On this page I have provided some information about 4 Writing courses I have taught many times in the past. The first 3 represent course themes that students have found very engaging, especially when the course provides an opportunity for them to bring insights about their own communities, families, and educational experiences into our conversations. Three of the courses are also ones that work well for connecting students with nonprofits or clinical sites where community members can offer them in-depth knowledge and testimonies about issues we are reading about in class. For those courses, we also learn about how students, teachers, and researchers can engage with those communities in ways that are ethical, that respect communities’ integrity and problem-solving capacities.  Especially in the more advanced writing courses, we discuss the insight that ethical engagement with community members always produces better partnerships, and better research outcomes.

In each course, students complete a range of research and writing assignments, including evaluations of different informational genres, analysis of case studies, synthesis arguments based on research in a range of sources, curriculum proposals, and project-based communication tailored to community needs. Students also practice media literacy strategies to help them decipher which sources of information are credible and trustworthy, and those that are not.  For students who are closer to transitioning into professional lives, we discuss how all of these skills of critical reading, information assessment, research, and problem-solving will continue to empower them as they begin to define their future professional paths.