Notes on Online Communities, Multimodal Writing, and SASE Symposium

Overview of the Course Theme

The instructor frames the course around the impact of the digital age on writing and on communities, emphasizing how online environments have already reshaped social structures and the arts and humanities, with a focus on how things might change in the future. The central goal is to explore online communities and platforms through academic research, not just opinion, to understand their broader impact.

Research Focus: Online Communities

Students will research online communities such as Tumblr, Reddit, or Discord; the class will examine their impact on culture and communication. You will choose between analyzing an online community or an online platform and discuss its impact through scholarly research, reinforcing that this is an evidence-based inquiry rather than a personal viewpoint piece.

Assignment Structure: Primary Options and Expectations

Two main assignments shape the course: a research argument and a multimodal writing assignment. The multimodal assignment centers on narrative writing—storytelling that weaves in research. The narrative does not have to be strictly about the author's life; it can recount a personal story, a story about a public figure, or a scenario connected to the research topic. It can also extend the research argument. The instructor highlights a broad range of presentation formats for the multimodal project, including a blog post, a podcast, a video essay, or an art installation, all of which must include a writing component. The exact balance of writing required will be discussed for each format, acknowledging the workload differences across modalities.

Narrative Writing within a Multimodal Framework

Narrative writing in this course blends storytelling with scholarly research. The idea is to tell a compelling story while embedding rigorous evidence and analysis. The assignment invites both personal and public-interest narratives, and it may function as an extension of the research argument. The emphasis is on creativity and multimodal presentation while maintaining a strong writing component.

The Symposium (SASE) and Its Value

The symposium is an annual event organized through SASE, offering students a platform to showcase their work. It’s presented as valuable experience for undergraduates aiming for graduate study or presentations at conferences, and it can strengthen resumes by demonstrating the ability to present research publicly. Students will choose to present either the multimodal project or the research argument at the symposium. The current schedule places the event in the week before fall break, but dates are subject to change, and the instructor will keep students updated. Participation in the symposium is framed as a practical stepping stone for future academic and professional opportunities.

Course Flexibility and Adaptive Planning

The instructor notes that the semester will be fluid, with possible changes based on student needs and the topics chosen. The multimodal project, in particular, may lead to adjustments in instruction or pacing. Updated guidance will be provided throughout, and homework slides at the end of each class will specify what students need to do.

In-Class Tools: The Collaborative Document

A class-wide collaborative document on Canvas will be used for in-class activities and joint work. Students must follow formatting guidelines when posting: include name, date, and title, plus pronouns, and bold the entry. Each entry should end with a clear delimiter to mark its end. Posts should be added at the top when new contributions arrive, not scrolled to the bottom. Students should not edit others’ posts or alter document settings. The instructor may occasionally provide slightly different directions, but the default use is as described. Today, the focus shifts to a tips-for-college-writing activity.

Tips for College Writing: In-Class Activity

Drawing from the assigned readings on academic writing, students will identify useful tips and select one to post in the collaborative document. Each student will craft a concise one- to two-sentence description of the tip in their own words, followed by one or two sentences explaining why it matters. The aim is clarity and effective paraphrase, with a brief justification that connects the tip to academic writing in practice. The readings referenced include the article What is Academic Writing? and Reading and Writing Rhetorically, which will ground the exercise in established concepts about college-level writing and rhetorical awareness.

Readings and Rhetorical Foundation

Two core readings are highlighted: What is academic writing? and Reading and writing rhetorically. The class will leverage insights from these texts to frame practical tips for college writing and to reinforce the shift from high school to college-level academic writing toward more nuanced argumentation, evidence integration, and audience-aware composition.

Engagement Signals and Classroom Norms

The instructor uses informal checks for engagement (e.g., thumbs up) to confirm attendance and understanding. This practice reflects a broader emphasis on active participation, clear communication, and mutual responsiveness in the classroom environment.

Practical Implications and Real-World Relevance

The course prioritizes transferable skills: conducting scholarly research on digital communities, presenting findings effectively, and adapting to multiple modes of communication. The symposium provides tangible experience for future academic conferences and professional contexts where articulating ideas clearly to diverse audiences is essential. The multimodal option also mirrors real-world demands for flexible storytelling and cross-media communication, while the collaboration-document process teaches professional habits for writing in shared digital spaces. Ethical considerations surface in the choice of topics, the responsible use of online communities as sources, and the representation of subjects within narratives.

Connections to Foundational Principles

This content builds on core principles of academic writing: argument construction, evidence-based reasoning, and audience awareness. It also integrates foundational ideas about digital humanities—how digital platforms shape discourse, communities, and cultural production—and connects to practical skills in project design, presentation, and collaborative authorship. The emphasis on flexibility, revision, and alignment between form and function underscores productive writing processes essential across disciplines.

Summary of Key Points

• The course examines how the digital age has transformed writing and communities, with ongoing attention to present and future social and cultural implications.
• Students will research online communities or platforms (e.g., Tumblr, Reddit, Discord) and present findings through rigorous academic inquiry.
• The multimodal writing assignment invites narrative storytelling that incorporates research, with flexible formats (blog post, podcast, video essay, art installation) and a required writing component.
• The narrative can be personal, biographical, or contextualized around a public figure or event, and it can extend the research argument.
• The symposium (SASE) offers a platform to present either the multimodal project or the research argument, serving as professional development for graduate study and career opportunities, with a tentative date the week before Fall break.
• Course planning is intentionally fluid; updates will be provided, and homework slides will guide ongoing work.
• The collaborative document on Canvas is used for in-class activities and requires strict formatting rules, top-posting, and no edits to others’ posts, with occasional deviations announced by the instructor.
• A focused activity will extract tips for college writing from the assigned readings What is academic writing? and Reading and Writing Rhetorically, with each student contributing a concise tip and justification in the class document.
• The course emphasizes practical, ethical, and real-world relevance by building skills in research, argumentation, multimodal communication, and professional presentation.