FYC Spaces: Public Writing "at" USF
Public writing is an integral part of all composition practice, and here, we have created a particular public writing space that works on two levels. First, this public writing space acknowledges that all words, regardlesss of where they are spoken or written, are socially created, and their meanings tend to be negotiated through socially mediated pathways. Second, this public writing space offers opportunities for writers to further develop as writers as they consider the conventions, genres, rhetoric and ethics associated with writing in public environments.
Opportunities to place your work in public spaces require an element of caution. As your writing will be readily viewable for a large public audience, you will need to be attuned to the particulars of public writing. Utilize the benefits of public writing, explore writing for different audiences, learn strategies to vary your rhetorical stance. Add your perspective to the larger conversations, but be mindful that your online readership is multifold and your rhetorical perspective is relative to what and how you wish to present yourself and how you wish to be received by others now--and in the future.
The Symposium
The Symposium is a free-blogging space for all students currently enrolled in any FYC course: 1101, 1102, or online. By historical definition a Symposium is a casual get-together characterized by free entertainment. While that sounds like a blast, the word Symposium more often than not refers to the communication that happens at such events: a free-exchange, sharing of ideas. Some of these communicative exchanges can be serious, such as political or philosophical debates; or, they can be more subdued, such as offering advice to others or funny stories/anecdotes for support. The overarching purpose of this space is to facilitate interaction between all sections of composition at USF.
Celebrating Student Success
This space is devoted to celebrating and acknowledging the tremednous work done by FYC students by sharing student work and projects for all people to see. On this website, you will find many things, from blogs, to resources, to mulitmedia compositions. Below is a breakdown of some of the most key components of the site.
Discussions and Blogs: This website is also a hub for sharing, collaboration, and showing off! Part of being a successful student is maintaining motivation and oftentimes motivation comes from the words of others. On this site you will see blogs in which instructors are sharing materials and student work and you will also find a list of blogs that are kept by students who have taken FYC at USF.
Multimedia: Composition is not limited to computer or handwritten text; it also refers to the putting together and composing of images, audio, and video! This space is filled with student vlogs, social action videos, podcasts, and more. All of these multimedia are fully accessible and display the great skill and expertise of our FYC students.
Bullitzer Prize
At the end of every academic year, the FYC program awards Bullitzer Prizes to outstanding student work done in composition classes (ENC
1101, 1102, and 1102 Online). Instructors nominate students' work for
this Bullitzer Prize, and these individual students will then be asked
to upload their work to the website. Then, a committee, consisting of
FYC instructors, review all of the submissions and choose the most
outstanding work done for each project. The student work is then
included in the following year's FYC course reader for thousands to see
and marvel!
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