COMPOSITION II - COM102/5 Spring 2025
Course

Lessons
Here is the course outline:
1. Introductory lecture
Jan 30
Description: Syllabus review, class expectations, discussion of plagiarism, diagnostic. Launch of the University Voices Podcast Project. The University Voices Podcast Project engages students in exploring their peers' perceptions of the university through interviews and podcast creation. Students will conduct structured interviews, gathering insights on topics such as academic life, campus culture, and challenges. They will then synthesize their findings into short podcast episodes, incorporating interview clips, personal reflections, and structured narration. This project enhances critical thinking, interviewing skills, and multimodal communication while reinforcing key academic writing concepts such as synthesis, argumentation, and narrative coherence. Assignments/deadlines: Forming of groups, brainstorming of the topics, drafting open-ended questions, researching for articles, complete brief literature review and start interviews |
2. Launch of the University Voices Podcast Project Cont.
Feb 6
Description: Students will follow up on the task that they had the previous week. Podcast Production and Synthesis: Students will create and edit short podcast episodes, integrating interview excerpts, reflections, and structured narration to effectively communicate findings. Assignments/deadlines: Putting everything together and submitting the first draft. |
3. Language and Critical thinking
Feb 13
Description: Students will be able to critically analyze arguments, identify biases, and evaluate evidence in academic texts. They will construct well-supported claims, address counterarguments, and avoid logical fallacies. Through debates, peer reviews, and case studies, they will refine their reasoning skills. Additionally, they will apply logical structure and persuasive techniques in writing argumentative essays. |
4. Language and gender disparity in art: Guest lecturer Irem ErcanDuring this lecture, Guest speaker Irem will be focusing on her own research which centers female artists. She will be sharing her research process, especially since it's within the field of Arts and the decisions that she made all along. |
5. Pragulic homeless tour around PragueDescription: Students will participate in a Homeless Tour to gain an insight into the homelessness in the Czech Republic through the personal stories of our homeless guide. This tour will not only reveal the circumstances that led to their homelessness, but also highlight the support system provided by local authorities, charities and other organizations. The tour offers an experiential introduction to the topics of stereotypes, prejudice and prosocial behavior. |
6. Language and Homelessness/Poverty
Mar 6 12am .. 1am
Description:This class will be all about social justice and transforming oppressive sociopolitical structures. We will explore the core values of community psychology and community-based research. Students will learn about research-action and participatory methods. Special attention will be given to ethical considerations, community involvement in research, and the importance of language when working with marginalized communities. Theory will come to life through the decade-long experience of a Social Worker, offering insight into the daily realities of people experiencing homelessness and essential considerations when engaging with the target group. |
7. Language and Nostalgia: Guest Lecturer Tom Hodgetts
Mar 13
How does our past influence and shape us as individuals? In this lecture we will explore why humans are drawn to the past and how it shapes our self-identity. We will examine the role of nostalgia in identity formation and consider how Modernity amplifies this connection. Additionally, we’ll discuss how modern communication and our desire to forge group identities contribute to this ongoing process |
8. Editing, drafting and review.
Mar 20
|