Critical Autoethnography on Identity with Selfie:

Major Assignment 1
WRTC 103
Spring 2017
Value = 125 points

Timeline/Due Dates:

Fri., Jan 13: Instructions for autoethnography and selfie visual project posted on
Canvas
Fri., Jan. 20: Research deadline

Jan. 23: Autoethnography outline due on Canvas by class time

Jan. 27: Rough draft 1 of autoethnography due1st of essay (at least 450-500 words);
due as hard copy due for peer editing in class
Jan. 30: Rough draft 2 (2nd half) of autoethnography + selfie due; hard copy due for peer
editing in class
Feb. 1: Deadline for autoethnography + selfie visual project on Canvas by 11:59 P.M.

Autoethnography
Definition of autoethnography: An autoethnography is an autobiographical genre of writing that
allows you to reflect on and analyze experiences and perceptions surrounding your social
landscape. In this personal essay, you will analyze how ONE experience within a social, cultural,
religious, ethnic, gender, political, or civic setting has shaped your identity, including your thinking,
behavior, and value system (moral code).
Your Task: Write a four to five-page autoethnographnic essay, 800-1,000 or more words in length,
about an experience of heritage (race, ethnicity, or nationality), gender, class, place, religion, political
affiliation, community involvement, or professional concern that (a) has shaped your identity, values,
and/or understanding; (b) integrates scholarly research and/or relevant course readings; AND (c)
reflects on how this experience has shaped your identity, values, and/or understanding of the world
around you. This essay should be originally titled, typed, double-spaced, and MLA-formatted. Also,
provide documentation of ALL outside sources.
Audience: Your instructor and your classmates in WRTC 103 comprise your audience for this essay.

Choosing an experience:
1. Consider some of these elements of your identity:

family membership
gender
education
activities you do (e.g., sports, music, clubs)
socioeconomic status (e.g., middle class)
 ideas/beliefs you hold (e.g., environmentalist, Amish, transcendentalist)
places youve been/lived/spent time (e.g., Californian, European)
race/heritage/ethnicity (e.g., Australian)
social construct (e.g., gamer, techie/tekkie, biker)
political construct (e.g., Libertarian)
civic construct (e.g., Habitat for Humanity member)
professional construct (e.g., teacher)
2. Also, brainstorm significant experiences that have formed your present identity. Consider
some of the following questions as you select a topic:
What family or cultural background form who you are today?
What social institutionssuch as education or religionhave shaped your
experience?
When, where, why, and how did you discover the location who you are (heritage,
gender, social class, beliefs, interests, and/or abilities) within the wider world?
3. Consider these ideas for writing the essay:
awareness of your own ethnicity (nationality), race, gender, class, religion, etc.
a moment of comprehension or clarity about your own identity
a memorable experience within a group: sports, choir, band, club, Boy Scouts/Girl
Scouts, etc.
an experience with altering your identity in some significant way: tattoo, body
piercing, hair coloring, cosmetic surgery, weight loss, body building, etc.
an experience involving some tradition, ritual, or observation familiar to you (a
tradition pertaining to a holiday, a rite of passage, a sporting event, or a family
custom)
an experience that has led to a career path for you

Planning the autoethnography:

1. Consider the five Ws and and an H method:
Who was involved?
What happened?
Where did it happen?
When did it happen?
Why did it happen?
How did the events unfold?
2. Add questions to the above queries; e.g., What happened? might expand to What did
you think as the events unfolded? and When did you see its importance?
3. Conduct research from at least two outside sources on some aspect of the topic. One
source must be scholarly, and the second source may include course readings or
credible information from a variety of sources. Consider the following topics and
suggestions for research:
a. You are writing about a rite of passage within your society, culture, or ethnicity, so
you must research, define, and describe the actual rite; e.g., Quinceanera, prom,
Bar Mitzvah.
b. Your topic concerns the awakening of your social, civic, or political responsibilities or
beliefs, so you must research, define, and describe the activist movement or political
party; e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Green Movement, Libertarian Party.
 c. You have selected an experience pertaining to your heritage, so you must research,
define, and describe the meaning of your heritage; e.g., Scotch-Irish, African
American, Italian, European, Virginian, New Englander, Bostonian.
d. You will narrate an experience about a particular sport or skill that has shaped your
identity, so you must research, define, and describe some aspect of that interest or
ability; e.g., cellist, gamer, tekkie, biker.
e. Your essay will concern a particular career interest acquired as a result of
experience, so you must research, define, and describe some component of that
career; e.g., teacher, manager, nurse, accountant, chef, lawyer, engineer.
4. Develop a strong thesis by stating the importance of your experience in shaping your
present self. Heres some advice from your Bedford text:

Work up to stating your thesis by completing

these two sentences: The most important
thing about my experience is ___________. I
want to share this experience so that my
readers ______________. (Kennedy 70)

Developing the essay:

Limit your narrative to one experience.
Show, dont tell; let the reader relive the experience with you and avoid merely telling or
summarizing it.
Pace the narrative effectively. That is, emphasize significant actions and details, and
minimize less important elements of the story.
Narrate the essay in first-person point-of-view.
Include plenty of sensory details, vivid language, and dialogue where feasible.
Create a sense of setting, conflict (whether internal or external), climactic moment,
resolution of conflict, and reflection on the incident.
The conclusion should reflect on the value of the experience in shaping your current
identity.
Use transitional words and phrases to connect elements of the experience.
Each paragraph should focus on one specific aspect of the personal experience.

Organizing the essay: The following advice will help you sequence your narrative logically.

Introduction:
o Hook the reader: Grab your readers attention with an interesting, shocking, or
unexpected statement, fact, quotation, question, anecdote, proverb, etc.
o Set the scene: Provide background information to appeal to your reader as you
transition to your thesis. This may be the place to define a term and integrate
source one of your sources.
o State the thesis: State the significance of the experience in shaping your present
 self.
Body: Narrate your story using one of the following structures:
o First approach
Narrate the experience from beginning to end.
Relate key details surrounding the experience.
Recommended: Integrate information from at least one outside source
within your body; e.g., choose a definition or description based on your
research, or embed a relevant idea/quotation from our course readings.
o Second approach
Begin in the present.
Flash back to the events and experiences you want to share and relate
them in sequence.
Recommended: Integrate information from at least one outside source
within your body: e.g., choose a definition or description based on your
research, or embed a relevant idea/quotation from our course readings.
o Third approach
Begin with the crisis point in the experience.
Go back to the beginning and tell the story to the end.
Relate key details surrounding experience.
Recommended: Integrate information from at least one outside source
within your body: e.g., choose a definition or description based on your
research, or embed a relevant idea/quotation from our course readings.

Conclusion: Reflect on the experience, and if you havent already integrated relevant
information from your second source, include it here. Use the following questions to guide
your thinking, and remember to close powerfully.
o Have I changed my behavior, thinking, or feeling as a result of the experience?

o How did my behavior reflect who I was at the time?

o How did my behavior reflect who I am now?

o What were the positive or negative outcomes of the experience?

o What do I see now that I didn't see them?

o Did I realize the significance of the experience at the time? Why or why not?

o What have I learned anything about myself, other people, or how the world works?

Selfie: See information below.

Works Cited: Cite both sources from research in correct MLA style. Include full author,
title(s), and publication data. Capitalize, alphabetize, punctuate, and space correctly.
 Embedding the Selfie: A Visual Self-Portrait
For the second portion of this assignment, you will create an original selfie, a photographic self-
portrait that reflects the content of your autoethnography. Read the following description of a
selfie in My Selfie, Myself, reporter Jennifer Worthams article from the October 13, 2013, edition
of The New York Times (available at < http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/sunday-review/my-
selfie-myself.html?_r=0>):

Selfies have become the catchall term for digital self-portraits abetted by the explosion of

cellphone cameras and photo-editing and sharing services. Every major social media site

is overflowing with millions of them. Everyone from the pope to the Obama girls has been

spotted in one. In late August [2014], Oxford Dictionaries Online added the term to its

lexicon It is the perfect preoccupation for our Internet-saturated time, a ready-made

platform to record and post our lives where others can see and experience them in

tandem with us. And in a way, it signals a new frontier in the evolution in social media.

The selfie you take with your smartphone or digital camera should impart a dominant impression
that makes sense in relation to your autoethnography. Also, consider the importance of size,
color, and visual perspective to produce the intended effect. Incorporate/Embed your selfie
within your autoethnography at a suitable location; then beneath it, insert a textbox in
which you report the time and date you snapped the photo and the impression you intend
to convey.
See the resources below that include multiple examples of selfies.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2014/04/13/education/edlife/13SELFIES_ss.html

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/stories/self-portrait/

Advice:
In short, your autoethnographic essay should
Contain research from at least two credible sources to define and describe some aspect of your topic; at least
one source must be scholarly, and the second source may emerge from course readings or from another
credible source of your choice.
Cite all quoted and paraphrased information from outside sources in correct MLA style.
Be 800-1,000 words in length and contain one-inch margins, interesting title, double-spacing, and MLA
format, including a Works Cited for any sources consulted.
Establish a specific focus: do not try to present your entire lifes story but only narrate one life-shaping
experience.
Incorporate critical reflection on the experience. (For example, what specific
lesson/value/behavior/interest did you develop as a result of the experience? How has this
experience shaped your present self?)
 Be interesting, yet logically structured. Each paragraph should focus on one specific aspect of the personal
experience. The narrative should follow the story curve with clear conflict, climactic moment, and resolution
of conflict.
Be appropriately developed with specific description/details, imagery, and dialogue where necessary. Use
descriptive language to show, not tell. Think carefully about what you want your reader to experience
when reading your essay, and then use language, tone, and sentence structure to create that experience.
Be written in first-person POV. Make it personal, but not too personal.
Be meaningful. This meaning should be implied or stated in the thesis and developed in the body and
conclusion of your essay.
Be cogent and focused. Dont let the story wander around aimlessly or pad it with excessive description.
Be organized:
You open with a hook that interests and engages the reader.
You clearly state your thesis.
You arrange paragraphs within the body of your essay logically and provide EVIDENCE (details,
description, dialogue, information from research, etc.), ANALYSIS (careful exploration of the full
experience), and REFLECTION (insights about the significance of the experience) as you write.
You use transitional words within and between paragraphs to connect ideas.
You personalize the essay with details, description, explanation, and reflections related to your
experience.
You conclude in a personal, convincing, and meaningful way by reflecting upon the overall
significance of your experience.
You include an original, embedded selfie relevant to your experience with time and date you
snapped the photo and the impression you intend to convey.

Evaluation Criteria/125 points

A = mastery or excellent.

B = adequate or strong.

C = satisfactory or unexceptional.

D = marginal or fair.

F = incompetent or inept.

40 pts: Ideas/Content/Development: Introduction is engaging, inviting the reader into the essay and clarifying the
experience with adequate background and focused thesis. The body narrates the experience through effective
pacing and evidence (facts, details, description, dialogue, integrated source material); adequately follows the story
curve (conflict, climax, and resolution); and keeps the readers interest. The conclusion, through in-depth analysis
and reflection, commendably illustrates the significance of the experience in shaping the writers identity.

30 pts: Organization: Essay is properly MLA- formatted with appropriate title, double-spacing, indentation, header,
identifying info., in-text citations, and complete, correct Works Cited. Paragraphs are organized in a logical manner
that aligns with the purpose and style of the essay. Paragraphs show sentence-level coherence. That is, the ideas
expressed and means of expression take the reader smoothly from one point or idea to the next.
 20 pts. Style and Conventions: Essay exhibits an effective writing style: consistent first-person POV, vivid sensory
language (e.g. imagery and dialogue) and powerful word choice, consistent tone, credible voice (convincing narrator),
clear/complete sentences, and well-edited document (correct spelling, consistent punctuation, and grammar /usage
conforming to Standard Written English).

15 pts. Selfie: Visual image commendably supports the narrative, is embedded within the text, and is fully captioned.

20 pts. Rough drafts and peer review: Peer review includes two rough drafts (#1 = 1st half of essay; #2 = whole
essay) brought to class and two complete/written/in-class peer reviews, including discussion with both peer partners.
20 pts. = full participation; 15 pts. = one missing component (draft, written peer review, or peer conference); 10 pts. =
two missing components; 5 = three missing components; 0 = non-participation in both in-class, peer review sessions.

34: 30: 26: 16:

40 pts:
Ideas/Content/Development
: Introduction is engaging,
inviting the reader into the
essay and clarifying the
experience or/e with
adequate background and
focused thesis. The body
narrates the experience
through effective pacing and
evidence (facts, details,
description, dialogue,
integrated source material);
adequately follows the story
curve (conflict, climax, and
resolution); and keeps the
readers interest. The
conclusion, through in-depth
analysis and reflection,
commendably illustrates the
significance of the
experience in shaping the
writers identity.
30 pts: Organization: Essay
is correctly MLA- formatted
with appropriate title,
double-spacing, indentation,
header, identifying info., in-
text citations, and Works
Cited. Paragraphs are
organized in a logical
manner that aligns with the
purpose and style of the
essay. Paragraphs show
sentence-level coherence.
Ideas/Content/Development
: Introduction is interesting
and clarifies the focus with
relevant background and
strong thesis. The body
narrates the experience
through sufficient pacing
and evidence (facts, details,
description, dialogue,
integrated source material);
largely follows the story
curve (conflict, climax, and
resolution); and usually
maintains the readers
interest. The conclusion,
through perceptive analysis
and reflection, illustrates the
significance of the
experience in shaping the
writers identity.
25 pts: Organization: Essay
is largely MLA-formatted but
may have a few minor
errors. Most paragraphs are
organized in a logical
manner that aligns with the
purpose and style of the
essay. Most paragraphs
show sentence-level
coherence. That is, most of
the ideas expressed and the
means of expression move
Ideas/Content/Development
: Introduction occasionally
interests the reader; the
hook may be rather
unexciting, and the opening
paragraph includes general
background and rather
bland or large thesis. The
body has some evidence of
conveying a story, but 2-3 of
these elements are general,
weak, and/or under-
developed: pacing,
evidence, story curve, and
interest. The conclusion
may only report or
generalize the significance
of the experience in shaping
the writers identity.
22 pts.: Organization: Essay
is somewhat MLA-formatted
but may have several minor
and/or major errors. Some
paragraphs are organized in
a logical manner that aligns
with the purpose and style
of the essay. Some
paragraphs lack sentence-
level coherence. That is,
some of the ideas
expressed and means of
Ideas/Content/Development
: Introduction is lackluster: it
may lack a hook to generate
interest, background may
be irrelevant or
undeveloped, and the thesis
may be confusing or absent.
The body shows little
evidence of conveying a
narrative, with weaknesses
in all of these areas: pacing,
evidence, story curve, and
interest. The conclusion
may be irrelevant,
insubstantial, or insufficient
in reflecting on the
significance of the
experience in shaping the
writers identity.
19 pts.: Organization: Essay
is deficient in MLA
formatting: it has many
major errors. Few
paragraphs are organized in
a logical manner that aligns
with the purpose and style
of the essay. Many
paragraphs lack sentence-
level coherence. That is, the
ideas expressed and means
of expression often inhibit
Ideas/Content/Development
:
The writer has largely
disregarded expectations
for introduction, body, and
conclusion. The content
may be a genre besides
narrative, lacking
focus/thesis, conflict, and
plot line. Development is
superficial, random, and/or
deficient for college
composition. The essay
either lacks a conclusion or
contains only a cursory,
random, or irrelevant
closure.
12 pts.: Organization: Essay
lacks MLA formatting; it is
littered with error in design
and documentation.
Paragraphs lack an
organizational plan that
aligns with the purpose and
style of the essay. Most
paragraphs are incoherent,
randomly structured, and/or
rambling. That is, the ideas
expressed and means of
That is, the ideas expressed
and the means of
expression move the reader
smoothly from one
point/idea/paragraph to the
next.
20 pts. Style and
Conventions: Essay exhibits
an effective writing style:
consistent first-person POV,
vivid sensory language (e.g.
imagery and dialogue),
consistent tone, credible
voice (convincing narrator),
clear/complete sentences,
and well-edited document
(correct spelling, consistent
punctuation, and
grammar /usage conforming
to Standard Written
English).
15 pts. Selfie: Visual image
commendably supports the
purpose of the essay and is
included and
explained/alluded to in the
text.
20 pts. Rough drafts and
peer review: Peer review
involves two rough drafts
(#1 = 1st half of essay; #2 =
whole essay) brought to
class and two
complete/written/in-class
peer reviews, including
discussion with both peer
partners. 20 pts. = full
participation.
the reader clearly through
the essay.
17 pts.: Style and
Conventions: Essay exhibits
a strong writing style with
largely clear, complete
sentences and only
minor/surface-level errors
(e.g., missing commas or
occasional weak word
choice).
13 pts.: Selfie: Visual image
strongly supports the
purpose of the essay and is
included and
explained/alluded to in the
text.
15 pts.: Rough drafts and
peer review: One missing
component (draft, written
peer review, or peer
conference).
expression inhibit clear
communication.
15 pts.: Style and
Conventions: 15 pts.: Essay
exhibits an unexceptional
writing style with several
major (e.g., run-ons and/or
fragments) and minor errors
(e.g., missing commas or
occasional weak word
choice).
11 pts.: Selfie: Visual image
somewhat supports the
purpose of the essay but
may not be embedded in
the document and/or may
not be explained/alluded to
in the text.
10 pts.: Rough drafts and
peer review: Two missing
components.
clear communication of
ideas.
13 pts.: Style and
Conventions: Essay exhibits
a weak writing style, littered
with major (e.g., run-ons
and/or fragments) and
minor errors (e.g., missing
commas or occasional weak
word choice).
9 pts.: Selfie: Visual image
questionably supports the
essays purpose; it is not an
original image, may not be
embedded in the document,
and/or may lack a caption.
5 pts.: Rough drafts and
peer review: Three missing
components.
expression largely prevent
clear expression of ideas.
8 pts.: Style and
Conventions: Essay is
largely unedited and fails to
meet minimum standards
for academic college
writing.
6 pts.: Selfie: Visual image
is not a selfie, and it does
not conform to assignment
expectations.
0 pts.: Rough drafts and
peer review: Non-
participation in-class, peer
review sessions; rough
drafts missing and absent
both days.