On Tuesday, September 12th, you and a peer will share your own and discuss others' historical trace projects. This project asks you to select a topic, theme, or theory and research its historical connections in composition journals, editions, and other venues.

description of historical trace project
To contextualize composition practice and theory, you will explore an area of composition of interest to you and your peer. You may select a topic that directly relates to either your pedagogy or teaching presentation projects. Your historical project should provide members of the class with a sense of history and changes around a topic in our field.

Guidelines for your historical trace project:

• Choose a topic, issue, or theory of interest to you and your peer (See possible lesson section in the lesson plan project and possible topics section of the composition teaching presentation project for ideas).
  
  
• Select five articles, essays, or other citable sources from 1960 to 1995 that are related to your chosen topic.
  
  
• Select five articles, essays, or other citable sources from 1996 to present that are related to your chosen topic.
  
  
• Draft a 1-2 page reflective exploration of your topic. This reflection should discuss the search terms you used; any challenges you had finding articles in the two time periods; note any differences in the style, tone, or prevalence of the articles, essays, or other sources; and analyze what these differences might signify. How has the treatment of the issue developed over time. What does your research on the topic reveal about the discipline of rhetoric and composition?
  
  
• Create an annotated bibliography of your 10 sources using the rhetorical precis guidelines.
  
  
• Email your reflection and annotated bibliography to our class listserv by 2pm Friday, September 8th.
  

evaluation of historical trace projects
Your thoughtfulness, complexity, and overall contribution to stimulating our class discussion. Of course, the quality of your writing and use of sound document design principles will be other criteria in the assessment of your project. Note: 10 points will be taken off for late projects.

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During the semester, you will develop a composition pedagogy project. This project asks you to connect the course readings, your own research, and your teaching and administrative experiences to develop a pedagogical portfolio.

description of pedagogical portfolio
Your pedagogical portfolio should focus on a particular assignment and place it within a larger classroom context. Prior to completing this project, which is due on Tuesday, October 17th, you will submit a project proposal. This proposal should outline your agenda for the project. Additionally, you will be presenting your project in mini-workshop to our class.

Guidelines for your one-two page pedagogical portfolio proposal:

• Define the audience(s) for your project (Consider which teacher profile best describes your audience--secondary teachers, GTAs teaching first-year composition, instructors teaching advanced composition--and consider the student population as part of your audience too).

• Describe the purpose(s) of your project (Consider what you are trying to achieve: teach a particular revision strategy for a first-year composition course on argumentation, provide information about document design for a business writing course, offer a plan for library research for high school students. Articulate the purpose of your lesson).

• Identify your rationale(s) for this project (Think about why this project is useful for you and the audience(s) you have defined. Explain the relevance of the lesson for your own teacher development).

• Prepare a working bibliography (Despite the fact that this is a "pedagogy" project--just as with all other aspects of our course--I expect your project to be grounded in research. Consult the course bibliographies, the bibliographies of the course textbooks and website, and conduct another search for resources related to your lesson).

This proposal is due on Tuesday, October 3rd. Please email me a Word file attachment and bring a hard copy to class.

Guidelines your pedagogical portfolio:

• Provide a one-page, single-spaced overview of the audience(s), rationale(s), and purpose(s) of your pedagogical portfolio. This information can be taken directly from your plan for the pedagogical portfolio.
  
  
• Construct a specific lesson plan to implement your work (2-3 single-spaced pages). Draft this plan as if you were going to have someone else teach your course. Thus, this plan should include the supplies needed to teach the lesson, specific activities and times devoted to each activity, a script for the course day, and a reflective statement on the relationship of these activities to other course goals and projects. Of course, the specifics of your plan are dependent upon the topic you are teaching. Please speak with me about this component if you need more guidance.
  
  
• Create the supporting materials (2 or more well-developed documents). These materials may include a handout that you would give to students. They could be a website with a specific task for the course day as well as other resource links on the topic. You may include a writing prompt that you would give to students. The supporting materials are any documents you would create for the students participating in the lesson you are constructing. Again, please speak with me about this component since it is entirely dependent upon your lesson.
  
  
• Provide an MLA bibliographic reference list of resources you used to develop your portfolio.
  

Your pedagogical portfolio is due on Tuesday, October 17th. You should email me electronic versions and bring a hard copy of the portfolio to me on the first presentation day. Remember you should be prepared to run a 20-minute mini-workshop on your lesson. Your presentation can be further enhanced by PowerPoint or other electronic media. It should be evident to all of us that you are prepared not only to present your lesson (15 minutes or so) but also to reflect on its significance in a particular course (5 minutes or so).

possible lesson ideas
You may select any area of composition teaching that is most intriguing to you. I have listed some possible topics here, but you may pursue any other area that interests you.

invention	grammar	citation methods	document design	ethics
arrangement	technology	library research	argument	plagiarism
style	new media	electronic resources	alternative texts	ideological analysis
rhetorical analysis	grading	field research	peer review	classroom management
visual rhetoric	paragraphing	collaboration	service learning	oral presentations
spatial rhetoric	planning	revision	genres	workshops

evaluation of pedagogical portfolio
Your portfolio will be evaluated based upon its contribution to the practice of teaching writing, its attention to detail, its assessment of audience(s), purpose(s), and rationale(s) as you have constructed them, and its thoroughness, complexity, creativity, and feasibility. I also will evaluate your delivery of the mini-workshop and your discussion of the lesson's significance. Of course, the quality of your writing and your use of sound document design principles will be other criteria in the assessment of your written portfolio.
Note: Your grade on the portfolio will be lowered by 5 points if your plan or project are late.

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description of composition teaching presentation
Because our course time is limited, we cannot cover all areas of composition research. Thus, you will select a topic or specialization in composition scholarship, research that topic or specialization, and deliver a 25-minute presentation on that topic or specialization to the rest of our class. This presentation is not a mini-workshop where you take us through a lesson. Instead, you will talk as an expert about this particular topic or specialization and offer us an intellectual exploration of it. In addition to creating a bibliography that you will distribute to your classmates, you will complement your script with PowerPoint slides, visual aides, and/or other handouts.

Guidelines for your composition teaching presentation:

• Create a written script of your presentation (including times for each part of the discussion). This script must cover four major areas: 1) a historical overview of the topic or specialization, 2) implications of the topic or specialization for teaching, 3) a research agenda for the topic or specialization, and 4) rationales why you selected this topic or specialization.

  historical overview
  Provide a well-planned discussion on the history of your topic or specialization in composition (When and how does the topic/specialization emerge? Who are the major figures discussing this topic or contributing to this specialization? What types of questions, concerns, and issues are they attending to? What types of research practices are they employing?).

  teaching implications
  Explain the implication of this topic or specialization for our teaching. (How does it affect our teaching? How does it influence our classroom practices? change our interactions with students, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in education? What are some of the possible benefits, drawbacks, complications, complexities? How does it reflect certain values of education?)

  research agenda
  Create a research agenda related to the topic or specialization. (What research still needs to be done? What methodologies should be explored? What overlaps, elisions, exclusions, additions, cross-pollenations need to occur in this area?)

  rationale for topic or specialization choice
  Explain why you and your partner selected this topic or specialization. (How does it impact your roles as teachers and researchers of composition? What contribution would you like to make to this area of composition studies? How has your research on the topic or specialization changed your perspectives on it?)

• Include an MLA bibliography on the topic or specialization. It is excellent if you can draw from course reading bibliographies, course textbooks and bibliographies, or other resources.
  
  
• Create PowerPoint slides, visual aides, and/or other handouts to complement your delivery.
  

Your written script, bibliography, and other complementary materials are due on Tuesday, November 28th, and the presentation of the projects will be on either Tuesday, November 28th or Tuesday, December 5th. In addition to bringing a hard copy of your script and bibliography to me, you should email a copy of your bibliography and complementary materials (when applicable) to the class listserv for your peers. It should be evident to all of us that you are well prepared to present for 25 minutes and that you have written a script to guide your delivery.

possible presentation topics
You may select any area of composition that is most intriguing to you. I have listed some possible topics here, but you may offer any other area that interests you.

esl	basic writing	writing center theory	writing across the curriculum	writing in disciplines
slat	professional writing	advanced composition	literacy theory	disability studies
service learning	postcolonial theory	postmodern theory	english education	field formation and deconstruction
methodology	writing program administration	writing assessment	intellectual property	new media
working conditions	institutional structures and practices	composition history	literature in the writing classroom	creative non-fiction

evaluation of composition teaching presentation
Your presentation will be evaluated based upon the written documents you provide to me and your delivery of the presentation to our class. The presentation's thoroughness, complexity, and creativity will be taken into account. Of course, the quality of your writing and use of sound document design principles will be other criteria in the assessment of your presentation. Note: Your grade on the presentation will be lowered by 5 points if your plan or project are late.