Weekly Course Schedule
(Subject to change. Check course website and Moodle for most updated schedule.)
Week One – Introduction / What is Civic Engagement?
Tues. 1/10: Introduce syllabus and course overview. In class writing – what is your personal definition and experience of “civic engagement”? Watch Civic Engagement 101
Thurs. 1/12: HOMEWORK DUE: Create an account on Perusall. Please read and annotate Wheatley, “Willing to be Disturbed” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Primary texts for the semester posted on course website and Moodle. Reflective writing: Revisit your in-class writing from Tuesday. After completing the reading and discussion for today, how has your definition of “civic engagement” developed? Setting up classroom discussion parameters and community expectations. Discussion of a very brief history of civic engagement and importance of communication/writing/rhetorical agency.
Week Two – Civic Engagement and Pop Culture
Tues. 1/17: HOMEWORK DUE: Please read and annotate Jenkins, Peters-Lazaro, and Shresthova, “Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination – Foundations” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Please fill out this contact form. Revisit discussion of Wheatly, “Willing to be Disturbed.” Rhetorical agency and power. Civic imagination and storytelling.
Thurs. 1/19: HOMEWORK DUE: Please watch Black Panther (2018).
IN CLASS: Black Panther and civic imagination. Scenes from other movies and TV shows exhibiting civic imagination and influence of storytelling. How does storytelling help us influence audiences and create a better future for our communities?
Week Three – Civic Engagement and Democratic Life
Tues. 1/24: NO CLASS – Dr. Andersen is away at a one-day conference.
Thurs. 1/26: HOMEWORK DUE: Please read and annotate Thomas, “‘America is a Republic, Not a Democracy’ is a Dangerous – And Wrong – Argument” and Levitsky and Ziblatt, “The Crisis of American Democracy” in Perusall. (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: What IS democracy, anyway? Democracy vs. civic engagement. Eric Liu’s argument for reviving our belief in democracy. Importance of community-building in democratic life. Communicating in a democracy vs. communicating in a republic? Looking at examples of writing geared toward representative government vs government by the people.
Week Four – Why are Writing and Civic Engagement Important? / Why Not Let the World Burn? / Community Engagement (It’s Not All “Political”)
Tues. 1/31: HOMEWORK DUE: Please read and annotate Carnegie, “Gen Z: How Young People are Changing Activism” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Discuss reading. Is the apathy society claims young people feel toward civic issues real? Does Carnegie’s article describe you? Looking at example of writing for civic purposes: grant with match. Grants.gov and other resources.
Thurs. 2/2: HOMEWORK DUE: Sample Doc: Grant executive summary and project narrative outline.
IN CLASS: Discuss and review Sample Docs. Grants as a genre and document design. Introduce Civic Identity Poster assignment.
Week Five – Your Civic Identity / What Issues are Important to You?
Tues. 2/7: HOMEWORK DUE: Revise Sample Doc: Grant Proposal Exec Summary and Project Narrative Outline from last class.
IN CLASS: Discuss and review Sample Docs. Discuss Civic Identity Poster assignment. Who are you as a civic being? What does it mean to be civically active? Brainstorming ideas for Civic Identity Poster. Finding your passion and purpose.
Thurs. 2/9: HOMEWORK DUE: Civic Identity Poster due.
IN CLASS: Civic Identity Poster presentations.
Week Six – Local Community Rhetorical Strategies and Civic Engagement
Tues. 2/14: HOMEWORK DUE: N/A (Perusall error! Oh no!)
IN CLASS: Program proposals, pitches, and budgets. Why pitching a program or initiative to specific stakeholders is essential for local civic engagement leaders. Identifying stakeholders. Proposals and pitches as genres.
Thurs. 2/16: HOMEWORK DUE: Sample Doc: Program Pitch
IN CLASS: Discuss Sample Docs. Pitches! The power of budgeting. Exercise: creating budgets.
Week Seven – Media and Civic Engagement
Tues. 2/21: HOMEWORK DUE: Finish Sample Doc Budgets. Please read and annotate Barthel et al, “Civic Engagement Strongly Tied to Local News Habits” and Wen, “New Findings on Media and Civic Engagement” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Media’s impact on civic engagement. How local news impacts community engagement. Civic journalism, and interacting with journalists as community leaders. Speeches, speech writing for others, and public speaking (yes – we’re going there! I’m sorry!!).
Thurs. 2/23: HOMEWORK DUE: Local news treasure hunt (see this post). Put your response in your Google Drive folder for the class.
IN CLASS: Discuss homework. Working with the media. Speeches as a genre. Examples of speeches.
Week Eight – Digital Communication and Civic Engagement
Tues. 2/28: HOMEWORK DUE: Sample Doc Speeches (introductions + outlines for the rest of the speech).
IN CLASS: SNOW DAY – We’ll be working asynchronously. See this post for directions.
Thurs. 3/2: HOMEWORK DUE: Please read and annotate Jenkins, “Youth Voice, Media, and Political Engagement: Introducing Core Concepts” and Sweet-Cushman, “Want to Build Students’ Civic Engagement? Teach Them How to Use Social Media” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Discuss readings. Using social media for civic engagement. Where to find reliable sources on social media. Civic influencers. social media kits as a genre. Examples of civic social media campaigns. Sample Docs: Social media kit creation
Week Nine – SPRING BREAK
Week Ten – Civility, Rhetoric, and Civic Engagement / Civility and Social Justice / Is Civility a Lie? / Civility as a Rhetorical Tactic
Tues. 3/14: HOMEWORK DUE: Finish Sample Doc: Social Media Package.
IN CLASS: Wrapping up social media discussion. Semester recap. Letters to officials as a powerful tool. Knowing your representatives. Letters to officials as a genre.
Thurs. 3/16: HOMEWORK DUE: Finish Sample Doc: Letter to Representative. Please read and annotate Benson, “The Rhetoric of Civility: Power, Authenticity, and Democracy” and Packer, “When is Civility a Duty, and When is it a Trap?” (Directions on how to use Perusall can be found here.)
IN CLASS: Civility as a rhetorical tactic – is it always effective? What do we really mean when we call for “civility” in civic engagement? Different types of civility. Introduction to Community Issue Brief.
Week Eleven – Analysis of Civic Campaigns and Writing Genres
Tues. 3/21: HOMEWORK DUE: Begin working on Community Issue Brief. Please also come to class prepared with questions for our guest speakers.
IN CLASS: Guest speakers: Cindy DeRama, Co-Owner of Twin Elephant Brewing Company; and Brie Devlin, Marketing Manager of Czigmeister Brewing Company
Thurs. 3/23: HOMEWORK DUE: 1st Draft of Community Issue Brief due. Please also come to class prepared with questions for our guest speaker.
IN CLASS: Guest speakers: Jodi Magee, MSW; President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health and Cofounder, Global Doctors for Choice (retired)
Week Twelve – Analysis of Civic Campaigns and Writing Genres
Tues. 3/28: HOMEWORK DUE: Finish peer review of CIB.
IN CLASS: Guest speakers: Amanda L. Raudenbush, AICP, CFM; Planning Director of Bethlehem Township, PA. Introduction to Op-Ed assignment.
Thurs. 3/30: HOMEWORK DUE: 2nd Draft of Community Issue Brief due.
IN CLASS: Guest speaker: Lee Clark, MABC; Councilman-At-Large for Phillipsburg, NJ and Local Assistance Outreach Manager for New Jersey Future in Trenton, NJ.
Week Thirteen – Final Guest Speakers and Civic Engagement Experience Project Work
Tues. 4/4: HOMEWORK DUE: Begin working on Op-Ed article assignment. Find one example op-ed piece from a newspaper from the past weekend and annotate – what do you like bout the piece? How does it make use of some of the typical structure and genre characteristics we discussed in the assignment guidelines?
IN CLASS: Guest speakers: Evie Tilney and McKitrick Chabot, Blairstown Enhancement Committee Leadership Team
Thurs. 4/6: HOMEWORK DUE: 1st Draft of Op-Ed due. (Draft should be completed before class time and should be in your Google Drive folder.)
IN CLASS: Peer review during class. Introduction to final project and brainstorming.
Week Fourteen – Civic Engagement Experience Project Work
Tues. 4/11: HOMEWORK DUE: Brainstorm and develop plan for Civic Engagement Experience Project.
IN CLASS: Individual Conferences – sign up using this link. NO CLASS MEETING.
Thurs. 4/13: HOMEWORK DUE: 2nd Draft of Op-Ed due. Begin reaching out to appropriate stakeholders/organizations/etc. in preparation for project. If needed, make an appointment with the Writing Collaboratory and/or the librarians for help brainstorming or researching.
IN CLASS: Project Check In #1. In-Class time to work on project.
Week Fifteen – Civic Engagement Experience Project Work
Tues. 4/18: HOMEWORK DUE: Begin working on written portion of final project. If needed, make an appointment with the Writing Collaboratory to help with design and content.
IN CLASS: Project Check In #2. In-Class time to work on project.
Thurs. 4/20: HOMEWORK DUE: 1st Draft of Civic Engagement Experience Project due. (Draft should be completed before class time and should be in your Google Drive folder.)
IN CLASS: NO CLASS MEETING. Peer review groups will be assigned via email. Please email me to set up extra conferences if needed!
Week Sixteen – Course Conclusion
Tues. 4/25: HOMEWORK DUE: 2nd Draft of Civic Engagement Experience Project due. (Draft should be completed before class time and should be in your Google Drive folder.) Be prepared to present.
IN CLASS: Project presentations and course wrap up.
Thurs. 4/27: HOMEWORK DUE: Final revisions of all documents MUST be in Google Drive folders no later than 5pm – no exceptions!
IN CLASS: NO CLASS MEETING. Thanks for a wonderful semester!!!
