8/29: Welcome to ENGL 201W
Hello! I’m happy you’re here! I’ve designed this course to introduce students to ways that collaboration happens in writing studies research. You will practicing various forms of collaborative interactions–writing, reading, speaking–throughout the semester. We’ll start getting to know each other today by reviewing the syllabus and this course site. And perhaps not surprisingly, we’ll also do some writing and sharing.
What’s that header image all about?
I try to be intentional about the work I bring to students and colleagues. Because this is an advanced writing class, I wanted to pair images that relate to the content of the course. The Metropolitan Museum of Art–often referred to as “The Met”–has a searchable database of images, many that exist in the public domain. Using that database, I input the search term “writing” and clicked “Open Access.” The above writing board, from Ancient Egypt c. 1981-1802BC (so old!) was one of the first images I found. The image immediately spoke to me for the way it reflects my own concepts of writing processes in the 21st century. Specifically, I see how a student has written and revised, with traces of older drafts on one side of the board. I also see the markings of a reviewer–a teacher maybe, or perhaps the writer going back over their work with red ink–which is a familiar form of revising, even with electronic and computer-based documents. This image reminds me of my writing process and that of many of the student-writers with whom I work.
Individual Work
It’s your turn to pick an image that represents you in some way. Access the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s searchable database, input search terms that relate to some aspect of you, and make sure you click the “Open Access.” You may choose to represent yourself as a writer, but I also invite you to use another identity category, if you’d like. Your goal is to find an image that speaks to you and write about why, similar to what I did above.
Collaborative Work
Get into pairs or small groups, introduce yourselves, and share the images you chose, identifying the reasons for your choices. We’ll go around the room and share as a larger group.
HOMEWORK
You will create your own free website at WordPress.com. If you succeed in creating the site, email me your new web address at andrea.efthymiou@qc.cuny.edu. Practice creating a blog post by posting your in-class writing to your new website. Introduce the image you chose by using the title and time period provided on the Met’s website; build upon your in-class writing by adding what you learned from sharing your work with others. You can title that post “Blog Post 0” (or create your own unique title!).