Assignment #1: An Exigent Matter

Communication doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it begins as a response to a rhetorical situation. That means writers choose to speak because something in the world demands it: an event, a trend, a conflict, or a shared concern. In this assignment, you will analyze how writers respond to contemporary issues through argument, evidence, and language. This assignment asks you not just to analyze arguments, but to enter the conversation — responding to a real rhetorical situation using journalistic writing, research, and your own collected data.

Assignment #2: Neighborhood Profile

Neighborhoods are more than boundaries on a map—they are lived spaces shaped by history, culture, and everyday practices. In this assignment, you will create a layered profile of a New York City neighborhood using digital mapping tools, demographic data, historical research, direct observation, original photography, and an interview with a neighborhood inhabitant. Your goal is to understand how data, space, history, and lived experience intersect.

Assignment #3: Digital Community Profile

For this assignment, you will select an online community (social media page, website, hashtag feed, discussion forum, blog, message board, etc.) and observe the participants, their behavior, their demeanor, and their reactions/interactions to/with one another. You are encouraged (but not required) to engage in the community to inform your analysis.

Assignment #4: E-Portfolio and Self-Assessment (Part 1)

Assignment #4: E-Portfolio and Self-Assessment (Part 2)

The portfolio and self-assessment are in many ways the most important documents that you’ll create for this class. Assembling the portfolio will help you to see your progress in written communication over the course of the semester; the self-assessment will give you the chance to evaluate that work based on your own criteria as well as the course learning outcomes.

Assignment #5: Final Presentation Assignment