WRT 205-M307: Critical Research and Inquiry

Rewriting Millennial Culture(s)

Instructor: Karrieann Soto

Email Address: [email protected]
Class Meetings: MSQ 205A
Class Time: T/TH- 3:30-4:50 pm
Office: HBC 008
Office Hours: T- 2:00-3:00 pm
http://visual.ly/who-are-millenials

There's something good about the essayist's stance: surely we can applaud when people try to
rise above self-interest, cultural conflict, and emotional involvement to find common ground.
But there is something bad as well: people do not exist without culture, self-interest can often be
cloaked in seemingly rational and neutral language, and emotion is not really the opposite of
reason but often required for its application (it is hard to write about what you do not care
about). (Gee and Hayes 27-28).

Course Description:
As the title suggests, WRT 205 focuses on writing about the outcomes of critical
research and inquiry. In order to do so, we must consider different methods of
description, analysis, and argumentation. A working premise for this course is the
recognition that we all now write or compose in a cultural environment saturated by an
unprecedented level of information, especially that which we can find in a variety of
social media. In order to academically succeed as writers/thinkers and engaged citizens
in such an environment, it becomes important for us to grow accustomed to locating,
evaluating and processing reliable information. Part of this task involves asking good
questionsquestions that trigger an active engagement with significant concepts that
come up in discussions of contemporary issues. Over the next few weeks, well learn to
formulate and pursue such questions. Engaging in close readings of a variety of texts,
writing thoughtful reflections, and critically responding to different positions in regards
to a particular topic that is meaningful to you (and intersects with our shared topic of
inquiry) will be a big part of our composition process in this course. Throughout the
semester you will compose two shorter papers (4-6 pages), one sustained argument
essay (8-10 pages), and a final multimodal project, as well as completing a series of
informal writing assignments as part of an invention grade.

Course Goals
1. Students will investigate a shared topic of
inquiry and develop research questions that
engage the complexities (social, political,
ideological, economic, historical) of current
debates about that topic.

2. Students will produce texts that

demonstrate a nuanced understanding of
sources and ethical research processes.

3. Students will learn multiple research

strategies, including primary research, and
develop more extensive knowledge of library
databases in order to identify sources
appropriate to their research questions.

4. Students will demonstrate how their

dialogue with sources has broadened and
enhanced their own thinking about the
issue.

5. Students will evaluate the validity of their

sources in the context of their research
questions.

6. Students will practice and produce

analysis, argument, synthesis and summary
as central components of researched writing.

7. Students will read sources rhetorically,

which involves considering authors positions
in relation to audiences, recognizing points of
congruence and difference among texts, and
establishing a genuine dialogue with others
ideas.

8. Students will write a series of informal

assignments as part of their composing
process, and at least three sustained,
finished texts that respond to specific
rhetorical situations.

9. Students will understand the role of genres,

sources, styles and media in communicating
with particular audiences and for specific
purposes.

10. Students will practice the strategies of

incorporating the research of others into
their own texts in a variety of ways
(including summary, paraphrase, quotation)
and will provide textual evidence of where,
how, and why sources are being used.

11. Students will understand the ways in

which digital media shape all stages of the
research and writing processinvention,
composing, revision, deliveryand will
understand how the effects of digital media
vary according to audience, genre, context,
and purpose.

12. Students will develop revision and

editing strategies for organization, prose
style, and technical control.

Our Topic of Inquiry

The topic of inquiry of this course is based on the texts that we will be studying this
semester. Joe Harris book Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts is meant to provide
you with a set of approaches that can help you engage with the work of other authors,
and to use these strategies consciously in your own writing, as well. The second part of
the title more specifically describes the broader topic of inquiry, as we will examine a
variety of subjects that are encompassed within millennial culture(s).

Numerous authors have been exploring why Millennials have grown up so differently
from previous generations. In February of 2010, the Pew Research Center described the
most recent/current generation as Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to
Change, while last year, TIME magazines Joel Stein wrote an article where he refutes
the description of a Me Me Me Generation, and explores the negative perceptions
around the millennial generation as selfish, especially in relation to their use of different
technologies. Amidst this discrepancy in terms and perspectives, there is a need for
those who are being described here to interject and explain how they perceive of
themselves. In this course, then, we will attempt to explore particular cultural practices
that we engage in as Millennials, and what these can reveal about broader social
relations within our historical landscape(s).
In order to do so, you will be encouraged to explore different types of communication
about/by Millennial culture(s). Throughout the course we will engage with various
readings that provide us with different examples of ongoing debates around mass
media and their role in our day-to-day interactions, as well as how these reflect, and
potentially perpetuate, particular ideologies. To more readily evaluate these different
positions we will consider a variety of theoretical propositions about the ways in which
culture can be read and interpreted, reflecting upon their applications in our own
contemporary lives. Based on our explorations of Millennial culture(s) you should be
able come up with a researchable question that is based on the topic of inquiry
described here.
Some of the broader questions that you could focus on are: How are different
technologies affecting our communication abilities/possibilities as Millennials? How do
we develop a sense of what counts as pop culture, or counterculture? In what ways are
particular systemic forces (political, cultural, religious) influencing our conceptions of
particular kinds of cultural production (music, film, art, etc.)? How are different races,
genders, and/or socioeconomic classes represented or self-represented in a variety of
texts/genres? While these are general examples, you should aim for specificity when
crafting your own question.
As part of the critical research component of the course, you will be encouraged to
bring in other noteworthy examples that you find as part of your own inquiry. You will
also be required to create new data through primary research about the specific topic
you choose to study. Overall, we will be working towards formulating our own
position(s) in regards to particular media/texts/cultural practices and their role in our
lives as Millennials.

Course Texts and Materials

(the books are available in the SUB and Folletts Orange Bookstore)
Harris, Joe. Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts
Wysocki, Anne & Dennis Lynch. The DK Handbook
Various pdfs available on blackboard

I will mount course materials on blackboardhttp://blackboard.syr.edu/with great

regularity. You will need your syr ID and password to access our course and I ask that
you check your syr account at least once a day, since it is the only email address that
blackboard provides me to communicate with you. You will post journal entries and
participate in discussion forums using this platform.

Grading

Unit 1:
Definition Essay &
Critical Summaries
(20%)

You will compose 3 critical summaries of the assigned

readings, and one that you find on your own. In addition to
considering different positions of how culture is being
discussed in your critical summaries, you will also write a
3-4-page essay in which you begin to articulate your own
definition of the subject, based on your own experiences.
You will also generate a set of potential researchable
questions about the course inquiry, focusing on a specific
subtopic.

Unit 2:
Rhetorical Analysis
of Secondary Sources
(20%)

In a 4-6-page long text you will analyze the rhetoric of 4

secondary sources that you locate and deem relevant to
your research question. In this text you should demonstrate
a developing understanding of your research topic as a
result of your encounters with other ideas, perspectives,
and positions, while still avoiding an argumentative stance.

Unit 3:
Argumentative
Synthesis Primary
& Secondary
Research
(30%)

You will write an 8-10-page research paper, specifically

directed toward an academic audience. Drawing on no
more than four secondary sources and including thorough
analysis of the primary research you conduct, you will be
able to formulate an original argument about your
particular topic.

Unit 4:
Translation Project
& Rhetorical
Reflection
(15%)

You will translate your argumentative synthesis into a

multimodal product drawing on a range of new sources,
considering a more mainstream audience. You will also
compose a final reflection in which you analyze and
otherwise account for specific rhetorical choices in the
production process.

Invention:
Course Work and
Participation
(15%)

This grade will include the evaluation of weekly journal

entries, in-class participation, and online presence. You will
be responsible for completing and submitting all assigned
homework and classwork on time.

At the end of units 1-3 you will turn in all of the work you put in towards the final
product, like a portfolio, so make sure to save all of the work you do in and out of class
(both print and digital). For each unit, your work will be evaluated based on the criteria
outlined on the assignment sheet and the writing components discussed.
Grading in this course is as follows:
A: excellent work that abundantly meets assignment expectations
B: good work that meets expectations
C: satisfactory work that generally satisfies the assignment but with common and
significant problems
D: unsatisfactory work that exhibits very significant problems
F: failing work that does not meet university-level requirements
Pluses (+) and minuses (-) allow for more grading precision and will be used in this
course.

Attendance & Participation

Writing studios are courses in language learning, and language is learned in
communities; therefore, it is essential that you attend class and participate. Absences
and lack of preparation for class will affect your classmates work as well as your own.
The work you do in class, the work you do to prepare for each class, is as important as
any polished assignment you turn in for a grade, especially considering that a
component of your essays will be the inclusion of your work towards a final product.
Moreover, as part of your journal entries you will have to reflect about in-class activities.
In addition, each unit calendar is only a projection and may be subject to occasional
changes and revisions, as it seems appropriate, necessary, or just interesting. That is
another reason why your attendance is vital. If you must miss a class, you are
responsible for making up the work and getting yourself back on track by following the
updated course calendar, asking one of your peers, or referring to our online class notes.
Please realize, however, that class time cannot be reconstructed or made up, and that
your performance, your work, and your final course grade will be affected by absences.
If you miss the equivalent of three weeks of classes or more without any official
documented excuse you will not be able to pass the course. I dont anticipate any of you
will be in that position, however, so lets all agree to do the work, come to class, learn a
lot, and make the course a meaningful experience.

Student Writing
All texts written in this course are generally public. You may be asked to share them
with a peer, the class, or with me during classroom activities or for homework. You will
also be asked to sign a consent form requesting the use of your writing for professional
development, teacher training, and classroom instruction within the Syracuse
University Writing Program.

Special Needs and Situations

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office
of Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of
804 University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs
and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating
disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities
Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may
require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS
as soon as possible. Syracuse University and I are committed to your success and to
supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This means that in general no
individual who is otherwise qualified shall be excluded from participation in, be denied
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity, solely by
reason of having a disability. You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss
your academic needs although I cannot arrange for disability-related accommodations.)

Religious Observance
SUs religious observances policy, found at
http://supolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm, recognizes the diversity
of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students,
faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Under the
policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or
work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance provided they
notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. For fall and spring
semesters, an online notification process is available through MySlice/Student
Services/Enrollment/My Religious Observances from the first day of class until the end
of the second week of class.

Academic Honesty

The academic community requires ethical behavior from all of its participants. For
writers, this means that the work we claim as ours must truly be ours. At the same time,
we are not always expected to come up with new ideas; we often build our thinking on
the ideas of others. We are expected, however, to credit others with their contributions
and to clearly indicate the boundaries of our own thinking. In cases where academic
dishonesty is detected (the fraudulent submission of another's work, in whole or part,
as your own), you may be subject to a failing grade for the project or the course, and in
the worst case, to academic probation or expulsion. For a more detailed description of
the guidelines for adhering to academic honesty in the College of Arts and Sciences, go
to: http://academicintegrity.syr.edu

The Writing Center

Experienced writing consultants at the Writing Center (101 HB Crouse Hall, on the
Quad) can teach you how to succeed on individual assignments and ultimately become
a better writer. Theyre prepared to work one-on-one with you at any stage of your

process and with any kind of writing youre attempting while attending SU. Whether
you need help understanding an assignment, brainstorming ideas, revising subsequent
drafts, or developing editing strategies, face-to-face and online appointments are
available for 25- or 50-minute sessions throughout the semester and can be reserved up
to seven days in advance via their online scheduling program, WCOnline. In addition,
drop-in appointments are welcome Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. and brief concerns or questions can be emailed to consultants via the eWC. For
more information on hours, location and services, please visit http://wc.syr.edu. This is
a free resource to all students and highly recommended for every assignment you work
on in this class.