Syllabus

Text: Digital Griots: African American Rhetoric in a Multimedia Age.

Overview: 

         This semester, our reading group is designed as a space for the exchange of ideas centered on one objective: to explore a distinctively African American approach to rhetorical practices as a “repositioning” of multiliteracies and multimedia writing.   Our goal is to address conditions as well as conceptions of a specific rhetorical theory. Our goal is to approach this topic together from diverse viewpoints.  Unlike other courses this is not a “teacher” centered space. While I will facilitate discussions, the agenda is primarily determined by your inquiries, questions and engaged participation. The one-credit course meets six (6) times and the S/U grade is determined according to the following:

1. Attendance
2. Active participation in our face-to-face and blog exchanges. Your contributions need to demonstrate that you have read the text and carefully considered a critically complex response.
3. Active participation in our digital conversations (that take place PRIOR to our F2F meetings).   This part of our reading group will take place on our FSUReadingGriots.blogspot.com  During our first meeting everyone will sign up to be a “Digital Griot-in-training” (DG) once during the semester.  Depending on the size of the reading group, this will likely be 3-5 people per meeting.  For the one week you sign up, you will draw from  Banks Digital Griot description on page 26. Ultimately serving as what Banks calls multimedia "storytellers, preachers, poets, standup comics, Dj's...carrying elements of the griot's role in African American culture"(25).  This means that each time we meet approximately 3-5 people will observe--take notes, record and/or document--what happens during reading group.  Then DG's will meet outside of reading group to compose a DG style blog post, which also initiates the blog discussion for the rest of the reading group members.  The remaining reading group members not acting as DGs will post a response to the DGs' post. Group responses are definitely not limited to the DG's prompt.  As much as possible, try to engage each other’s responses.
4. Finally, completion of a response paper at the end of the semester. This response paper is an informal two-to three-page musing on the ideas/issues raised throughout our conversations as well as by  Banks's visit.  It can raise a new issue or expand one previously discussed.