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WRITING 200

Writing with Digital and Social Media

Credits: 3 May be elected 3 times for credit May be elected more than once in the same term

In WRITING 200, students analyze and apply rhetorical principles in their writing with “new media.” As members of a media-saturated culture, we know that print text is only one form of writing, and sometimes it is not the most effective choice. Because all of us make sense of texts and issues in a variety of ways, these courses ask students to utilize multimodal (visual, aural, etc.) forms of communication and become more informed, critical consumers of new media writing themselves.

Writing 200.001 - The Art of Podcasting

This three-credit digital media course will introduce you to the genre of podcasting by
deconstructing what makes an effective podcast work with hands-on audio experiments. In this class, you will be a podcast producer of Michigan Voices Podcast, Season 6, an on-going student podcast published on Spotify. 

This season's particular theme is sustainability, connecting to the LSA's theme semester. We’ll explore engaging podcasts to examine what makes them tick. We will practice the art of interviewing, asking questions and close listening; we will experiment with audio and editing; we will record hours of “tape” in campus sound studios and in the field. Along the way, we’ll draft scripts, design icons, and learn how to package episodes.

As a class we will envision, produce, and launch Season Six of Michigan Voices Podcast. To this end, everyone will draft and design a podcast episode (either individually or in a small group) for Season 6. Use your voice this semester and create a vehicle for others to share their voices, perspectives and stories. What do you believe about sustainability, climate change, the environment, public policy and politics, and our future? What are the stories that you believe ought to engage the University of Michigan community?  What are you curious about? Discover your story, the story of others, and the value of these stories in public discourse and our civic space.

Writing 200.002 - The Art of the Photo Essay

In this course, you will experiment with different ways of making meaning and telling stories with photographic images. Technically, this course will introduce you to elements of visual composition, as well as basic editing software. Narratively, you will learn how to craft complex stories using both images alone as well as combinations of image and text. Throughout the course you will keep a website that visually documents the evolution of your projects as well as your development as a photographer. You will also write regular reflections on your photographic journey as you work your way toward assembling a portfolio of four thematically and formally distinct photo essays.