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ENGL. 200 Intermediate Non-Fiction Writing, Fall 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n W 3:10-6:00<\/p>\n Buttrick Hall, 212<\/p>\n Professor Amanda Little<\/p>\n 917-686-0895<\/p>\n amanda@amandalittle.com<\/a><\/p>\n office hours (Benson 302): Tues, 3:30-5:30 and by appointment<\/p>\n class blog: my.vanderbilt.edu\/artofblogging<\/p>\n The Art of Blogging: Learning How to Write and Think In The Age of Self-Publishing<\/strong><\/p>\n This course focuses on techniques and strategies for successful blogging. Today, just sixteen years after the first blog was published, there are nearly 200 million public blogs on the internet, some of which have larger audiences and more influence than the most esteemed print publications.<\/p>\n Blogs can empower anyone who has something to say, and the ability to say it in an interesting way. Yet very few blogs are well-written and authoritative, or manage to reach a broad audience. In this course we will track and analyze influential blogs in the categories of politics, business, art, lifestyle, and activism. We\u2019ll look to the past, examining the roots of self-published manifestoes that date back to 17th-century, and to the future, exploring multimedia blogging formats and the \u201cmicro-blogging\u201d phenomena like Twitter.<\/p>\n At a time when virtually every public figure from Barack Obama to Lady Gaga has entered the blogosphere, students will come to understand how blogs are revolutionizing the media, powering politics, and shaping culture, and how they are changing the way we write. Students will create and regularly update their own blogs for this course. We will discuss your posts in class and I will critique your writing in private conferences.<\/p>\n August 20\u00a0 Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n What, to begin with, is a blog? Some say we\u2019re in the midst of a \u201crevolution\u201d in communications technology, and that new digital forms of social networking are radically changing the way we think, work, and live. In this first class we\u2019ll tease out what this means: Why are or aren\u2019t blogs revolutionary? What kind of opportunities do they present, and what pitfalls?\u00a0 Students will also introduce themselves, we\u2019ll discuss our various areas of interest, and the blogs we will follow as a class. We\u2019ll review the syllabus, reading materials and ground rules for blog post submissions.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n *Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging<\/em><\/p>\n *Become familiar with the following five blogs:<\/p>\n Ta-Nehisi Coates<\/a>, The Atlantic<\/p>\n Ezra Klein:\u00a0WonkBlog<\/a>, WaPo<\/p>\n Andrew Sullivan, The Dish<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Amy Davidson<\/a>, New Yorker<\/p>\n ThinkProgress<\/a>.org<\/p>\n Writing assignment<\/strong>: Introduce yourself to the blogosphere with a personal bio of 700-900 words. This should be an informal but compelling\u2013which is to say, \u201cbloggy\u201d\u2014piece of writing. Stream-of-consciousness but also structured, raw and sketchy but also polished and authoritative. The central organizing principle of the blogosphere is\u00a0you<\/em> \u2013 the individual. The success of your blog depends on the clarity and confidence you have in your voice and your set of interests, and on your ability to convey your ideas and interests in a compelling way. This is not a typical bio, it\u2019s a window into what makes you \u201ctick,\u201d a chance to write about what you\u2019re interested in and why. You may want to include basic information like where you were born and raised, what schools you\u2019ve attended, jobs you\u2019ve held, hobbies you\u2019ve pursued, but also delve into events and influences that have had a more subtle but profound influence. Perhaps you\u2019ll describe colossal mistakes you\u2019ve made, transformative books you\u2019ve read, music you\u2019ve listened to, sports games you\u2019ve seen, mentors you\u2019ve met, or any other critical influences in your life that have shaped the way you think and that have made you\u00a0you<\/em>. Above all, have fun with it.<\/p>\n August 27\u00a0 Blogging 101<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ll discuss the nuts and bolts of blogging, reviewing and critiquing the advice in Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, and define goals for our own blogs. We\u2019ll also fine-tune the process in our class for submitting posts and reviewing our class blogs at my.vanderbilt.edu\/artofblogging<\/em>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also review and critique the blogs I assigned. In workshops we\u2019ll share our personal bios in small groups and share portions with the class.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading: <\/strong>Read three to five entries from the following 12 blogs. Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ta-nehisi-coates\/<\/a><\/p>\n James Fallows, The Atlantic<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/james-fallows\/<\/a><\/p>\n Amy Davidson, The New Yorker<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/amy-davidson<\/a><\/p>\n Mona Chalabi, FiveThirtyEight<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/fivethirtyeight.com\/contributors\/mona-chalabi\/<\/a><\/p>\n Nate Silver,\u00a0Five Thirty Eight<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/fivethirtyeight.com\/contributors\/nate-silver\/<\/a><\/p>\n Jessie Rosen,\u00a020-Nothings<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.20-nothings.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n The Bloggess<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/thebloggess.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Forsyth, Inky Fool<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/blog.inkyfool.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Evanier, News From Me<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.newsfromme.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Erik Wemple, Washington Post<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/erik-wemple\/<\/a><\/p>\n Brian Palmer, The Explainer<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.slate.com\/authors.brian_palmer.html<\/a><\/p>\n Ed Yong, Not Exactly Rocket Science<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/phenomena.nationalgeographic.com\/blog\/not-exactly-rocket-science\/<\/a><\/p>\n Writing assignment:<\/strong> Choose four of the above blogs and critique them. Which of these blogs interest you most\/least and why? Explore the subtleties of the voice and writing style in each blog, and include examples and quotes from specific blog posts. In your critiques I\u2019d like to see you draw from analysis and techniques of writing and blogging that were presented in the readings \u2014 both in the HuffPo Guide<\/em> and On Writing Well<\/em>. 600-900 words total.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sept 3\u00a0 No Class \u2013 Private Conferences<\/strong><\/p>\n In private 20-30 minute conferences we will discuss your writing style, finding your voice and introducing your blog.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/p>\n On Writing Well<\/em>, Zinsser<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>:\u00a0 I\u2019m keeping the reading to a minimum for this class so you can get your blog underway. Draft your Mission Statement (think of it as an extended \u201cAbout\u201d section) for your blog \u2013 What is your blog about? What\u2019s the range of topics you will address? What will you call it and why? Why is your blog important now<\/em>? What are the other blogs in this space and what makes yours unique? Why are you the one to write it? What do you hope to accomplish with this blog? Think of this assignment as a kind of opening salvo \u2013 clear, concise, confident \u2013 in the same raw-but-polished style you used for your bio. 600-900 words.<\/p>\n September 10 <\/strong> How to Write Well<\/strong><\/p>\n We will discuss the principles of good writing and storytelling that we\u2019ve read in On Writing Well<\/em> and apply these principles to the\u00a0 blogs we\u2019ve been reading \u2013 what\u2019s good about their writing? Where are they failing? We will also watch some TED talks on story telling, and peer-review the \u201copening salvos\u201d we\u2019ve written for our blogs, helping each other refine and amplify your visions for your blogs.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n Say Everything<\/em>, Scott Rosenberg \u2013 first half to Chapter 6, page 165<\/p>\n Telling True Stories<\/em>, excerpts<\/p>\n Writing assignment:<\/strong> Write your first “freestyle” post for your blog, on any top of your choosing. 650-900 words.<\/p>\n September 17\u00a0 Why Blogs Matter, and Where They Come From<\/strong><\/p>\n We will discuss Rosenberg\u2019s survey of the blogosphere, Say Everything<\/em>. What are the origins of blogging? What happens in a culture where everyone says everything? What are the costs and benefits of all this democratized expression\u2014how do we extract what\u2019s useful and ignore what\u2019s useless? We will apply Rosenberg\u2019s insights and analysis to the five blogs we are reading. In workshops we will discuss our own blogs and present portions to the full class with a verbal questions-and-comments session about each blog.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n *<\/strong>Say Everything<\/em> \u2013 second half<\/p>\n Class blogs (the list of 11 blogs above)<\/p>\n Writing Assignment:<\/strong><\/p>\n Using tracking mode in a Word document, produce a thoughtful, comprehensive edit of one of a fellow student\u2019s mission statement and\/or first post. I will assign partners for this exercise.\u00a0 The art of editing takes as much thought and intensity and presence as writing does. I want to see you respectfully challenge and motivate your fellow students in this exercise. Learning to be a great editor will make you a much better writer.<\/p>\n September <\/strong>24\u00a0 The Art of Editing<\/strong><\/p>\n There will be a class appearance via Skype by Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything<\/em> \u2013 we\u2019ll discuss the principles of his book and present selected student blogs to him. We\u2019ll also discuss and present our editing exercises for this week.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT CLASS:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n *Understanding the Media<\/em>: Marshall McLuhan excerpt<\/p>\n *Bloggerati, <\/em>Twitterati: How Blogs and Twitter are Changing Pop Culture, Mary Cross<\/p>\n *Five class blogs<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Rewrite your \u201cmission statement\u201d according to my edits and feedback from classmates in workshops, and write your second free-style blog post. The voice and rhythm of your blog is beginning to take hold \u2014 run with it.\u00a0 Be rigorous about working through the weaknesses we\u2019ve identified in your blog and continue to take risks with your approach and voice. 700-900 words<\/p>\n OR If you\u2019d like a more structured assignment:<\/p>\n Blogs and twitter feeds can spark reactions and events that change culture, as Mary Cross chronicles in her book.\u00a0 Pick a cultural event or phenomenon that has been sparked by a blog or twitter feed in your area of interest; chronicle and analyze it.\u00a0 You could examine, for instance, why uprisings in the Arab world have been characterized as \u201cTwitter revolutions;\u201d or how a little-known blog became a novel or movie (Julie & Julia et al); or how literary blog like \u201cHow I Write\u201d at DailyBeast.com is changing reader-author relationships; or how a twitter feed from a sports fan changed the course of a game; or how a satirical blog spoofing a candidate influenced a political race; or how youth climate activists are using blogs and social media (350.0rg) to build a global climate movement; or how a music blog launched an indie band. If you can\u2019t find an event or phenomenon to chronicle in your area of interest email me and I\u2019ll get you on the right rack.\u00a0 700-900 words.<\/p>\n October 1<\/strong> How Blogs are Changing Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ll talk with Geoff McDonald, Vanderbilt Tennis Coach and author of The New York Times sports blog \u201cStraight Sets.\u201d We will discuss McLuhan\u2019s seminal work and Mary Cross\u2019s Bloggerati and Twitterati, <\/em>and apply these texts to our own work and the five class blogs we\u2019re following. We will workshop and present student blogs and the cultural phenomena you analyzed.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Blogging Heroes, <\/em>by Michael Banks.\u00a0Choose 15 of the 30 interviews\/profile segments to read, be sure to include the segments on Chris Anderson and Brian Lam.<\/p>\n Get up to date on the Five Class Blogs, which we\u2019ll be discussing in class.<\/p>\n Writing Assignment:<\/strong> Write your next freestyle blog post. 700-900 words.<\/p>\n October 8\u00a0 \u00a0Blogging Heroes<\/strong><\/p>\n We will discuss the \u201cBlogging Heroes\u201d of Michael Banks\u2019 book \u2013 the strategies and techniques they employ as writers, the goals and philosophies that drive them, and the business and marketing strategies they use to build their audiences. And we\u2019ll workshop and present a sampling of student blogs to the class.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong>Read comments section in depth on all five class blogs<\/p>\n Read \u201cThe Opt-Out Generation Opts Back In\u201d by Judith Warner in the New York Time Magazine, August 7 issue. Also read Ann Marie Slaughter\u2019s \u201cWhy Women Still Can\u2019t Have it All,\u201d in the Atlantic Monthly<\/em> and examine how these pieces ricocheted through the blogosphere with a selection of spin-off blogs and commentary.<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>: Write your next blog post, on any topic of your choosing. 700-900 words. Also post a response to Warner\u2019s piece on NewYorkTimes.com in the comments section. Put your response in a word document and send it to me along with your post. Posting\u00a0your response to the article will require registering your name\/email on the site, which takes a few seconds.<\/p>\n October 15 The Audience and the Importance of Comment<\/strong><\/p>\n We will Skype with Nicholas Thompson, editor of NewYorker.com.\u00a0In class we will discuss the role of the audience and how the perpetual feedback of the global\u00a0 \u201cpeanut gallery\u201d changes the way we think and write, and the way we revise our thinking and writing. How and why does information \u201cgo viral\u201d online? We\u2019ll examine the blogosphere\u2019s reaction to the Warner and Slaughter articles. \u00a0And we will do an in-class workshop in which we comment on each other\u2019s blogs.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBlack Box\u201d by Jennifer Egan<\/p>\n The F***ing Epic Quest of @RahmEmanuel,\u00a0 excerpt<\/p>\n The twitter feeds of the five class blogs<\/p>\n Writing Assignment: Write a blog post on a topic of your choosing that incorprates twitter \u2014 either periperally or centrally. Your post could be composed as a series of tweets, inspired by the works of Sinker and Egan; alternately, it could be written as a response to a tweet or series of tweets in your area of interest, or you could write up a post on any topic of your choosing, and at the end write several mock tweets promoting your post. 700-900 words.<\/p>\n October 22<\/strong> The Art of Twitter<\/strong><\/p>\n We will Skype with Elliott Holt, and award-winning fiction writer who experimented with twitter as a platform for her art. We will discuss the microblogging platform: What are the synergies between twitter and blogs \u2013 how do they inform and modify each other? How have Sinker and Egan managed to elevate this platform to \u201cepic poetry\u201d? How is twitter changing the dissemination of news, and in turn, news media? In workshops we\u2019ll apply the lessons learned from the reading to the twitter feeds of the five blogs we\u2019re following, and we\u2019ll discuss and share our own twitter-style blog posts.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bloggers on the Bus<\/em>, Eric Boehlert, excerpt<\/p>\n The Argument<\/em>, Matt Bai, excerpt<\/p>\n Five Political Blogs in depth<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>: Write a blog post about American politics in 2013: Present your opinions on a current political issue in manifesto form. It\u2019s not the substance of your opinion on politics that matters so much as how you present it, using the blogging techniques we\u2019ve learned throughout the semester.<\/p>\n October\u00a0 29 \u00a0Blogs and Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n The week before midterm elections, we will open class by skyping with Howard Fineman, editorial director of Huffington Post\/AOL. We will discuss with him his experience as a political blogger, and more broadly the influence of blogs on politics, and politics on blogs. We will analyze and discuss the five political blogs we read for class in depth. We will discuss how blogs have changed \u2013 and perhaps even revolutionized \u2014 politics in the last decade.<\/p>\n For next week:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Mike Allen, \u201cPlaybook\u201d on Politico<\/p>\n ThinkProgress.com blogs in depth<\/p>\n The 5 most influential political blogs, details to come<\/p>\n \u201cA Blogger\u2019s Creed,\u201d Andrew Sullivan<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>: Write a freestyle blog post on any topic of your choosing, ideally with a political angle. 700-900 words.<\/p>\n November 5 \u00a0Blogs and Activism<\/strong><\/p>\n In the wake of the midterm elections, we will speak to Lisa Hymas, editor of the activist site Grist.org, about the influence of blogs on activist movements in America.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n View a collection of current vlogs, specifics to come<\/p>\n Assignment<\/strong>: Option: Write another freestyle blog entry on any topic of your choosing, 700-900 words. -OR- Make a video blog \u2014 \u201cVLOG\u201d \u2014 entry for your blog and\/or bring images into your blog entries. Supplement your vlog with a brief post explaining and illuminating the use of video and images in your blog.<\/p>\n NOVEMBER 12<\/strong> The Vlog<\/strong><\/p>\n Blogs are often only as strong as the images that illustrate them. We will discuss the increasing integration of words, images and video in the blogosphere. Has the internet become a kind of TV station, and blogs just another form of reality TV? We will discuss the marriage of pictures and words. We will also schedule student conferences this week to discuss and plan for your final projects.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n Five Class Blogs<\/p>\n Also research in depth the other blogs in your field of interest \u2013 not just the one blog you\u2019ve been following but at least three others, examining and comparing the techniques used as you read.<\/p>\n Writing Assignment:<\/strong> Critique the broader genre of blogs in your field of interest \u2013 how are bloggers taking different approaches to the same topic? Who is doing the most interesting work and how has it changed the way you read and understand the blog you have been following, and the way you write your own blog?<\/p>\n Nov 20\u00a0 THANKSGIVING BREAK<\/strong><\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK:<\/p>\n Reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Five class blogs in depth<\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>: Write your final blog entry.\u00a0 Read through all your blogs as a full body of work and begin editing them.<\/p>\n Nov 26 Professional Blogging<\/strong><\/p>\n Rufus Griscom, a top digital consultant to Conde Nast, will speak to our class via Skype about how to take your blogging skills into the real world.<\/p>\n FOR NEXT WEEK<\/strong><\/p>\n Writing Assignment<\/strong>:\u00a0 Rough Draft of your final essay \u201cWhy My Blog Matters\u201d Reflect back on the blogging voice you have developed, excerpting from the full body of blog posts you\u2019ve assembled. Reflect on readings in class and the blogs followed in class. Critique the evolution of your own voice.\u00a0 2000-3000 words<\/p>\n December\u00a0 3<\/strong> The Wrap-up<\/strong><\/p>\n Insights, gripes and revelations: We\u2019ll discuss our final projects and lessons learned throughout the course.<\/p>\n Dec 10 <\/strong> Final Projects due<\/strong><\/p>\n Submit your full body of edited blogs and the final 2000-3000 word analysis paper: \u201cWhy My Blog Matters\u201d<\/p>\n Grading:<\/strong><\/p>\n Class Participation: 25 percent<\/p>\n Short writing assignments, collectively: 50 percent<\/p>\n Final reported piece: 25 percent<\/p>\n Honor code and plagiarism<\/strong>:<\/p>\n You must observe the Vanderbilt Honor Code for all work in this course. Work completed for this course must be entirely yours and any outside materials must be credited. If you\u2019re ever in doubt, check with me before turning in the assignment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ENGL. 200 Intermediate Non-Fiction Writing, Fall 2012 W 3:10-6:00 Buttrick Hall, 212 Professor Amanda Little 917-686-0895 amanda@amandalittle.com office hours (Benson 302): Tues, 3:30-5:30 and by appointment class blog: my.vanderbilt.edu\/artofblogging The Art of Blogging: Learning How to Write and Think … Continue reading
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