Class Picture(s)!

Reflection Essay

In class on Thursday (5-1) you will write a short essay response to the following questions. Although we will work on these in class, you do not need to post your essay to your blog until the Friday of exam week (5-9).

Please frame your answer in complete thoughts and paragraphs (not as a bullet-point list). Feedback is essential to helping me shape this course in the future, so I appreciate your honest responses to these questions.

Please answer every question in detail:

The Project

• What was your biggest struggle during this project?
• What aspect of the documentary makes you most proud?
• What aspect of the documentary would you have changed?
• What aspects of the project were you personally responsible for? Please be specific as possible.
• We can all agree that group is frustrating. What did you do to try to promote a healthy group atmosphere? What more do you wish you had done to help the group?  Do you feel like you contributed a fair amount to the overall project?

The Class

• This course is designed to help you hone your critical thinking skills. Was it successful?
• Another goal of this course is to challenge you with new technologies and communication techniques. Did you enjoy learning about how different styles of communication function, or would you have preferred writing 4 essays?
• My goal as an instructor is to help draw out the abilities you already possess, and focus them into new applications. Was my style helpful? Would you have preferred more lectures? More discussion? More homework?
• What can I do in the future to make this class better?
• If you could change one thing about this course, what would it be?

Tuesday (4-29) Group Presentations

Paintball Club

Thursday (4-24) Group Presentations

WRFL Radio Group (with special appearance by the back of Maddie's head)

Puppy Group

Tuesday (4-22) Group Presentations

Delivery Drivers: Fact of Fiction

The Kentucky Horse Park

Documentary Film Guidelines

Each Film Must have:

• A title (not "WRD 111 Documentary" but an actual title)
• 5-7 minutes of footage
• End credits (each group member's name and primary responsibilities)
• Citations (interview subjects; any footage, sounds, or images you took from somewhere else). Use the Purdue OWL as a guide for citing sources.

Each First Cut Presentation must:

• Feature a full-length, finished documentary video. This is not a "rough draft"
• Feature a brief spoken element from each group member (how you divide this task is up to you)
• Include a Question and Answer segment. Each group will paired with another group who will ask questions.

Questions to consider for your First Cuts presentation:

• What is the thesis and focus of your documentary? 
• What is the scope (why did you choose to focus on certain elements and ignore others?)
• Who is the audience for your documentary?
• What areas do you feel work best?
• What areas do you feel need improvement?
• What types of feedback would like? In other words, on which sections or elements of your documentary should we focus feedback?
• What were some elements or shots you wanted to get but couldn't? This will help us to not suggest shots that you've already considered.
• If you had an extra six months to work on this project, what would you have done differently? This is a fun question to talk about, because it lets us see the ideas you had that never made it to the documentary because of time constraints.

This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it a strict guideline; rather, use these questions to give you an idea of what your First Cuts presentation should cover.

Remaining Schedule

Here's how the rest of the semester will break down:

April 1: group work on interview schedules, prepare to submit annotated schedule, schedule group meetings and First cuts schedule
April 3: NO CLASS, National Undergraduate Research Conference. Homework: submit annotated interview schedule on blog

GROUPS SHOULD HAVE MOST/ALL FILMING DONE

April 8: Group meetings 1, 2, 3
April 10: Group meetings 4, 5

GROUPS SHOULD HAVE ALL FILMING DONE AND A STORYBOARD COMPLETE

April 15: editing week (free week with in-class help)
April 17: editing week

FIRST CUTS: FINISHED (NOT ROUGH) DRAFT OF YOUR DOCUMENTARY

April 22: First cuts group 1, 2
April 24: First cuts group 3, 4

April 29: First cuts group 5
May 1: Reflection day, food(?) party

FINAL PROJECT DUE NO LATER THAN NOON ON MAY 9

Interviewing Basics

• Don’t jump right into the interview

Take your time to establish a friendly setting. Set yourself up as someone who is interested in what the subject has to say. Establish your own knowledge and ignorance on the subject. A helpful lead question is usually something that gets the person talking about him or herself: “why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do here?”

• Be an active listener

Think about how conversations generally work: there needs to be eye contact, back-and-forth discussion, and friendly reciprocation. Since you want the interviewee talking about 75% of the time (roughly), you’ll need to limit your responses to reflections and re-directions of what he or she just said. Use pauses in the conversation to either encourage the interviewee to expand on a topic by reflecting: “you said that your favorite part of the building is the third floor, what happens there?” or by redirecting: “the cafeteria sounds interesting, I’ll have to check it out later. What can you tell me about the basement?” These techniques show that you’re listening to the subject and not just taking notes.

• Don’t feel rushed to move on

Encourage the subject to return back to a topic if you feel you haven’t received enough information. Remember, you are in control of where the interview goes. Don’t be afraid to return to something that was discussed earlier if you want the subject to expand or elaborate.

• Practice re-phrasing questions

Often, you won’t receive the answer you’re looking for the first time you ask a question. Learn how to rephrase your questions to get the interviewee going in the direction you’d like. For example, if you ask “what’s your favorite part of this job?” and the interviewee responds by talking about his favorite co-workers, try rephrasing using his or her own language: “they sound like a great group of people. What sorts of work activities do you all together that make the workplace so fun?”

• Leave the interview with a plan

As the interview wraps up, you’ll likely feel rushed, flustered, and exhausted— that’s okay! Have a plan in your notes for how to end the interview and how to move forward. It’s possible you may need to speak to this person again, so try to end the interview by thanking them for their time and asking if you could contact them in the future if you have any further questions or clarifications. Remember that this person just did you a huge favor by speaking with you, so let them know how much you appreciate their help.

Born Into Coal

For Thursday, please watch the documentary Born Into Coal and write a 250-350 word blog post reacting to it. Specifically, consider broader elements like style, argument, and technique; however, I would also like you consider what this documentary would look like in storyboard form. What are the separate "scenes" and how are they put together to form a story?

Student Documentary Examples

Below are some student documentaries from previous semesters. I provide these so you can see what students have done in the past, and so we can analyze the structure and content of a documentary.

The AcoUstiKats

Mathews Garden

Documentary Shorts

The Poodle Trainer

Quicksand

Class Canceled 3-11

Class is canceled today (March 11), as I woke up still a little sick. We will have class on Thursday. Your group responsibilities section of the research memo is due this week, so instead of class today, you may want to meet up and finish it. I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, when we get to start my favorite section of the class: watching documentaries!

-Owen

Research Memo

Your next project, the Research Memo, will be done in stages. The grade for this project is credit/no-credit, so the focus will be on how the memo helps your group get ready for the documentary more than the segments themselves.

Think of the Research Memo as a running diary of your group's work through the project. Each stage will be planned and reflected upon in the memo.

The first portion of the Research Memo will be the group responsibility section. This section will be due before spring break. Break your project into as many sections as you can, but at least include: interviews, filming, script writing, sound recording, film editing, sound editing, storyboarding, and scheduling. For each section, talk about what each group member will be responsible for. I want to stress that there should be no sections where a group member is not participating-- everyone is responsible for each segment of the project. It may be helpful to have each group member be "in charge" of each section, in the sense that they set up responsibilities and coordinate that section, but I'll leave those choices to your groups.

Research Memo
Group Responsibilities/Contract (due before Spring Break)
Interview Strategy/Schedule (due the week after Spring Break)
Annotated Bibliography (due before First Cuts)

Visual Rhetoric (Homework for 3-4 at the bottom)

Visual Rhetoric is the application of rhetorical principles onto visual spaces. Think about our rhetorical triangle:

The three points have different meanings depending on what we're talking about. For arguments, we look at ethos/pathos/logs; for interactions, we look at speaker/message/audience; for methods, we look at writer/reason/appeal. Each of these characteristics occurs within a rhetorical situation (the box), which means that we need to consider how the circumstances of the argument shape and constrain the tools at our disposal. Finally, the central focus of the argument is the purpose/kairos/decorum-- in other words: why are we arguing? What do we hope to achieve?

Visual rhetoric is important because we transmit and receive information visually. Consider how this image, which explains the different types of coffee preparations, might be presented in text. Is there any way for text to compete with the simplicity and effectiveness of a visual presentation?

Visual elements can also come with downsides, however, when they aren't considered. Let's break down each of these ads according to our rhetorical triangle, and then consider how the juxtaposition of them creates a different message:

So considering visual rhetoric is important, and failing to consider it can be devastating.

For homework on Thursday, please consider some websites your frequent. How are they structured? What is the purpose? What is the audience? What is the company's ethos? How do all these considerations affect the structure? Does the website make good or bad rhetorical choices? Please do this for two similar/competing websites, and analyze which worked best in a 350+ word blog post.

Homework for 2-27

For Tuesday, I'd like you to write a 350-500 word blog post in which you consider Visual Rhetoric. Visual Rhetoric is simply the application of our rhetorical model onto visual spaces. The follow websites construct an argument, using visuals, about the death penalty.

Avoiding the actual issues (your beliefs on the morality of the death penalty), discuss the rhetorical choices each author made. Do you find one presentation more or less compelling? What other presentations may have been possible? How does each author's aim/goal affect how he presents the images and text? Are there any other elements besides the photographs that contribute to the visual presentation (think text, color, layout)?

No Seconds

The Last Meal Project

Understanding Film Terms

Below are some key terms and explanations (with examples) of key film concepts and terms.  

The Filmic Image

• Mise-en-scene: the entirety of the image on the screen. More simply: what the viewer sees. 

• Frame: the imaginary border of the film. Think about it like a picture frame. 

• Shot: a single image of film. Can be any length, but must be unedited. 

• Scene: a series of shots which make up part of a narrative.  

Shot Lengths and Sizes

• Establishing shot: The largest shot; establishes an area the size of a town or campus.

• Long shot: A large shot which covers a space like a street or a room.

• Medium shot: A shot which captures characters from the knees or wait up. Most commonly used shot in American cinema. 

• Close shot: A shot which focuses on a character's face or a specific object. 
  

• Extreme Close-up: A shot which focuses on a small portion of a character's face/body or a specific object.  

Camera Angles

• High Angle: a shot from above the subject which looks down. 

• Low Angle: a shot from below the subject which looks up. 

• Sideways tilts: shots which are off-center.  

Camera Movements

• Pan shot: a shot which moves left-to-right or up-and-down on a stable axis. 

• Tracking shot: a shot which travels forward or backward.

• Zoom: camera zooms in or out on a subject.  

Editing

• Narrative editing: standard storytelling 

• Montage: clips which are meant to stand in for a story  

Cuts

• Cross-cut: standard cut from shot to shot. 

• Fade: shot fades into black or fades from black. 

• Iris: shot fades into or out of a specific object on the screen. 

• Dissolve: shot fades into the next shot; images are transposed or juxtaposed.  

Focus

• Deep: everything in the frame is in focus. 

• Soft: one specific object or subject on the screen is in focus. 

 Sound

• Narration: off-camera speech designed to give context to the images. 

• Dialogue: on or off-camera spoken exchange between characters. 

• Monologue: on or off-camera speech acts performed by a single character. 

• Music: can be diegetic (characters can hear the sound) or non-diegetic (characters can not hear the sound). 

• Effects: any sounds which are not spoken or musical; similar to music, can be diegetic or non-diegetic.

Groups

For Thursday, I'd like to put you all into groups for the rest of the semester. I will continue to update this post as people email me, but here are the groups so far:

Paintball
Tori
Tyona
Brandy
Susan
Melissa

Horse Park
Maddie
Hannah
Emily
Emma
Jordan
Alex

Service Dogs
Sam
Zack
Kaycie
Cole
Morgan

Delivery Drivers
Ben
Trae
Ryan P.
John
Conner

WRFL Radio Station
Andy
Garrett
Marissa
Jessie
Ryan M.

If you do not yet have a group, you have two options:
1. Before class, you need to email me and tell me which group you're interested in joining
2. Come on class on Thursday and get put into a random group

Speech Reflection

For Tuesday (if you present today, you can take until Thursday), please compose a 250 word response to your Shark Tank proposal. Try to assess yourself honestly-- what did you do well? What do you need to work on? What is something that you were unaware of as you presented? Was your presentation what you expected? Did you perform better or worse than you anticipated? Similarly, you can respond to my comments. Avoid discussing grades so much as my comments at the bottom of the rubric. How can you improve on the issues I raised? What do you want to do differently next time?

Thursday, February 20 Speeches

Maddie Strzelewicz

Susan Schuldt

Sam Thornton

Kaycie White

Alex Simon

Cole Feeney

Tuesday, February 18 Speeches

 

Emma Parker

 

Conner Novicki

 

John Leanza

 

Trae Jones

 

Zack Kendall

 

Ryan Petitt

 

Jordan Philley

Thursday, February 13 Speeches

Ryan Metz

Marissa Garner

Melissa Brown

Morgan Delventhal

Andy Cecil

Tyona Golden

Jessie Gough

February 11 Speeches

Brandy Hope

Emily Brown

Garrett Garcia

Hannah Himmelmann

Ben Dohm

Tori Holmes

Speech Schedule

Tuesday 2-11
2:00-2:10 Cole
2:10-2:20 Emily B.
2:20-2:30 Brandy H.
2:30-2:40 Garrett G.
2:40-2:50 Hannah H.
2:50-3:00 Ben D.
3:00-3:10 Tori

Thursday 2-13
2:00-2:10 Ryan M.
2:10-2:20 Marissa
2:20-2:30 Melissa B.
2:30-2:40 Morgan D.
2:40-2:50 Andy C.
2:50-3:00 Tyona
3:00-3:10 Jessie G.

Tuesday 2-18
2:00-2:10 Emma
2:10-2:20 Conner
2:20-2:30 John L.
2:30-2:40 Trae
2:40-2:50 Zach K.
2:50-3:00 Ryan P.
3:00-3:10 Jordan

Thursday 2-20
2:00-2:10 Maddie
2:10-2:20 Susan
2:20-2:30 Sam
2:30-2:40 Kaycie
2:40-2:50 Alex
2:50-3:00 Chris

Speech Prep!

Next week, you will be presenting your "Shark Tank" proposals for your projects. As you prepare, here is some important information to keep in mind:

Length
I expect your presentation to last at least three minutes, but no more than five. It is important that you do not go over time, as we will struggle to fit these into one week.

Q&A
Following your presentation, a pre-determined group of four students will ask you a question regarding your presentation or its viability. I will allow (and even encourage) the audience to use a positive statement/critique approach; however, the students tasked with asking questions cannot just offer a positive statement.

Grading and Assessment
You will be graded on both your presentation and your audience participation. That means that you need to come prepared not only for your speech but also for your role as feedback provider.

In regards to your proposal, we have agreed on the following grading criteria:

Proposal
25% Logos: Information, facts, and research. Your background knowledge of the subject. What is your plan for the project? What will this documentary look like at the end? Whom have you contacted?
10% Relevance link: Why would college students care about this project? What makes your subject interesting or unique? How is the angle you're taking with this project novel? In short, who cares?
10% Pathos: What makes this project important? Why are you passionate about this project? Convince us that you're driven to make this project work.
5% Ethos: What are your skills related to this project? Do you have any experience with interviewing? Video editing? Filming? Narrating? Writing Scripts? Doing research? Convince us that your project will succeed because you have the necessary skills.

Body Language    
20% Preparation: Your speech presents evidence that you have practiced and prepared. Working on pacing and cadence, pauses and transitions. Think about how you will present yourself-- do you need to dress up? (yes, you do) Are you between three and five minutes? Have you anticipated the questions you will receive? Remember that you don't always need the answers for the Q&A session, merely the knowledge of how you would go about finding the answer.
10% Speed/Tone/Volume: Related to preparation, but this score focuses just on the oral element of your presentation. Project your voice, avoid monotone, and control your pace.
10% Eye Contact: Make sure you're not fixating on one person (especially not me!). Scan the room, look out at us, and avoid the walls, windows, and floor. Don't forget to blink!
10% Movement and Fluidity: Use your nervous energy to move your body around the room. Avoid pacing, as that distracts the viewer, but do not simply stand still with your arms folded. Stay active in the front of the room.

Homework for Ben and Sam

Ben and Sam:
Please remember to come to class with a topic choice (finalized) and contact information for your topic. This means a name, an email address, a telephone number, or office hours and location. Thank you, Ben and Sam.

Homework for 1-30

On Thursday, we will be discussing effective speech. As a warm-up exercise for our discussion, I'd like everyone to find and analyze what they think is a successful speech. A great resource for online speeches examples is TED Talks. Watch a few TED Talks, and pick your favorite video. Link it to your blog, and write 250-400 words about why you think the speaker was effective. Pay attention to elements like tone, projection, body language, and use of visuals. What is the speaker's pace or cadence? Is there anything you found ineffective? Come to class prepared to talk about the speech you chose.

Homework for 1-28

For Tuesday, please read and respond to "Detroit vs. Everybody." This article is a form of place description, and closely resembles the type of ethnographic research process you'll be doing for your final project. Pay close attention to how he relates his personal experience to the larger scenery, how he attempts to present an honest and objective portrait of the place, and how his own viewpoints are shaped or disrupted by the reality of his experience.

Shark Tank Example

This is the example we watched in class today. I'll leave it up here for those who missed class, or for those who want to revisit the video to get a better sense of what we're doing.

"Bodies of the Year" homework

For next class, please read Wesley Morris' article "My Bodies of the Year" and respond with a 350-500 word blog post. In your post, please do not summarize the article; instead, engage with the ideas. Do you find Morris' argument compelling? Can you think of more/better examples? Can you think of counter-examples? Why do bodies matter? Do bodies matter more or less in 2014 than they did 10 years ago? If you don't want to talk about the content, focus on the formal elements. Do you think his essay balanced ethos, pathos, and logos? Was his use of the personal story of his mother effective or not? Remember that blogs are multimodal forms of communication, so feel free to link pictures, videos, and other websites to your post.

Would you rather? Feet-Wet Speeches

In class, you will be performing instant, unprepared one-minute speeches on various low-stakes topics. The goal of this assignment is not to deliver a perfect speech, but to understand where you strengths and weaknesses lie in regards to public speaking.

Spring 2014 Syllabus

WRD 111 Spring 2014

Composition and Communication II

Instructor: Owen Horton

Office Location: 1322 POT

Office Hours: 12:30-2:00pm TR

Email: owen.horton@uky.edu

Semester                                              Time                                        Location

Spring 2014                                         TR 2-3:15pm                           CB 239

Overview

Composition and Communication II is the second of two general education courses focused on integrated oral, written, and visual communication skill development emphasizing critical inquiry and research.  In this course, students will explore issues of public concern using rhetorical analysis, engage in deliberation over those issues, and ultimately propose solutions based on well-developed arguments.  Students will sharpen their ability to conduct research; compose and communicate in written, oral, and visual modalities; and work effectively in groups (dyads and small groups).  To learn to analyze a public issue using rhetorical analysis, the entire class will explore together one contemporary social issue and related texts about it.  Students will then be grouped in teams, each of which will explore a different public controversy with a local face (e.g., the use of renewable energy vs. fossil fuels--local angle:  coal mining practices in Eastern Kentucky).  For the first two-thirds of the class, students will decide on their team focus and conduct significant primary and secondary research on the issue, culminating in a series of reports and a group speech.  In the last third of the class, teams will develop digital projects to communicate their well-argued solutions to audiences beyond the classroom.  A significant component of the class will consist of learning to use visual and digital resources, first to enhance written and oral presentations and later to communicate mass mediated messages to various public audiences.  Over the course of the semester, class members can expect to work independently, with a partner, and in a small group (team) to investigate, share findings, and compose and deliver presentations, as well as to practice and evaluate interpersonal and team dynamics in action.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Compose in writing and deliver orally with visuals (in a face-to-face or digital environment) at least one major project grounded in scholarly research in a manner that is appropriate and effective for the audience, purpose, and occasion. (The development of one or more major research projects is the course’s primary educational focus).
• Conduct significant research on a subject, using the resources of the UK Libraries
• Employ advanced strategies for developing ideas and analyzing arguments, with greater emphasis on addressing and mediating issues of public interest, and with evidence of critical thinking in both the conception and the development of the thesis.
• Refine their speaking, writing, and visual communication skills, focusing on matters of construction, design, and delivery style.
• Critique the work of peers and professionals.
• Revise their written and oral presentations, in collaboration with peers, instructor, librarians, and pertinent members of the public.
• Employ and evaluate interpersonal and small group communication skills.

Required Materials

·         Award Winning Essays Reader (available only in bookstore)

·         Everything’s an Argument, 6^th ed., University of Kentucky Edition

·         Pocket Style Manual: University of Kentucky Edition and Pocket Guide to Public Speaking

(Note: these are the handbooks from WRD 110 and will be bundled together at the bookstore.)

·         Other content for reading and/or viewing on Blackboard.

Assignments

Course Blog

As part of your participation in this class you will be maintaining a blog of your writing throughout the term. I will give you writing assignments most nights that will ask you to do a bit of research and to then post your responses to your blog. During class I will refer to the assignments and will periodically ask students to share their responses with the class as a way to begin (or sometimes continue) our conversations. You will need to set up a Blogger (www.blogger.com) blog for this semester and you must email me your URL within the first few days of class. We will spend some time in class introducing the role of blogs.

“Shark Tank” Proposal

Students will write a 600 word (approximately two pages) proposal that presents background and history related to the topic and will show why the topic is one worthy of further research. Students will then deliver a brief, 2-4 minute pitch for their project proposal. Using visuals and props, each student will attempt to “sell” the class on the value and interest of his or her project. Audience will then conduct a brief Q & A will the presenter regarding the merits of the project. Pitches, unlike speeches, have only a small rehearsed portion, and will rely just as much on a student’s ability to answer questions from the audience.

Annotated Bibliography

Students will write three-page (minimum) annotated bibliography that summarizes the research they have completed in the archives, online, and in other sources.

First Cuts Presentation

Students will deliver a formal 4-6 minute speech summarizing and presenting their final project for classmates. This speech should be done with only a minimal outline, and it must include visuals.

Semester Project: Documentary

Our major project is an investigative documentary on a specific group or organization on campus. The goal of this documentary is to investigate what makes this community so interesting to the members, and present your findings to an audience that may have never encountered this group otherwise. The documentary will be a minimum of four minutes long, but shouldn’t be more than six minutes long. Your film will use primary research (from archives and interviews) and secondary resources (from journals or newspapers). You will submit a supplementary bibliography with your film using MLA or APA.

Grading

“Shark Tank” Proposal           15%                            A                     90% and above

Annotated Bibliography          20%                             B                     80% to 90%

First Cuts Presentation            20%                            C                     70% to 80%

Documentary Final Cut           35%                             D                     60% to 70%

Blog and Participation             10%                             E                      59% and below

Mid-Term Grade

Mid-term grades will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar (http://www.uky.edu/Registrar/AcademicCalendar.htm)

Course Policies

On-Time Attendance and Participation

Since discussion will be an integral part of the course, you must be prepared for class, on time, and offer productive comments based on the assigned readings.  Preparation involves not only reading but also making notes about the reading so that you are prepared to discuss issues in depth.  I reserve the right to add quizzes to the class agenda if too many class members appear to be unprepared.

You can accrue three unexcused absences without penalty on a MWF schedule or two unexcused absences on a TTh schedule, but your final course grade will be reduced by a half letter grade for each unexcused absence thereafter.  To receive an excused absence, you must provide official documentation; if for a sponsored University activity (such as intercollegiate athletics), documentation must be provided in advance. The University Senate and the Division of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Media set a limit on total absences—both excused and unexcused—at 1/5^th of the total class meetings.

Students who are at least 10 minutes late will be marked as late.  Each late day will be counted against your participation grade for the day. If a quiz occurs, you can only make it up if you have a valid, documented excuse for your tardiness.  So be prepared and on time!

Late Assignments

Your assignments for this course, including speeches, essays, journals, and informal assignments, are due on the dates indicated in the class outline below or as indicated in class. Late assignments are not accepted.  All assignments must be posted on Blackboard, which applies a date/time stamp to them.  They must be posted BEFORE class in order to be marked as “on time.” If you are absent on a day when an assignment is due, your speech is scheduled, or an exam is given, you will be allowed to hand in or make-up that work only if the absence is officially excused.

Plagiarism

Part II of Student Rights and Responsibilities states that all academic work‚ written or otherwise‚ submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors‚ is expected to be the result of their own thought‚ research‚ or self–expression. See section 6.3.1; online at

http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/Section%20VI.pdf

In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work‚ they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission. When students submit work purporting to be their own‚ but which in any way borrows ideas‚ organization‚ wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact‚ the students are guilty of plagiarism.

Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work‚ whether it be published article‚ chapter of a book‚ a paper from a friend or some file‚ or another source, including the Internet. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as his/her own‚ whoever that other person may be. Plagiarism also includes using someone else’s work during an oral presentation without properly citing that work in the form of an oral footnote.

Whenever you use outside sources or information‚ you must carefully acknowledge exactly what‚ where and how you have employed them. If the words of someone else are used‚ you must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Plagiarism also includes making simple changes while leaving the organization‚ content and phrasing intact. However‚ nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.

You may discuss assignments among yourselves or with me or a tutor‚ but when the actual work is done‚ it must be done by you‚ and you alone unless the assignment has been designed to be conducted with a partner or small group of classmates. All work submitted must be new, original work; you may not submit work you have produced for another purpose or class, including a previous CIS or WRD 110 course.

Class Conduct

Students are expected to:

• come to class prepared (do all reading and come prepared to discuss it; do all homework) and take pride in the work you do,
• offer support and encouragement to your classmates,
• listen to others carefully before offering your opinion,
• talk to me outside of class if anything that happens during class bothers you.

In order to maintain a productive work environment, I expect you to turn off your cell phone before each class period and refrain from eating, sleeping, reading irrelevant materials, talking once class is in session unless asked to do so, and entering the classroom late or leaving early without permission. Students who engage in behavior so disruptive that it is impossible to conduct class may be directed to leave for the remainder of the class period.

Peer Groups

Because most writers, educators, and other professionals must learn to work collaboratively, you will collaborate—cheerfully—with your peers both in and out of class. I will ask you to form groups early in the semester. You will work with this group often in class as well. Treat everyone in this class as a valued colleague, and you will have few problems. That means that you will honor all deadlines agreed to by your classmates as though I were the one who set them and in general be respectful. Consequences for "slacking" may result in anything ranging from a full letter grade deduction for the assignment to a zero (determined on a case-by-case basis).  

Writing Center / Multimodal Communication Lab

The Writing Center is located in W. T. Young Library, Thomas D. Clark Study, Basement, West Wing (phone: 257-1368).  You can walk in or make an appointment online (http://web.as.uky.edu/oxford/). The staff can help you identify and correct problems with all aspects of your writing as well as work with you on visual design. If you have additional problems with your speaking, you may also go to the Multimodal Communication Lab in 106 Grehan (phone: 859-257-8370).  I recommend that you consider going to either location if you feel stuck at any stage of the communication process.

Students with Special Needs

If you are registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and require special accommodations to complete the work for this course, you must produce a letter from the DRC that details what you need before I can grant you these accommodations.  Special accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.  This is a non-negotiable class policy.  Please contact the DRC at 257-2754 if you have questions about your eligibility for special accommodations.

Tentative Schedule

9 weeks, then spring break, then classes end May 2 (14 weeks)

Week 1

Introduction to the Course—syllabus, ice breaker

Week 2

Set up course blog, along with avatar

“Feet Wet” speeches (would you rather?)

Discuss “2013 Bodies”

Review Major Assignment

Week 3

Discuss “Are Video Games Art?”

Discuss Ignite Speech examples

Research and exploration

Examine “No, THIS is Detroit” and/or “Humans of New York”

Photoblog of campus adventure

Introduce “Shark Tank” proposals

Discuss brainstorming and invention ideas

Discuss proposals

Week 4

Proposals Due

Discuss “Detroit vs. Everybody”

Peer Revision and discussion of proposals

Begin “Shark Tank” presentations

Week 5

Conclude “Shark Tank” presentations

Week 6

Discuss “Understanding Film Terms”

Watch and discuss Dark Days

Discuss “The Archive” and “Royce White” (together)

Introduce Annotated Bibliographies

Week 7

Discuss “Born Into Coal”

Visuals in Presentations

Discuss “Philographics” and visual rhetoric

Discuss “Cultural Colors” and why the small things matter

Week 8

Library Trip

Discuss Storyboarding (what is it?)

In-class Brainstorming work on storyboards

Annotated Bibliography Due

Week 9

Watch and Discuss student documentaries

Emailing etiquette

Students should begin filming by this week at the latest

Media Depot trip

Week 10

Filming week

Discuss framing and filming strategies

Discuss interviewing strategies

Week 11

In-class editing week (bring your laptop and come prepared to work)

Week 12

In-class editing week (bring your laptop and come prepared to work)

Week 13

First Cuts Presentations

Week 14

Finish First Cuts

Revision workshops (time to work on your projects)

Week 15

Reflection essay

Teaching Evaluations

Doughnut or Pizza Party?

Final Cut of Documentary Due Friday of Finals Week (we have no exam and will not meet during finals week)