Welcome to ENC2135

Welcome to ENC2135.

As a way to introduce you to this class, I am providing here a rundown of the major class policies and requirements. In this post, you are required to complete a few major tasks, so be on the lookout.

In this class, you will learn to navigate: your brand, your product and your network. And in that spirit, I would like for you to consider DJ Kahled.

Khaled is the master of navigating all three of these concepts. Whether he is shooting videos of himself on his boat on Snapchat, collaborating with Rhianna, or selling Silk Soy Milk, he is always consistent with his brand. His brand is hip hop, luxury, gratitude and fun. DJ Kahled loves things: water skis, fruit, shoes, his son. Therefore when DJ Khaled films a commercial saying he loves Silk soy milk, those who recognize him believe him. His products are: Snapchat videos, songs, Twitter, Instagram, etc. You will create your own Wix/E-Portfolio website and it will represent YOUR brand as a student. This is a portfolio of your work this semester, which can be used on your resume after the class is complete showing not only who you are, but writing samples, passion for your field of study, and ability to design a website. Almost all organizations and employers are looking for people who can represent yourself in digital spaces. When putting together your About Me page, don’t limit yourself to what you like to do (for example: wakeboarding, guitar wailing, or Netflix binging) but who you want to be. Even if you have not selected a major yet, think about how you see yourself as a future person. This is a Work-in-Progress class. Your Wix page/ ePortfolio will be where you grade comes from, which means all assignments will be posted there as well as on the class Canvas portal. All grades throughout the semester will be considered “in progress” until the end of the semester. Good news is that you have the opportunity to revise your first two projects if you are not satisfied with your grade. However, this class is structured where one project leads to the next, which leads to the next. This means that deadlines are a big freaking deal. Miss a deadline, your grade is drastically affected. See the Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus for specifics, but it breaks down like this: late blog or short assignment, you get half credit. One minute late is still late. You upload a major project late, it is one letter grade for every day the paper is late.

By the end of the semester, your Wix/e-Portfolio will include a minimum of 6,000 words. This class is both Interactive and Exploratory. You are expected to provide your services as an editor, a collaborator and a member of a small support team. 7% of your grade is Participation, which means providing feedback, interacting in small online groups and interacting on Twitter. Additionally, this class is exploratory. You are asked to compose projects from an objective viewpoint, which means you have not taken a side on an issue. We don’t write argument papers in this course. This is a composition class, but we do much more than write essays. For project #3, you will take the information from project #2 and compose three different pieces which, depending on your audience, could range from a video, a photo collage, a song, or more. You will decide which composition to create by analyzing which mode and genre would be most appropriate for your audience. The theme for our class is Pop Culture. All of our projects are connected with Pop Culture in that Project #1, you will analyze Pop Culture artifacts; Project #2, you will compose a research question which relates something in Pop Culture to the Real World; and Project #3, you will take your research from Project #2 and develop a campaign where you will compose three Pop Culture artifacts, distribute them in digital spaces and then write a report on why you chose to compose those artifacts, where you distributed them and how people responded or reacted to them.

In this class, you will be required to write in 3rd person for major projects. No me, no I, no we, no you. Third person means he, she, it or they. First person writing will only be used for Wix blogs, short assignments and Twitter. Twitter: This is how we communicate. If you are looking for an answer to a question about the class, this is the best place to ask. Everyone in the class will set up a CLASS SPECIFIC Twitter account. Do not use an old account. Do not use an existing account. You must follow the class account and also all accounts which the class account follows. You must tweet 10 times every week. I DO NOT give half credit for half of the tweets. I do not allow “make up” tweets. Tweets are observations and commentary in the moment. It is practice in concise language because 140 characters is not much space. Some people struggle about what to tweet about. Common themes are: genres, writing, research, and how all of these things which we discuss in class relate to Pop Culture. On the Week-by-Week, you’ll see suggested Twitter assignments in the event that you are at a loss for ideas of what to Tweet about. You will also see Mandatory Twitter assignments. These are usually two part assignments which also count toward your Wix blog post grade. If you have a question about the class, do not DM me on Twitter -- Tweet it! If you have a questions, others might also have the same questions. Also, Tweets and all digital writing is up to the same standards as an in-class writing. I do not tolerate trolls. Digital writing, retweets, comments, etc which would be considered racist, sexist, xenophobic, and other general thoughtless cruelty will result in a loss of credit for all the work. Basically, as Spongebob says, “Don’t be a jerk”.

Twitter must have: Profile Photo, Your Name, Description: Student, Location: Florida State University, website: Your Wix site link. [You are not obligated to list your birthday]. You absolutely must go to @BBradley2135 and follow everyone the account follows. You are not obligated to follow the accounts followers. Those are former students.

This is an online class, which means you will not see my face on the regular. This means that checking in is very, very important. If your do not complete assignments, that is the same as missing a class. Attendance (pg 3 of Course Policy Sheet) will be determined on completing assignments before the deadline. There is not “catching up” on work in this class. Missing a deadline results in penalizing your grade and your status in the course. If your miss 4 assignment deadlines, you could fail the course. See the Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus for more information.

Grade requirements (pg 2 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus) - In order to receive credit for this course, you must get at least a C- in the class. This is the official policy of Florida State University. It is impossible to receive a C- in this course by Projects alone. The Wix blog assignments on the Week-by-Week, the Twitter assignments and the Participation projects all go toward determining your final grade and whether you will be asked to repeat this class next semester. Keep up with the Week-By-Week, because some weeks you will have three deadlines to meet, which will all be graded. Participation (pg 2 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus): You will not only be expected to provide peer feedback on their essays, but you will be graded on the feedback you provide. Project Drafts (pg 4 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus): All projects will have more than one draft. The writing process is writing, revising, writing again and this course puts that in action. Each project has a minimum word count. If your graded draft does not meet the minimum word count, you will get an automatic F on the Project and you will not be allowed to revise it at the end of the semester. The word count in Google Docs is different from Microsoft Word, and considering that I grade everything in Word, that is the draft you must use. DO NOT trust the Google Docs word count tool. Late Work (pg 3): Remember, turning in a project late will result in one letter grade deducted from your final grade for every calendar day the paper is late. Wix posts can be turned in late for half credit, but your attendance is determined on meeting these deadlines, and absences cannot be made up. Accountability (pg 6 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus): You are responsible for your grade. I provide the information. You complete the work. At the end of the semester you will have honed a number of skills which will help you in your future courses and careers. But that’s on you. Read the Accountability Agreement and sign the form citing that you understand and agree to these terms. Civility (pg 5 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus): This is an online class and we will not hide behind the anonymity of the internet to spread ignorance and hate. Basically, we operate on the guidelines of “Don’t be a Jerk”. Review the Class Civility Clause and sign the form indicating that you understand and agree to these terms.F Anti-Plagiarism (pg 6 of Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus): Plagiarism, which we will review in further details later in the semester, will not be tolerated. We are going to be remixing and remediating projects, but the blatant act of copy and pasting information online or from other outside sources without proper citations, buying papers, borrowing papers, or using a paper from another class for this class is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. See the Course Policy Sheet for more information.

Now that you have an idea of the major policies of this course, please review the Course Policy Sheet/Syllabus and Week-by-Week , also available on Canvas, and familiarize yourself with what is coming up. If you need to reach me, I am available via email, Twitter, or you can Make An Appointment to talk over video chat in Google Hangout.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT on 8/29, you MUST:

Sign Civility Clause
Sign Accountability Agreement
Set up Twitter Account. Provide profile photo, your name, Description: Student, Location: Florida State University. Then follow fellow classmates. If you have a smart phone, I suggest downloading the app because navigating Twitter on the app is easier than desktop.
Sign up for a free Wix website (See Wix for Beginners on this site for assistance).
Set up both Home and About pages (See Wix for Beginners on this site for assistance).