I'm currently reading Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition (2004) by Wysocki, Johnson-Eilola, Selfe, and Sirc.

It's an interesting book for anyone who teaches composition because each chapter offers possible assignments that fit various theoretical discussions.

Considering the way we're teaching first-year writing (RHE 306) at UT, one assignment in particular jumped out at me. It's called "Mapping Readings," and it fits really nicely with what we do in the first unit of RHE 306. For those not familiar, the first unit is about "mapping" a controversy. This means figuring out the territory that you as a student/scholar are about to enter into. Who's arguing? Why? What's at stake for these different people/groups? Wysocki's mapping assignment actually has students create a map "using any materials." She lays out the goals of the assignment:

"In the course of this activity, students obseve how usuing different materials and structures for 'mapping' readings encourage different relations and levels of understanding with the readings."

She also lists some online examples of the kinds of maps she has in mind:

http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/shedroff_communications_large.gif

http://www.africaaction.org/bp/map.htm

http://mappa.mundi.net/maps/maps_010/johndec_map1.html

(These are just a few of the examples she provides)

This seems like an interesting alternative to the traditional mapping paper. Instead of a 4-6 page paper, maybe students could build a map like one of these and write a shorter document that accompanies the map. This document would explain the map, it's rationale, etc.