Andrea L. Beaudin
Both my academic and my professional careers require a vast quantity of writing, but the types of writing I do for both vary greatly. In this section I have included a cross-section of my work, from a sample assignment to "ghost writing."
Sample Assignment: The Video Essay
Because the Video Essay assignment relies upon accessing online sources, I composed it as an online (hyperlinked) text. Keeping with the norms of online writing, I broke the assignment up into separately paged sections (Criteria, Preparation, Process). For purpose of review, I have included the entire text on one page.
Review of 2007 CCCC's Session G02: Identifying the Writer as Re-mixer: Rearticulating “Writing” in New Media (link opens off-site / in new window)
A straightforward synopsis and review of a session presented by Shaun Slattery, Jason Swarts, and Chris Berg at the 2007 Conference on College Composition and Communication.
The Reader's Fortunate Fall: Reflections on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Cundrie la sorcière
A brief excerpt from my master's thesis, revised for a conference presentation.
Policy and Procedure Manual (Excerpts)
As part of my work with the HBA, I composed several sections of our policy and procedure manual. Understandably, this writing is direct, succinct, and no nonsense. As much of the material in the manual is sensitive, I am only able to provide brief samples.
2007-2008 Directory Welcome Letter
When I informed the president of the association that we needed a welcome letter from him for the annual publication, he expected me to suggested that I draft something and have him look at it. I drafted, he read, and he signed.
Free Fertilizer and Less Trash: Compost!
Granted, not the typical title for a teaching portfolio, but this article reflects the type of writing that I craft outside of academia. "Free Fertilizer" was for an annual publication, an event program that billed itself to advertisers as a resource guide with a long shelf life. I needed to write a how-to article for consumers that would be a reference "keeper." I had to fill a specific space amount (approximately four columns), and as it always seems, the material had to be ready ASAP (as this was a last minute addition to the text). I chose the topic of composting because it fit with the issue's theme of renewable resources/green building. Furthermore, few people (at that time) were aware of composting, and many of those who were aware harbored misconceptions about it. Most importantly, I was (and still am) a long time organic gardener who actively researches my hobby: I had cultivated (pun not entirely unintentional) my authority, so beyond verifying a few statistics from the EPA, research wasn't necessary.
During class, we often freewrite/draft, and when I write "we," I mean "we." I often will freewrite with students, asking for their feedback and ideas. On some occasions, we blog these texts so that we can write and respond as a community. I have included two writings that grew from these freewriting sessions:
"Incipient Literacy" is a blog entry that responds to the prompts, "What is literacy? What do you remember as your first experiences with literacy?" Not surprisingly, I entwined my understanding of literacy with pop culture and technology.
"Homage to Griffin" is a darker piece. That semester, the class read Susan Griffin's "Our Secret," which brings together memoirs, munitions data, explanations of biology, and information concerning artist Kathe Kollewitz and her work in order to explore the roots of violence. The directive for the response writing was to create a text on the (student's) theme that emulated Griffin's style.
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