MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2018 Activities by Sponsor - Comparative Media Studies/Writing

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Communicating Science to the Public

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 01:00PM-03:00PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/18
Limited to 30 participants

This workshop, developed by the Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication Program (WRAP), will provide vivid lessons and hands-on practice in communicating scientific research to a general audience. An in-depth explanation of strategies for making complex information accessible and memorable, without compromising accuracy, will be followed by exercises for developing clear and vivid explanations of data and concepts.  Space is limited to 30. 

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu


Digital Rhetoric and Mobile Learning

Robert N. Calton, Lecturer - Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants encouraged to attend all sessions but welcome at individual

If you have ever wondered how to effectively teach and learn with smartphones and tablets, this may be the program for you! This three-day seminar will focus on strategies to critically explore mobile applications through a rhetorical lens, as well as developing learner-centered applications for mobile devices. Participants will receive a general introduction to what mobile learning is (and is not!), an overview of basic digital rhetoric and learning theories, how to craft and deliver effective value propositions to explore and explain your project’s essential point of need, and of course, how to design a usable mobile learning experience and what to do after its release. By the end of the seminar, each participant will have produced a visual prototype of their mobile learning application, situated it in a “storyboard,” pitched it to their peers, and designed a personalized assessment method by which the application can be tested and refined. They will also leave with an increased awareness about how people both use and are used by mobile devices in our connected, digital age. All program materials are provided! Join us to discover ways in which we can bring our smartphones out of our pockets and into our classrooms and learning programs in meaningful ways.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Robert Calton, rcalton@mit.edu


M-learning and the value proposition

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 02:00PM-04:00PM 8-205

Orients participants to basic concepts of mobile learning, digital learning theories, and works through Carlson and Wilmont's "Value Proposition" model to explore both situation and solution for mobile learning. At the end of this session, participants will have a detailed idea of the application they want to develop, what essential point of need it fills, and how to pitch it to others.


User-focused design and compliance

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 02:00PM-04:00PM 8-205

The second of three courses explicates contemporary design and engagement principles, as well as weighs the value of developing native versus mobile web apps. Compliance strategies, such as gamification and integrating social media, are explored for their usefulness and appropriateness. At the end of this session, students will have a framework for which they can begin to design their mobile learning application.


Prototyping, testing, assessment

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 02:00PM-04:00PM 8-205

Participants produce a visual prototype (drawn) of their mobile learning application ("looks like" model) and situate that in a storyboard to simulate a user experience ("works like" model). We'll discuss strategies in which the application can be piloted, explore types of user testing and multi-level assessment options, and discuss what those options can show us about refining your application's experience and design.


Ed Tech Mini Design Studio

Louisa Rosenheck

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 02:00PM-04:00PM 2-143
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 02:00PM-04:00PM 2-143

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

Technology can be designed and used for education in myriad ways, but when we design ed tech and tech-supported curriculum, we want to make sure it’s really doing something valuable and worthwhile to improve learning experiences. This is an area the MIT Education Arcade has been working in for over a decade, with our design, implementation, and research projects. If you have an ed tech project you are working on and would like to get feedback or take it to the next level, this mini design studio is for you!

We will provide support and guidance in terms of pedagogy, activity design, the design and development process, technical challenges, etc. Both experts and your peers will give feedback on the parts of your work that are innovative and exciting, point out weaknesses and elements that don’t work yet, and help brainstorm ways to improve the project. It doesn’t matter if you are working on videos, content creation platforms, learning games, curriculum design, hardware, etc., or what stage of the process your project is at. We are here to help you move your technology and pedagogy ideas forward at any stage, to enable you to improve education in your own way.

Participants are welcome to attend one or both workshop sessions, and are requested to RSVP to louisa@mit.edu, but are still welcome even without advance notice.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Louisa Rosenheck, louisa@MIT.EDU


Global Game Jam 2018

Rik Eberhardt, Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Register now at: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/global-game-jam-2018-at-mit/

The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game jam event taking place around the world at physical locations. Think of it as a hackathon focused on game development. It is the growth of an idea that in today’s heavily connected world, we could come together, be creative, share experiences and express ourselves in a multitude of ways using video games – it is very universal. The weekend stirs a global creative buzz in games, while at the same time exploring the process of development, be it programming, iterative design, narrative exploration or artistic expression. It is all condensed into a 48 hour development cycle. The GGJ encourages people with all kinds of backgrounds to participate and contribute to this global spread of game development and creativity.

We open our doors on Friday, January 26th at 5pm and run until 10pm that day. Our site is open Saturday, January 27th from 9am until 10pm, and Sunday, January 28th from 9am until 6pm.

The Global Game Jam is a 3-day event, but our site closes at night so participants can go home and get rested for the next day. Participants should plan to attend the entire duration of the event as your team will need you to complete your game!

Participants must register to attend: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/global-game-jam-2018-at-mit/

We have 30 free slots open for the MIT Community (must have an @mit.edu email address to register).

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Game Lab
Contact: Richard Eberhardt, E15-329, 617 324-2173, REBERHAR@MIT.EDU


Keynote & Kickoff Presentations

Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 05:00PM-08:00PM 32-123

The jam begins with a keynote, presentations about the Jam, and reveal of the Jam topic.

Teams will be formed by 8:00pm.

Rik Eberhardt - Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab


Game Jam

Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 05:00PM-10:00PM 32-124, 32-144
Add to Calendar Jan/27 Sat 09:00AM-10:00PM 32-124, 32-144
Add to Calendar Jan/28 Sun 09:00AM-03:00PM 32-124, 32-144

Work days for the Jam. Participants will be working in teams to create their games.

Rik Eberhardt - Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab


Presentations & Postmortem

Add to Calendar Jan/28 Sun 03:00PM-06:00PM 32-123

Game Jam participants will present the work they created over the weekend and postmortem their process.

This is open to the general public - no registration is required for this session.

Rik Eberhardt - Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab


India and Indianisms: Documentary Master Classes

Anandana Kapur, Fulbright Fellow at the MIT Open Documentary Lab

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Come attend screenings of documentary films followed by discussions on a few things that define India today – love, innovation and spies. We will also talk about approaches to documentary filmmaking, behind the scenes choices and DIY tips for those who want to make a film of their own. Anandana Kapur is an award winning filmmaker from India whose works have screened in over 35 countries. She also teaches courses on documentary practice, gender and rights based media.

The last workshop of this screening series will showcase excerpts from works in progress.  A key focus will be on how documentary aesthetics can shape conversations for change. Some of the suggestions may shape the trajectory of future works!

Ps: Bring some coffee, popcorn or a friend…or two.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Anandana Kapur, anandana@MIT.EDU


Much Ado About Knotting

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 03:30PM-05:00PM outside E15-335

Are matches made in heaven or via multi-million dollar enterprises?


Jasoosni: Look who's watching you!

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 03:30PM-05:00PM outside E15-335

Is that a friend from a gym or an undercover spy?


The Great Indian Jugaad; Conversations

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 03:30PM-05:00PM outside E15-335

The Great Indian Jugaad: MIT loves hacks, India adores Jugaad!

Conversations: Stories by the "Invisible" Women of Delhi


Individual Consultations at the WCC (Writing and Communication Center)

Steven Strang

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/08
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none

 The professional communication experts at the WCC@MIT (the Writing and Communication Center) will continue to offer free consultations and advice about writing course papers, theses and dissertations; oral presentations (e.g., conference talks); slide design; poster presentations, English as Second Language, and about any writing issue, including but not limited to writing strategically, creating effective arguments, finding a topic, generating ideas, turning data into a story, understanding a particular genre, overcoming writer's block, improving grammar, crafting effective sentences and paragraphs, organizing ideas, using evidence, and analyzing audiences. We can help with all of the following: all types of technical writing; grant proposals; theses and dissertations in all departments; job, graduate and med school application essays and personal statments; research and teaching statements; resumes and CVs; conference talks; articles for publication; book proposals and chapters; papers for any course; and creative writing. We also offer help on pronunciation and oral communication. The WCC is open throughout IAP. You must be registered with our online scheduler. Go to https://mit.mywconline.com to register and to schedule appointments. Open to MIT undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, spouses and partners, visiting scientists and scholars.The WCC@MIT is now located in building E18-233 at 50 Ames Street.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, E18-233 B, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


Introduction to 3D Scanning

Shirin Anlen, Fellow - MIT Open Documentary Lab

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 12:00PM-03:00PM 2-142

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 20 participants

An introductory workshop about 3d scan technology that costs little to no money.

I will go over the general background of the volumetric language evolvement in VR while discussing various projects that express a range of 3D visual approaches.

We will practice and focus on photogrammetry technique using software such as photoscan and skanect with live demo.

Participants should:

1- bring their own laptop

2- pre-install Agisoft PhotoScan Professional (free 30 days trail): http://www.agisoft.com/downloads/request-trial/

3- chrage their phone in advance and bring a compatible cable for their computer.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Shirin Anlen, shirinanlen@gmail.com


MIT Writers' Group

Steven Strang

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Calling all creative writers! Want to write something creative but need some motivation or support or some thoughtful readers?  Join other MIT writers to get advice about your own writing, to be a reader of other writers' work, and/or to get inspiration to write something. Any type of creative writing is welcomed:  e.g., fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, memoirs, personal essays, plays, blog entries, book reviews. We help each other get started on a creative writing project, we help each other develop ideas and style, and we function as engaged and encouraging readers of each other's material.  The Group includes emerging and established writers. We meet every Monday from noon-1:00 p.m. Open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, lecturers, staff, faculty, spouses and partners. Please note that this is not a class and not a group for technical writing or for thesis writing.

Please email <smstrang@mit.edu> to register.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, E18-233 B, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


MIT's Writers Group

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136

Steven Strang


Session Title TBD

Session Leaders TBD


Podcast Lunch

Andrew Whitacre, Communications Director, CMSW

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Bring a lunch and enjoy listening to/discussing some incredible examples of audio storytelling.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Andrew Whitacre, awhit@mit.edu


Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 56-167

"Crazy Like a Fox" (CBC Radio, 1999, 12 minutes) and "Turn on the Lights" (Snap Judgment, 2013, 9 minutes)

In "Crazy Like a Fox," Darren O'Donnell's months of psychosis leading up to his final breakdown were far from scary...they were some of the best times he's ever had. In "Turn on the Lights", the monsters of Shane Koyczan's night terrors tremble in fear of Shane's grandfather until his powers fail.


Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 12:00PM-01:00PM 56-167

"A Frank Conversation with a White Nationalist" (Reveal, 2017, 23 minutes)

Richard Spencer is among the tens of millions of Americans who are excited about Donald Trump¿s presidency. The 38-year-old white nationalist believes people of different skin color are inherently different, hate each other, and should live separately. Reveal¿s host Al Letson talked to Spencer the day after the 2016 election.


Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 12:00PM-01:00PM 56-167

"Jump Blue" (BBC Radio 3, 2016, 20 minutes) and "The Student and the Teacher" (Mortified, 2017, 20 minutes)

In "Jump Blue", hear how sound, text, and music create an immersive re-imagining of a Russian freediver's final descent. In "The Student and the Teacher", an adult reads passages from her teenage diary in front of a live audience, recounting what happens when an innocent crush on a teacher becomes not-so-innocent.


Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 12:00PM-01:00PM 56-167

"A Girl of Ivory: Davecat + Sidore + Elena" (Love + Radio, 2016, 39 minutes)

Davecat and Sidore had a blissful marriage together in the suburbs of Detroit. One day, a Russian woman showed up unexpectedly at their doorstep, declared her love for both of them, and asked to move in. It was a complicated situation, but that doesn¿t even begin to scratch the surface of this unusual threesome.


Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 56-167

"Mr. Holland's Opus" (This American Life, 2011, 35 minutes)

A cancer researcher named Jonathan Brody gave a speech at his alma mater saying that people in his field really needed to think outside the box to find a cure. Afterward he was approached by his old orchestra teacher, who had something way out of the box¿a theory that he could kill cancer cells with electromagnetic waves.


Post-Apocalypse Fiber Arts

Jeanne Marie Wildman

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 11:00AM-01:00PM E51-095

Enrollment: Advance sign-up preferred but not required
Sign-up by 01/31
Limited to 20 participants

Tales of apocalypse rivet our imagination. We wonder not only how survivors would recreate society, but also about day-to-day practical survival in a world of disrupted supply chains. This class taps into that vein of interest by teaching fiber techniques with upcycled or ordinary household materials as inputs and useful objects as outputs.

I will provide tools, supplies and beginning instruction on basket coiling, pin loom weaving, and felting.  Our goal is the satisfaction of handcrafting practical things, rather than prepping for a real-life apocalypse.
 
Materials provided (but if you sign up in advance you will get suggestions of things on hand that you might want to bring and transform).

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Jeanne Marie Wildman, jwildman@mit.edu


Presenting with Skill and Confidence

Juergen Schoenstein, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Anna Kohler, Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts at MIT

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 09:30AM-12:30PM 2-147
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 09:30AM-12:30PM 1-273 and 1-277
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 02:00PM-04:00PM 4-364

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/16
Limited to 18 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

As engineers and academics, we love to talk about our work – unless it is in front of an audience. For many, public speaking is one of the biggest fears they have to face; even experienced presenters often agonize over the prospect of facing an audience. This workshop will address not only the tasks of crafting a talk and designing the slides, but also how to become confident and comfortable as a speaker. This workshop is intended for graduate students and faculty members who want to improve their oral presentation skills, but undergraduates are welcome, too.

The first part will be a half-day workshop in crafting an audience-specific narrative, and designing professional slides; the next morning, we will do a “clinic” where participants get an opportunity to give a 5 to 10-minute presentation (about their thesis, current research, or any other topic they choose) to a friendly audience of peers, get feedback and practice how to handle the Q and A. In the afternoon, things will become more physical: Anna Kohler, Senior Lecturer for Theater at MIT, will lead a workshop on “Speaking with confidence”. In this workshop, you will do exercises that will enable you to find and fill both the space within you and the space immediately around you, so that you can confidently be yourself in front of a large audience. This workshop is not about oral performance and theatrical speech, but about physical presence and comfort on stage - wear loose clothing conducive for physical movement.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Juergen Schoenstein, juergen@mit.edu


Reasoning and Argumentation

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 01:00PM-03:30PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 30 participants

The free exchange of ideas is central to democracy and to academic work.  Yet often this exchange can be fraught with misunderstanding, anxiety about how our ideas or positions will be received, and unnecessary conflict.  This workshop will teach participants central concepts of rhetoric and argumentation that can aid in generating useful debate that fosters open dialogue towards understanding and problem solving.  Open to the entire MIT community, but space is limited to 30. 

 

For more information, or to reserve a space, pleace contact the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication program (WRAP)

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu


SO BAD IT'S GOOD: An Introduction to Media Analysis Through Watching Bad Media

Kaelan Doyle Myerscough

Enrollment: contact kaelandm@mit.edu before day you plan to attend
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend all three sessions

What is it that makes watching so-called “trashy TV” so fun? What does it mean for a film to be “so bad it’s good?” In such a saturated media landscape, what makes us seek out and enjoy the worst of it? And what is with all of those screenings of The Room?

In this three-day course, we will watch and analyze bad media as an introduction to media studies concepts and fields. Each class will consist of a screening and an extended discussion.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Kaelan Doyle Myerscough, kaelandm@mit.edu


The Room

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 03:00PM-06:00PM 5-217

The Room: The Anatomy of a Good-Bad Movie. We'll stage a screening of The Room complete with plastic spoons and a football, then talk about what makes the film so enjoyably bad, why people think this is, and the fandom that has cropped up around it.


Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 03:00PM-05:00PM 5-217

Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Reality TV, social media, and "trashiness." We'll use the Kardashian empire to talk about how and in what contexts people watch TV and consume social media, and how the contemporary internet landscape has reshaped reality TV.


Monster Factory

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 03:00PM-05:00PM 5-217

Monster Factory: Bad games and the art of making fun of them. What makes bad games enjoyable, and how is this different from bad film and television? We'll watch a few works by YouTube creators to figure this out, and then get our hands dirty with character creators and make some monsters of our own.


Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Understanding How to Reason with Sources

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 01:00PM-03:00PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/24
Limited to 30 participants

Whenever we do research—whether in the library, the lab, or the field, or just reading the assigned texts for a class—we hope to develop new ideas: to form and test hypotheses, develop new and better methods, produce richer evidence, and refine existing theories.  Our research is often collaborative, and always builds on work by previous researchers and writers.  But how do we develop new ideas from these sources?  How do we document where others’ ideas contribute to our thinking, and where our ideas build on theories and evidence that’s already published?  And why do the practices of incorporating and citing sources vary so much from one discipline or journal to another?  This workshop will help you learn how to write with sources—published, online, or live—in ways that will help both you and your readers understand how your ideas build on, and move beyond, those of your sources.

Space is limited to 30.

For more information, and to reserve a space, please contact the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication program (WRAP)

 

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu


Stories of Our Lives: Autobiographical Writing for Everyone

Louise Harrison Lepera, Lecturer, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Susan Carlisle, Lecturer, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 01:00PM-03:00PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants

You don't have to be famous or have lived a long, illustrious life to start writing your autobiography. Telling stories about your life can not only help you remember experiences, but also help you understand them better. This two hour workshop is a bite-sized sample of one of our most popular introductory writing classes, Reading and Writing Autobiography. In this workshop we will discuss a few short excerpts from contemporary autobiographies. We will then use some thought-provoking writing exercises to help us open up our memories and choose significant moments to write about. Workshop participants will have the chance to write about one of these moments and get feedback on how to shape it into a longer piece.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Louise Harrison Lepera, lhl3@mit.edu


The Matter of Facts

Karen Boiko

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 10:00AM-12:00PM 1-242

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 30 participants

In this troubling time of truthiness, alternative facts and “fake news,” how might we as instructors steer the conversation in a direction more congruent with our training and values? Do facts look the same in Biology and History? In Electrical Engineering, Economics and Women’s Studies? How do we, as instructors value facts? How do we, or might we, make this valuing explicit in our teaching? Do we talk about truth or limit ourselves to “data,” as so many students seem to want to do?

Participants in this workshop will start by considering Jill Lepore’s New Yorker essay “After the Fact,” which historicizes the concept of the fact, and relates it to the concepts of truth and data. Discussion will then move into the questions of how we recognize facts in our disciplines, and what their value is. We will end by considering how we might engage students more explicitly on this topic as well as identifying ways we already do so.

This workshop is intended for faculty, instructors, and TAs in all disciplines.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Karen Boiko, boiko@mit.edu


Thesis Boot Camp: Exercises and Strategies for Writing a Major Technical Report

Amy Carleton, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Jane Kokernak, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 10:00AM-01:00PM 4-231
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 10:00AM-01:00PM 4-231

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 60 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Embarking on any research-based writing project, like the undergraduate thesis or a technical report, can often seem daunting. How does one choose a suitable topic or focus? What is an approach for conducting and cataloguing a literature search? What are strategies for outlining and drafting your final document? What are the qualities of effective technical prose?

This IAP workshop will offer students a strategic and intense opportunity to prepare for their upcoming thesis or other large writing project by

 - conducting genre analysis of sample theses and reports,
 - formulating a viable research question,
 - generating a preliminary research bibliography,
 - examining the features of effective prose, and
 - designing a realistic timeline keyed to the chief writing tasks.

Day one will focus on the components of thesis and report writing, the research question, and background research with help from an MIT research Librarian.  On day two, we will isolate features of technical prose and their application to your writing, design a project timeline and get quick feedback, and address questions specific to your project.  Participants are asked to bring laptops and any project guidelines to the meetings. Note: while the emphasis is on undergraduate research in MechE, anyone is welcome to attend.

Attendance capped at 60.

To register, fill out the Google form here: http://bit.ly/2ijWgXK

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Mechanical Engineering, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Amy Carleton, amymarie@mit.edu


Unleashing Alternative Futures: Constructing New Worlds through Imagination, Narrative, and Radical Hope

Lawrence Barriner II, Program Director, Community Media, Grant Tank Williams

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

“I learned in school how to deconstruct—but how do we move beyond our beautiful deconstruction? Who teaches us to reconstruct? How do we cultivate the muscle of radical imagination needed to dream together beyond fear?” - Adrienne Maree Brown

It’s 2018 and something isn’t right. Or maybe more accurately, almost everything is wrong. The joint powers of imagination and fear have established a seemingly untouchable demagogue as the elected leader of the world’s most powerful empire. He carries out the wishes of the elite while destroying the dreams, realities, and futures of everyone and everything else, including the planet herself.

Standard tactics are proving ineffective. Fact-checking has been rendered useless. Reason, unreasonable. Imagination, myth-making, and stories reign (see alternative facts). The future of America, and perhaps the world, is in the hands of the best storytellers.

The Resistance is evolving to meet the challenge. How do we build past, even through fear, to something more powerful? To… radical hope? We are one faction of many fighting for the futurewe are writers, thinkers, and artists using our powers to fight imagination with imagination. In this 3-day workshop in January, 2018 we will: learn from the rich ancestry of speculative fiction, exercise collaborative ideation and world-building, and create stories and art that may unleash new futures to topple the hegemonic order. Come, join our schemes.

Click here for more Info/sign-up.

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Lawrence Barriner II, lqb@mit.edu


Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 06:00PM-09:00PM 9-217

Lawrence Barriner II - Program Director, Community Media


Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 06:00PM-09:00PM 9-217

Lawrence Barriner II - Program Director, Community Media


Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 06:00PM-09:00PM 9-217

Lawrence Barriner II - Program Director, Community Media


Workshop on Academic Argument

Nora Jackson, Karen Pepper, Janis Melvold, Jo-Ann Graziano

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 03:00PM-05:00PM 4-253

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 18 participants

In one 2-hour workshop addressed to the MIT community (faculty, TAs and grad students especially welcome) we propose to explore written argument across several academic disciplines. As instructors in Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication (WRAP), we will present a comparison of written argument in various disciplines. We will consider structure, claims, evidence, and reasoning with an eye toward understanding what we are (or should be) trying to convey to students, designing assignments to help students acquire skill in argumentation, and structuring our teaching over the four undergraduate years to ensure that there is reinforcement and development without needless repetition.

We invite you to bring ideas for an assignment, an assignment you have used in the past, or notes on challenges you face for our discussion of teaching the foundational rhetorical skill of written argument.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Nora Jackson, norajack@mit.edu


Writing Successful Proposals

Andreas Karatsolis, Assoc. Director, Writing, Rhetoric, & Prof. Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 12:00PM-02:30PM E17-136
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 12:00PM-02:30PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/09
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

Following last year’s successful IAP offering, WRAP is extending the workshop on Writing Successful Proposals to two days (5 hours in total). At the heart of this workshop is a conceptual framework for proposal writing, centered around the baseline logic of the proposal as a genre, and the associated rhetorical moves within proposal sections. As an extension to this framework, participants will be presented with a model to effectively develop methodology sections, project timelines and budgets. In the second session of the workshop, participants will work on applying the baseline logic model into their own project ideas, and learn how to integrate visuals and generate discourse for the different sections. Finally, we will discuss how to create a persuasive line of argument through the use of themes that the potential sponsors will feel compelled to consider for funding.

The workshop is targeted towards advanced undergraduate students engaged in original research, graduate students and faculty or staff in the process of submitting proposals for funding.

Space is limited to 30 participants.

For more information, and to reserve a space in the workshop, email the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication (WRAP). 

 

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu