usd logo

Writing Program FYW Resources

Tools for Writing Faculty

Primary menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Welcome
    • Announcements
  • Syllabi
    • FYW 150
    • FYW 115
    • FYW 110
  • Paper Prompts
  • Informal Writing
  • Class Activities
  • Readings
  • Workshops
  • CADW
  • Newsletter

Author Archives: mlittle

“What is Literacy” by James Paul Gee: Helping students grasp “discourse”

December 9, 2019

This article is an introduction to the relationship between discourse, literacy, identity, and privilege. It’s useful for instructors to be familiar with as Gee’s discussion suggests why identifying and moving between “multiple discourses” is so prominent in our learning outcomes Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged literacy, multiple discourses

“Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk: The benefits of genre awareness

November 26, 2019

This accessible read introduces students to some sophisticated concepts around genre and genre analysis. The goal, as Kerry explains, is “to give [students] an awareness of how genres function by taking what is often quite theoretical in the field of Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged genre

Prompt: Research a case study

November 26, 2019

For a FYW150 course, one approach to including a research and information literacy component is to task students to investigate a case study related to the class topic. The attached prompt provides an example research project related to capital punishment. Continue reading →

Posted in Paper Prompts | Tagged research

Handout: Basic questions for rhetorical analysis

November 5, 2019

This handout guides students through questions that jumpstart their rhetorical investigation of texts. Questions are organized around the rhetorical situation, audience, author, genre, content, and more. This handout can be used to guide in-class discussions of texts and for reference Continue reading →

Posted in Class Activities | Tagged rhetorical analysis

Presentation: Intro to rhetoric

October 29, 2019 — No Comments ↓

This slide-deck provides content for a lecture-style introduction to core FYW150 concepts, including rhetorical terms, genre, discourse, and visual rhetoric. The slide-deck also includes core learning outcomes for FYW-150 and a writing prompt. Attached as a downloadable PDF. Rhetorical Modes Continue reading →

Posted in Class Activities | Tagged rhetorical analysis | Leave a reply

Sample FYW150 Syllabus: A Single Controversy with Mixed Texts (Popular, Trade, Scholarly)

October 29, 2019 — No Comments ↓

Attached is a syllabus for a FYW 150 course structured around a controversy on a single theme, and asks students to engage popular, trade, and academic texts. The paper sequence described in the syllabus is Map stakeholders and core positions Continue reading →

Posted in FYW 150, Syllabi & Structure | Tagged controversy | Leave a reply

Prompt: Explain (map) a controversy

October 29, 2019 — No Comments ↓

For a FYW150 course using the “controversy” model, a good early paper asks students to construct a “map” of different stakeholder views in a controversy. Challenges FYW students tend to encounter are Creating a main theme: so the paper goes beyond flat summary Continue reading →

Posted in Paper Prompts | Tagged controversy | Leave a reply

“On Reading a Video Text” by Robert Scholes: How to analyze commercials

October 28, 2019 — No Comments ↓
budweiser branding

Commercials are great for visual rhetoric, but what are some good readings to help students go beyond the usual “logos, pathos, ethos” critique? The essay, “On Reading a Video Text,” introduces students to a robust framework for visual rhetoric and Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged ideological criticism, narrative | Leave a reply

Post navigation

Newer posts →

More About...

  • Welcome
  • Teaching FYW 150

Resource Categories

annotation Artificial Intelligence (AI) controversy digital rhetoric genre ideological criticism literacy literature metacognition multiple discourses narrative research rhetorical analysis Visual Rhetoric writing center

Copyright © 2025 Writing Program FYW Resources . All Rights Reserved.
Powered by: Sites | University of San Diego | Report Copyight Infringement
Skip to toolbar
  • About WordPress
    • About WordPress
    • Get Involved
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Learn WordPress
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • Log In
  • Events
    • View Calendar