some of the questions.

These points will go into the “Other Short Assignments” part of your grade for the semester.
You may turn both of them in late if you need to with no penalty.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Writing Into the Week

Each week, I will give you a writing prompt to help “orient” you to our lesson. In in-person class, I normally have everyone spend the first 5-10 minutes writing independently, and then people can choose to share out loud with the class or not. For online class, you can send your writing to me or post here on the course site if you want to share it, but unless I specifically ask you to share it (which will be infrequently, if ever), you are never required to.

Now, this means you are 100% able to skip this step, and I will never know. However, I strongly recommend you set aside 5-15 minutes each week to freewrite on the prompt (or, honestly, just freewrite in general). Writing time is thinking time, and a good way to get yourself in the zone/prime your brain for thinking about English class.

Here are your thinking questions for this week:

1. You can probably name some different genres– of movies, or books, etc. But what is “a genre,” and how do we know what belongs inside that genre? How can we use genres to our advantage as writers?
2. If you want to persuade someone of your opinion on something, what factors do you need to consider when planning your approach?

Step 2: Watch Annotation Videos (or Read About Annotation)

Please watch these two videos of guidelines for how to make annotating as useful as possible. Annotating is only “busywork” if you don’t use it to your advantage. For example, if you definitely fully understand a paragraph already, writing a summary sentence won’t help you. But maybe that paragraph sparks a question for you, or reminds you of something else– those annotations could still be useful. And then maybe you write a summary sentence for another paragraph that you found more confusing.

Annotating Video 1
Annotating Video 2

If you prefer to read rather than to watch a video, check out these:

Annotating Tips + Example of 3 Kinds of Annotations on One Paper
On the example paper, you will see summary sentences, reader questions/comments, and “descriptive outlining.” In descriptive outlining, instead of summarizing main ideas of the content, each outline item describes how the section is functioning as part of the piece of writing.

Second Annotating Handout

Step 3: Read About Rhetoric and Genre

If you’re reading online, activate Hypothes.is so you can annotate as you read in our course group.

First, read Sections 1 and 3 of the Rhetorical Devices book (about 4 pages total).
Then, read this PDF of sections from two longer articles about Genre (also about 4 pages total).

The Genre reading is more complex, so if you’re having trouble, go slowly, and mark the things you have questions about. Try to focus on the first and last sentences of each paragraph, and all of the bullet point lists.

Step 4: Watch Video on the Rhetorical Triangle (Or Read About It)

Rhetorical Triangle Video

If you prefer to read about the rhetorical triangle rather than watch a video, read this instead.

Step 5: Research the Genre of Resume

Literally I just want you to google “Resume Examples” or “How to Write a Resume” or something like that and look around. Read several different sets of recommendations, and look at several different examples. You could also look up example resumes from people in your field, or people in a field you would like to work in one day. If you already have a resume that you feel good about, you can look at your own resume for research!

While you are looking at examples, think about the following questions:

1. What do most of the “good” examples have in common? This could be in terms of formatting, kinds of information that is included, writing style, or anything else.
2. Where in the genre of resume is there room for difference? In other words, there are some rules most resumes follow, but other places where there is room for flexibility.
3. Which resumes do you like the best, in terms of how the person has laid them out? (Whether or not they are highly qualified is irrelevant here.) Why?

Step 6: Write an Imaginary Resume

Using what you learned from your research, you will write your own FAKE resume. Full instructions for this assignment can be found here in a separate post  or by visiting the “Assignment Instructions” tab here on the course site.

When you are finished, post your resume here on the Course Site as a Post.

If you’re not sure how to post, watch this training video. 

Step 7: Write a Self-Rhetorical Analysis of Your Imaginary Resume

Using what you learned from the readings and/or videos on rhetoric, write a self-analysis of your own imaginary resume. Full instructions for this assignment can be found here in a separate post or by visiting the “Assignment Instructions” tab here on the course site.

When you are finished, EITHER post your analysis here on the site OR upload it to Blackboard. I want everyone to be able to see each other’s resumes (hence why I’m asking you to post them), but the analyses can be private.

Welcome to our course! I’ve made a video (below) to introduce myself and give an overview of the stuff we’re doing this week. A more detailed version of the same information is written underneath the video.

Goals for Our First Week

• Get to know each other!
• Get everyone set up with a CUNY Commons account and a Hypothes.is account (the two main tools we will use in this class)
• Discuss the shape of our semester and course policies

Who I Am

First, let me introduce myself! My name is Olivia Wood. I’m studying for my PhD in English at the CUNY Graduate Center, I teach here at John Jay, and I also work part time at the NYC College of Technology (City Tech) in Brooklyn. It is totally fine for you to just call me by my first name. Really.

I live in Washington Heights, but I’m originally from North Carolina, where the rest of my family still lives. I have a double major in English and anthropology, my master’s thesis was about people using parody Twitter accounts as a form of activism, and my PhD specialization is in LGBTQ+ writing and history.

In the Before Time (pre-coronavirus), I used to enjoy theatre, visiting my family, and going to weekly trivia nights in my neighborhood. Now, I mostly play video games and watch movies with my partner.

What To Do First

1. Now that you know a little about me, please fill out this Getting To Know You survey so that I can start getting to know you too! Only I will be able to see your responses.
2. Click on the “Syllabus” tab in the main menu. If you’re on your phone, look for the “Menu” button at the top and then tap it to expand the full menu. You can read the syllabus closely, or just skim it so you know what information is there. You can always look back at it later.
3. Click on the “Course Schedule” tab and read over the calendar for our class.
4. Explore the other tabs and links to get a sense of what else is on our site.
5. When you’re done, please take this Syllabus “Quiz.” (Feel free to “cheat” as much as you want to find the answers. The goal is just to make sure you know some key information about our class.)

What To Do Next

1. Watch this video on how to get set up on the CUNY Academic Commons and follow the instructions
2. Watch this video on how to get set up on Hypothesis and follow the instructions
3. Join our course groups on both platforms
4. Introduce yourself to the class! (Instructions here)

Zoom “Rules”

Totally okay to keep your audio/video off, just use the chat, etc. 
Totally okay if your family members/roommates, pets, etc. are visible
Totally okay if a child you’re responsible for needs to “attend class” with us

If your environment is noisy, mute yourself when you’re not talking.
If you’re doing something you don’t want us to see/hear during class, make extra sure you are muted/video off.
Don’t be naked while your video is on