ENC 2305: ANALYTICAL WRITING + THINKING

the bad guys: writing about the illicit

Stop and Search. Banksy.

It is a crime to kill a neighbor, an act of heroism to kill an enemy, but who is an enemy and who is a neighbor is
purely a matter of social definition.
E. R. Leach, Ignoble Savages, 1968, p. 2
legality at first glance appears a straightforward concept. There is a line dividing what is legal and what is illegal;
rules must define those lines, judicial codes institutionalize those rules, and enforcement agencies guard justice.
Yet, there is no biological imperative marking crime from legitimacy; borders between the world of the licit and the
illicit are conceptual. As concepts changes, so too do borders. And as cultural categories, borders are fraught with
ethical implications.
Carolyn Nordstrom, Shadows of War, 2004, p.85

instructor:
phone [personal]:
phone [office]:
office:
office hours:

Jamie Lee Marks

jamielm@ufl.edu
[727] 773-7081
[352] 846-1138
Tigert 302
TBA

ENC 2305 Syllabus 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Analytical Writing and Thinking Seminar is designed to advance students critical thinking and writing
skills beyond first-year composition. To achieve those goals, students will learn advanced analytical
techniques and communication strategies that professors in all disciplines expect them to know. The
texts and assignments in the course will expose students to challenging ideas. The subject matter of the
course has been developed in accordance with my own area of expertisecultural anthropology. By
examining theoretical principles central to anthropology, the discipline dedicated to understanding the
human experience, students will practice reading deeply and thinking critically. Additionally, this course
encourages students to investigate the relationship between writing and knowledge, and to discover
how writing as a practice can create, rather than merely transmit, knowledge.
In this course, students will hone their reasoning skills through engagement with a specific topic and
sharpen their writing skills through multiple drafts of papers with substantial feedback from their peers
and their instructor. The culmination of the course will be a portfolio that demonstrates the individual
students growth as a thinker and as a writer.
outcomes
By the end of ENC 2305, students will be able to

Analyze specific influential research, theories, or philosophies

Recognize writing as an open process that permits writers to use reinvention and rethinking to
revise their work
Understand the collaborative nature of writing processes by critiquing their own and others'
work
Demonstrate critical thinking skills
Incorporate the ideas of published scholars in their own work
Produce a scholarly writing style, including clear, coherent, efficient, and well-organized prose as
well as logical argumentation
participate in groups with emphasis on listening, reflective thinking, and responding to group
members writing and ideas
participate in a rigorous, seminar classroom environment

course theme
To ground the students investigations for the semester, the course will focus on a particular formative
theme. The theme of this section is The Bad Guys, which is a rad and catchy way to explain that well
be thinking through the difference between the licit and the illicit. As well be approaching this from an
anthropological perspective, we will be particularly interested in the social and institutional processes
and beliefs that maintain the border between the licit and the illicit, and how prohibition-infused events,
circulations, and spaces can be approached theoretically and ethnographically.
To speak of things illicit raises questions that we, as humans living around other humans, are very
familiar with: Who do we trust? Why? Who, on the other hand, is a bad guy? A potential enemy? The
ultimate Other? How can we tell? How did they become bad guys? And, furthermore, what should we
do with them?
Just about everyone we meet has something to say about these questions. To ask them in the classroom,
however, means to slow them down, and tease out why and how particular answers to them circulate
and to what effect. To speak about these concerns anthropologically means to confront common sense
understandings of behaviors, characteristics, goods, and beliefs that are considered transgressive. It
often also means to speak about them using a different language. For example, many things that are
illicit are also illegal, but not all of them. Many things that are technically legal, are definitely not licit.

ENC 2305 Syllabus 3

Why? To approach these questions, we will interrupt everyday talk and accepted notions about rule
and law-breakers and begin to think about transgression (of laws, norms, taboos) and punishment in a
broad, anthropological sense, or as social constructions understood and experienced differently by
various actors.
To do this we will read a variety of texts that are (1) theoretical and help us think through social
categories and the ordering of social realities associated with taboo, crime, deviance, and punishment
and (2) ethnographic texts from multiple contexts that move us, as readers, to better understand human
experiences charged by prohibition, limit, and transgression, and that will motivate a discussion about
the specific qualities ethnography as a genre of writing and inquiry might offer in terms of writing about
the illicit.
required texts
[AT] Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. (2012). The Art of Thinking. (10th ed.). New York: Pearson. [available to you
online]
[Style] Williams, Joseph. Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace. (4th ed.). New York: Pearson. . [available
to you online]
[OR] Online Readings. These will be available to you on Sakai>Resources>Readings. Please come to class
with the readings, your annotations, and assigned activities in order to ensure a lively discussion.
[DF] There will be two documentary films that will count as mandatory reading during the class. I will
organize a screening on campus for those documentaries and also make them available via
course reserves for view at Library West. You are expected to either plan to show up to the
screening or, alternatively, to go to Library West and view the DVD on course reserve. It is
basically like having any other reading, except for that Ill schedule a time for us to read it
together.
Other [free!] Writing Resources
Reading and Writing Center
http://www.at.ufl.edu/rwcenter/students/writing_assist.html
UF Library Home Page Guide for First-Year Writing
http://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/enc
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Zotero
A browser plug-in or stand-alone reference manager. We will be discussing in class, but try to suss it out
before we get there. It could help you organize material in multiple classes.
Refworks
This is free to you through UF libraries, and pretty handy. It keeps references in order for you, creates
citations and bibliographies, etc. Visit the library site for more information:
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/refworksufpage.html

[tip- if you have a question related to APA, check out the resources available to you on Sakai, try OWL
Purdue next, and shoot your instructor an email if you are still in need of an answer]

ENC 2305 Syllabus 4

GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS
More detailed descriptions of all assignments can be found on Sakai.
Critical Definition of a Theory or Concept (1500-1700 words; 150 total points)
As we will discuss in class, defining or explaining a concept or theory with social significance is no simple task.
In this assignment, students will develop a carefully crafted definition of a concept related to the course theme
drawing on how the concept has been used and defined (or misused and misdefined) in existing literature, an
analysis of its use, and the students own cultural analysis and critique.
Critical Analysis of a Representative Text (1500-1700 words; 175 total points)
In this assignment, students will analyze a particular written or media text. Students will identify the argument,
explicit or implicit, that the author of the text makes and provide her or his own argument about that text.
Students will choose whether to evaluate the theoretical underpinnings or assumptions of a text, the clarity
with which the author defines the concepts s/he uses, how the author uses evidence, the implications of the
authors point of view or argument, and/or the rhetorical strategies the author uses to advance her or his
argument or perspective.
Application of Theory or Concept to Current Topic (3000-3200 words; 350 points total)
Students will employ the skills of critical definition and analysis to discuss how a particular concept or theory
applies to a current cultural, political, or legal phenomena or text. Students will work closely with the instructor
to develop their topics over the course of the semester.
Final Portfolio (200 total points)
Students will turn in a final portfolio that showcases their work over the course of the semester. You want to
include your best work, but also to show your intellectual and personal growth in the course, so feel free to
include things from early in the semester in order to demonstrate what youve learned. In the portfolio you will
include: three in-class activities; rough drafts, peer editing, final graded drafts of the definition and analysis
papers, and a final edit of one of these two graded papers. You will also include a Writers Note in which you
reflect on your experience in the course and in revising and editing your writing and on discuss, in detail, the
revisions you made to the paper you chose to edit for your portfolio.
In-Class Work and Homework (50 total points)
Throughout the term, students will work in class and at home on activities that strengthen specific writing
skills. These activities include participating in our critical glossary, taking quizzes, grammar/style activities,
fieldwork challenges, and reading prep and response. Each student will sign up for one day during the semester
during which s/he will be a discussion leader. Responsibilities for this day include typing up a prep sheet for a
reading that explores its main ideas, some quotes, and offers some discussion questions. I will model this for
you during the first week of class.
Participation Challenge (75 total points)
Each student must choose from a set of challenges and complete one during the semester. More information
online and at the end of this syllabus.
Grading Scale
A
4.0
A3.67
B+
3.33
B
3.0
B2.67
C+
2.33

93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79

930-1000
900-929
870-899
830-869
800-829
770-799

C
CD+
D
DE

2.0
1.67
1.33
1.0
0.67
0.00

73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59

730-769
700-729
670-699
630-669
600-629
0-599

ENC 2305 Syllabus 5

GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students must pass this course with a C or better to satisfy the CLAS requirement for Composition
(C). A grade of C- confers no credit. Earning general education composition credit, students will

Demonstrate forms of effective writing (focusing on analyses, arguments, and proposals)

Learn different writing styles, approaches, and formats and successfully adapt writing to different
audiences, purposes, and contexts; effectively revise and edit their own writing and the writing
of others
Organize complex arguments in writing, using thesis statements, claims, and evidence
Employ logic in arguments and analyze their own writing and the writing of others for errors in
logic
Write clearly and concisely consistent with the conventions of standard written English
Use thesis sentences, claims, evidence, and logic in arguments

The University Writing Requirement (WR) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use
writing as a tool to facilitate learning. Course grades now have two components. To receive writing
credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing
component of the course. To receive the 6,000-word University Writing Requirement credit (E6), papers
must meet minimum word requirements totaling 6000 words. Any assignment not reaching minimum
word count will be returned or failed.
The instructor will evaluate and provide feedback on the student's written assignments with respect to
content, organization and coherence, argument and support, style, clarity, grammar, punctuation, and
mechanics. Conferring credit for the University Writing Requirement, this course requires that papers
conform to the following assessment rubric. More specific rubrics and guidelines applicable to individual
assignments may be delivered during the course of the semester.

ENC 2305 Syllabus 6

assessment rubric
SATISFACTORY (Y)

UNSATISFACTORY (N)

Papers exhibit evidence of ideas that

respond to the topic with complexity,
critically evaluating and synthesizing
sources, and provide an adequate
discussion with basic understanding of
sources.

Papers either include a central

idea(s) that is unclear or off- topic
or provide only minimal or
inadequate discussion of ideas.
Papers may also lack sufficient or
appropriate sources.

Documents and paragraphs

ORGANIZATION exhibit identifiable structure for topics,
AND COHERENCE including a clear thesis statement and
topic sentences.

Documents and paragraphs lack

clearly identifiable organization,
may lack any coherent sense of
logic in associating and organizing
ideas, and may also lack
transitions and coherence to
guide the reader.

Documents use persuasive and confident

presentation of ideas, strongly supported
with evidence. At the weak end of the
ARGUMENT AND
satisfactory range, documents may
SUPPORT
provide only generalized discussion of
ideas or may provide adequate discussion
but rely on weak support for arguments.

Documents make only weak

generalizations, providing little or
no support, as in summaries or
narratives that fail to provide
critical analysis.

STYLE

Documents use a writing style with word

choice appropriate to the context, genre,
and discipline. Sentences should display
complexity and logical structure.

Documents rely on word usage

that is inappropriate for the
context, genre, or discipline.
Sentences may be overly long or
short with awkward construction.
Documents may also use words
incorrectly.

MECHANICS

Papers will feature correct or error-free

presentation of ideas. At the weak end of
the satisfactory range, papers may contain
a few spelling, punctuation, or
grammatical errors that remain
unobtrusive and do not obscure the
papers argument or points.

Papers contain so many

mechanical or grammatical errors
that they impede the readers
understanding or severely
undermine the writers credibility.

CONTENT

ENC 2305 Syllabus 7

COURSE SCHEDULE (Tentative- this schedule is a guide and subject to change according to class
need as the semester unfolds)
Analytical Thinking [AT]; Online Reading [OR]; Style
[students should bring a copy of readings to class]
UNIT 1: Rhetoric and Definition in Academic Writing
Week 1: The Course and Syllabus
August 25-29
M Review syllabus, expectations, and assignments.
HW- Read What, then, is ethnography? by Carolyn Nordstrom and Freire excerpt.
W Finish introductions. Discuss Carolyn Nordstrom, ethnography, pedagogy, and critical
reading.
Read Ch. 1 of AT. Start to read Rosaldo.
F Whos bad? How do we know?. Review reading critically
HW- Read and annotate Reading 1- Grief and a Headhunters Rage by Renato Rosaldo and
Local Knowledge by Clifford Geertz (2 pgs); Read Chapter 2 in AT
Week 2: Critical Concepts and Definitions
September 3-5
M NO CLASS. HOLIDAY
W Reading CriticallyBring annotated document to class and share reading techniques.
Discuss Readings
Read Style Lesson One and Reading 4- The Mule Driver and skim the following academic
journal article http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra022719
F Academic WritingRhetoric (Audience, Purpose, and Technique).
Read- Encyclopedia Entry Deviant Behavior and Reading- 3 Paul Gootenberg
Week 3
September 8-12
M Introduction to Definition PaperWhat is a definition? (class activity)
HW: Reading- Enrique Meyer; Chapter 3 in AT;
W Arguments and evidence. Discuss Readings. Bring definition idea to class!
HW work on definition brainstorming. Skim Frazers Taboo Table of Contents; Style Lesson 2.
F Writing WorkshopDraft thesis and outline definition
HW work on definition paper; Style Lesson 3.
Week 4
September 15-19
M Peer Review- Definition of a Concept or Theory.
HW- Revise
W Office hours DONT COME TO CLASS. Work on your papers!

ENC 2305 Syllabus 8

Reading 6- Scheper Hughes excerpts and AT Chapter 4
F DUE: Paper 1. What is critical analysis? Discuss readings.
Reading 7: Foucault (7)
Reading 6: Screening 108 Cuchillo de Palo by next Wednesday

Unit 2: Critical Analysis

Week 5
September 22-26
All Homework TBA
M Discuss Foucault
HW- read Lydias Open Door for Wednesday (a few pages of preface and intro and Chapter 3);
finish documentary
W- Discuss 108 Cuchillo de Palo Reading discussion. Challenge post 1 DUE.
HW- Reading excerpts from Lydias Open Door (8)
F Reading discussion. Discuss Lydias Open Door.
HW- Reading 9 Heroes and Hooligans

Week 6
September 29-October 3
M- Discuss Heroes and Hooligans. Summarizing/Paraphrasing.
HW Read- Bourgois (10)
W Discuss reading. Common Writing Concerns. Style Lesson 4
HW- TBA
F- Writing workshop- drafting a thesis and outline.
HW- work on paper. Read Reading 11.
Week 7:
October 6-October 10
All Homework TBA
M Discuss Style Lesson 4; Paper planning
HW Style Lesson 5. Drafting the paper
W Writing Workshop- effective revising.
HW finish draft
F- Peer Review
HW Check out and address necessary revisions. View The House I Live In.
Reading 12: Screen The House I Live In.
Week 8: Gathering and Using Evidence
All Homework TBA
October 13-15

ENC 2305 Syllabus 9

M Documentary Discussion. Begin topics discussion.
HW-

Unit 3: Application to Current Topic

W Final Critical Analysis Due. Topics, continued.
Bring in a topic for workshop. Narrow over the break. Read reading 13 over the break.
Chapter 7 AT.
F NO CLASS (homecoming.)
Week 9
October 20-24
M- Topic Workshop continued.
HW Reading 14
W- Discussion.
Reading 15
F- Discussion
Reading 16/17
Week 10:
October 27-October 31st
M- Discussion
HW Reading 16/17
W- Discussion. Redefining Topics
HW- Style Lesson 6
F- Narrowing Topics. Proposal Writing.
HW- work on proposal, reflect on the noir + carnivalesque! (Happy Halloween, Day of the Dead,
All Saints Day, and beyond to those who celebrate. Safe Festing, or traveling to the Georgia game
for those who will participate! )
Week 11: Conferencing about your paper.
November 3-7
MConferences- bring proposal for paper
W Outlinesplanning a research paper
F Continued
Week 12
November 10-14
M Peer Review Outline

ENC 2305 Syllabus 10

W Using evidencehow to incorporate ethos
F Using evidence- how to incorporate logos; Challenge post 2 DUE.

UNIT 4: Drafting and Polishing

November 17-21
M TBA
W Revising Introductions and Conclusions
F Keywords and abstracts. Writing Workshop.
Week 14
November 24
M Peer Review Application of Theory or Concept Essay. Full Draft Due.
HWW HOLIDAY
F HOLIDAY
Week 15: Revising and Portfolio
December 1-3
HW: TBA
M TBA
W Paper 3 final due. Continue editing discussion.
F- NO CLASS. Work on your final challenges and portfolios. Dont come to our classroom, I wont
be there.
Week 16: Portfolios, etc.
December 8-10
M portfolios and challenges, continued.
W Final class. Submit portfolio and course challenge. Something fun to celebrate the end of a
productive semester.
Please make sure all materials are in to me by the 10th. It is critically important.
Course Policies
University Writing Program Attendance Policy
Attendance is required. The policy of the University Writing Program is that if you miss more than six
periods during the term, you will fail the entire course. The UWP exempts from this policy only those
absences involving university-sponsored events, such as athletics and band, and religious holidays. In
these cases, proper documentation must be provided.
Absences and Tardiness
Attending class means arriving punctually and remaining until the end of each class period. An
attendance signup sheet will be circulated at the beginning of each session after the first few weeks of

ENC 2305 Syllabus 11

class. If you are more than 15 minutes late, it will count as an absence for the entire class session. In
such a case, however, you may enter the class and receive credit for in-class work that you complete
during the remaining class time.
Because much of our work depends upon group discussion of the texts and in-class writing activities, you
should plan to attend every class session. However, you may miss up to three classes without penalty
EXCEPT that you will lose credit for whatever in-class work you miss. After the third unexcused absence,
half a letter grade [50 points] will be deducted from your final grade. In the case of all absences, it is your
responsibility to contact a classmate to obtain notes on the materials covered while you were away.
Please note: As per University of Florida policy, more than 6 absences will result in a failing grade.
Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this class are
consistent with university policies that can be found at
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx
Technology in Class
Cell phones are permitted in class to be used only as [silent] clocks. If your phone rings in class, or I notice
that you are texting, I will ask you to step outside to take care of your business and not come back that
day; the incident will count as one absence. Even in the case that I dont ask you to step out because I
dont feel like dealing with it at the moment, know that I take note of it and dislike it. Dont run the risk
that one of your instructors might find it, and you, disrespectful of the learning environment.
Laptops and other computing devices will only be used in class on designated writing/revising class
sessions. These will not be frequent. The urge to surf, or work on other things, is simply too great and we
want the writer in us all to get the most out of our time together. Your instructor will announce in
advance which classes near the end of the semester are laptop friendly.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious violation of the Student Honor Code. The Honor Code prohibits and defines
plagiarism as follows:
Plagiarism. A student shall not represent as the students own work all or any portion of the work
of another. Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to):
a.) Quoting oral or written materials, whether published or unpublished, without proper
attribution.
b.) Submitting a document or assignment which in whole or in part is identical or substantially
identical to a document or assignment not authored by the student. (University of Florida,
Student Honor Code, 15 Aug. 2007 <http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcode.php>)
University of Florida students are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the entire
Student Honor Code.
Important Tip: You should never copy and paste something from the internet without providing the exact
location from which it came.
Classroom Behavior
The best kinds of discussions emerge out of classes where the classroom is thought of as a community of
learners and knowers, in which each participant is assured of a position as both. Thus, it is very important

ENC 2305 Syllabus 12

that everyone feels comfortable expressing his or her opinions in an environment that is free from
hostility, even in moments where we might disagree. Please keep in mind that students come from
diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Most of the texts we will discuss and write about
engage controversial topics and opinions. Diversified student backgrounds combined with provocative
texts require that you demonstrate respect for ideas that may differ from your own. Disrespectful
behavior will result in dismissal, and accordingly an absence from the class.
Peer Review
As you may have noticed, we will be reviewing the work of our peers in this class. Disrespectful
comments on papers will not be tolerated. Likewise, any reviewer failing to point out areas of growth in
paper that s/he clearly notices will be docked points for not respecting the importance of her/his role as
an honest reviewer.
Course Evaluations and Surveys
Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing
online evaluations at http://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or
three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary
results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results.
Because I value checking in with you along the way to make sure you get the most out of it, I may
organize online, ANONYMOUS surveys to be taken at certain points in the course. I ask that you take the
time to make thoughtful suggestions for change or let me know if something worked well for you. This
will help us make small adjustments in what we are doing before the semester is over and those
adjustments would, at that time, be relevant to your experience of the course. Of course, if you need
extra assistance of have any suggestions do not hesitate to contact me at any point.
Deadlines and Participation
You must submit assigned work on the specified due date even if you are absent (and even if you are
taking one of your allowed absences). Work submitted late, if I choose to accept it, will receive a
significant grade deduction. Papers and drafts are due at the beginning of class and/or on-line at the
assigned deadline. Failure of technology is not an excuse.
Participation is a crucial part of success in this class. Students will be expected to work in small groups
and participate in group discussions, writing workshops, peer reviews, and other in-class activities. Be
prepared for unannounced quizzes or activities on the readings or classroom discussion. Students must
be present for all in-class activities to receive credit for them. Many of them will be counted as part of
larger assignments. In-class work cannot be made up. Writing workshops require that students provide
constructive feedback about their peers writing.
In general, students are expected to contribute constructively to each class session. Be brave and be
respectful. Every persons opinion is welcome here.
Paper Maintenance Responsibilities
Students are responsible for maintaining duplicate copies of all work submitted in this course and
retaining all returned, graded work until the semester is over. Should the need arise for a resubmission of
papers or a review of graded papers, it is the students responsibility to have and to make available this
material.
Mode of Submission
All papers will be submitted as MS Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) documents to E-learning/Sakai
and as hard copies. Final drafts should be polished and presented in a professional manner. All papers

ENC 2305 Syllabus 13

must be in 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins and pages
numbered. You must use APA formatting, which we will learn and discuss over the course of the
semester. Be sure to staple papers before submitting hard copies. Unstapled papers will not be
accepted. Papers without word counts will not be accepted. Papers without page numbers will be
docked points. This is not because I am a grading ogre, its because Id like to make comments on your
work, know whether or not it meets the word count requirements, and not lose random sheets of your
printed work while grading. Help a lady out, here.
Students with Disabilities
The University of Florida complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students requesting
accommodation should contact the Students with Disabilities Office, Peabody 202. That office will
provide documentation to the student whom must then provide this documentation to the instructor
when requesting accommodation. Please do let me know as soon as possible as well, and we will make
every attempt we possibly can to make the necessary accommodations.
Contacting Your Instructor
I look forward to learning with and from you in this class. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any
questions or concerns you might have that cannot be easily answered by looking at the syllabus. I have
an open door policy and mean thatreally. It is very important that you feel comfortable meeting with
or e-mailing me when you have questions or feel that you need additional assistance. I will make every
effort to get back to you within 24 hours of your email on weekdays.
Please use the email provided on the syllabus or the email addresses I use to email you (you will see this
address in your inbox over the course of the semester). If you message me using Sakai, please check the
box that allows you to send a copy to my email address. Checking Sakai mail is not part of our daily
routine and I cannot guarantee as speedy a response if you choose to contact one me in that way
without forwarding it to my email addresses.
Other Helpful Resources
UF Library: http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/instruct/neworient.html
UF Grading System: http://www.isis.ufl.edu/minusgrades.html.
UF Disability Services: http://www.ufl.edu/disability
UF Counseling Services: www.council.ufl.edu
UF Student Mental Health Services: www.shcc.ufl/edu/smhs
UF Career Resource Center: Reitz Union, 392-1601
Pascals Coffee House
112 NW 16th Street
Gainesville, FL 32603
The CSC is a nice place to meet, grab a coffee, write, etc.. Some TAs, including myself) hold conferences and class
there, so Ive decided to include an address on the syllabus.

ENC 2305 Syllabus 14

For your use [to fill in as class progresses, as things can shift according to class need]
Major Assignment

Draft Due

Peer Review?

Participation Challenge

N/A

N/A

Seminar Sheet (which

reading did you choose?

N/A

N/A

Critical Definition

Critical Analysis

Application of Theory

Final Portfolio

Track Your Own Absences:

Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:

Final Draft Due

Total Points

ENC 2305 Syllabus 15

Challenges
By the end of the semester, you must choose one challenge from the list below and complete it. You will post
your choice, progress, and findings in Sakai using the blog function along the way. These exercises urge you to pick
one concept we mention/think about in class and pursue it in further detail through connecting it to your life. You
will post updates twice before turning in final responses using the blog function in Sakai. Your final responses
should be between 1.5-3 pages double-spaced. You will be evaluated on your engagement with ideas, your ability
to give a thoughtful, synthetic response to the challenges questions, and on general writing mechanics. You may,
of course, ask for direction with these as needed. Thats what Im here for. As the required blog update posts
indicate, these should be ongoing participation challenges and thus constitute almost a letter grade. Do not wait
until the last minute, you will not get anything out of the activity, and it will show in your writing.
First post due September 24
Second post due: November 14
Final post: no later than December 10
COURSE HACK: Most of these could also be final paper ideas, or stepping stones to a final paper in this course.

1. InstaBADGUYS
Create and curate an Instagram feed during the course of the semester. Follow my ENC course account,
ENC_2014 so I can follow you back. Ill post things, too, and tag them with #ENC2305 or #badguys. Take, edit,
share and tag photos as you wish, as you feel they relate to many minor or major ideas, themes, concepts that we
touch on (even lightly) in the course. Discover what interests you as you post. Share things that just feel
appropriate for the feed and then analyze your choices later, if you like. Reflect in April as you write your written
analysis. Think of your feed as a textsomething produced by someone in a particular context or set of contexts.
Comment on trends in your feed, why you posted particular images, how you edited them and why, how you
tagged them. Speak about a few posts in further detail. Be thoughtful and self-reflexive in your write up.
2. The Mixtape
This challenge provides you the opportunity for you to curate your own music compilation. The content of this
compilation should relate to a theme we discussed or listed in our critical glossary wiki. In your liner note (the
written component) you will state what theme or genre you engage and why. It consists of your commentary and
analysis of a few of the musical materials that you have selected and why youve selected them. Perhaps the
playlist relates to a period or event, an existing emotional narrative, genre, canon, place, time, etc. Something you
want to work out for yourself about prohibition, appetite, regulation, law, taboo. Or, perhaps a list of songs that
all mention a particular item, event, person, or circumstance. Be thoughtful, reflect. Your playlist can be made
using Spotify, a YouTube playlist, a DropBox folder, or be made on a physical medium if you would like. Just make
sure you can make it available to me.
3. The Outlaw Hero
Choose a film, short story, novel, television show or other cultural text in which you feel the figure of the
bandit/outlaw hero is present. Why is/was this particular character or set of characters that are considered
"criminal" by authorities considered honorable, moral men (or women) by their communities in different times
and places? What might this say about the interaction between of the state, cultural ideas of justice, and crime?
Why did this hero appear when s/he did? How can we compare a community's lifting of individual "criminal"
men to heroic heights with its "criminalization" of other types, as discussed in our classes? Why are some
individuals criminalized, and others somehow rewarded for what one could argue is illicit behavior? Analyze the
outlaw hero in his or her context.

ENC 2305 Syllabus 16

4. Narrating the Illicit
Part of ethnographic fieldwork relies on memory work or head notes. To participate in this challenge, write up a
memory of an experience with an illicit behavior or crime (whether as the criminal, the victim, a bystander,
or some other social position). Narrate the event. Push the descriptive. Take us there. Think Molano. If
ethnography is moving experience to text, while simultaneously maintaining an analytical focus, show me what
about this event and your memories of it seems important to you. What social relationships seem interesting to
you? Did it change or challenge existing beliefs? Did something about human social life and connection become
apparent?
5. Charged Spaces
Describe a place in which you feel fearful, in danger; then contrast this with place where you feel safe. Then draw
a map of your daily trajectory, signaling which spacetimes (places) "feel" more dangerous. Consider what it is
about the environment, or your experience, stimulates these feelings. Be as descriptive about the spaces and your
movements through them as possible. Narrate concrete, glass. Narrate memories and hearsay. How would a
space take on these qualities? How does the material or outside world become virtual, part of our emotional
landscape?
Safety note: Dont go somewhere dangerous you dont normally go for this. This challenge asks you to choose
somewhere you already engage in your day-to-day life for analysis.
6. Fragments of the Illicit
The study of illicit actions, persons, or objects cannot be separated from the study of their representations in the
media. Most ideas about legality, transgression, taboo, and deviance, are channeled through the widely
disseminated representations of the illicit or extralegal in newspapers and television and film, non-fiction and
fiction. For this challenge, conceive of media as an institutional actor in society, and as an intimate presence in
homes. Consider how mass media are constantly seeking to "discover" new phenomena in order to make news.
What relationship do particular media have to the production of moral panics," or periodic waves of fear and
outrage about groups of societies conceived of as bad or transgressive.
For this challenge, locate multiple descriptions of a bad happening or event (perhaps a crime, massacre, riot,
disaster). Discuss how the event was constructed. How are actors involved with the event portrayed? Do the
articles perpetuate any kind of stereotypes (gender, race, ethnicity, age, nationality, language, etc.)? What kind of
world is assumed and created by the text?
7. Gender and Taboo
Discuss an event or the depiction of an event in which the gender of either the victim, or the bad guy (or gal)
played an important role in its representation. Discuss how gender motivates popular understandings of
deviance. For example, how did the gender of either person contribute to popular understanding of the event?
Was motherhood/fatherhood at stake, for example? What things did the rhetoric surrounding the case
demonstrate about the actors? For example, if character evidence or testimony was described, what did it
highlight about that person? Likewise, did any media outlets or legal representatives attempt to use information
about a person that relates to his or her gender or sexuality in order to prove something? You may consider
political scandals, crimes, tabloid/celebrity gossip, or any other cultural text you may like. You could even choose
to analyze one representation of that event or text.
8. Queen of the South
Over the course of the semester, read the novel Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Even a chunk a
week would do it, and its riveting. Pat yourself on the back for having read such an intense and interesting novel
based on real events. Then, discuss the transformations of self experienced by the character of Teresa Mendoza.
What does her portrayal suggest about the specific techniques required to adapt to situations charged by
prohibition? To seek some sense that one has not changed too much?

ENC 2305 Syllabus 17

Alternatively, consider predation in the text. Describe what Perez-Reverte refers to as the Situation. What do
the passages that refer to it suggest about the ways in which engaging with illegal/illicit things can haunt or
transform ones future?
The original text was written in Spanish. Feel free to read it and write it in Spanish, if youre a Spanish speaker.
9. Joint Itineraries
Locate yourself as a UF student in a community that exists outside of the university. Select an RTS route that runs
at least partially off campus. Get online and determine where the route begins and ends. Hop on the bus at a stop
of your choosing (this is free to you as a UF student) and take it to the end of its route and back. Plan for
adequate time, as bus routes can often take one or more hours to complete. Take notes about who gets on and
off and any interactions that that transpire. Think about social difference and alterity. Take notes about parts of
Gainesville you encounter. Have you been there before? What did you feel/experience? Compose a brief report of
what you saw, heard, felt, thought, imagined, and/or daydreamed about when you were there.
10. All of These Are Boring. So. No.
Drawing on Freire, acknowledge yourself as much more than an observer and receiver of course design. Design
your own challenge that you feel fulfills the pedagogical goal intended by challengesto urge you to connect you,
as a Self, to important questions, ideas, etc., raised by course concepts. Complete the challenge, but in your write
up describe why it is an awesome, appropriate challenge for the course. The challenge could involve creative
writing, media/film, gaming [indie, PC, console, portable, etc. RPG, simulation, just tell us how it works and how it
connects! ], coding, other social media outlets, blogging, fieldwork challenges like some listed here. All media and
approaches are open for consideration. Each of you knows something I dont. Get into it. Ask for advice and
encouragement as needed, but know that you are creative and capable.