FOR VISITORS…

Welcome to the course blog of Composition and Rhetoric I, Section I at Centenary University of New Jersey, taught by Dr. Erin Andersen. This is a space for students to answer questions posed each week as part of a multi-modal journaling assignment, as well as for them to post any other thoughts or questions they might have regarding the course.

FOR MY STUDENTS…

Reading should never be a passive experience. In order to encourage active reading, I’m asking you to create an individual blog and post reading responses on it once a week throughout the semester. This will also be helpful as we consider what it means to think consciously about our writing practices. Your blog can use any platform you choose – just keep in mind that you’ll be working with it all semester long, so you should get comfortable with it. WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger are the most commonly used blogging tools out there, and most students find that they are easy to use and fit their needs for this class well. As you develop your blog, keep in mind that you’ll be developing this into your final portfolio eventually, so take some time throughout the semester to customize it. (We’ll discuss that in more detail as we approach the final weeks of the semester.) Each week I will post a topic or question(s) related to our readings our class discussions upon which I’d like you to reflect in a post on your blog. Prompts will be posted on the Prompts page). Please pay careful attention to the Course Schedule page of our course blog, as semi-weekly due dates for these responses will vary. All blog posts must be time stamped by the time indicated in the course schedule; all responses are due by 8am on the due date. (We will be reading and discussing these posts in class, which means late posts cannot be accepted.) I will assign twelve blog posts throughout the course. You are more than welcome to post something extra that is relevant and interesting to you, even if you are not assigned. (Extra blog posts can gain you a small amount of extra credit; see my comments in the grading contract for more detail.) Your blog posts do not have to be particularly long (600-700 words is fine), but I do want you to respond to whatever prompt I’ve posted thoroughly. This blog should be an outlet for analysis and conversation about readings and writings; keep in mind the typical genre conventions of blog posts, and feel free to write in a conversational yet appropriate tone. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about things you don’t understand, and certainly don’t hesitate to make connections to things we’ve discussed in class or things you’ve read outside of our class. Images, video, audio, and links to other pages are welcome in your posts. (Indeed, some prompts will ask you for these elements specifically.) The sky’s the limit, as long as you post on time.