- You should have access to all readings & all assignments every class (in print or on your laptop/phone). This is because we’ll likely refer back to previous assignments/readings.
- All assignments are due on Blackboard. First drafts are also due on Google Drive for peer review and workshopping.
- All underlines below are links
| DATE | HOMEWORK | IN-CLASS TOPICS and GOALS |
| Wed 8/28 | Watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk “The Danger of the Single Story” | Introductions to the course and to each other Language Poll Discussion of nkali and the dangers of a single story Introduce assignment: Outsider Narrative |
| Wed 9/4 | Read pages 6–10 of Tracy Kidder, “‘You Have to Learn to Listen’: How a Doctor Cares for Boston’s Homeless,” New York Times (January 5, 2023). (These pages are outlined in red in the pdf.) Homework for today’s class: Think of a situation that you’ve been part of or observed, when you or someone else was perceived as different and, as a result, ran the risk of being isolated from or mistreated by a larger community. Describe it briefly in a paragraph (at least five sentences). Submit to Blackboard. | Goals: 1. Collaboratively write and agree on the rubric for the Outsider Narrative assignment. 2. Find connections between language, power, and medicine in a piece of journalistic writing. 3. Articulate these connections with colleagues in informal discussion and low-stakes writing. 4. Apply these skills to brainstorming for the Outsider Narrative assignment. Materials Collaborative Rubric Outsider Narrative Brainstorming |
| Mon 9/9 | Submit Outsider Narrative first draft to Blackboard and Google Drive before class. | Goals 1. Practice giving constructive feedback to a colleague on a work in progress (in this case, the Outsider Narrative). 2. Practice noticing and describing metaphors and how they are used to communicate about complex topics (including illness). Materials Peer Review Practice In-class peer review for the outsider narrative Assignment page: The Metaphor Essay Metaphor Practice |
| Wed 9/11 | Submit the peer review worksheet to Blackboard and share with your peer in the folder on Google Drive. Read Dhruv Khullar, “The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors” The Atlantic (August 7, 2014) Submit low-stakes metaphor homework to Blackboard: Find a metaphor used in Dhruv Khullar’s “The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors.” Explain how the metaphor works in one brief paragraph that answers these three questions. 1) What are the two things being compared? 2) What qualities are transferred from the first thing to the second? (For example, when a doctor talks about a “battle” with cancer, what qualities of “a battle” are transferred to “cancer treatment”?) 3) How might the metaphor be helpful? How might it be harmful? | Goals 1. Practice explaining how metaphors work rhetorically, in preparation for the metaphor assignment. 2. Practice analyzing the function of metaphors in medicine, in preparation for the metaphor assignment. Materials Assigned reading: Dhruv Khullar, “The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors” The Atlantic (August 7, 2014) In-Class Metaphor Practice |
| Mon 9/16 | Outsider Narrative final draft due on Blackboard by the end of the day today | Goals For everyone to come away confident about being able to find and write about a metaphor from Sontag for the Metaphor Assignment Materials Outsider Narrative Recap Finding and Writing About Metaphors in Susan Sontag Sontag Excerpt Part 1 Sontag Excerpt Part 2 Metaphor Essay Collaborative Rubric |
| Wed 9/18 | Goals Continuing from last time, for you to help each other feel confident about being able to find and write about a metaphor from Sontag or Biss for the Metaphor Assignment Materials Finding metaphors in Eula Biss Eula Biss excerpt | |
| Mon 9/23 | Decide on a metaphor from Biss or Sontag (you can change!) and the metaphor that isn’t from the topic section that you want to use for this assignment. Submit to Blackboard. | Goals 1. For us to help each other work on clearly identifying the two metaphors and writing theses that connect them. 2. For everyone to feel confident about the requirements for the metaphor assignment draft, including citation conventions. Materials Workshop: Finding a Thesis Pair thesis worksheet |
| Wed 9/25 | Submit first draft of Metaphor Essay to Blackboard and Google Drive before class | Goals 1. Practice giving a colleague constructive and substantive feedback on a more formal piece of scholarly criticism (the Metaphor Essay). 2. Practice synthesizing feedback from a colleague into concrete and specific goals for revision. 3. Reflect on the formal and informal conventions of scholarly writing that you chose to use, including citation practices. Materials Peer review: Metaphor Essay Analyzing Scholarly Writing Conventions |
| Mon 9/30 | Submit the peer review worksheet to Blackboard and share with your peer in the folder on google docs. | Goals 1. Helping each other feel more comfortable with using citation conventions in preparation for the final draft of the Metaphor Assignment, as well as the Critical Lens assignment and the Research Project. 2. Work towards our revision goals for the metaphor assignment 3. Start thinking about the research project and preparing for the library day on Monday with Professor Nicole Williams. Materials Helping Each Other Navigate Academic Style Introduce the Research Project |
| Mon 10/7 | Familiarize yourself with the research assignment | Meet in STC/2 in the lower level of the Cohen Library! Workshop with Medical Librarian Prof. Nicole Williams: Finding sources in the CCNY Library databases |
| Wed 10/9 | Midterm conferences Introduce Assignment: The Critical Lens In-Class Assignment: Preparing for the Critical Lens and Research Project | |
| Tues 10/15 (Monday schedule) | Final Draft of Metaphor Essay due on Blackboard before class | Goals – Thinking ahead to the research project – Getting comfortable with the lens assignment and options Materials Research Project and Critical Lens Notes |
| Wed 10/16 | Goals: 1. Feel comfortable using Paul Farmer on structural violence as a lens for the Critical Lens assignment. 2. Start thinking about how to approach the Critical Lens by workshopping an example Critical Lens essay. Materials Paul Farmer, “On Suffering and Structural Violence” Notes on Using Paul Farmer as a Lens Model Outline of Critical Lens Example Critical Lens draft | |
| Mon 10/21 | Using Arthur Frank as a lens for the Critical Lens assignment | |
| Wed 10/23 | Decide on a potential idea for a lens and target for the Critical Lens assignment. Submit to Blackboard. | Goals 1. Sharing lens and target ideas 2. Practice articulating how a lens and target fit together 3. Start organizing and writing the essay Materials Sample Draft Workshopping a Sample Draft Workshop: Writing the Critical Lens Essay |
| Mon 10/28 | First draft of Critical Lens Essay due on Blackboard and Google Drive by end of day | Goals – Practice giving constructive feedback to a colleague on a work in progress (the Critical Lens) – Practice a few methods for developing strong research questions in preparation for writing a research proposal. Materials In-Class Peer Review for Critical Lens Workshop: Research Project Invention |
| Wed 10/30 | Submit peer review for Critical Lens to Blackboard and the folder on Google Drive by the end of the day | Workshop: Research Project Invention |
| Mon 11/4 | Final Draft of Critical Lens assignment due on Blackboard by the end of the day In-Class invention assignment due on Blackboard by the end of the day | Goals – Write about your experience with your Research Project topic, so that you’ll come out of this class with a rough draft of Part One. – Use each other as a sounding board, so that you’ll come out of this class with a lot of new thoughts and reactions to your Research Project topic from peers. Materials In-Class Workshop: Writing a narrative introduction (Part One of the research project) |
| Wed 11/6 | Introducing the Source Report (informal assignment for research project) Practicing synthesis to prepare for the source report assignment | |
| Mon 11/11 | Goals 1. Using examples to get a handle on how to approach Part Two of the Research Project. 2. Locating possible artifacts and scholarly sources to investigate our research questions. Materials Using examples to introduce Part Two of the research project Source Report workshop: finding artifacts and scholarly sources | |
| Wed 11/13 | Part 1 of Research Project due on Blackboard by end of day | Goals -Find and articulate a Narrative Medicine lens for your research project in preparation for writing your first draft of Part Two. -Practice finding, connecting, and synthesizing your own sources in preparation for the Source Report assignment due next Wednesday. Materials Part Two Rubric Narrative Medicine Themes/Texts for Part Two Source Report worksheet continued Partnered Source Report Workshop |
| Mon 11/18 | Bring in two sources to use for in-class Source Report / Research Project workshopping | Goals – Practice finding, citing, and synthesizing sources for the Source Report (due Wednesday) – Practice sharing and discussing in-progress research with colleagues Materials Part One: Small Group Work on the Source Report Part Two: Guided Writing on Source Report (with a partner) |
| Wed 11/20 | Source report due on Blackboard Peer Review of Source Report due by the end of the day | Goals – Preparing to use the source report to draft a more formal presentation of your research (Part Two) – Practice helping colleagues with an in-progress research project Materials Part Two Rubric Another example draft Peer Review of Source Report |
| Mon 11/25 | First draft of Part Two of Research Project due | Goals 1. Reflecting on what you learned from your research in preparation for revising Part Two 2. Practice helping colleagues with an in-progress research project Materials Part Three: What do you think about what you learned from your research? Feedback from Colleagues: Instructions |
| Mon 12/2 | Submit Part Three of the research project to Blackboard Submit Peer Review to Blackboard | Goals 1. Continuing to help each other with feedback on the Research Project. 2. Get started with making a portfolio website for the Final Portfolio with Introduction Materials Sign-Up Sheet for Final Conferences Final Portfolio with Introduction Portfolio URLs Feedback from Colleagues |
| Wed 12/4 | Add portfolio website link to the spreadsheet. | Goals – Deciding on a format for the portfolio introduction and writing a rough draft – In-class research project conferences Materials Portfolio Introductions |
| Mon 12/9 | Goals – Designing and receiving help with the portfolio website. – In-class research project conferences Materials In-class portfolio design and layout workshop | |
| Wed 12/11 | Bring in a rough draft of your presentation | Goals – Workshopping and revising presentations – In-class research project follow-up Materials In-class presentation practice |
| Mon 12/16 | Final draft of portfolio with introduction due on Blackboard and on Google Drive spreadsheet. Not a class day! Final draft of Research Project Part Two due on Blackboard |
