EN100.008 Introduction to College Writing, Fall 2011
Framingham State University
CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor: Emma Perry
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Course Meetings: T/R 2:30-4:20 in Hemenway Hall 426
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to Introduction to College Writing!
Introduction to College Writing is designed to build on skills you already have to strengthen your writing
processes and to introduce you to key academic skills that will help you succeed. You have had many years
of English instruction in high school; this course uses what you already know to help you understand what
will be expected of your writing in college.
In this course, you will write four graded essays (ranging from 3-6 pages each) and produce a significant
revision of one of these essays. Additional short papers graded A/C/F will help you develop your writing
process throughout the semester.
You will also workshop your writing with your peers at least four times in this course. Your participation in
the writing workshops will be key to your success in this course, and will help you succeed in college
writing in the future. You will also be expected to write a number of short pieces in class that will help you
develop your ability to think on your feet.
No matter what your major, I want this class to prepare you to think independently, express yourself
articulately, and share your original ideas in an engaging and persuasive manner as you prepare for the
demands of college-level writing and beyond.
COURSE GOALS
1. CRITICAL READING AND THINKING: Students will understand that college-level reading is
an active and critical process, and that critical reading requires attention both to what an author says
and how an author says it.
2. PROCESS: Students will understand that writing is a recursive and collaborative process and that
good writing often requires multiple drafts.
3. STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN WRITING ESSAYS: Students will understand that
college-level essays require both structure and development.
4. STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN WRITING PARAGRAPHS: Students will
understand that college-level paragraphs require both structure and development and are the
building blocks of essays.
5. KNOWLEDGE OF CONVENTIONS: Students will understand the conventions of college-level
academic writing.
MATERIALS
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A Sequence for Academic Writing, 5th edition. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston:
Pearson, 2012. (You may purchase the 4th edition online for less since all of the material assigned is
also available in the 4th edition; however, if you do this, you will be wholly responsible for reading
the correct material despite the fact that the pagination will be different.)
Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing, 3rd edition. Ed. Pamela Arlov. Boston, Pearson, 2007.
A notebook (any kind you want) that you bring to class every day
A binder or folder (for organizing handouts and printed readings)
You are expected to come to class with all relevant materials, including the readings for that day, printed
off in hard-copy and annotated in a way that helps you discuss the text.
GRADING
This is a workshop-style course, and as such, cumulative performance, effort, and improvement are
important factors in grading. You must perform a significant revision of one of your four essays at the end of
the semester; the new revision grade will replace the first grade. The breakdown for grading will be as
follows:
Summary Essay: 10%
Critique Essay: 10%
Synthesis Essay: 15%
Argument Essay: 15%
Participation: 20%
A/C/F Assignments, typed peer-reviews, and in-class writing: 15%
End-of-semester Revision & Process Letter: 15%
To clarify:
Summary, Critique, Synthesis, and Argument Essays: you will receive further instruction and specific assignment
sheets on each of these assignments later in the semester
Participation includes attendance, bringing appropriate materials to class, being prepared and ready to
discuss that day’s readings, volunteering your ideas, etc.
A/C/F Assignments are like pass/fail assignments, but instead of either Pass or Fail, you may also earn a C.
These assignments are meant to be exploratory and do not have to be polished or perfect. In fact, I want
you to experiment and have fun with them. In order to earn an “A” (and not a “C”) you should demonstrate
that you put effort and thought into the assignment, completed it, and presented it professionally (i.e., not
scribbled on a piece of notebook paper 10 minutes before class started). An “F” will be earned if you fail to
complete the assignment.
In-class writing is just what is sounds like: writing you will be asked to do in-class, on the spot. This writing
is not graded for anything other than effort and improvement. You will be asked to gather all of this writing
at the end of the semester as part of your portfolio.
Typed Peer-Reviews will be due after in-class peer conferences on each of the four graded assignments in the
class. You will turn in one copy to the peer you are reviewing, and one copy to me. You will also receive
one from one of your peers! These are meant to help you both get and give feedback on your writing.
End-of-semester Revision & Process letter: at the end of the semester, you will be asked to write a two-part letter
to feature in your portfolio. The first part is a “cover letter” outlining how you went about your revision
essay and why you made the choices you did in your revision. The second part is a process letter, outlining
what you have learned in the course about the writing process and how you plan to use these skills in future
college course work.
SYLLABUS
T 9.6 Introductions
In-class: “writing and naming” exercise; forms of writing exercise
R 9.8 The Writing Process and Grammar Introduction
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in a 1-2 page double-spaced name narrative
Readings: WSM “The Writing Process” pp. 3-18; WSM “Prewriting” pp. 23-35
In-class: pre-writing exercise on the topic of entering college; problems with grammar
Unit One: Summary
T 9.13 Writing a Summary
Readings: SAW “Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation” pp. 2-7; WSM “Writing a Summary” pp. 233-239;
WSM “When Words Get in the Way” pp. 556-557
In-class: summary group workshop (1 page, 1 paragraph, 1 sentence)
R 9.15 Paraphrasing
Readings: SAW “Paraphrase” pp. 33-36; WSM “Paraphrasing: An Essential Skill” pp. 239-240; WSM
“Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Essential Research Skills” pp. 265-266
In-class: paraphrase workshop activities (synonyms, using a dictionary); WSM “Paraphrasing Short Passages”
pp. 241-242 and pp. 266-267
T 9.20 Showing and Telling
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): summarize your favorite movie or TV show in a 1-2 page double-spaced piece
without identifying names or titles
Readings: WSM pp. 127-130 “Showing and Telling”
In-class: can the class identify the show you’ve summarized? What makes your summary work? How did
you use showing rather than telling?
R 9.22 Summarizing with Quotes
Readings: SAW “Quotations” pp. 36-45; WSM “Growing Up Bilingual” pp. 536-537; WSM “Developing
Body Paragraphs” pp. 73-83 (skip exercises)
In-class: exercise incorporating quotations (brackets, ellipses, hit-and-run, sandwiching quotes, quotation
conventions, etc.) and pulling key quotes from a text; paragraph workshop WSM “Unity: Sticking to the
Point of the Essay” pp. 80-81
T 9.27 Peer Review of Summaries
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in a complete draft of your Summaries to me and your workshop partner
(3-5 pages double spaced)
Readings: They Say/I Say “Entering Class Discussions” pp. 135-137 (handout); “Peer-review How-to”
(handout); WSM “Transitions” pp. 84-87 (skip exercises)
In-class: WSM transition workshop p. 87; peer-review workshop
Unit Two: Critique
R 9.29 Evaluating Arguments
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in your typed peer-review to me and your workshop partner
Readings: SAW pp. 51-63 “Do they succeed?”; WSM pp. 602-3 “Education Unplugged”
In-class: group critique of “Education Unplugged”
T 10.4 Grammar Review I
Assignment DUE (graded): Polished Summary Essays (3-5 pages double spaced)
Readings: WSM Grammar Part 2 readings TBA
In-class: grammar workshop
R 10.6 Agreeing and Disagreeing
Readings: SAW “Do you agree?” pp. 63-70; SAW “The Common App Fallacy” pp. 78-80; They Say/I Say
“Yes/No/Okay, But: Three Ways to Respond” pp. 51-62 (handout)
In-class: practice “yes/no/okay, but” on “The Common App Fallacy”
T 10.11 Form and Function
Readings: WSM “The Game of My Life” pp. 542-543; Brian Turner “Here, Bullet” (handout)
In-class: group discussion of form and function (music, non-fiction, poetry)
Unit Three: Synthesis
R 10.13 Peer Review of Critiques and What is Synthesis?
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in a complete draft of your Critique Essay to me and your workshop
partner (3-5 pages double spaced)
Readings: SAW “How to Write Syntheses” pp. 87-89; They Say/I Say “Reading for the Conversation” pp.
138-148 (handout); review “Up Against Wal-Mart” and “Progressive Wal-Mart” (handout from Unit One)
In-class: peer-review workshop; group project using Walmart summaries to craft a synthesis reading of the
effects of Walmart on America
T 10.18 Objective and Subjective Synthesis
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in your typed Peer-Review to me and your workshop partner
Readings: SAW “types of Syntheses: Explanatory and Argument” pp. 84-87; Amy Chua “Why Chinese
Mothers are Superior” (handout)
In-class: activity writing objective and subjective syntheses of the two Walmart pieces and Amy Chua’s
article
R 10.20 Making Connections
Assignment DUE (graded): turn in your polished Critique Essay (3-5 pages double spaced)
Readings: WSM “Compare/Contrast” and “Cause and Effect” pp. 199-217; SAW “Compare/Contrast” pp.
168-170
In-class: outline a compare and contrast essay on college and high school life and share your approaches and
techniques with your workshop group
T 10.25 Grammar Review II
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): write a 2 page outline examining two specific details from two texts or films
you know well that have a similar theme (e.g.: the destruction of two world landmarks in The Day After
Tomorrow (the Statue of Liberty) and 2012 (Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil); the use of technology for
control in 1984 (via medication) and Brave New World (via surveillance), etc.)
Readings: WSM Grammar Part 2 readings TBA
In-class: grammar review; discuss synthesis strategies for success
R 10.27 Two Ways to Synthesize
Readings: WSM “Two Ways of Seeing a River” pp. 529-530; David Brooks “Amy Chua is a Wimp”
(handout)
In-class: Discuss compare/contrast techniques in “Two Ways;” create a group synthesis of the debate
between Brooks and Chua
Unit Four: Argument
T 11.1 Peer Review of Synthesis and What is an Argument?
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in a complete draft of your Synthesis Essay to me and your workshop
partner (5-6 pages double spaced)
Readings: WSM “Argument” pp. 218-226; SAW “Argument Synthesis” pp. 122-130
In-class: peer-review workshop; practice argumentative essay language
R 11.3 Thesis Writing
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in your typed Peer-Review to me and your workshop partner Readings:
SAW “Writing a Thesis” pp. 226-232; SAW “Making a Claim” pp. 146-147
In-class: practice thesis-writing
T 11.8 One-Source Arguments
Assignment DUE (graded): Polished Synthesis Essay (5-6 pages double spaced)
Readings: Collection of artwork
In-class: workshop together how to perform a “textual analysis” with an argument about a single source or
text
R 11.10 Research Techniques
Readings: SAW “Preliminary Research” pp. 257-270; WSM “Writing a Research Paper” pp. 260-264
In-class: “what makes for a reliable source?” activity; MLA citation workshop (works cited, in-text citations,
review quote incorporations)
T 11.15 Multi-Sourced Arguments
Assignments DUE (A/C/F): write an outline for an argument about how to balance privacy and safety,
using at least TWO of the Virginia Tech sources in your readings
Readings: SAW “Developing and Organizing the Support for your Arguments” pp. 164-168; SAW “Virginia
Tech Articles” pp. 130-145
In-class: workshop argument outlines; discuss how to develop outlines into a full argument essay
R 11.17 Grammar Review III
Readings: WSM Grammar Part 2 readings TBA
In-class: grammar workshop
T 11.22 Peer Review of Argument
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in a complete draft of your Argument Essay to me and your workshop
partner (5-6 pages double-spaced)
In-class: peer-review workshop
Unit 5: Revision
R 11.24 NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING
T 11.29 How to Revise and not “Edit”
Assignment DUE (A/C/F): turn in your typed Peer-Review to me and your workshop partner
Readings: SAW “Stage 5: Revision” pp. 245-247
R 12.1 Grammar Review IV
Assignment DUE (graded): Polished Argument Essay (5-6 pages double spaced)
Readings: WSM Grammar Part 2 readings TBA
T 12.6 Revision Workshop
In-class: catch-up and revision workshop of one essay (Summary, Critique, Analysis, or Argument)
R 12.8 Revision Workshop
In-class: catch-up and revision workshop of one essay (Summary, Critique, Analysis, or Argument)
T 12.13 LAST DAY OF CLASS
Assignment DUE (graded): turn in your Final Portfolio featuring all writing projects and drafts, peer
reviews, in-class exercises, and one full essay revision. The highlight of your portfolio will be your Revision
& Process letter (4-6 pages double spaced) explaining 1. your revision choices and 2. how you will apply
what you’ve learned about the writing process to future college courses.