WRA135 Achievement Requirements ]|[ WRA135 Homepage ]|[ WRA135 Schedule

WRA135:
SERVICE-LEARNING
WRITING PROJECT
AGENCY LIST FOR PROFESSOR DOWELL's
FALL SEMESTER 2007 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

QUICK LIST FOR AGENCIES:

YouVote.msu.edu

WHAT IS THIS PAGE?

Below is the Service-Learning Writing Project (SLWP) Community Partner Agency, Agency Contact People (with contact information), and SLWP Students (with contact information) - along with miscellaneous Agency Notes - who will be in partnership with John A. Dowell's WRA135 class for Fall Semester of 2007 at Michigan State University's Department of Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures.

NOTE TO PARTNERSHIP AGENCY CONTACTS

I have made every attempt to keep your agency's information up-to-date; please inform me of any needed clarifications, amplifications, or corrections. Also please note you may see what my SLWP students have done for your agency at any time by simply clicking on their name(s) in the "Note(s)" column, taking you to their "Service-Learning Writing Project Webfolio" which, in part, constitutes 45% of their Final Evaluation for the course.

NOTE TO PARTNERSHIP SLWP STUDENTS

As you see, your agency's staff will be viewing what you write for them; I - your instructor - am IN NO WAY your "sole audience." Please always bear this in mind as you submit material in your SLWP Webfolio.

NOTE TO ALL INVOLVED

Please bookmark this page. I offer my thanks to everyone, and ask you all to please immediately inform me of any needed policy/partnership changes, amplifications, or clarifications as the Fall Semester of 2007 develops.

With my thanks to all....
John A. Dowell
 Agency
  Contact Person / Projects
 Students

YouVote.
msu.edu


.msu.edu

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Jill Clark

Phone: 517.355.5060
Email: clarkji2@msu.edu

Fall '07 YouVote
STUDENT PROJECTS:

Assignment Four - To be posted by each individual by 5PM on 12.7.07 (linked from your Fact File page)

Individual writing assignments this time. You will be reading this essay ("Generation NeXt Comes to College") by Mark L. Taylor as well as viewing this video (A Vision of Students Today) by Michael Wesch about engaging Millennial students. As you're from the very cohort the pieces actually address, your job is to produce two essays relating to the reading and the viewing.

First, a "simple" reaction essay of 400-500 words which offers your evaluation of both the Wesch video and Taylor essay. This informal piece should be thought of as a base - a "platform of takeoff," as it were - for your next writing.

Second, a schloarly essay of 500-700 words offering suggestions aimed at helping YouVote better reach its audience, all based upon the video, Taylor's essay, and your reaction to it (i.e., your previous piece). This second essay is to provide a well-reasoned argument, making good use of evidence (which is to say it would likely be smart to cite Wesch and/or Taylor when appropriate).

Assignment Three, Phase 2

Your group will be producing a promotional video for YouVote. These are to be approximately (and at least) 30 seconds in length, have a clear thematic tie to YouVote, and reference YouVote.msu.edu at some point in such a way as to direct the audience to the website. This reference may be as simple as placing the text onscreen, so long as your final video is thematically appropriate.

This project will be completed in three stages, all of which will be detailed when assigned. First, you will compose and submit a proposal, which will then be subject to approval. Following approval, you may then move to the composition of a script/screenplay, also subject to approval. Once both stages of your plan have been approved, you may then move on to the production stage.

Each stage - proposal, script/screenplay and product - will be assigned to you with a specific deadline. If you fail to meet any of these deadlines, you will be unable to proceed to the next step. More importantly, any missed deadlines will result in failure of the entire project. This video constitutes your semester project, and as such, will require a significant amount of time and attention. A zero grade for the project will seriously jeopardize the service-learning component of your Final Evaluation.

Creatively, this project is wide open. You must adhere to a theme appropriate to YouVote and consider your audience, but may pursue any topic or theme within those criteria. Stylistically, you are encouraged to be as creative as you like; however, given the public nature of this project, as well as YouVote's attachment to MSU, you must adhere to basic, "common sense" standards of appropriateness.

Assignment Three, Phase 1 - Due from Moes 10.11.07 @ 5PM

For the initial stage of your YouVote video project, you are to submit a proposal, in paragraph form, addressing all relevant aspects of your project design.

Your proposal will serve as an outline for your project, and is subject to approval. After you have submitted on Thursday the 11th, revisions may be required. (Do not move forward with your project until your proposal has been accepted.) Adhering to the list below - including its order - your proposal should be professional and concise, yet descriptive and answer the questions completely. While the elements are mandatory, they are also open-ended to encourage individual interpretation.

  • Objective: What do you plan to accomplish?
  • Audience: For whom are you producing, and how have you considered this in your design?
  • Concept/Synopsis: WhatÕs the plot? How do you plan to accomplish your objective?
  • Style: Genre? Methods?
  • Additional Media: Will you be using still photography, text, music, etc.? If so, what? Why?

In regards to the above, be sure to discuss the reasoning behind your groupÕs decisions. Avoid starting sentences with, ÒWe are doing this becauseÉÓ and so on and so forth, ad nauseum.

Proposals will be due in duplicate via email to both me and Prof. Dowell no later than 5:00pm on Thursday, October 11th.

Assignment Two - Due from Groups 9.27.07 @ 5PM

Groups are to submit questions for their interviews. Each group is to send Jill two lists of questions via email: 3 - 5 "general" questions that everyone will ask, and 2 group-specific questions for just their own group. From the pool, Jill will send out the "winners," so to speak, of the general questions, and everyone will use those. The others are simply subject to a yea or nay from Jill.

Assignment One - Due from Moes 9.18.07 @ 5PM

(Note: Mike's group has Bev Baten; Spencer's, Diane Goddeeris; Christine's, Roger Peters; and Marcus's, Nathan Triplett.)

For this assignment, your group will compose a brief introduction to your East Lansing City Council candidate. This will be twofold. The first section needs to give your audience background information on the candidate - that is, personal info. Who are they? Where are they from? What is their education level, and where did they go to school? Expand on this where possible, but be careful not to cram in so much information that the readers lose interest.

Next, you will need to address "the issues" that are driving their campaign. Check http://www.cityofeastlansing.com, and call or email University faculty and staff (Community Relations, IFC, etc.) for information. Also, Ginny Haas and Sharon Reid, both of whom will be in class Thursday, are great sources of answers to questions relating to the City Council. Outline at least two of these issues, taking care to supply background information before addressing your candidate's position.

To end your piece, you will need to supply contact information for the candidate. If they have a website, include it. If a picture is available - and only if you have permission - include that, as well

Finally, remember that YouVote has to remain impartial. While you may certainly feel free to include candidates' quotes if you are able to contact them within the next few days, be careful not to, explicitly or implicitly, endorse your candidate.

Moes will need to email me their group's completed assignment by 5:00pm Tuesday, September 18. You can either attach it as a Word document (not <.docx>, please) or paste it into the body of your email. At the end of the email, tell me when you called your candidates' office to set up your forthcoming interview, and the time you will be meeting to conduct it.

Ultimately, these should be 500-650 words, although going slightly over the limit is acceptable (for comparison, this document has 377 words). Don't forget to write with your audience in mind - this isn't a super-formal, "academic" work. Basically put, keep it informal, but maintain a knowledgeable, trustworthy tone. If you quote anyone (these should be few and brief, if used at all), make sure to cite your source.

If you have any more questions, send me an email at clarkji2@msu.edu.
Student Webfolios for WRA135:5-F07
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Group One:
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Group Two:
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Group Three:
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Group Four:
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WRA135 Achievement Requirements ]|[ WRA135 Homepage ]|[ WRA135 Schedule
created: 9/25/00
revised: 12/10/07

							http://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/135/AgencyList-F07.html