Unit 3 Assignment Sheet

Unit 3 works to combine two of the larger learning outcomes of WRT 195:

Goal #3: Students will compose texts that investigate a focused topic of inquiry that raises issues of diversity and community and that offers multiple points of entry based on their interest and expertise.

Goal #4: Students will develop a working knowledge of strategies and genres of critical research.

Our work in Unit 3 begins with a book-length researched text, Small Pieces Loosely Joined by David Weinberger. Weinberger is co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto (<http://www.cluetrain.com/>) and also keeps a blog here at JoHo: <http://hyperorg.com/blogger/index.html>.  I recommend you read around a little about the author to better ground yourself within the context(s) of the arguments he’s making. Essentially, Weinberger’s main thrust is that the Internet is not “virtual, but instead connects to, and fundamentally affects, society” (from the back cover).

We’ll approach Weinberger’s text from three gestalts or perspectives: 1) we’ll read his work as an example of a scholarly, researched text. In this sense, we’ll examine his methods of inquiry—essentially the how of his research. How is he gathering his data? 2) We’ll read his work as an example of the presentation of his findings. What are his rhetorical approaches to reporting his claims and conclusions? What choices does he make in constructing (or re-constructing) his research for readers? And 3) we’ll read his work as focused topic of inquiry into our own research, finding connections to our own fields of inquiry, spheres of interest, or specific discourses to which we can apply his claims and conduct our individual inquiries.

The project you’ll be working toward is an 8-10 page essay  that extrapolates Weinberger’s evidence and claims and applies them to a specific discourse community. For instance, I might approach my project by positioning myself first as a mother (this places me within a discourse community of mothers), and then decide to see how the culture of motherhood has been affected by Weinberger’s notion of “togetherness.” Currently, the media has seized upon the “mommy wars,” referring to a recent number of publications by stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs) and moms that work out of the home. The war, in effect, pits those who believe that working outside the home is detrimental to childhood development against those who believe depriving their children of certain economic advantages is detrimental. Essentially it is an argument of proper parenting. Yet a close look at the blogosphere might show that the media is misrepresenting the “war,” and that the two or three recent books that sparked the frenzy are decidedly polemic and do not represent a wider cross-section of mothers’ opinions.  Does examining the discourse community of mothers prove Weinberger’s claim that the Internet creates members of a “Web public” (97) rendering individual voices louder?

Sourcing for this project will be more stringent than for the unit 2 work; we’ll talk about primary and secondary sources, construct survey and/or interview questions, work with academic (peer-reviewed) journals, as well as use other digital texts (ie video). The number of sources will not be specified; however, you will use at least 2 academic journal articles and one primary source. You will not be allowed to cite wikipedia or dictionary.com.

As we work with Weinberger and begin our projects in earnest, I’ll construct and distribute an evaluation criteria sheet for you to use as you work.

Ongoing assignments:
For the preface and Chapter One, I will provide discussion questions. For each subsequent chapter, several students will be tasked with providing questions to engage the class in discussion. You must volunteer to provide a question at least one time during our reading.

Interstitial deadlines
March 7: One-page summary of a journal article of your choice (preferably one you’ll use for the project). Please include a copy of the article.

March 9: Introduction.

March 19: 3 body paragraphs.

March 26: Transcript/write up of data from interview/survey.

March 30: Final Essay Due.