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

Category Archives: Readings

Texts (short and long) that can be assigned to teach students rhetoric

“Why Visit the Writing Center?” by Ben Rafoth

April 23, 2024

This article titled “Why Visit the Writing Center?” was shared with us by Professor Christa Tiernan. It’s a short, chatty read to help students understand how to best use the Writing Center. It both reassures and encourages students, but also Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged writing center

“A Racial Slur, a Viral Video, and a Reckoning” by Dan Levin

April 17, 2023

Professor Kyle Hetrick assigns this reading, “A Racial Slur, a Viral Video, and a Reckoning,” in his FYW 150 course titled “University Issues.” You can download a PDF copy of the reading here. Written by Dan Levin, this essay from Continue reading →

Posted in Readings

Jamila Lyiscott: “3 Ways to Speak English”

February 23, 2023

Here is a downloadable PDF of Jamila Lyiscott’s “3 Ways to Speak English” if you’d like to read the text or share it with your students. Jamila Lyiscott’s spoken-word essay, “3 Ways to Speak English,” is a powerful reclamation of the Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged multiple discourses

“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

“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

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