Experimental Autobiography Project:

• Instructions: Students will be telling their life story (or a section of it linked by themes, emotions, characters, “lessons, memories, or “touchstones”) through the mode of genre. For example, in class we read “Horror Story” by Carmen Maria Machado, a short story that uses a ghost story to investigate the demise of a marriage and its emotional ghosts. Students are not beholden to the factual truth of their life events, just the emotional truth. Dates, people, setting, events all can be changed or modified to better get at the core of the emotionality of the story they are trying to tell. You must also incorporate an object that has a personal meaning or history attached to it as a part of Angela Dunne’s assignment requirements. The length is not of concern to me, it will simply be as long or as short as best serves the story you are telling. What I will be looking for is effort, a connection between the story you are telling and the genre being employed, a distinct voice, and some sort of emotional arc.
  • P.S. Typically autobiographies are told chronologically, but remember this is experimental and you are not beholden to those restraints. You can play with time, order, memory, etc. Just make it have some internal logic that works in the context of your story. Students will be working on this intermittently until the end of the semester where they will eventually post it (or a reflection on the process of writing) onto the Academic Commons. There will also be a presentation where students must present for 3 to 5 minutes on their experimental autobiography, either from reading a section, speaking to the writing process, or a hybrid approach. All brainstorming, outlining, and writing will be conducted in class (unless the student is consistently absent, therein which they will be responsible for their own time management.)

Research Essay:

• Instructions: Students will research a topic of their choosing. It is best to select a topic that is interesting to your personal interests and sensibilities. Independent research will be conducted with the use of both popular and scholarly sources. Students will be partnered into groups of 2, where they will present their topic and argument to each other. It is the paired groups job to individually find connective threads between each of their arguments. They must incorporate that connection into their own research essay (briefly or extensively, it is up to each individual however it should feel thoughtful and well connected, not random). The essay will be at least 3 pages long + a Works Cited. All work, writing, and research will be conducted in class (unless the student is consistently absent, therein which they will be responsible for their own time management.) The essay should be in proper MLA, with a clear thesis, and coherent and complex argument that is developed throughout the duration of the essay. Due Date: TBD.

Documentary Assignment: 

• Instructions: After having completed the documentary “How to Survive a Plague” students will be given a list of possible topics in connection with the viewing that they may choose from. Once their topic is selected, they will be responsible for writing and conducting research on said topic. The assignment will be at least 2 full pages with a Works Cited written in MLA. There should be a clear and identifiable thesis, a cohesive and developed argument, valid sources, and a clear voice. There should be a clear connection between the documentary and the research conducted, with students displaying a deep understanding of materials, complex ideas, and the ability to connect and synthesis ideas from multiple sources. All work, writing, and research will be conducted in class (unless the student is consistently absent, therein which they will be responsible for their own time management.) Due Date TBD.