Today’s Plan:
- Attendance
- Issues with Google Drive
- Workshop Volunteers
- Computer Lab
- Using Precise Language
Google Drive
We are making progress, but we still have a few issues with setting up the weekly writing reports in Google Drive.
Link to the template.Reminder: my email address for sharing is insignificantwrangler@gmail.com
PLEASE DO THIS.
Workshop Volunteers
I need two people to volunteer to have an approximately 400 word write-up completed by Wednesday for workshopping.
Computer Lab Update
After our discussion last class, I went ahead and reserved the computer lab for every Wednesday from this week through November 16th. That means we are meeting in the computer lab on:
- Sept 21 (this Wednesday)
- Oct 5
- Oct 12
- Oct 26
- Nov 2
- Nov 9
- Nov 16
The computer lab is room 1240 in Ross Hall.
Precise Language
One of the requests from our Q&A concerned using more interesting words, which I interpret as using more precise language. First, I want to do a quick exercise that introduces “poststructuralism,” a semiotic approach to philosophy rooted in the inherent (and necessary) ambiguity of language.
Next, I want to walk through Roane State OWL’s quick workshop on precise language.
This weekend I found myself writing the following sentences:
I have a number of publications that focus on how to best develop students’ composing skills, confidence, and creative capacity. The most recent of which appeared online in Composition Forum. Essentially, I try to design courses and assignments that call for students to articulate their own projects based on their own academic and/or professional trajectories, and to VERB their expectation for me to tell them what to do or what they should know. Rather than act as an authority, I position myself more as a guide or a resource. This student-oriented approach is called postpedagogy. It can be a bit disorienting at first, but, as we demonstrate in the article via student surveys, the vast majority of students report that our approach significantly helps them develop as writers and agents of change.
I spent a non-trivial amount of time thinking about what verb I wanted to use in that sentence. My first choice was “subvert.” Let’s Google “synonyms for subvert” and see what happens.
While precise language is a mark of sophisticated writing, we have to make sure we do not sacrifice clarity for precision. Let’s look at Butte College’s “Advice to Write Clearly.”
As you write this week, be on the look out for imprecise words such as interesting, good, important, beautiful, excellent, etc. When you catch these words, try to rewrite those sentences to tell us why something is interesting, good, etc.
Homework
We will spend the first half of Wednesday’s class revising some material from this past weekend’s writing. The second half of class, however, will be dedicated to drafting and revising your writing. PLEASE COME TO CLASS WITH WRITING TO WORK ON!
