Course Syllabus






Syllabus


Instructor

Written Communication I (Eng 82A)


Dr. Sylvia Y. Schoemaker Rippel
Profs360@gmail.com

Course TitleWRITTEN COMMUNICATION I

Course NumberENGLISH 82A

Instructional Contact Hours/Credits3 Units

Prerequisite(s)None

Co-requisitesNone

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

DescriptionENG 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 ObjectivesStudents 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 OutlineOverall 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 OverviewStudents 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

DateUnitAssignments


Each chapter contains an Intro, an Overview, Guidelines, Example Readings, and Writing Checklist/Activities.
1/15/20091 IntroI. A Rhetoric: College Student's Guide to Writing
1/22/2009Brief Overview ChaptersI. 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
1/29-2/12Unit I

Weeks 3-5
Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing
1/29/2009Chapter9. Forms of College Writing

Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective
2/5/2009Chapter10. 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
2/12/2009Chapter11. 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
2/12/2009Unit I (Narrative, Descriptive, and Reflective Writing) Paper DuePresentations
2/19-2/26Unit II

Weeks 6-10
Unit II -- Analytical Writing
2/19/2009Chapter12. 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
2/26/2009Chapter13. 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
3/5/2009Chapter14. 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 ReadingOn Excellence by Cynthia Ozick
3/26/2009Week 10 Unit II (Analytical Writing ) Paper DuePresentations
4/2-4/30Unit III

Weeks 11-15
Persuasive Writing
4/9/2009Chapter17. Strategies for Argumentation and Persuasion
4/16/2009Chapter18. 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
4/23/2009Chapter19. 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
4/30/2009Chapter20. 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

5/7/2009Week 16

ePortfolio /essays/final materials (maps, summaries, written work, exercises, etc.)

(Email all materials by midnight 5/7)