Unit Three
Writing across Grounds


Unit Overview:

How has writing changed on Grounds? Where and how is it happening today? In this unit, we’ll do field work to answer those questions. We’ll search online forums and existing publications (formal and avant-garde), interview faculty and students, and gather writing samples all to identify current examples of UVA writing. This unit will cap off our consideration of the question, “What IS the culture of writing at UVA?”


By the unit’s end, you should be able to:

  • Initiate and conduct interviews for research purposes.

  • Recognize and speak/write about current texts as exhibit pieces for both contemporary presentation and historic preservation.

  • Incorporate newly generated primary material as subject and evidence for a group presentation, practicing light ethnography alongside critical reading and synthesis/interpretation in light of the course theme.

Major Assignment (2-5 INDIVIDUAL exhibit pieces/label + 1 GROUP presentation)

Part 1. Exhibit pieces/labels (10% of course grade)

  • Submit a PDF contact sheet (including a smaller version of the image+label)

    • Please title your file:
      ContactSheet_YourLastName_CES22

    • Here are 3 student examples:

  • Submit the high-res image file + interview file and a text version of your labels to this Drive folder.

    • Create a new sub-folder. Please title the folder:
      FirstName LastName_CEfilesS22

    • Be sure, on your contact sheet, to recommend a 60-90 second clip from your interview! This will be the clip I focus on in creating a highlight reel video for the gallery site.

    • This is also the folder to which you should drop your individual memos.

      • Unlike our other public documents, please share your project memos ONLY with my Gmail address (heidi.nobles@gmail.com).

      • In your memos, feel free to be informal, but address the following questions:

        • What did you learn about writing through this assignment?

        • What changes did you make during the revision process and why?

        • What do you most want your reader to learn from your presentation and/or individual exhibit pieces?

        • How did collaboration go with your group?

        • Optional: After you’ve answered all of the above, feel free to vent about things you hated about this assignment.

    • Drop your files to personal sub-folder you created above.


Part II. Group Presentation (10% of course grade)

Short version:

  • Work in a team of 4 students to create a 6-8 minute presentation that argues for a specific description of today’s “writing culture at UVA,” using selected exhibit pieces as evidence.

    • It’s all right to disagree with each other, but make sure you establish any claims you’re making up front, and keep the presentation unified (i.e., don’t try to give 4 mini-presentations).

    • Every person should speak, ideally for about the same amount of time. This also means everyone should be contributing actively to their groups. I’ll ask about participation in the private memos. :)

    • Exhibits must include at least one of each:

      • interview video/audio/text

      • 2 DIFFERENT donated writing samples from students or faculty members (release form available this weekend)

      • images you’ve taken of writing around Grounds

      • broad considerations (i.e., something that gives a bigger picture for context around the more specific items above—might be the “big” survey from last semester, or existing university policies/curricula, or your own meta-analysis of student publications, etc.)

  • Submit a script for your presentation to this folder.

    • The script is both for our class purposes and also potentially for preservation, so document what you think future readers would need to see if they found your script in a box in 50 years. (Imagine they’re reading alongside your exhibit pieces.)

    • Wondering which group # you’re in?

      • Group 1: Emi, Jinghui, Jordan, Minghze

      • Group 2: Jessica, Sergio, Stephanie

      • Group 3: Camille, Ciara, David, Will

      • Group 4: Holly, Pranavi, Sean, Vincent

  • Other details on the main assignment sheet, to be linked here and above.


Grading Information

I. Individual submissions will be graded on completion.
Please note that items are only considered complete if they include release forms!

II. Presentations will be graded as follows:

  • Completion (all required items present) = 75% (C)

  • Completion + a clear thesis/well-developed presentation = 85% (B)

  • Completion + a clear thesis/well-developed presentation + error-free + polish & panache = 90-100 (A)

Other Resources