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I. Opening Go-Around
  1. Tell us your name, pronouns, major/minor.
  2. What has been your favorite class here at TCU and why?  

II. Name Game (click here for a reminder of what this is)
Thank You Chelsea, Chip, Hannah, Queen, Theresa, and Riley for playing! 

II. Overview of Point-Spread for the RRs (click here)
  • Think/work/write like a rhetor and rhetoric scholar... there's NO rubric, just the style, cultures, politics, & influencers/models who inspire you
  • If there is anything you forgot today, make a "NEXT TIME" note and you will get FULL CREDIT!  That's a promise.
Thank you for your first assignment: write a letter to the teacher. They were beautiful!  You all already have such voice and style.  ANNND there was so much shade yall were throwin in them letters... I was HOLLERIN!  I mean, really, LOL! The Real Students of TCU (#RSTCU) coming to a reality network somewhere soon near you! 

January 21

In today's class, we focus on the homework reading assignment: "Rap Music as an Extension of the Black Rhetorical Tradition" by Baruti Kopano. We will do a Snowball Discussion activity after we discuss more about the RRs.
Image result for throw shade
Some Other Things Raised in Your Letters:
  • Writing... real writing... is about practice, discipline, and routine.  The RRs are designed for that, especially PRACTICE.  For some RRs, you will flow easily.  At other times, the spirit is just not moving you.  That is what a WRITING LIFE looks like.  No one sits at the computer and spits out a novel on the first flow.  Do the work, try and enjoy writing, trust your process, trust your voice, push yourself, get the assignment points, and at the end of the semester, you will go back and choose out the writings that you liked best.  You will receive the full two points because you are DOING THE WORK.
  • Writing... real writing... is also about audience.  Something to consider: rubrics do not offer structure.  They offer standardization and automation.  You don't achieve real audiences from a teacher's rubric designed for assignments that only the teacher sees.  Try to keep this in mind and.... write like real writers!  Trust in your own intellect, fire, and power.  YOU GOT THIS! 
  • I'm not running your writing through TurnItIn... I believe "plagiarism" (what TurnItIn is designed to surveil) is teacher-created.  Create a unique assignment/topic and no one can buy a paper on that topic everywhere online.  See? Easy!  Learning should never feel like someone is trying to trap you.
  • Many of you questioned what it means to write about, advocate for, and think about African American rhetorics when you are not Black.   Where's the line?  When am I crossing it? How do I work as an ally and not an appropriator?  How do I make sure I am not sustaining racist practices?  How do I share my enthusiasm and respect for the culture when these are not MY experiences? Those are REALLY DOPE questions.  The answers are not easy or readily available--- and your generation must be its own ROLE MODEL.  The question is the WORK.... you are in the right class and thinking all the write/right stuff. Rhetorical study is running in your veins!!
IV. AAR Discussion I
  1. The class is too large to have full class discussions and hear EVERY voice so we will often use small groups.  Today we snowball.
  2. Spend a few moments finding YOUR favorite part of what you wrote for today. Circle, underline, or star that.  Be prepared to share that with colleagues.  If you didn't get the chance to do the homework, use your device to take a quick peek at the essay by Kopano. Click here.
  3. With a partner, share what you favorited.
  4. Now two pairs should link and become four.  This time, as you share what you wrote--- discuss its connection to your partner.
  5. Depending on time left, the groups of four will become.... you guessed it... groups of 8.
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V. Open Discussion
REMINDER FOR NEXT CLASS:  You are going to go back and look at the performances that Kopano discussed. You will notice an addendum to the performances that he chose that includes more women. Bring a device to class just in case you need to show colleagues again.  Everyone needs to make sure they also have earbuds with them!

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VI. AAR Discussion II (if time)