E82A Syllabus Fall 2007

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION I

ENGLISH 82A

Units: 3

Prerequisite/Co-requisite Courses: None

Instructor: Dr. Sylvia Y. R. Schoemaker

Phone: 510.628.8036

E-mail: drsylvia2007@gmail.com

Office Hours: T-Th 9-9:30, 12; 15-1 and by arrangement

Required Text:

VanderMey et al. The College Writer. 2nd Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.

Recommended Texts:

Clouse, Barbara Fine. A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers: Strategies & Process.4th Ed. Boston: Mc-Graw-Hill, 2005.

Adams, Katherine H. and Michael L. Keene, Research and Writing across the Disciples 2nd Ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000.

Dictionary, thesaurus

(Revision date:9/2007)

DESCRIPTION

English 82A covers the aspects of composing well-organized written communications. The core of the course will emphasize practice in organizing ideas in a clear, logical manner and other elements involved in writing papers in various rhetorical contexts.

COURSE DESCRIPTION (CURRENT UNIVERSITY CATALOG):

ENG 82A 82B - WRITTEN COMMUNICATION I & II

First term: A thorough study of grammar and the fundamentals of composition. Practice in writing themes, book reviews and other short papers is given. Particular attention is directed toward sentence structure, syntax, and general rhetorical principles. Second term: Critical reading and evaluation of selected texts and writings; composition of well-organized expository papers; a careful consideration of methods of research, organization in a clear, logical manner and other elements involved in writing research papers. (3 + 3 units)

OBJECTIVES

You will develop your writing skills for academic, professional, and socio-cultural purposes, in context-centered essay writing. You will learn editing, documentation skills, use of online and other resources

University learner goals 1 -6, and specifically in English:: To develop basic

academic and professional skills (1); To develop the ability to communicate

effective in English, orally and in writing, and to read with understanding

(1.1) and institutional goals , especially 1,(1.1-1.4), 2.4

FORMAT

The course sessions will include presentation, demonstration, discussion, and application modes.

POLICIES

Assignments are to be submitted in a timely manner. Late work will receive reduced points and must be accompanied with a written explanation for its tardiness. Plagiarized work will receive 0 points, and if persistent will result in course failure. All assignments must be typed, include in the top right hand corner your name, course, date submitted, assignment name and revision number.

Attendance is mandatory. Missed classes will constitute 0 points for the day’s class participation points. Excused absences are limited to serious medical or other problems, and are to be explained in writing either before or immediately after the absence. Persistent unexcused absences will result in course failure.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are expected to attend class, complete assignments, and to participate in individual and group work in a productive manner, and to take personal responsibility for meeting the objectives of the course.

ASSIGNMENTS

Overall Schedule:

For each chapter: summaries, maps, exercises. Three unit essays. Midterm and final with ePortfolios/blogs that include the essays for each unit, notes, reference data, in-class materials, and individual and group assignments. (See Assignments)

	Assignments
	Each chapter contains an Intro, an Overview, Guidelines, and Writing Checklist/Activities. (Summaries, map, and exercises are required for each chapter and both texts by the week scheduled)
1 Intro	I. A Rhetoric: College Student's Guide to Writing
Brief Overview Chapters	I. A Rhetoric: College Student's Guide to Writing Reading, Thinking, Viewing, and Writing 1. Critical Thinking Through Reading, Viewing, and Writing The Writing Process 2. Beginning the Writing Process 3. Planning 4. Drafting 5. Revising 6. Editing and Proofreading 7. Submitting, Writing, and Creating Portfolios The College Essay 8. One Writer's Process
Unit I Weeks 3-5	Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing
	9. Forms of College Writing Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective
	10. Narration and Description
	"Mzee Owitti" by Jacqui Nyangi Owitti
	"That Morning on the Prairie" by James C. Schaap
	"A Hanging" by George Orwell
	"Sunday in the Park" by Bel Kaufman
	"Northing" by Annie Dillard
	11. Description and Reflection
	"The Stream in the Ravine" by Nicole Suurdt
	"Call Me Crazy But I Have to Be Myself" by Mary Seymour
	"None of This Is Fair" by Richard Rodriguez
	"Who Shot Johnny?" by Debra Dickerson
Week 5	Unit I (Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing) Paper Due
Unit II Weeks 6-10	Unit II -- Analytical Writing
	12. Cause and Effect
	"Adrenaline Junkies" by Sarah Hanley
	"The Legacy of Generation N" by Christy Haubegger
	"Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids" by Anna Quindlen
	13. Comparison and Contrast
	"A Fear Born of Sorrow" by Anita Brinkman
	"Two Views of the River" by Mark Twain
	"Shrouded in Contradiction" by Gelareh Asayesh
	"Like Mexicans" by Gary Soto
	14. Classification
	"Three Family Cancers" by Kim Brouwer
	"Four Ways to Talk About Literature" by John Van Rys
	"No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch" by Ann Hodgman
	15. Process Writing
	"Wayward Cells" by Kerri Mertz
	"Downloading Photographs from the MC-150 Digital Camera" (from WFB)
	"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" by Verne Meyer
	"Campus Racism 101" by Nikki Giovonni
	16. Definition
	"The Gullible Family" by Mary Beth Bruins
	"Understanding Dementia" by Sarah Anne Morelos
	"Deft or Daft" by David Schelhaas
	On Excellence by Cynthia Ozick
Week 10	Unit II (Analytical Writing) Paper Due
Unit III Weeks 11-15	Persuasive Writing
	17. Strategies for Argumentation and Persuasion
	18. Taking a Position
	"An Apology for Ms. Barbie D. Doll" by Rita Isakson
	"In Defense of the Animals" by Meg Greenfield
	"Apostles of Hatred Find It Easy to Spread Their Message" by Leonard Pitts Jr.
	"Pornography" by Margaret Atwood
	"Demystifying Multiculturalism" by Linda Chavez
	19. Persuading Readers to Act
	"To Drill or Not to Drill" by Rebecca Pasok
	"Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time" by Paul Rogat Loeb
	"I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
	"The Media's Image of Arabs" by Jack G. Shaheen
	20. Proposing a Solution
	"Preparing for Agroterror" by Brian Ley
	"Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha" by Anna Quindlen
	"The Media and the Ethics of Cloning" by Leigh Turner
Week 15	Unit III (Persuasive Writing) Paper Due

STUDENT EVALUATION

Students are evaluated on the basis of class work, written assignments, quizzes, midterm and final exams, with grades proportionate to the following values:

Content	Points	Percent
Attendance & Class Participation	35	15%
Research Journal/Portfolio	50	22%
Quizzes /tests /exercises	50	22%
Papers	60	26%
Presentations	35	15%
Totals	230	100%

Percent	Letter Grade
90-100	A
80-89	B
70-79	C
60-69	D
Below 60	F