Extra-Credit

Extra-Credit Opportunities

For anyone interested, I'm creating this opportunity because I think you will personally and intellectually benefit from some of local events that touch on our class discussions this semester. I will offer extra credit for a well-rendered blog post in which you build theory -- or contribute to a theoretical discussion -- based on the event. (Remember that our course description offers two notions of "theory," so you can be either inwardly or outwardly focused in how you do this.) If you know of other related events you think you'd like to attend, contact me to discuss adding them to this list!

Events
"Sexual Politics on Campus: Some Theories" - Lecture and Discussion by Laura Kipnis, Professor in Northwestern University's Radio/Television/Film Program
Thursday, Sep. 17, 2015 - 5:30-7:00 p.m. in WMS Common Room (013, ground level)

"The Big Smoke" - Reading by Adrian Matejka, Associate Professor in Indiana University's Creative Writing Program
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2015 - 8:00 p.m. in FSU Alumni Ballroom

"Teaching the 'Digital Age'" - Presentation for the Digital Scholars Reading and Discussion Group by Ned Stuckey-French, Associate Professor of English at Florida State University
Friday, Sep. 25 - 12:00-1:30 p.m. in WMS 454 (turn right off the elevator)

"Threshold Concepts and Writing about Writing" - Presentation by Elizabeth Wardle, Professor in University of Central Florida's Rhetoric and Writing Program
Wednesday, Sep. 30 - 2:00-3:30 p.m. in WMS Common Room (013, ground level)

FAMU Younger Poets Series - Reading by Danez Smith, MFA Candidate in the University of Michigan's Creative Writing Program
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 - 8:00 p.m. in The Gallery (FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication)

National Day on Writing - FSU events (Write on postcards. Compose haiku. Record a 6-second literacy narrative. More!)
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 - all day, various events in and around the Williams Building and the Johnston Building (schedule coming soon right here!)  

Roland Barthes Centenary - Symposium by FSU faculty in Art History, English, and Modern Languages [various presentations; can attend one or all]
Thursday, Nov. 12 - 2:00-6:00 p.m. in WMS Common Room (013, ground level)

"Transformative Writing: Beyond the Four Factor Test for Fair Use in Multimodal Composing" - Presentation by Michael Neal, Associate Professor of English at Florida State University
Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 3:30-5:00 p.m. in WMS Common Room (013, ground level) 
Cupcake Reception!

Warehouse Series - Reading by Diane Roberts, Professor in FSU's Creative Writing Program
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 - 8:00 p.m. at The Warehouse, 706 W. Gaines St.

The Stuart Hall Project - Screening and discussion of documentary film on Stuart Hall's postcolonial work and identification
Thursday, Nov. 19 - 6:30 p.m. in WMS Common Room (013, ground level)

Blogging
Duedate for Credit – Complete the post within 1 week of the event you attend, and send me an e-mail signaling that you have done so (so that I don't miss the post). I will be attending some of these, and look forward to seeing some of you there!

Focus/Purpose You may invent your own reason for writing: Did the event help you define a term you're grappling with? Cause you to think differently about how you position yourself as a writer in the world (or within a particular discourse community)? Complicate or challenge your thinking? Or ... ? Your options are almost limitless, but your blog post will need to be focused and guided by this reason you invent. Otherwise, it's a meaningless activity. Several screens' worth should be enough for you to demonstrate that you can reflect interestingly and well on the event, and that you can tie it to some specific concept, text, or question from our course. But you may go longer if needed.
 
Critical Conversation Really, I'm asking you to either use the event as a lens for talking about some concept from the course, or to use some concept from the course as a lens for reflecting on the event. Whatever you do, please provide specific examples from the event, as well as from the texts you are relating to it. This will require you to move somewhat elegantly between various kinds of "text," and always be clear who is saying what. Feel free to embed links or illustrations if those would help you explain certain concepts. 

Audience ConstructionYou're writing for a fairly public audience, so your post should be interesting, though it should also retain a sense of objectivity. In the blog space, your challenge is in genuinely communicating your thoughts, ideas, values, and arguments to unfamiliar readers. Your challenge is also remembering that, in the face of culturally sensitive subject matter, making critical meaning of the experience can sometimes be difficult; please treat these topics with the sensitivity they deserve, and remember that we might not have been there with you and may need some context for your theory-building. Finally, you are writing for a public audience and this isn't Facebook. Paragraphing, spelling, and polish all matter in this context.

Coherence and Framing As always, let your post be organized in such a way that an unfamiliar reader could follow along and extract a series of points. Be sure to give it some kind of framing statement in the beginning that helps us, as readers, understand why we are reading, and some concluding statement at the end that leaves us fulfilled while also wanting more. 

Attribution
Please be specific and accurate about names, dates, locations, authors, and titles. If you refer to something we haven’t read, provide us with enough information that we could find it ourselves, or embed a hyperlink allowing us to access the document.

Titles
Title your posts, and feel free to make them interesting! Titles should reflect what you have thought or written or are trying to argue. They should not simply restate the name of the article or event.

Posting – Post directly to the blog by logging in and selecting "new post" when you are ready to do so, and remember to consult the "blogging" handout in Canvas if you have any questions about logging in, posting, publishing, or editing. Or, feel free to send any questions my way.

-Prof. Graban