By now, you have practiced 3 of the key elements of writing personal narrative:
- Active, detailed descriptions (i.e. showing, not telling)
- Conflict, leading to change
- Experience, leading to reflection
For your final project in this class, you will create a personal narrative (i.e. a narrative essay told in the “I” voice) based on your experience researching a community of your choosing. Your goal in your work with your community is to enter the kind of “contact zone” that Mary Louise Pratt describes (even if it’s via online interactions to keep safe during the pandemic) in order to learn new things and–potentially–to change your perspective. Examples of these kinds of personal narratives encountering difference include:
- Elliott Woods’ “Garbage City” (Links to an external site.)
- Henry Alford’s “Appointment in Istanbul” (Links to an external site.)
- Amanda Field’s “Cairo Tunnel” (Links to an external site.)
This week, you’ll create a thoughtful proposal for your final class project. Before you do so, please be sure to read the entire set of instructions on the Final Project Assignment Sheet downloadso that you have a clear sense of the full context for this project. Once you have done so, follow these steps:
Step #1: Choose a community that intrigues you. Your topic should be specific, although it need not be flashy. A wide variety of nearby “everyday” communities all around you could make for interesting material. For more information about choosing your community, see the Final Project Assignment Sheet. download
- NOTE: It is recommended that you reach out to your selected community as soon as possible to confirm that they are interested and available to work with you. While I will be giving you feedback/suggestions related to your proposal early next week, you do not need to wait for my response to begin making contact with your group. If scheduling or any other prohibitive factors could impact your ability to work with your first-choice group, it is best to find out early so that you can choose another community, if need be.
Step #2: Create a proposal, with an opening set of reflections to show both me and your Writing Group how you are thinking about this topic. Your assignment this week should include the following components:
-
- You will submit a 1-page proposal of what you plan to do, including which community you have chosen; why it interests you; and how you will access it.
- You will submit a 1-page reflection describing your initial thoughts about the community you chose. What do you think they’re like? How do they spend their time? What unites them? What are their greatest challenges? greatest interests?
- NOTE: Please submit both your proposal & reflection in a single Word document.
- As you explain your chosen topic, please be sure to 1) identify in detail your site and community/subculture, 2) explain your interest in this choice, 3) explain how you will gain access to observations and interviews, and 4) indicate how you will approach/adapt this assignment based on the parameters and options explained above. (For suggestions on this last item, please see the Final Project Assignment Sheet. downloadAnd, in order to get a sense of what things will look like when you’re done, take a look at one of the sample papers from previous students in this class: Sample 1 download, Sample 2 download, and/or Sample 3 download).
- As you complete your 1-page reflection, be sure to employ the skills you developed last week regarding engaging in thoughtful critical reflection about a topic/experience that could end up shifting your perspective. How do you imagine that working with your chosen community might open you to new ideas/experiences/perspectives?
NOTE: When you submit your proposal/reflection to me for grading, remember to also post a copy to your “Writing Group” discussion so that your group members can give you feedback!
By now, you have practiced 3 of the key elements of writing personal narrative:
- Active, detailed descriptions (i.e. showing, not telling)
- Conflict, leading to change
- Experience, leading to reflection
For your final project in this class, you will create a personal narrative (i.e. a narrative essay told in the “I” voice) based on your experience researching a community of your choosing. Your goal in your work with your community is to enter the kind of “contact zone” that Mary Louise Pratt describes (even if it’s via online interactions to keep safe during the pandemic) in order to learn new things and–potentially–to change your perspective. Examples of these kinds of personal narratives encountering difference include:
- Elliott Woods’ “Garbage City” (Links to an external site.)
- Henry Alford’s “Appointment in Istanbul” (Links to an external site.)
- Amanda Field’s “Cairo Tunnel” (Links to an external site.)
This week, you’ll create a thoughtful proposal for your final class project. Before you do so, please be sure to read the entire set of instructions on the Final Project Assignment Sheet downloadso that you have a clear sense of the full context for this project. Once you have done so, follow these steps:
Step #1: Choose a community that intrigues you. Your topic should be specific, although it need not be flashy. A wide variety of nearby “everyday” communities all around you could make for interesting material. For more information about choosing your community, see the Final Project Assignment Sheet. download
- NOTE: It is recommended that you reach out to your selected community as soon as possible to confirm that they are interested and available to work with you. While I will be giving you feedback/suggestions related to your proposal early next week, you do not need to wait for my response to begin making contact with your group. If scheduling or any other prohibitive factors could impact your ability to work with your first-choice group, it is best to find out early so that you can choose another community, if need be.
Step #2: Create a proposal, with an opening set of reflections to show both me and your Writing Group how you are thinking about this topic. Your assignment this week should include the following components:
-
- You will submit a 1-page proposal of what you plan to do, including which community you have chosen; why it interests you; and how you will access it.
- You will submit a 1-page reflection describing your initial thoughts about the community you chose. What do you think they’re like? How do they spend their time? What unites them? What are their greatest challenges? greatest interests?
- NOTE: Please submit both your proposal & reflection in a single Word document.
- As you explain your chosen topic, please be sure to 1) identify in detail your site and community/subculture, 2) explain your interest in this choice, 3) explain how you will gain access to observations and interviews, and 4) indicate how you will approach/adapt this assignment based on the parameters and options explained above. (For suggestions on this last item, please see the Final Project Assignment Sheet. downloadAnd, in order to get a sense of what things will look like when you’re done, take a look at one of the sample papers from previous students in this class: Sample 1 download, Sample 2 download, and/or Sample 3 download).
- As you complete your 1-page reflection, be sure to employ the skills you developed last week regarding engaging in thoughtful critical reflection about a topic/experience that could end up shifting your perspective. How do you imagine that working with your chosen community might open you to new ideas/experiences/perspectives?
NOTE: When you submit your proposal/reflection to me for grading, remember to also post a copy to your “Writing Group” discussion so that your group members can give you feedback!