| Syllabus Instructor | Written Communication I (Eng 82A) Dr. Sylvia Y. Schoemaker Rippel Profs360@gmail.com | |
| Course Title | WRITTEN COMMUNICATION I | |
| Course Number | ENGLISH 82A | |
| Instructional Contact Hours/Credits | 3 Units | |
| Prerequisite(s) | None | |
| Co-requisites | None | |
| Instructional Materials and References | Required Text: VanderMey et al. The College Writer. 2nd Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. ISBN: 0 618 74253 0 | |
| 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 | ||
| 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 context-centered essay writing. Students 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 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 | Overall Schedule | |
| 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. | ||
| 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 | |
| Course Outline | ||
| Date | Unit | Assignments |
| Each chapter contains an Intro, an Overview, Guidelines, Example Readings, and Writing Checklist/Activities. | ||
| 1/15/2009 | 1 Intro | I. A Rhetoric: College Student's Guide to Writing |
| 1/22/2009 | 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 |
| 1/29-2/12 | Unit I Weeks 3-5 | Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing |
| 1/29/2009 | Chapter | 9. Forms of College Writing Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective |
| 2/5/2009 | 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 | |
| 2/12/2009 | 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 | |
| 2/12/2009 | Unit I (Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing) Paper Due | Presentations |
| 2/19-2/26 | Unit II Weeks 6-10 | Unit II -- Analytical Writing |
| 2/19/2009 | 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 | |
| 2/26/2009 | 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 | |
| 3/5/2009 | 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 | |
3/12/2009 3/12/2009 | MIDTERM 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 | |
3/19/2009 3/26/2009 | SPRING RECESS Chapter | 16. Definition |
| Selected Reading | "The Gullible Family" by Mary Beth Bruins | |
| Selected Reading | "Understanding Dementia" by Sarah Anne Morelos | |
| Selected Reading | "Deft or Daft" by David Schelhaas | |
| Selected Reading | On Excellence by Cynthia Ozick | |
| 3/26/2009 | Week 10 Unit II (Analytical Writing ) Paper Due | Presentations |
| 4/2-4/30 | Unit III Weeks 11-15 | Persuasive Writing |
| 4/9/2009 | Chapter | 17. Strategies for Argumentation and Persuasion |
| 4/16/2009 | 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 | |
| 4/23/2009 | 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 | |
| 4/30/2009 | 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 | |
| Week 15 Unit III (Persuasive Writing) Paper Due | Presentations Final Exam (Objective) Last class day | |
| 5/7/2009 | Week 16 | ePortfolio /essays/final materials (maps, summaries, written work, exercises, etc.) (Email all materials by midnight 5/7) |