Hello everyone!
I'm Emma White (she/her), your instructor for the semester.
Welcome to Composition 1!
Blackboard is useful but it's still a little tricky for me here on the back end of things. Please bear with me as I continue to tweak content and fix bugs that become apparent. If you have difficulty with accessing anything on the class page or have questions about content, please reach out via the messaging feature in blackboard or through my ualr email eewhite1@ualr.edu.
About Me:
I'm a graduate student here at UALR earning my Master's in Professional and Technical Writing through the online school. For my practicum, I have the exciting opportunity to teach this course as well as one other during the fall and spring semesters. I've geared my learning here towards new media composition, rhetorical theory, and journalism.
In 2018 I graduated from Brigham Young University of Idaho with my Bachelor's in Political Science. I did an internship stint as a political fundraising consultant which got me interested in furthering my capabilities writing marketing materials and delving into the ethics of political communications.
2018 is also the year I married my husband, Nic. We were best friends in high school, but attended college in different states and lost contact. Upon us graduating, we reconnected. We became a couple and had a whirlwind engagement and marriage! We now have two darling girls ages 2 and 8 months.
I'm located in the greater Seattle, WA area and my time zone is PST. We will still be operating our class as if it were taking place in Arkansas though, so all due dates are in CST!
Some fun facts about me:
I worked at Disney World's Hollywood Studios for a time as a Disney College Program intern back in 2017.
I love watching foreign murder mystery shows.
I've recently been properly diagnosed as a vampire. Well, actually with phototoxicity. But most people refer to it as "sun allergy." Turns out, it's a real thing!
My favorite meals are chicken tacos and the Peruvian dish Lomo Saltaldo.
I am 4 ft 11 in tall.
Regarding your experience in this class:
This is a participation heavy class. What I mean by that is:
you will be reading a lot and writing to experiment with what you were reading about.
My grading style values whether you engaged with the material and attempted to incorporate what you learned about in your writing practice...not your grasp of grammar or spelling.
You and your classmates will be interacting virtually with each other weekly.
As long as you are doing the reading, doing the activities, and asking questions weekly, the bigger writing projects will come easily to you! Your writing style, grammar usage and technical approach to composition are not the main focus of this course. Don't sweat the small stuff. Instead, think bigger!
Instead, our curriculum's focus is on why we write, the processes we go through in writing and the rhetorical skills and strategies you can use to adapt your writing to differing contexts and audiences.
Essentially, I'm designing this course to equip you with knowledge critical to honing your skills as a communicator. Your primary tool just so happens to be the written word.
This is what I'm envisioning throughout the semester for our different units:
We'll first be focusing heavily on introducing the psychological, philosophical and historical background of what the writing process is and how it develops within you. (The first few weeks of class will have more reading than writing.)
Then, we'll start applying your new knowledge and perspectives by practicing crafting some personal introspective writing pieces that will allow you to explore and be creative.
Next, we'll spend a considerable amount of time on best practices for researching, composing, and editing academic papers. This will involve collaborative work with your classmates for constructive feedback as you construct an academic exploratory paper about a social issue topic of your choice.
Lastly, we'll turn out attention towards composition for daily life and professional work. We'll delve into how different context and mediums can drastically alter how you approach addressing your audience. Also, how to successfully use rhetorical strategies to successfully convey your intended meanings no matter the context. This will include learning about visual composition as well as designing your own portfolio website.
I'll be updating Blackboard frequently with new content for upcoming weeks. I will let you know promptly if there are any major changes made to the schedule. I highly suggest not working ahead these first few weeks while I get everything settled on the back end.
I look forward to working with each and every one of you!
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