RHET 1311 Fall 2013

Disciplinary Literacy Report Assignment Description: UALR for You: An Insider Guide to Academic Disciplines (By Students, For Students) is paying for new submissions in the form of short discipline-focused chapters. In need of some quick cash, you decide to submit a chapter on your discipline/area of interest (figuring it will be slightly less painful or boring than donating blood or flipping burgers). You go to their website to look at the submission guidelines: Were looking for a few good whistle blowers. Our guides are aimed at high school seniors and college freshman who are trying to decide on their academic futures. (audience!) Your job is not to persuade these students to choose your discipline, but to give them an honest and accurate idea of what it means to major in __________ and, perhaps, even what the professional future might hold for them after they graduate from Purdue with a degree of that kind. A great way to get started with this assignment is to think of the questions you had (and might still have) about why one should or should not follow this particular academic/professional path. To be accepted by UFY, your chapter submission needs to have the following elements (a total of at least seven pages): A cover pageThis should be a single page that has a catchy title setting up the information that will follow, your name, any other relevant information, and an image or images that are indicative of your discipline (all in a well-designed format that conveys the tone of your field). (first draft due, in-class, ) A table of contents & discipline introductionone to two paragraphs giving a basic description of your discipline (with citations), its subdisciplines, possible professions that arise from your discipline, a handful of links that your audience can use to explore that discipline, and a table of contents (Ill show you how to create this). (first draft due, in-class, ) Three interviews/profiles in the disciplineyou need to speak with: o a senior or junior student within your discipline, o a professor (preferably one who teaches in the subdiscipline/speciality in which you are most interested), o and a practitioner in this field. For each of these interviews you will need to (WT, Ch. 5): Draft a set of initial interview questions, which you will send to your interviewee in advance. However, you can of course ask more and/or different questions in the actual interview. Obtain a photo of the interviewee. You can take one, ask them to send you a photo, or get one online (if possible, and with their permission). Create a profile of the interviewee in which you set the scene (where/when did you meet), give a background of how they came to work/study in that discipline, relate an anecdote(s) of their experience in that discipline, and either relate parts of your conversation in an interview format or weave it into the profile as dialogue. These profiles should include the interviewees photo and share a common design. (All rough drafts due in-class: First Interview, due; Second Interview, due ; Third Interview, due)

RHET 1311 Fall 2013

A concluding summarya concluding section in which you: reflect on how each of your interviews contributed to or changed your understanding of your intended major/field, reflect on your new understanding of the field and its related professional opportunities, and give advice to your audience based on what you have learned (Rough Draft: due) Letter of reflection(one to two pages) This is your chance to: share why you were/are interested in this discipline and what youd like to do professionally based on this interest. reflect on: o how what you have learned in creating this report has influenced your understanding of your major, as well as what the future might hold for you based upon your new level of enlightenment o what you learned about writing for a specific audience o what you learned about document design A revision plan, to be turned in with your final draft(one to two pages) Based on the feedback of your instructor and your peers, this is a plan that highlights what changes and improvements you will make in your final draft This should act as a guide for you in creating your final draft, as well as a guide for me in assessing how much you have revised. It can be in paragraph or list form. (Draft due) Jessica Jacobs, the Editor-in-Chief of UFY:AIGAD, looks forward to reading your submissions, as well as giving you up to 250 points of credit in payment. Happy writing! Condensed Schedule of Due Dates RD First Interview RD Second Interview RD Third Interview RD First Person Summary: First Draft Complete Brochure (incl. Cover & TOC): First Draft FINAL Complete Brochure, including revision plan and marked-up drafts

2/16, in-class 2/21, in-class 2/23, in-class 2/24, in-class 2/28, in-class 3/10, in-class