Leah Flores Course Analysis: Crystal Bazaldua

By Leah Flores(Contributor)

Ms. Crystal Bazaldua. When I was talking to Ms. Crystal, she had an amazing, soft-spoken voice and such a great personality. When discussing her classes, she expressed passion for how they reflect her growth in learning and development. As Ms. Crystal is pursuing her PD, she incorporates her experiences from those classes into her teaching. She is an inspiring woman, referred to by many titles: a co-teacher, a collaborator, a student, and a professor. She puts in a tremendous amount of hard work into her field, which is truly inspiring. Destiny   

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WRLS 0301: Reading & Writing Jumpstart  

Note: This class is not offered to most freshman students. It is primarily for students who did not meet the TSI criteria and must take this class. The course consists of two-hour sessions and covers all the necessities required. However, some assignments are subject to change. One major assignment discussed in this class is a paper where you create your own audience and define their characteristics. This entails thorough research to understand your chosen audience and justify your selection. Since this course is a requirement for specific students, there isn't much room for exploration beyond the prescribed themes and concepts.  

● Special Requirement  

● Traditional  

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ENGL 1301: Rhetoric & Composition I   

This class serves as an introduction to writing rhetorically and its main goal is to introduce students to media literacy. Despite taking a more traditional approach, Ms. Crystal incorporates movies and TV series into assignments. Within these media forms Ms. Crystal likes to discuss four different theories: medium, age, gender, and critical visual. Each of these theories were explored over four weeks, allowing students to fully understand and grasp their meanings while practicing their application. Understanding these theories is crucial as they will be used in their final paper.  

● Traditional with some videos  

● Feedback and practice  

● Evoke theories  

There are four major assignments in the class: the literacy narrative, the theory paper (spanning six weeks), the remix project, and a reflection paper. The literacy narrative paper serves as a reflection on the student's existing research knowledge and writing skill level, allowing the instructor to get to know each student better. The theory paper requires students to choose a movie and explain it to an audience unfamiliar with the film, while also discussing how the chosen theory applies to it. The details of the remix project vary depending on the semester setup, and the reflection paper allows students to reflect on their class experience and personal improvement.  

Ms. Crystal mentioned considering changing the theory paper to a theory PowerPoint presentation while retaining the same concept.  

The inspiration behind creating this class stems from Miss Crystal's master's course experience, where she learned about these theories and wanted to share them with her students. In previous iterations of the class, she attempted to cover all the theories but found it impractical due to time constraints. Therefore, she focused on three major theories that were commonly selected and delved deeper into them. She also aimed to inspire students to think critically about these theories and their reflections in movies and TV series.  

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ENGL 1302: Rhetoric & Composition II   

This class primarily focused on research. You'll create your own surveys and collect data for your assignments and papers. The initial phase involves spending approximately three weeks exploring your interests and identifying your research topic and question. Depending on your topic, you'll determine the best approach to address it. This may involve conducting interviews, surveys, experiments, or engaging in self-reflection. You'll practice these methods to find what works best for your specific topic.  

Afterward, you'll have about two weeks to plan your data collection process before proceeding to write your paper. Throughout these steps, Ms. Crystal will provide guidance and assistance. For instance, she'll help formulate interview and survey questions tailored to your topic. She may assist in distributing surveys to her peers and other classes to gather data. If you opt for self-reflection, she'll suggest practices to help you observe relevant aspects about yourself.  

Overall, this class is designed for individuals who are likely to conduct research in their field. It offers opportunities for exploration and provides valuable research skills.  

● Research  

● Explorative  

● Feedback Based