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 | |
| | | 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 | M I D T E R M 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 |
| 11/12/09 | | Selected Reading | "Understanding Dementia" by Sarah Anne Morelos |
| | 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 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. |
| 11/26/09 | | Thanksgiving Holiday | |
| | | Selected Reading | "Demystifying Multiculturalism" by Linda Chavez |
| | | 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 |
