Iggy's Syllabus: A Space for Students and Educators Using Second Life®

Fall 2008 T Th 3:45-5:00, Jepson G20

Dr. Joe Essid, Writing Center Director, Writing Center Office 9C, jessid@richmond.edu
SL Avatar: Ignatius Onomatopoeia. Office Hours in-world & in-person: M 2-3pm, Th 9-10am
Writing Fellow: Caitlyn Paley, caitlyn.paley@richmond.edu
Caitlyn's SL avatar: Edith Quandry

Two years ago I swore that I'd never assign conventional "papers" again. They are too tied to 20th-century notions of literacy; instead, writing now flourishes as part of multimedia and "multimodal" composition.  That's a high-falutin' way of saying that writers now work in teams, or at least share their work widely and combine images, sounds, and text: personal, source-based, and creative writing. These projects look little like the stapled essays we associate with academic work. 

Second Life is the subject matter for my current section of Eng. 103, though it is not a goal in itself. Those are: 

• Write more clearly and more analytically for an academic audience, especially reasoning TO a claim or thesis, not FROM one
• Learn and practice how the Internet and other technologies change communication
• Learn how to evaluate textual, visual, and multimedia material
• Experience crafting persuasive arguments and supporting them with evidence
• Practice multiple-draft assignments to improve reading and editing skills, with the help of peers, a Writing Fellow, and me
• Do close work to improve grammatical and stylistic skills
• Increase fluency with print and Web-based resources for academic writing
• Practice and improve skills needed for every major, including the sciences and business.

The virtual world only gives us a touchstone to explore how language, image, and identity function in a radically new medium.  Students, colleagues, and visitors: begin your journey with the sidebar links to the right, and enjoy!  Press notes about the course...students write for a REAL audience in this section of Eng. 103.

Note: Second Life® and Linden Lab® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Linden Research, Inc. All rights reserved. No infringement is intended.