6 Things You Need to Know for a Successful FASTrack Bridge Project

  1. WRIT 102 is 101’s Big Brother/Sister

Writing 101 and Writing 102 are closely interconnected. In WRIT 101, you were introduced to the world of college writing, learning how to read actively, think critically, and compose print and digital texts that meet the expectations of both academic and public audiences. In WRIT 102 you will continue to build on these skills as we place increasing emphasis on how various forms of primary and secondary research can strengthen your writing.

  1. Next Semester, You Get a Theme: “Re-Thinking America”

We will look carefully at the United States’ commonly accepted social and cultural norms as part of a semester-long conversation about the myths, truths, stereotypes, and controversies that make America such a wonderful and complex country.

In order to prepare for WRIT 102, we need to start thinking about what America means to us as individuals. We'll need to push past the obvious clichés (e.g., "the land of the free and the home of the brave") and dig more deeply into in the nation’s cultural fabric. To focus your thoughts and in lieu of the in-class essay, please complete this bridge assignment over the winter break.

  1. People Think Differently about the United States?

"The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement."

--James Truslow Adams

"The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it."

--George Carlin

  1. Project Breakdown

(1) Take 6-11 ORIGINAL photographs or video clips of people, places, or objects that exemplify what "America" means to you. These images do not necessarily have to be positive/patriotic. N. B.: You should avoid stock images of American flags, bald eagles, past and current politicians, well-known American symbols/monuments (Mount Rushmore, The Statue of Liberty), etc. We are interested in your own personal ideas and examples.

(2) In your Commonplace Book, create a Listicle (List+Article) with your digital artifacts. Arrange your photos/clips in an ordered list and give it a title (For example, “7 Small Town American Values” or “11 Broken American Dreams”). Underneath each photo/clip, type a 50-100 word analysis that explains how the image represents your own personal feelings and perceptions about the USA. Avoid simple summarizing or describing the photo/video clip. Instead, consider the following questions: How does this relate to “American values,” the “American Dream,” and/or what it means to be “American?” More importantly, perhaps, why do so many of us—see the quotations above—disagree on the answers to questions like these?

  1. Keep This in Mind

Purpose: To create an authentic, coherent, and original photo essay in a Listicle format in which you combine images and text to explain your personal feelings and perceptions of America

Audience: A general academic audience who is interested in young people's various views of America

Assessment: This project is worth 5% of your final course grade in WRIT 102 and will be graded according to the guidelines explained on the grading rubric.

Deadline: Post in your Commonplace Book before class begins on Monday, January 23

  1. Need Help?

Listicle Form: http://mag.uchicago.edu/arts-humanities/listicle-literary-form

Inserting photos:

Inserting videos: https://help.edublogs.org/upload-video/