Workshops

Using Non-Traditional Texts to Teach Traditional Composition

In this workshop, I share non-traditional texts that can be used to complement English
1101 lessons. Although many instructors rely on famous works, such as Kings Letter
from a Birmingham Jail, and traditional texts, such as argumentative student essays,
as assigned readings in Composition classes, I will demonstrate that non-canonical
literature, such as a private letter by Abigail Adams and a political speech by Stokely
Carmichael, can serve equally well as models of great writing. I will illustrate how I
tailor lessons about grammar, rhetorical appeals, and argumentative writing to these
readings. This approach to choosing readings not only accomplishes the courses
learning goals but exposes students to unique and beautiful works while encouraging
them to reevaluate the traditional definition of composition.

Bonnie & Clyde & Composition: Bringing History to the English 1101/1102
Classroom

I will discuss my integration of historical sources to English 1101 as a way of teaching

critical thought. The mythology surrounding Bonnie & Clyde lends itself particularly
well because the story of the couple is sensational (sex and guns, after all) and
because it is depicted in diverse media, both obscure and mainstream. By examining
the rhetorical choices made in various sources including poetry, documentaries, music
videos, films, and memoirs, in addition to scholarly articles, ranging from the 1930s to
the present, my students saw how vastly the representations of two real historical
figures can vary. In turn, my students learned how to judge the reliability of sources
and how to integrate primary and secondary sources into a research paper. This
workshop demonstrates the value of an interdisciplinary approach to Composition and
a practical means of introducing multimodal learning.

Using Visual Rhetoric to Reimagine Narrative

The "personal narrative" is a common introductory assignment used by Composition

instructors in their freshman courses, but I have reimagined this assignment for my
English 1101 course by asking students to write a narrative using only visual rhetoric.
Students were required to create an Instagram or Tumblr account and post a series of
images to tell stories about themselves. In this workshop, I will speak briefly about
my experience with this assignment and present examples of student projects. I will
also address some of the potential challenges presented by visual rhetoric
assignments, including: students hesitation to use social media, finding an objective
means of grading visual assignments, avoiding plagiarism, and managing the
ephemerality of online media. I will offer some solutions, but I also would like the
discussion to be interactive. While I anticipate that this presentation will appeal
primarily to Composition instructors, I believe that it will be equally valuable for
instructors from other departments, such as history and communications, who have
considered replacing a traditional prose assignment with a digital assignment. My
hope is that this presentation will allow instructors to share insights and learn from
each others positive and negative experiences.