Throughout the semester, you will complete several short essay assignments designed to assist you in the writing process. In addition to posting your response (250-500 words) to the course blog on the Academic Commons, you will also be asked to comment on at least two of your classmates’ posts. For your convenience, I have included assignment descriptions below. Note: To earn the full credit, responses must be substantive and include comments that enhance the discussion or help move the conversation forward.
How do I create a Post? CLICK HERE for step-by-step instructions. To comment on a post, click on the post title, then scroll down to the bottom of the page.
BLOG #1: LITERACY NARRATIVE DUE 9/1
For this assignment, you will write a short informal essay in which you discuss a memorable moment in your life where literacy changed your perspective on a social issue of your choice. Loosely denied, a social issue is an issue that has been recognized by the general public as a problem that is preventing society from functioning at an optimal level and can be rectified or alleviated through the joint action of citizens and/or community resources. In your response, focus on a personal experience where reading and/or writing about this issue altered your attitude towards the subject. Use the questions below to guide you in the development of your essay, but feel free to get creative and express your own unique voice. Be sure to include an original title for your work.
- Was there a book or other text (article, blog, social media post, hashtag, advertisement etc) that most influenced your current attitudes about this social issue?
- Did you engage in a discussion board or social media forum that affected the way you view this issue?
- Was there some literacy event (i.e. poetry reading, open mic) or activity (i.e. reading or writing assignment) that influenced your perspective on this issue?
BLOG #2: A POEM IN FORM DUE 9/22
Choose a poetic form that has very specific rules. A sonnet, for example, requires 14 lines of 10 syllables each that follow a particular rhyme scheme. Try writing a poem using the constraints of the form you’ve chosen. The conventions will force you to approach language from new, exciting angles, which can lead you to create more innovative, interesting work. Be sure to indicate in which form you are writing.
Additional Resources: List of 168 Poetic Forms for Poets
BLOG #3: FLASH FICTION STORY DUE 10/20
Write a piece of flash fiction that is between 250-500 words. You will have to work hard to create a compelling story in this amount of time. How will you create characters we care about? How can you write an interesting plot in a short amount of time? These are all questions that you will need to address as part of your story.
Sample Flash Fiction Story: ““Sticks” by George Sauders
BLOG #4: FLASH NONFICTION ESSAY DUE 11/19
Flash nonfiction, just like flash fiction, is a story shrunk into miniature form. It’s a single true story, a moment, or a scene shaped and compressed into a small capsule, usually 750 words or less. Write a flash nonfiction essay (250-500 words) about a memory, even a familiar one that you haven’t looked at closely in a long time: the lie you once told, the one whose memory you still flinch from; a conversation or argument you were part of or overheard that you’ve saved in memory but aren’t sure why; or a fraught incident from your childhood that you can’t seem to relinquish.
Sample Flash Nonfiction:
“Immigrant Sitcom” by Francisco Serrano
“Election Day” by Ashley Cowger
“Lifeboat” by Janika Oza (lyric essay)
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
