Course Description

Syllabus In this class, you will learn all facets of assembling, organizing and writing text-based essays. These essays will combine important ideas from reading with your own life experience and observations about people and places. In fact, you may exit this course with a different perspective on your life experience than when you entered. In particular, this course asks you to: read closely and take notes on two book-length works, one fiction; one non-fiction, as well as on several essays and short stories; write 4 expository and argumentative essays, (4-7 pages each), typed, double-spaced + drafts submitted for instructor feedback. participate in class activities, including "jigsaw" discussions, sentence workshops, chapter-notetaking and other prewriting exercises and activities. write "chunk" outlines as the basis for drafts; refine these into topic sentence outlines; obtain feedback for writing a final, graded version. keep structured notes on readings. attend all classes. show up punctually for each class. maintain a writer's portfolio as the basis for a self-evaluation at end of the course.

Reading and Composition, the first semester of Freshman Composition, helps you read academic materials analytically and write effective essays about your reading. Therefore, this course gives you a head start on success in many other courses--no matter what your major or academic goals.

In particular, the class breaks down the reading/writing process into manageable "chunks" and comprehensible phases, offering sustained progressive practice that improves your skill in each phase of the process. Along the way, you sharpen sentence writing skills, learn to avoid grammatical errors, unlearn poor sentence-writing habits, clarify your understanding of customs in written English, construct sure-fire methods of organizing ideas and information. You get to draft, edit and revise your work for maximum effectiveness. As you write more, your written communications will become more professional, more developed and mature, more focused and clear.

Class readings provide the "data" for essay writing. These readings typically coalesce around a broad course theme, facets of which you then pursue in your own original research and writing. All the essays you write are expository (explanative) and argumentative (persuasive to designated audiences). These essays are typically four pages at first; then become longer--up to seven pages. All are developed through various kinds of "research" investigations. Among the many valuable skills you acquire is the once-and-for-all skill of correctly and smoothly citing and documenting outside sources for your work.

 

Grading Information

We tabulate your semester grade like this:

1. Essays 4-5 (70%)
2. Attendance (10%)
3. Homework (10%)
4. Tests 2 (10%)