Welcome to WRT 205 online

Welcome to WRT 205 online for Summer 2020. I hope this finds you well and ready to get started with our critical research and writing course. We’ll be looking at issues relating to organizational culture, specifically at diversity and inclusion.

My name is Karen Oakes, and I’ll be your instructor the course. I’m looking forward to working with all of you this summer. A few thoughts as we gear up:

Let’s acknowledge that we’re all coming into this course from a really challenging semester. The transition to remote learning in March was far from smooth, and I recognize that that experience may have affected your perception of online courses. I hope to show you that online teaching and learning can be really productive, especially when a class is designed that way from the start, as this one was. We’re not shifting course midway through and trying to make up a plan as we go. We’ve got things all plotted out here right from the start.

Secondly, let’s acknowledge that there is still a lot of uncertainty swirling around us at the moment. That might be something you’re feeling in your own life. And we’re all feeling degrees of it in our communities and institutions–not knowing what to expect for the fall semester, keeping an eye on the ever-changing news, and worrying about economic prospects. All of those concerns will invariably shape our work this summer, likely in both theoretical and practical ways.

That’s the context we’re working in, and we’re going to roll with it. This course will give us opportunity to meaningfully explore and reflect upon the issues around us, as we’ll be researching organizational cultures and can really delve into how those cultures work in moments of crisis. Furthermore, as a studio course (albeit a virtual studio space), we’ll work to build a supportive learning community in which you can share and test ideas, give and receive feedback, and make connections.

And, finally, as to the practical stuff, part of the value of a fully online course like this is the inherent flexibility. We’ll generally have 2 sets of deadlines each week, but within those parameters, you can decide when you complete your work. We’re fully asynchronous, so there are no scheduled meetings–you can fit this course in around your other commitments. I’d like you translate any deadlines to your local date/timezone. And if your individual circumstances change, and that interferes with your ability to meet those deadlines, just let me know, and we’ll adjust as needed.

Let’s get started.