Creative Arts and Community
English/MCSP 125 Winter 2016
Instructor: Dr. Julie Babcock babcockj@umich.edu
Primary Office: 1349 North Quad, (inside the Sweetland Writing Center)
Secondary Office: MCSP Main Office in West Quad (where I will be for the office hours listed
below)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-2 and by appointment
Departmental Description of English 125: Writing and Academic Inquiry
This class is about writing and academic inquiry. Effective arguments stem from wellformulated questions, and academic essays allow writers to gain deeper understanding of the
questions that they are exploring. In this course, students learn to create complex, analytic,
well-supported arguments that matter in academic contexts. The course also hones students’
critical thinking and reading skills. Working closely with their peers and the instructor, students
develop their essays through workshops and extensive revision and editing. Readings cover a
variety of genres and often serve as models or prompts for assigned essays. The specific
questions that students pursue in essays are guided by their own interests.
Departmental Student Learning Goals
In the English Department Writing Program, our overall learning goals for students in English
124 and English 125 are as follows:
 To produce complex, analytic, well-supported arguments that matter in academic
contexts.
 To read, summarize, analyze, and synthesize complex texts purposefully in order to
generate and support writing.
 To analyze the genres and rhetorical strategies that writers use to address particular
audiences for various purposes and in various contexts.
 To develop flexible strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading writing of varying
lengths.
 To develop strategies for self-assessment, goal-setting, and reflection on the process of
writing
Course Introduction for This Particular Creative Arts and Community Section
In December 2015, just a few weeks ago, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds
Act to replace The No Child Left Behind Act. One of the tangible changes of Every Student
Succeeds is that America’s public school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
curriculum will now integrate creative arts as integral rather than extracurricular activities
(STEAM).
What are the possibilities and challenges of this change? How is the role of the creative arts
being reimagined in the 21st century?
Creative arts include a wide range of disciplines and professions—from writers to urban
planners; from artists to architects, from filmmakers to actors, graphic designers, and
musicians. In this course, you will be conducting field research for local creative arts
organizations of your choice, writing in many different genres, and practicing increasingly
challenging kinds of arguments. These arguments are indicative of the kinds most often
assigned and valued in University courses. By the end of the term, you should be able to
identify and make some common academic moves relevant to your future coursework.
The writing you do in this course will also give you experience in active learning, navigating
interpersonal relationships, and creating primary documents that participate in relevant,
current conversations about creative arts. I hope that you will leave the course understanding
that writing is, as rhetorician Amy Devitt argues, “a dynamic social action.” Writing provides an
opportunity for us to learn more about ourselves and each other. It also provides an
opportunity for us to take action on the basis of what we learn.
Project Assignment Sequence
Formatting for both drafts and final copies should be double-spaced, standard 11-12 point type
with one-inch margins. The default citation style for English-related disciplines is MLA, though
if you’re accustomed to APA or Chicago, you may use that instead. Check out the link on the
syllabus under “texts” for a link to Purdue OWL’s free citation guide.
Careful reading, class discussion, and constructive peer criticism are all prerequisites to turning
in your projects.
Project One—Positioning Narrative
3-4 pgs, 10% of final grade
Key Academic Move: Reflective insight
Project Two—Event Review
4-5 pgs, 20% of final grade
Key Academic Move: Analytic claim
Project Three—Narrative Interview
6-7 pgs, 25% of final grade
Key Academic Move: Implicit claim
Project Four—Dialogic Argument
6-7 pgs, 25% of final grade
Key Academic Move: Claim as dialogue
Project Five—Tumblr Self Reflection
Equivalent of 2-3 pgs, 10% of final grade
Key Academic Move: Sequenced argument
Course and Workshop Participation
You receive a checkmark for each short assignment, discussion prompt, and peer review
process you complete satisfactorily. Your participation score will be calculated as a
percentage of overall possible checkmarks. For instance, if you have 18 out of 20
possible checkmarks, you have a 90%. There will be opportunities throughout the
semester to receive bonus checkmarks. 10% of final grade
I grade on a standard 10-pt scale:
A 93-100, A- 90-92.99, B+ 87-89.99, B 83-86.99 B- 80-82.99 and so on
Course Texts
I have put together a selection of readings that you can access for free at our class website:
https://creativeartsandcommunity.wordpress.com/. You may choose to print out the readings
and bring them to class on relevant discussion days, or you may choose to bring a laptop.
Purdue OWL. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University,
2015. Web. Sept. 2015.
Fieldwork Notebook
The fieldwork notebook is your place to record specific observations and artifacts relevant to
this course and to your specific research work. You will be drawing on this fieldwork notebook
for class discussions and project work.
Preface each entry with time, date, and location information. Feel free to collect artifacts here,
make annotations, add photographs, videos, brochures, or quotes. The fieldwork notebook is a
pre-analytic place where you record factual observations and questions. It is not a place where
you form arguments about these observations. During your project work, you have the
opportunity to use any of your fieldwork notebook entries as points of entry into inquiry,
analysis, or argument. In your final course project you will be using some of the artifacts you
have collected in your fieldwork notebook to create a Tumblr site that makes a sequenced
argument about your writing and research experience this semester.
You may choose an electronic or hard copy notebook.
Sweetland Center for Writing
The Sweetland Center for Writing—located at 1310 North Quad—is an amazing, free resource!
If you would like additional feedback or assistance as you’re planning, drafting, or revising your
writing assignments, you can schedule an individual appointment with a Sweetland faculty
member, drop in for a peer-tutoring session, correspond online with a peer tutor, or submit
your work online to receive feedback within 72 hours. For more info, visit:
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduate
Attendance Policy






Because our course foregrounds discussion, close engagement with the readings, and
close engagement with each other’s writing, attending class is crucial for your own
success and for the success of the course.
You may miss two class sessions without penalty.
I will excuse your absence if you bring me a note from a doctor or health professional, a
signed letter from a University team or program, or documentation of a family
emergency.
Once you have reached your limit of two unexcused absences, I will lower your final
daily engagement grade by one letter for each additional absence (i.e., an “A” grade will
become a “B”).
If you miss class, please ask another student to share his/her notes and tell you about
what you missed.
Please make sure to arrive on time for class. Arriving late causes you to miss important
material and is disruptive to others. I will count three late arrivals as one absence
.
Late Work
I only accept work on or before the day it is due unless you have made prior arrangements with
me or unless you have an excused absence that wasn’t possible to tell me about beforehand. I
am flexible with due dates if you make prior arrangements. If you do not, however, the late
work is entered as a 0. If you foresee a problem with a deadline, please discuss this with me
before the deadline arrives.
Academic Integrity
The phrase “academic integrity” is an important one in any university. It allows scholars and
students the opportunity to communicate and work on their research in a productive
environment. It is a phrase that gives you a certain amount of freedom, and with that freedom
the responsibility to be ethical in your work and in your interactions with others. Plagiarism is
perhaps the most well-known of the academic integrity infractions and it occurs when you
submit a paper which in whole or in part has been written by someone else or which contains
passages quoted or paraphrased from another’s work without proper citation.
If you commit an act of academic dishonesty in this course either by plagiarizing someone’s
work or by allowing your own work to be misused by another person, you will face the
following consequences, which are specifically outlined on the university’s website:
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/academicintegrity/
 You will fail the assignment and may fail the course.
 I will report the incident to the Director of the English Department Writing Program.
 I will also forward your case, with an explanatory letter and all pertinent materials, to the
LSA Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.
 The Dean will determine an appropriate penalty, which may involve academic probation
and/or community service.
 If you commit plagiarism while you are already on probation for plagiarism, you may be
asked to leave the University.
If you have questions about academic integrity and/or plagiarism, I would be happy to talk with
you.
Accommodations
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with University of Michigan policy, I am happy to provide accommodations for
students with learning disabilities, and I will protect the confidentiality of students’ individual
learning needs. I work closely with the Office for Students with Disabilities (SSD), and if you
have not already contacted them, I encourage you to do so. Please email me by the second
week of the term if you would like to show me your letter from SSD describing approved
accommodations. I will set up a confidential appointment with you to discuss accommodations.
http://ssd.umich.edu
Religious Observations
If a class session or due date conflicts with your religious holidays, please notify me so we can
make alternative arrangements. In most cases, I will ask you to turn in your assignment ahead
of your scheduled absence, but, in accordance with U-M policy on Religious/Academic conflicts,
your absence will not affect your grade in the course unless you exceed the maximum number
of absences allotted for the course. http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p10_3
Mental Health Resources
As a student, you may experience challenges that negatively affect your learning, such as
anxiety, depression, interpersonal or sexual violence, difficulty with eating or sleeping,
grief/loss, and alcohol or drug problems. The University of Michigan offers several confidential
services that you might find helpful for addressing such challenges, including:



Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): 734-764-8312
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) 24-Hour Crisis Line: 734-9363333
Psychiatric Emergency Services: 734-996-4747.
If you have a diagnosed mental health condition, you may also be able to register with Services
for Students with Disabilities: see http://ssd.umich.edu/mental-health-conditions
Course Schedule
Readings and Assignments are due on the date listed. Discussion/Activities happen that day in
class.
Date
Wk 1
Th
1/7
Wk 2
T
1/12
Discussion/Activities
 Course
introduction:
Writing and
cultural context
 Poetry cultural
context exercise
 Identifying class
subcultures
exercise



TH
1/14




Wk 3
T
1/19


Share DSP
responses
Introduction to
your field
notebook
Introduction to
Project One
Stopping time
Making reflective
insights
Audience and
purpose
How to write a
peer critique
letter
Writing workshop
for sample papers
Organization and
Style: Modeling
Reading Due
Assignments Due

DSP prompt and your
DSP essay

Reread the DSP prompt
and your essay. Write a
one-page (250 word)
analysis of the
cultural/subcultural
contexts enacted in
these pieces.

Sherman Alexie “The Joy
of Reading and Writing:
Superman and Me”
(located on our website)
John Rosenthal,
“Thoughts on
Photography” (located
on our website)

Choose one of the two
essays and write a onepage analysis that
discusses its primary
reflective insight and
uses evidence from the
text to support your
analysis.
Optional extra credit:
Go to one of the MLK
symposium events
anytime this month,
write a field notebook
entry, and share it with
the class:
http://oami.umich.edu
/um-mlk-symposium/
Student sample papers
(distributed in class)





Sample critique letters
Rough draft of Project
One to CTools dropbox
and emailed to
exercise
Th
1/21



Wk 4
T
1/26

groupmates by class
time on Wednesday
Peer workshop
Reflective action
plan
How to find local
creative arts
events

Peer drafts

Peer critique letters
shared with me and
your groupmates on a
Google doc.
Introduction to
Project Two


Arts at Michigan Events
Ann Arbor Observer
Events
“Writing Fieldnotes”
(located on our website)

Final draft of Project
One due in CTools
dropbox by class time.
Choose two possible
events to attend
Event this Evening: Dan
Goods, "Seeing the
Unseen"
“Positioning Yourself”
(located on our website)


Th
1/28

Positioning: The
relationship
between research
and the
researcher




Wk 5
T 2/2
Th


Reviews from art[scene]


Making an
analytic claim
Audience and
tone: ethos,
pathos, logos

Writing workshop

Sample papers

Read the event preview
for Dan Goods and
write a 1-2 paragraph
positioning statement
about your
expectations for the
event. Draw on the
“Positioning Yourself”
reading for inspiration.
Go to the event tonight
and take fieldnotes! Or,
if you can’t attend,
read this and take
notes: Dan Goods: JPL's
Science Seer
Annotate the reviews
to find the primary
analytic claim and the
evidence used to
support that claim. If an
analytic claim seems to
be missing, generate a
claim for the review
based on the best
evidence the review
provides.
Sample paper critique
2/4

Wk 6
T 2/9


Th
2/11


Wk 7
T
2/16


Th
2/18


for sample papers
Presenting your
evidence
effectively

letters
Rough draft of Project
Two due in CTools
dropbox and to
groupmates by
Sunday
Writing workshop
for peer group
Reflective action
plan

Peer drafts

Peer critique letters
shared with me and
your groupmates on a
Google doc.
Introduction to
Project Three
How to write a
query letter


Project Two due in
CTools dropbox by
class time
Interview
research: how to
ask and how to
listen
Observation:
reading a cultural
artifact exercise
Making an
implicit claim
Triangulating
evidence:
topic/issue,
personal history,
and interview
excerpts
Writing workshop
for sample papers
Scene and
Summary
Individual
conferences

Read available literature
relevant to the event
you attended and
choose three people
whom you’d like to
interview
“Interviewing: How to
Ask and How to Listen”
(located on our website)

Make three interview
queries
Generate a list of
closed and open
questions


Alec Wilkinson “Your
Face in Lights”
“An Ailey Dancer Finds
the Voice He Lacked as a
Boy”

Sample papers

Wk 8
T
2/23

Th
2/25

Wk 9
T
2/30
Th
3/1

Spring Break

Spring Break

(distributed in class)



Write a one-page
response for one of the
narrative interview
essays that articulates
the implicit claim of the
essay and explains the
evidence that helps you
understand it
Sample paper critique
letters
Rough draft of project
three due in CTools
dropbox and to your
group by Fri.
Wk
10
T 3/8

Th
3/10





Wk
11
T
3/15


Th
3/17


Wk
12
T
3/22



Th
3/24


Peer writing
workshop
Claim checking
exercise

Peer drafts

Peer critique letters
shared with me and
your groupmates on a
Google doc.
Introduction to
Project Four
Locating issues
Forming driving
questions for
writing that
incorporates
multiple sources
Annotated
bibliographies

Your previous projects
for this course
TBA

Project Three due in
CTools dropbox by
class time
Identify three issues
that have been either
explicitly or implicitly
referenced in your
previous projects. Craft
a clear, specific
sentence for each issue
Academic
research in the
digital age:
Google, YouTube,
and ArticlesPlus
Storyboarding
claims, reasons,
and evidence


Your own research
“Storyboards” from Craft
of Research (located on
our website)

Research your driving
question through
Google, YouTube, UM's
ArticlePlus search and
write an annotated
bibliography entry for
one source in each of
those three searches
Making a claim as
part of a
conversation
Positioning

TBA

Writing workshop
Organization and
resistance:
another claim
checking exercise
Audience:
envisioning
audience with
pitch letters
Sharing pitch
letters
Introductions and
Conclusions

Peer drafts

Use your new sources,
as well as two from
your previous projects,
and craft a storyboard
Rough draft of project
four due in CTools
dropbox and to your
group by class time on
Mon.
Peer letters

Revise your project
according to peer
workshop and your pitch
letter




Write a pitch letter to a
specific audience for
Project 4
Wk
13
T
3/29



Th
3/31


Week
14
T
4/05
Th
4/07



Week
15
T
4/12

Th
4/14



Introduction to
project 5
Positioning
exercise
Introduction to
Tumblr

Creating a
reflective
sequence
Creating a visual
argument
Tumblr workshop

Handout on visual
arguments

Bring in three of your
favorite artifacts from
your work over the
semester.

Tumblr drafts

Draft of your Tumblr
site due to be shared in
your group
Tumblr
presentations to
your group
Writing a
reflective
introductory
paragraph that
synthesizes and
introduces your
group’s Tumblr
projects.
Tumblr
presentations to
the class

Groupmates’ Tumblr
project drafts


Revise your project
Comment on your
groups’ Tumblr projects

As a group, post your
Tumblr links together
with your
accompanying
introductory paragraph
to our course blog after
you complete your
presentation. As
individuals, post your
Tumblr link and an
individual introductory
paragraph to CTools.
Tumblr
presentations to
the class
Final class day
thoughts
Course
Evaluations
Three Tumblr sites that
interest you



Project Four due in
CTools dropbox by
class time
Bring your laptop to
class
Create a Tumblr
account