Major Assignments
Essay #1: Cultural Profile
For this assignment, you will interview someone (a friend or acquaintance) who comes from a culture different from your own about a social, political, economic, or cultural issue of your choice. Your goal is to explore how cultural background shapes perspectives and worldviews. After conducting a semi-structured interview guided by your questions, you will write a 3-4 page (750 to 1000 word) profile that balances the interviewee’s viewpoint, your own reflections, and the larger social or cultural significance of their experiences. This assignment introduces you to ethnographic thinking by asking you to interpret and analyze a subject’s perspective while situating it within broader societal contexts.
Essay #2: Digital Community Ethnography
For this assignment, you will select an online community such as a social media page, discussion forum, hashtag feed, or blog and study the participants, their behavior, and interactions. You may choose to participate in the community or conduct a non-participant observation. Using your notes, you will write a 6-8 page (1500 to 2000 word) essay analyzing patterns and trends and exploring their broader social, cultural, or political significance. Your essay should also incorporate at least three credible outside sources to contextualize your observations and connect the community’s behaviors to larger societal phenomena. This assignment develops your ability to combine observation and research to produce an analytical, socially informed interpretation.
Essay #3: Visual Social Analysis
For this assignment, you will create a visual or multimedia essay exploring a social, cultural, or political phenomenon of your choice. Possible formats include a video essay, photo essay, infographic, interactive digital project, or another approved medium. Along with your project, you will submit a 2-3 page (250-500 word) artist statement explaining your creative choices, situating your work in a broader social context, and reflecting on your process. Your artist statement should include 1-3 credible outside sources to support your analysis, and all media, including AI-generated content, must be properly cited. This assignment emphasizes creative expression combined with critical analysis to communicate a social phenomenon.
Essay #4: The Portfolio and Self-Assessment
The Portfolio and Self-Assessment Essay, required in all sections of composition, are in many ways the most important documents that you’ll create for this class. Assembling the Portfolio will help you to see your progress as a writer over the course of the semester, and the Self-Assessment Essay will give you the chance to evaluate that work based on your own criteria as well as the course learning objectives. The Self-Assessment Essay is a kind of research paper. Your development as a writer is the subject and the writing itself is your evidence. As you write your Self-Assessment Essay, you’ll be referring to the works you’ve included in your Portfolio. This essay answers two questions: To what extent have I achieved the course learning objectives? In what ways have my perceptions on what writing evolved this semester? This essay will thus provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate how you’ve developed as a writer this semester and will serve as an introduction to your Portfolio.
Other Assignments
Active Participation
As a member of an active learning community, you are responsible for contributing to the life of the course. Active participation accounts for 5% of your overall grade and is based on your contributions to class discussions, peer review, and communication with the instructor. Contributions may include asking thoughtful questions about readings, sharing analysis or opinions, reading excerpts aloud, engaging in discussions through remote platforms like Brightspace, or scheduling a meeting with the instructor to discuss grades, concerns, or ideas about papers.
Short Writing Assignments
Throughout the semester, you will complete a variety of short writing assignments, including discussion forum posts, in-class reflections, drafts, project proposals, and occasional low-stakes exercises. Some may require commenting on classmates’ work. Assignments may be submitted on Blackboard, in class, or as otherwise directed. These activities help you record ideas, react to course material, and begin conversations that continue in class discussions. They are low-stakes but important for staying engaged and developing your larger projects.
In-Class Essays
In-class writings, both formal graded essays and ungraded exercises, will be used to help you develop your skills in analytical reading and constructing well-reasoned arguments. There will be frequent in-class writing assignments, including three formal, full-period essays. All assignments must be completed by hand; students should come prepared with a notebook and pen. The only additional material permitted is a printed and annotated copy of the assigned reading. If you miss a formal in-class essay, you will have one week from the date you return to class to complete it; after that, the late assignment policy will apply.
