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COMMUNITY RHETORICS:

Writing in the Service-Learning "Contact Zone"

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The General Idea of this Writing Progression: This assignment consists of distinct parts -- a writing progression -- the aim of which is to help lead you toward the conception and authorship of a sophisticated and meaningful analytical essay that, while it draws upon various ideas and texts related to our course, depends most crucially upon your original thoughts and your own experience for its direction.

Part One

Due Tuesday, September 30 (not graded)

Begin by reading Mary Pratt's essay "Arts of the Contact Zone." From there, think about what Pratt means by the "Contact Zone." How do you understand it?

Now for the fun part: Relate in about 500 words an incident in the "contact zone." You may describe an encounter that you have observed or something that has happened to you directly. Narrate the incident or describe the scene the way that you experienced it. How do the people that you depict react to one another? Realize that the contact zone can happen anywhere -- where you most expect it (a multilingual, multicultural event) or where you least expect it (an incident over dinner in your dorm)

Remember: Do not analyze here -- just narrate and describe!