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- Social Literacy Narrative: Letter Writing Assignme...
Social Literacy Narrative: Letter Writing Assignment
Social Literacy Narrative: Letter Writing Assignment
Assignment by Madhu Nadarajah, Bedford New Scholar 2022
Assignment Prompt: This assignment is a space for you to reflect and engage in your social literacy experience. If a literacy narrative asks you to reflect on the experiences that informed your understanding of rhetorical communication, then a social literacy narrative asks you to consider a single rhetorical moment that informed your awareness of a social issue (or issues) that directly impacts you and how that shapes how you communicate and interact with others. You will also want to pay close attention to how subject-position cannot be separated from how you perceive and are impacted by the rhetorical moment you are reflecting on. In other words, consider how the social issue might operate in different ways due to different lived experiences.
Moreover, the assignment asks you to write this assignment in the form of a letter. Why a letter? A letter is a personal and vulnerable form of communication. It happens at a certain time, usually takes on a specific focus, and is addressed to someone that the writer personally designated as the letter’s recipient. Therefore, I want you to explain to your reader why they are the selected recipient. Remember that this is not only about sharing and reflecting on your social literacy but understanding why you are sharing and reflecting on this particular rhetorical experience.
Some Reading For You Before You Begin This Assignment…
I want you to become familiar with different types of social literacy narratives. I encourage you to review the following works. I want you to consider how social issues cannot be divorced from their engagement with rhetorical communication.
- James Baldwin "Letter to My Nephew"
- Ta-Nehisi Coates "Letter to My Son"
- Amy Tan "Mother Tongue"
- Cherrie Moraga "La Güerra"
- Chimamanda Adichie "Danger of A Single Story" (TED Talk)
- Cathy Park Hong "'Bad' English is Part of My Korean American Heritage"
Assignment Guidelines:
- Must be formatted as a letter. I want you to think carefully and openly about who you want the recipient to be for your letter.
- At least 1000 words, size 12 font, double-spaced (serif font style, preferably)
- I encourage you to be vulnerable in this letter but also be mindful of your own comfort level
- Please refer to the in-class activity to brainstorm for this assignment
