ENG 21011: WRITING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Sample Syllabus
This course asks students to craft essays, social media posts, and other writings as a means of civic engagement.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Books: @ is for Activism by Josh Hands (digital version available on our class site)
Supplies: A notebook for regular in-class writing and, well, note-taking; access to a printer / e-reader for additional readings provided electronically, cloud storage for backing up your work, and a blog which we will work on setting up together in Week One.
WHAT WE'LL WRITE
SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG
In which you make weekly posts reporting on activism, policies, and progress related to a social justice issue of your choice (25%)
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ESSAYS
In which you testify, witness, and advocate for change (40%)
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PUBLISHING PRESENTATION
In which you present to the class a possible venue for publishing those essays (5%)
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FINAL PORTFOLIO
In which you revise, expand, and adapt your three previous essays for possible publication (30%)
SHOW UP, SPEAK UP, DO THE WORK
Our classroom is not a place for you to sit passively while I feed you information. It's a place for you to develop the ability to learn, think, make, and teach yourself. I'm always here if you have questions, but I'm also always going to push you to find your own answers.
INCLUSIVE LEARNING
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If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS), G-10 Student Union, 814-269-7119 as early as possible in the term, so we can meet your needs as soon as possible. If something new comes up during the semester, don't hesitate to seek assistance then.
Plagiarism (whether in the form of outright copying another's work, or using it without proper credit) has no place in a classroom centered around creativity. If you're ever unclear about how / whether to use other materials in your work, just ask. Those caught plagiarizing will be dealt with in keeping with the KSU handbook.
KSU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, or disability. I am committed to social justice. An effective learning environment values and supports diversity.
I have a lot more to say about these subjects: you can find a more detailed explanation on our class website, which we'll review together.
