WAC Institute for Community College Faculty Writing Across the Curriculum Program Appalachian State University Georgia Rhoades Sherry Alusow Hart Dennis.

WAC Institute for Community College Faculty

Writing Across the Curriculum ProgramAppalachian State

University

Georgia Rhoades

Sherry Alusow Hart

Dennis Bohr

C.C. Hendricks

www.wac.appstate.edu

Topics to Include in an Introduction to WAC class

Rhetorical Analysis of texts in different disciplines

Writing in different formats for different purposes 

EssaySciences report formatAbstractDigital Media/ Alternative MediaAnnotated Bibliography

MLA and APA documentation with general information about other styles     

Intro to WAC AssignmentsLiteracy Narrative

Sciences Report (Primary & Secondary Research)

Rhetorical Analysis

Digital Media/ Alternative Media

Ethnography(with Annotated Bibliography)

Reflective Letter/ Essay

Primary Research interviews observations surveys

Secondary Research

Report Format Headings Introduction Methods Results Interpretations/ Conclusions APA Documentation

Sciences Report Format

Who Writes What:Assignments by Disciplines

Rhetorical Analysis“An examination of how well the components of an argument work

together to persuade or move an audience” (Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz, Everything’s an Argument, 1045).

Speaker/Writer Credibility, Authority, Correctness, Appearance

Message/Subject Information, Argument, Reasons, Evidence, Data, Structure

Audience Beliefs, Values, Knowledge, ExperienceExigence: an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak; the occasion or demand for writing

Logos—Rational Appeal-How does the text appeal to

the reader’s or viewer’s reasoning?

-i.e. statistics, facts, figures, case studies, analogies,

anecdotes, stories, specific examples, etc.

Ethos—Appeal to Trust/Credibility-How

competent/noteworthy/authoritative is the text, author, or artist?-i.e. trustworthiness, fairness,

reliability of sources, etc.

Pathos—Emotional Appeal-How does the text or writer appeal to the reader’s or viewer’s emotions

or passions?-i.e. emotions, feelings, beliefs, love,

sadness, etc.

The Three Rhetorical Appeals

Discourse Community: “The term discourse community identifies a grouping of people who share common language norms, characteristics, patterns, or practices as a consequence of their ongoing communications and identification with each other. With respect to writing, the term has been used to point out that different academic collectives write in characteristic registers and genres” (NCTE).

http://www.kcsb.org/category/public-affairs/page/3/

Ethnography Study of the Major

Guiding students to finding their own bliss

Preparation: Discovery

Step 1: Design a research strategySet up interviews with a professor, a senior or

graduate student in the major, and a professional working in the field

Select initial print or online sources of information for a background of the field

Collect names, events, and discoveries of ground-breaking people and work in the field

Develop questions to ask or find out in your research

Step 2: Conduct research Read references for general background information

Identify what training and certification (if any) are required

Find out the professional organizations, journals, and conferences in the field

Note the names of current presidents and other officers of the organizations

Summarize the goals and statements of ethics of the chief organization (if any)

Explore communication genres

Examine current journal articles and book-length studies published in the field

Note stylistic characteristics, such as documentation, voice, verb tense, and other specifics

Identify differing formats for different purposes

Recognize leaders in the field

Identify achievements each one has made

Find the report, article, invention, or accomplishments from each

Read or investigate each to determine which represent the most influential landmarks in the field

Step 3: Creating the Report—Part 1

Select ten landmark texts in the field (“Texts” may mean paintings, musical scores, plays, mathematical proofs, scientific discoveries, inventions, and so on)

Summarize each, including a brief biography of the author or discoverer, the significance to the field, and why this one was included

Document each text with a full bibliographic entry in the style of the field

Arrange the texts alphabetically, with each summary or annotation following each bibliographic entry

Step 3: Creating the Report—Part 2

Gather information about the culture of the field, based on the interviews, background research, and landmark texts

Identify and describe three forms of writing particular to the field, with examples to illustrate

Explain why the field beckons and how you would fit into this field

Creating a rubric Key Points for Each Assignment:

Start with the learning outcomes for the assignment (Criteria-based). (For example, "Uses MLA documentation correctly: parenthetical citation format, works cited format, punctuation, accuracy, integration.") Keep the number of outcomes addressed to three or four.

Create a rubric or scoring guide to outline your expectations (Value-based). (This may be numerical—1-10—or descriptive—excellent, good, fair, poor.) Keep the number of levels to three or four.

Provide students with a check sheet for each stage of the writing process based on the rubric, using samples to show what the rubric highlights and to have students use the rubric on each others' drafts.

Evaluate drafts with the same rubric, on a score sheet that includes a place for comments.

Keep the scores for each draft of an assignment by each student on a spreadsheet or form to see progress and help to determine final grades. Give your students the same score sheet for them to keep track as well.

Scoring Guide Basics

Criteria-based

Value-based

Customized for each assignment

Sampled with students

Used to evaluate drafts