ENGLISH 114A: APPROACHES TO UNIVERSITY WRITING
Fall 2016
Instructor: Manija Said Email: manija.said.124@my.csun.edu
Office: Office hours: MW 11:00-12:30
Classroom Location: TTH 2:00-3:15 JR 215
Course Description
Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases shall include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax, and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style.
Course Objectives
- Demonstrate competence in university writing
- Demonstrate the ability to use rhetorical strategies that include the appeal to audience, logic, and emotion
- Understand writing as a recursive process and demonstrate its use through invention, drafting and revision (creating, shaping, and completing)
- Demonstrate the ability to use conventions of format, structure, style, and language appropriate to the purpose of a written text
- Demonstrate the ability to use library and online resources effectively and to document their sources.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Students will gain the ability to read critically.
- Students will gain the ability to write effectively.
- Students will gain knowledge of the cultural diversity of literatures.
General English Student Learning Outcomes
Analytic Reading and Expository Writing
Goal: Students will analyze and reflect on complex topics and appropriately synthesize their own and others’ ideas in clearly written and well organized edited American English.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Analyze and compare perspective, meaning, and style in different texts, including those that reflect multicultural images and voices;
- Construct a theme or thesis and organize and develop a substantial, balanced and convincing defense of it in a voice, tone, language, and format (e.g., essay autobiography, report, editorial, case study, inquiry, and research) appropriate to the purpose of the writing;
- Use logical support, including informed opinion and fact, as well as their interpretations, to develop ideas, avoiding fallacies, biased language, and inappropriate tone;
- Demonstrate satisfactory competence in the conventions of Edited American English and the elements of presentation (including layout, format, and printing);
- Select and incorporate ideas derived from a variety of sources, such as library electronic and print resources, books, journals, the Internet, and interviews, and document them responsibly and correctly;
- Apply a variety of strategies for planning, outlining, drafting, revising and editing written work.
Course Themes: Cross-cultural literacies, Consumerism and Inequality, and Sustainability
This course will ask you to take your research and writing skills to an advanced level through several writing and reading assignments. The topics we research will revolve around cross-cultural literacies, consumerism and inequality, and sustainability.
Our Method: The Progressions
A progression is a series of interconnected reading, writing, and thinking exercises that link to class work. As each progression is completed, the combined drafting builds the foundation and process of an essay. This movement grows out of the specific assignments and collaborative nature of the progression and leads to essays that bear marks of distinction, direction, and development.
There are three progressions, each requiring three exercises and one essay. There is also a fourth, informal, reflective essay. This fourth essay serves as your portfolio’s introduction. The portfolio is a compendium of the semester’s work.
Your Progressions handouts will explain each assignment in detail, but here they are in brief:
- Progression I: Reading and Responding to Texts
Exercise 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.1c: Summary and Analysis Journal Entries
Exercise 2: Letter to an Author
Exercise 3: Letter to Friend or Family Member
Review Essay (two drafts-rough draft and polished draft)
- Progression II: Seeing and Hearing Texts
Exercise 1: The Word-Picture
Exercise 2: The Scene
Exercise 3: Observation
Rhetorical Analysis Essay (two drafts-rough draft and polished draft)
- Progression III: Arguing through Texts
Exercise 1: Annotated Bibliography
Exercise 2: The Dialogue
Exercise 3: Argumentative Proposal
Argument Essay (two drafts-rough draft and polished draft)
- Informal Reflective Essay
- Portfolio (Revised Essay 1, Revised Essay 2, Revised Essay 3, and Reflective Essay)
TEXTBOOKS
Everyone’s An Author by Andrea Lunsford, Lisa Ede, Beverly J. Moss, Carole Clark Papper, and Keith Walters. W.W. Norton Company, 2013. (EA)
The Little Seagull Handbook, 2nd Edition. by Bullock, Richard, Michael Brody, and Francine Weinberg. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2014.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998.
Money Changes Everything: A Bedford Spotlight Reader by Laurence Weinstein. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. (MIC)
Sustainability: A Bedford Spotlight Reader by Christian Weisser. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
GRADING SCALE
1000-940=A 930-900=A- 890-870=B+ 860-830=B 820-800=B- 790-770=C+
760-730=C 720-700=C- 690-670=D+ 660-630=D 620-600=D- 590 or <=F
BREAKDOWN OF POINTS
2 Conferences (50 points total/25 points each)
Students are required to meet with the instructor at least once during the semester. Conferences will take place outside of class, at a mutually convenient time. Students are also required to visit the Writing Lab at least once during the semester (proof of visit).
5 Moodle posts (100 points/20 points each)
Students will complete a total of five Moodle posts throughout the semester.
Progression exercises (150 points total/50 points per each progression’s set of exercises)
Students will complete three exercises for each Progression that will allow them to practice various writing skills. Progression exercises will also provide the foundation for each formal essay.
2 Peer reviews (50 points total/25 points per each essay)
Students will be required to participate in a peer review session for each essay. If you are absent on the day of a peer review, or do not bring an essay draft to class on the day of a peer review, you will not receive credit. Missed peer reviews cannot be made up.
Essays (450 points total/150 points each)
Students will compose and revise three formal essays (one for each Progression)
Reflective essay: (50 points total)
Students will write a reflective essay that will address their writing progress during the semester. The reflective essay will be included in your portfolio.
Final Portfolio (150 points total) – REQUIRED FOR COURSE CREDIT
In lieu of a final exam, students will submit a final portfolio at the end of the semester. Your portfolio will include your final “polished” formal essays and your reflective essay. For this reason, save all your work. You must submit a final portfolio in order to pass the course. You will NOT earn a final grade in the course without submitting a complete final portfolio. Late portfolios will NOT be accepted – NO EXCEPTIONS! All portfolios are examined and assessed by a panel of English Department faculty. Portfolio readers will evaluate each portfolio as representative of students’ ability at the end of the semester.
Students will NOT be eligible to submit a final portfolio for any of the following reasons: Missing any of the Project essays (final draft)
Not receiving credit in UNIV 062E as of Week 13
A grade of D or lower in 114A as of Week 13
You have to complete and revise all 3 project essays in order to submit your portfolio to pass the class!!!
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance
Attendance will be recorded at the start of each class. Missing more than 2 class meetings will result in you failing the class–regardless of the reason. I do not respond to emails asking what you missed in class; it is your responsibility to find out from a fellow classmate.
Tardiness/Leaving Early
Arriving to class late and leaving class early is rude and disruptive. Please take parking conditions and traffic into consideration when commuting to campus. Two events of tardiness and/or leaving early will equal one absence. As with absences, please inform me if there is an emergency.
Classroom Conduct
Each student is expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. If you are disruptive or inconsiderate in any way (talking, texting, doing work for another class, etc.) you will be asked to leave. Dismissal from the class will count as one absence.
Turn off ALL electronic devices (cell phones, i-Pods, etc.) at the start of class. Laptops or electronic notebooks/tablets may only be used in the classroom for note-taking or research, if appropriate – not for email, Facebook, etc. Students using laptops may be asked to show me class notes at anytime. You will lose the right to use your laptop and will be docked Participation points if you don’t have notes to show me and/or you use the internet/email during class time.
Submitting Assignments
All assignments are due on Moodle by their designated deadline. Even if I ask for a hardcopy, please post all assignments on Moodle or you will not receive credit. DO NOT EMAIL ANY ASSIGNMENTS. Emailed assignments will NOT receive credit. Please see the consequences for late assignments below:
1.) Moodle responses: No credit. Late responses will automatically receive a zero. 2.) Project exercises (homework & in-class assignments): Five points deducted per day, starting on the due date. Exercises submitted more than one week late will automatically
receive an F. 3.) Preliminary essay drafts: No credit. Late drafts will automatically receive a zero. 4.) Final essay drafts: Ten points deducted per day, starting on the due date. Final drafts submitted more than 5 days late will automatically receive an F. Note: If you are missing ANY of the Project essays, you will not be allowed to submit a final portfolio.
E-Mail Policy
You must have a working CSUN email address to be able to send and receive class emails. Please check your email frequently, as well as our class Moodle page, for updates and reminders about the class. You are welcome to email me regarding questions or concerns about the course; however, no emailed assignments are accepted.
Please put the name of the course (ENGLISH 114A) in the subject heading of your email; any other subject line may cause your email to be mistakenly deleted. Also, keep in mind that emails to your instructors should be respectful and appropriate.
Office Hour Policy
Although I have a set time for office hours, I can also arrange appointments. If you need to visit me at a time that is not within my scheduled office hours, please email me or talk to me after class.
Plagiarism
Simply put—don’t do it! Plagiarism is the act of “intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or works of another as one’s own in any academic exercise” (CSUN catalog 553). Specific forms of plagiarism include:
Turning in material that was written for any other class (high school included). Offering a restructured, reworded, version of someone else’s text as your original work. Downloading essays from the Internet, or purchasing papers, and offering them as your own work. Practicing any variation of not turning in original work for grades.
If you do plagiarize it will result in a failing grade on the plagiarized assignment and is grounds for disciplinary action by the university. Any instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Assistant Vice President for Student Life. If you are unsure how to avoid plagiarism when incorporating other sources into your writing, please meet with me. We will spend time in class reviewing how to properly cite sources. Remember, when in doubt, don’t do it! You cannot become a better writer if you don’t do the writing yourself. Furthermore, I check for inconsistencies and if I feel that your paper may be plagiarized I may ask you to submit your work electronically to http://www.turnitin.com (a website that checks for plagiarized material).
Course Schedule
Week 1:
Tues. 8/30
Syllabus
Schedule
Getting to know your colleagues
Diagnostic Essay
Thurs. 9/1
Syllabus Quiz
Progression I and Essay Prompt
Summary vs. Analysis
Annotation Strategies
Week 2:
Tues. 9/6
The Alchemist pp. 3-47
Little Seagull: How to Summarize
Literary Analysis
Norton Introduction to Literature (NIL): “Imagery” pdf
Thurs. 9/8
The Alchemist pp. 51-104
Little Seagull: Literary Analysis
Symbolism discussion and group activity with The Alchemist
Invention Strategies
Week 3:
Tues. 9/13
The Alchemist pp. 105-167
NIL: “Theme” pdf
Paragraph Development and Topic Sentences activities
Exercise 1.1a: Summary/Analysis Logs for The Alchemist Due
Thurs. 9/15
Thesis in literary analysis
Thesis Exercises
Nye’s “The Poetry Peddler” pdf
Audience: Letter to an Author vs. Letter to a Friend or Family Member
Exercise 1.1b: Summary/Analysis Log for “The Poetry Peddler” Due
Week 4:
Tues. 9/20
Chin’s “Monologue: Grandma Wong’s New Year’s Blessings” pdf
Tan’s “Mother Tongue” pdf
Language, Tone, and Diction in Literary Analysis
Transitions Activities
Exercise 1.1c: Summary/Analysis Log for “Monologue: Grandma Wong’s New Year’s Blessings”” Due
Thurs. 9/22
Review Sample Review Essay
Discuss Peer Review Process
MLA Citation, Paraphrasing, and Quotation Insertion Activities
Exercise 1.2 Letter to an Author Due
Week 5:
Tues. 9/27
Exercise 1.3: Letter to a Friend or Family Member Due
Peer Review
Due: Essay 1 First Draft for Peer Review Bring 2 printed copies to class
Thurs. 9/29
Conferences with Professor
Week 6:
Tues. 10/4
Conferences with Professor
Thurs. 10/6
Essay 1 Final Polished Draft Due
Progression II and Essay Prompt
Descriptive Writing with Visual Texts
Mastercard’s “Priceless TV Ads” in MCE
Week 7:
Tues. 10/11
Analyzing Visual Texts
Shor’s “When Spending Becomes You” in MCE
Annotating Sources
Thurs. 10/13
Exercise 1: The Word-Picture Due
Rhetorical Triangle Activities (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos)
Bambara’s “The Lesson” in MCE
Synthesizing Sources
Week 8:
Tues. 10/18
Exercise 2: The Scene Due
Observation
Narrowing Your Research Focus
Watch film scenes from The Devil Wears Prada, Glengarry Glen Ross, Slum Dog Millionaire and City of God
Thurs. 10/20
Rhetorical Analysis Activities
“Rhetorical Situations” (pp.18-21) in EA
Identifying Rhetorical Fallacies in Writing
Week 9:
Tues. 10/25
Exercise 3: Observation Due
Mead’s “The Changing Significance of Food” pdf
Working with a Thesis
Review Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Thurs. 10/27
Peer Review
Due: Essay 2 First Draft for Peer Review Bring 2 printed copies to class
Week 10:
Tues. 11/1
Conferences with Professor
Thurs. 11/3
Conferences with Professor
Week 11:
Tues. 11/8
Essay 2 Final Polished Draft Due
Progression III and Essay Prompt
“Analyzing Arguments” (275-304) in EA
Locating and Evaluating Sources
Thurs. 11/10
TBA
Week 12:
TBA
Week 13:
TBA
Week 14:
TBA
Week 15:
TBA
Week 16:
TBA
*This syllabus is subject to change
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