Autoethnography, the Recursive Writing Process, and Academic Writing Guidelines

Definition: Autoethnography is the study of culture through the peculiar, idiosyncratic lens of oneself (auto = self, ethno = culture, graphy = study of).
Rhetoric as a discipline leans toward humanism, recognizing that experiences and observations are continuously interpreted through a personal lens rather than purely objective lab conditions.
Historical Precedent: Knowing oneself in relation to external subjects reflects the Socratic concept of "know thyself."
Metacognition: Defined as "thinking about thinking," requiring self-awareness regarding how personal background, history, and expectations shape perceptions.
Identity Markers: Individual identity markers (e.g., state of origin like Kentucky vs. Ukraine, Greek life involvement, gender, sexual preference, class, ethnicity, race, culture, fandom) color experiences and create a unique margin of overlap between the individual and institutional settings like the University of Kentucky (UK).

Objective: Try a new experience and post a response on Canvas by 5:00 PM on Sunday, September 6th.
Paragraph Structure:
- Paragraph 1: Objective details and facts (what was done, seen, heard, smelled, and thought).
- Paragraph 2: Reflective assessment on subjective feelings and personal reactions.
Word Count: Minimum of 250 words.
Software Recommendation: Draft responses in Google Docs or Microsoft Word prior to uploading to Canvas to prevent work loss from technical glitches.
Academic Integrity: Generative AI tools (including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude) are strictly prohibited, resulting in a zero score and referral to the registrar review board.

Discussion Boards: Serve as initial practice for autoethnographic reflection.
Speech Presentation: A "This I Believe" presentation where core personal beliefs and supporting stories are shared.
Partner Podcast: A podcast proposal and final recording analyzing a specific topic regarding the University of Kentucky through the overlapping personal identity lenses of both partners.

Invention: Commencing the creative process through brainstorming, preliminary research, and recording initial ideas.
Planning & Organization: Arranging thoughts using patterns suggested by content, such as chronological order, cause and effect, problem-solution, spatial arrangement, or topical organization (e.g., web mapping).
Drafting: Translating ideas into written text using approaches such as binge writing, smart writing, or methodical writing.
Recursivity: Writing is a recursive process, meaning the stages do not follow a strict linear sequence; writers cycle back and forth through invention, planning, drafting, revising, and editing at any stage.

Revising: Large-scale, global concerns involving major content adjustments, paragraph structure, argumentative clarity, and supporting evidence.
Editing: Small-scale, local concerns involving mechanics, comma placement, capitalization, surface-level grammar, and structural format.

Prompt: What is the purpose of invention in the writing process?
- Response: It starts the creative writing process by capturing ideas that can later be expanded into a formal topic.
Prompt: What organizational patterns can be used to structure writing?
- Response: Patterns include chronological order, cause and effect, problem-solution, spatial order, and topical organization.
Prompt: What is the difference between revising and editing?
- Response: Revising addresses big-picture content and structural clarity, whereas editing addresses small-picture mechanical and grammatical errors.
Prompt: What does it mean for writing to be recursive?
- Response: It means a writer can cycle back and redo any process (invention, planning, drafting, revising, editing) at any point during writing.