Early Mid-Term Assessment

Hello Students! Welcome to Week 5 of AWL. Remember, that first Tuesday of the semester followed the Monday schedule, so after today we will officially be 1/3 of the way through the class.

As you know, the class is more of a workshop than a formal class. For instance, I really like using this slot of time for us to write, revise, and critique your 250-word Reflective Writing assignments for FYE. However, this week there is NO FYE reflective essay due. You just need to click the links and learn about the conceptual artist John Baldesarri (who sadly died last year).

Today in class we're doing the ungraded assessment that I mentioned earlier in the semester. Some students in AWL are doing marvelous work in their other writing classes (R&C and FYE). For these students, we're going to give the option to withdraw from AWL, even though we're encouraging everyone to stay in it. 

Now for the writing assessment itself. Please follow these directions carefully. Choose option A, B, or C below, and write a formal college-level essay in miniature. I think three full paragraphs would be the minimum, but I'm not putting any strict guidelines on the number of paragraphs or the total word count. Remember to make a singular argument and to support it with specific examples and details. Please also remember to revise and copyedit your essay before uploading it to the assignments tab on our Populi page. You can use spell-check, Grammarly, and other online tools if you want to, but you don't have to. It's your choice. 

I think you can tell that none of the three options below are meant to trick or misguide you. If you desire to opt-out of the class you don't have to choose option A. Maybe you can write a better essay if you choose option B or C.  All three seem very clear to me, but you can either come back to our Zoom room and ask me questions, or you can send an email to me at csmith@dcad.edu.

Lastly, you have up to 90 minutes to write, revise, and edit your brief essay. Some of you might only need half this time. It's your choice. Once you're finished and your essay is uploaded, class is over for you. We will not be meeting altogether on Zoom at the end of class. 

A) Make a compelling argument for why you should be eligible to withdraw from AWL if you choose to. Use specific examples.

B) Is voting in political elections important for young people like you? Why or why not? Use specific examples.

C) It's easy to think of the disadvantages of remote learning in art college (what we're doing via Populi, Zoom, and other digital platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic). However, what are some potential advantages of this kind of educational delivery and community? Use specific examples.