The Assignment

This assignment gives you a chance to reflect on what you know about writing, and how what you know shapes your decisions about how you write. Reflection gives you a better understanding of what you know about your subject. This semester we have used reflection in this way on several occasions. For this final assignment, you’ll use reflection to develop a theory of writing. Your theory of writing will serve as the introduction to your portfolio–it should be on the introductory page to your portfolio website, and should be from 600-900 words.The digital portfolio should contain, at a minimum, all of the major writing assignments from this semester:
Theory of Writing.
The Inquiry Based Essay
The Source Based Essay, 
Composition in Two Genres Assignment
Through your application of key rhetorical terms–rhetorical situation, audience, author, tone, purpose, genre, medium, stance, and language–you have been developing your theory of writing and exploring how it informs your practice of writing. As a result of your work with these rhetorical concepts and writing strategies, you have had the opportunity to create a knowledge base of writing and its practices.
For this assignment, describe your theory of writing. Using the key terms and strategies, describe what you believe it is important to know about writing. Then, describing your writing process and your writing for this semester, describe how what you believe about writing shapes your writing. Use examples from your work for this class, for other classes, or, if useful, your non-academic life to demonstrate this relationship between theory and practice.
Frame your theory of writing as a narrative–what did you believe about writing coming into this class, and how has that theory changed with each assignment? If there were any significant events that had an impact on you–a certain assignment, comments from peers and instructors, or something else–use that event as a way to shape your narrative. What is different about how you write now? Be sure to describe writing that took place outside this classroom–your theory of writing should be expansive enough to shape your writing across multiple contexts.
This final reflection is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your increased knowledge in writing–the practices of writing, the key terms, and any specific skills you’ve acquired.
Format (Example:https://smenglishcomp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/)
 
 
 

In this assignment, you will strategically target a specific audience(s), then develop key messages to communicate to that audience–based on knowledge of your topic gained from developing the research essay–and finally create two genres designed to communicate those messages to your audience(s). 

You will also write a rationale to communicate the connections between genres and your strategies for choosing them, and you will write a reflection that will consider the effect of these choices on your audience.

This assignment requires you to engage your critical thinking, rhetorical awareness, and reflection capabilities in order to most effectively communicate with your specified audience. Your strategy will determine the choices you make in communicating to your audience, how you present the research, and what you create to convey your message. 

The composition must include:

• Two genres of communication created for your audience(s)
• A rationale for your composition (1-2 pages) that orients your reader to the purpose of your work and its significance to your audience
• A reflection (1-2 pages) that outlines the process from audience strategy to final composition, exploring the rhetorical choices—genre, stance, and rhetorical situation—you made in creating this project

Format (Example: https://smenglishcomp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/composition-in-two-genres/)

4-5 pages, 12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, paginated with last name and page numbern

Timeline

• Composition in Two Genres Draft | Due 11/15
• Final Submission of Composition in Two Genres | Due 11/26 

Examples of Possible Genres (and example of assignment: 

• Drawing, Image, Art Collage
• Song, Poem, Short Story
• Advertisement, Pamphlet, Newsletter