Communications Question

Description

As this unit has demonstrated so far, in our everyday lives, we adapt our writing or speech based on the discourse community or language community we are participating in: we subconsciously understand the vocabulary we should use, the style of writing that is appropriate, and the correct formatting for the text for each of the scenarios we find ourselves in. We had to learn the “rules” of standardized English, or the expectations for each of the communities we belong to, and we learned (and we’re still learning) how to use language effectively and ethically. This first project will give you the opportunity to examine (and share) your experiences, with the hope that by examining what you already know about language, rhetoric and discourse, you will build on that knowledge as you continue to grow as a writer. 

Task: 

For this assignment, you will create a literacy narrative. However, instead of focusing your story on a single moment or event, I would like you to focus on a set of smaller moments that share something in common. 

Purpose: Your purpose will be to connect your past personal experiences with literacy to whichever principle you choose to discuss: either language or discourse community. (See the brainstorming page for more information about these two options.) You will want to convince your classmates that you understand the concept you have chosen and to illustrate your personal connection to this concept. Again, you must choose between one of the two approved topic options and connect that to your personal literacy. 

Genre: You’ll be writing a narrative, which (as your book states) is a “kind of writing that presents events in some kind of time sequence with a distinct beginning, middle and ending (but not necessarily in strict chronological order) and that is written for the purpose of making a point” (p.197). However, for this project, you’ll divide your narrative into “snapshots”. A snapshot is a photograph, and it’s often a word used for a candid photograph that shows us a moment in “real life”. For this assignment, you will write three or more short stories about real moments in your life that paint a “picture” for your reader about your relationship to a course concept. I will refer to each of the short stories in your project as “snapshots.” Each snapshot (or smaller story) should make sense by itself.  However, when we read your snapshots together, they should work to tell a larger story about your relationship to a concept we’ve been exploring in this class. Each individual snapshot may be in paragraph form, may or may not use dialogue, may be poetic, may be in the first person or third person, may be written as a diary entry or letter. You can be creative and switch up the narrative style between them if that’s appropriate. It’s up to you to decide how to tell the story of your connection to the idea you are exploring. 

Audience: The audience for this narrative will be your ENC 1101 classmates. This means you can assume that we have read/viewed the same texts on discourse and language communities, but we are not all part of the same discourse and language communities. In other words, if you choose to focus on discourse communities, you do not need to explain what a discourse community is, but you do need to explain the ways in which the specific community about which you are writing is a discourse community. 

Project Requirements: 

You must write about either language or discourse communities. You can see this brainstorming page here for further explanation of the two topics. You’ll also submit a topic proposal for approval, where you’ll let me know which you’ve decided to work with. 

You must include at least 800 words and at least 3 snapshots. If you want the snapshots to be short, you may include more snapshots. 

You must include a title for your project. One hallmark of narratives (a genre feature) is that they usually have titles! (Note: a title such as “Narrative Essay” is not appropriate. Look at the narratives we examined in this unit for examples of titles.)

Your overall project must have a clear theme (point/idea) unifying the snapshots. Each snapshot must have a clear point or idea, but that point/idea must connect back to the overall theme of the entire project.  See page 207 in your textbook for examples of stories that make the point clear to their audience. 

You need to include at least one visual component to your narrative. Visuals you might use include personal photographs, photocopies of your first story, fliers, examples of texts from your discourse community, screenshots, etc. These should not be clipart or GIFs. They should be personal images that support your story (they need to be connected to the story) and they should be placed appropriately.

Transitions should help your reader understand the organization of your snapshots and the connection between snapshots. Think about the order you want the snapshots in and how the end of one snapshot prepares the reader for the next. Ultimately, the organization should help the reader understand how your snapshots are working together to support your theme. 

Additional Notes: 

You will submit your literacy narrative as a PDF. Saving to PDF will make sure that I see the formatting of your document the same way you do on your computer. You can work in Word (or a similar program) or even a program like Canva, but save the document as a PDF. 

You can play around with voice and word choice. For example, one snapshot can sound like it’s from 5-year-old you, or one can use a dialect of English in your snapshot. 

If you use another language, please include a translation. For example, if you include a conversation in Spanish, or spanglish, your audience will need translations. If this is a short phrase, you can include the translation in parentheses. For example, “My mom told me to get her the chancleta (flip flop)”.  If you’re using longer quotes, you can provided translations on the last page.

You may choose the fonts and colors that best capture your writing. However, the font should still be a “normal” size (similar to 12pt Times New Roman, or 10pt Courier or Ariel), and the colors should make the reading easily legible. 

• Tips for success:  

Be specific. Specific examples and details are always better than generalizations. (For example, instead of “I’ve always spoken Spanish; everyone around me speaks Spanish always,” consider “My parents are from El Salvador, so I have spoken Spanish since I could speak. My parents and my two brothers, all my aunts and uncles, only speak Spanish to me. I only speak English at school”). If you need to generalize, follow it up with a specific example (For example, “I only have good memories of {x discourse community}. For example, the first time I showed up to a meeting ….”.) When you write, make sure your reader can picture the scene or image you are describing—give them enough details to keep it interesting. You’ll also need to be clear with your audience about when and where the story is taking place.

Be selective. Editing will be key here. You can write a draft, then edit out the details that don’t really add to the story. You can expand on important scenes. However, make sure that the elements in the story build on your theme or the main idea you want your audience to understand.