Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Syllabus

Course: Written Communication I

Department and number: English 82A

Credit: 3 units

Course prerequisites: none

Semester: Fall 2009 – Thursdays, 9:00-10:15, 10:30-11:45, 16 weeks (see schedule below)

Instructor: Dr. Sylvia Y. Schoemaker Rippel

Email: sysr@lincolnuca.edu

Course-related email for the semester: profsr20@gmail.com

Office hours and location: T, Th 11:45-12:30 and by arrangement, room 307

Office phone: 510-628-8036

Instructional Materials and References:

Required Text:

VanderMey et al. The College Writer. 2nd Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. ISBN: 0-618-74253-0


Student Textbook site: http://college.cengage.com/english/vandermey/college_writer/1e/students/index.html

Recommended Texts:

Dictionary, thesaurus

Description

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)

Course Objectives

Students will develop their writing skills for academic, professional, and socio-cultural purposes, in mode-centered essay writing. Students will learn editing, documentation skills, use of pre, during, and post writing strategies, topic mapping 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 effectively in English, orally and in writing, and to read with understanding (1.1) and institutional goals, especially 1, (1.1-1.4), 2.4

Students will demonstrate written communication skills in writing and presenting their essays for personal, peer and instructor evaluation based on established rubrics, including competencies in planning, drafting, editing, and documentation skills.

Topical Outline

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 descriptive, narrative, analytical and persuasive rhetorical contexts. Student and professional writing models will be used throughout the units.

Assignments Overview

Students will complete the following: Essays for 3 Units, 2 to 3 weeks each, midterm and final exams, ePortfolios/blogs/wikis, due weeks 8 and 15, notes and maps for each unit and text assignment, including reference data, in-class presentations, readings and exercises

For each of the following units (as well as additional assignments given in class), students will do the following:

· Read assigned materials with care and understanding,

· Reflect on the weekly assignments in writing keeping a learning journal, addressing primary content and points of personal interest,

· Create a personalized, three-level map for each week’s assignment using the open source program Freemind (available in the computer lab and downloadable from http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

· Email your assignments to me at profsr20@gmail.com,

· Blog your work for sharing and presentations.

Note: The maps for your blog need to be in .graphic (.png or .jpg) format and you will need to save the native Freemind (.mm) format for submitting your work to me by email.

Assignments are due on the dates indicated in the schedule below. Additions/revisions to the schedule will be announced in class as needed. Class attendance is mandatory for content, interactions, and presentations. Researched materials must be documented using a consistent style for both in-text and end-text citations of sources using the published standards of the most recent subject-appropriate style guide, such as APA (social sciences) or MLA (humanities), for example.

82A Fall 2009 Schedule

Date

Week

Unit

Assignments Each chapter contains an Intro, an Overview, Guidelines, Example Readings, and Writing Checklist/Activities

8/27/09

1

1 Intro

I. A Rhetoric: College Student's Guide to Writing

9/3/09

2

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

9/10/09-9/24/09

3-5

Weeks 3-5 Unit I

Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing

9/10/09

3

Chapter

9. Forms of College Writing

9/17/09

4

Chapter

10. Narration and Description



Selected Reading

"Mzee Owitti" by Jacqui Nyangi Owitti



Selected Reading

"That Morning on the Prairie" by James C. Schaap



Selected Reading

"A Hanging" by George Orwell



Selected Reading

"Sunday in the Park" by Bel Kaufman



Selected Reading

"Northing" by Annie Dillard

9/24/09

5

Chapter

11. Description and Reflection



Selected Reading

"The Stream in the Ravine" by Nicole Suurdt



Selected Reading

"Call Me Crazy But I Have to Be Myself" by Mary Seymour



Selected Reading

"None of This Is Fair" by Richard Rodriguez



Selected Reading

"Who Shot Johnny?" by Debra Dickerson

10/1/09

6

Unit I (Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing) Paper Due

Presentations



Unit II

Unit II -- Analytical Writing



Weeks 6-10


10/8/09

7

Chapter

12. Cause and Effect



Selected Reading

"Adrenaline Junkies" by Sarah Hanley



Selected Reading

"The Legacy of Generation N" by Christy Haubegger



Selected Reading

"Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids" by Anna Quindlen

10/15/09

8

Chapter

13. Comparison and Contrast



Selected Reading

"A Fear Born of Sorrow" by Anita Brinkman



Selected Reading

"Two Views of the River" by Mark Twain



Selected Reading

"Shrouded in Contradiction" by Gelareh Asayesh



Selected Reading

"Like Mexicans" by Gary Soto

10/22/09

9

Chapter

14. Classification



Selected Reading

"Three Family Cancers" by Kim Brouwer



Selected Reading

"Four Ways to Talk About Literature" by John Van Rys



Selected Reading

"No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch" by Ann Hodgman

10/29/09

10

Chapter

15. Process Writing



Selected Reading

"Wayward Cells" by Kerri Mertz



Selected Reading

"Downloading Photographs from the MC-150 Digital Camera" (from WFB)



Selected Reading

"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" by Verne Meyer



Selected Reading

"Campus Racism 101" by Nikki Giovonni

11/5/09

11

Chapter

16. Definition



Selected Reading

"The Gullible Family" by Mary Beth Bruins



Selected Reading

"Understanding Dementia" by Sarah Anne Morelos

11/12/09


Selected Reading

"Deft or Daft" by David Schelhaas



Selected Reading

On Excellence by Cynthia Ozick

11/19/09

13

Unit II (Analytical Writing ) Paper Due

Presentations



Unit III

Persuasive Writing



Chapter

17. Strategies for Argumentation and Persuasion

11/26/09

14

Chapter

18. Taking a Position



Selected Reading

"An Apology for Ms. Barbie D. Doll" by Rita Isakson



Selected Reading

"In Defense of the Animals" by Meg Greenfield



Selected Reading

"Apostles of Hatred Find It Easy to Spread Their Message" by Leonard Pitts Jr.



Selected Reading

"Pornography" by Margaret Atwood



Selected Reading

"Demystifying Multiculturalism" by Linda Chavez

12/3/09

15

Chapter

19. Persuading Readers to Act



Selected Reading

"To Drill or Not to Drill" by Rebecca Pasok



Selected Reading

"Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time" by Paul Rogat Loeb



Selected Reading

"I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Selected Reading

"The Media's Image of Arabs" by Jack G. Shaheen

12/10/09

16

Chapter

20. Proposing a Solution



Selected Reading

"Preparing for Agroterror" by Brian Ley



Selected Reading

"Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha" by Anna Quindlen



Selected Reading

"The Media and the Ethics of Cloning" by Leigh Turner



Unit III (Persuasive Writing) Paper Due

Presentations

12/17/09

17

Final

Final Exam

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA & METHOD OF EVALUATING STUDENTS

Students will demonstrate their level of proficiency and achievement through appropriate and accurate application of written communication theory and skills. Assessments of improved competence in writing descriptive, narrative, informative, and persuasive essays and personal and peer evaluations and reflections are fundamental to the grades attained.

Grading Guidelines


Class Participation

15%


Quizzes, midterm

10%


Projects

15%


ePortfolios/Blogs

30%


Presentations

10%


Final Exam

20%


Total

100%

100-95

A

94-90

A-

89-87

B+

86-84

B

83-80

B-

79-77

C+

76-74

C

73-70

C-

69-67

D+

66-64

D

63-60

D-

59 or <

F


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