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