Members of the campus community have a chance tomorrow to see how first-year English students interpret current events, social stigmas and other tidbits of the zeitgeist. The First Year Writing Showcase will occur from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center. It is free and open to the public.

Christopher Minnix, an adjunct English lecturer, and Anne Marie Hall, director of the UA Writing Program, are the event’s primary organizers.

“”This is an opportunity to see UA course work at its most innovative,”” Minnix said.

Over 200 students and faculty members will take part in the event, which will incorporate non-linear methods of communication and writing, and translate them into a visual form, he said.

Students chose topics they found compelling and then changed textual media on the subjects into visual counterparts such as posters, videos, Web sites and short films, Minnix said.

In past years, the showcase has included only students from Honors sections of second-semester English, he said. This year it was made open to all students in English 102.

“”Students are challenging us and how we communicate,”” Minnix said. “”These projects have been really innovative.””

The projects cover topics ranging from political correctness to water policies in Egypt to student life issues. Instructors will be on hand to discuss the projects and answer questions.

The showcase will function like an exhibit where people can walk through and interact with all of the projects, Minnix said.

For the most part, these projects were components of a class, but the event is a great opportunity for students to showcase their work, he said.

One class, taught by Jim Bowman, chose to investigate the problems and dynamics of the Middle East.

Students’ project include “”Iran’s Nuclear Program”” by Andrew Waiter and “”Homosexuality in Turkey: Past, Present, and Future”” by Veronica Quinones.

Another class, taught by Charles Alexander, used devices like performing arts to convey their projects.

These projects include “”Getting Uh Uneducated”” by Rebecca Bush and Joseph Gouge and “”Whiskey in the Jar”” by Luke Peil and Destiny Lagrand.

“”The showcase will demonstrate the strength and intellect of the entire UA student body,”” Minnix said.