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Course Schedule
Jan. 16 Introduction to the Course
The Bedford Guide for College Writers: The Writing Process, pp. 3-10.
Jan. 21 Part I: A Writer's Resource—Chapter 1, Writing from Recall, pp. 14-32; Chapter 15, Strategies for Generating Ideas, pp. 360-72.
Homework 1: Read "What is a Hunter?" on p. 17 and answer the Reporter's Questions on p. 24, regarding this essay.
Writing from Recall exercise; Read Chapter 16, Strategies for Planning: "Stating and Using a Thesis," pp. 375-91
Essay 1: Select one of the topics from p. 23 and write an essay of recall.
(Note: for each essay there will be a detailed handout.)
Jan. 28 Part II: Thinking Critically—Critical Strategies for Reading and Writing, pp. 91-108
Read "Why We Crave Horror Movies," pp. 593-595, and list and describe the types of evidence used in this essay.
Homework 2: Read "Abducted! Encounters with Aliens," pp. 596-601, state the author's thesis, and list the evidence cited to support the author's thesis.
Essay 2: Select a piece of persuasive writing from a newspaper and analyze its logical, ethical, and emotional appeals.
Feb. 6 Chapter 5, Reading Critically, pp. 109-133; necessary elements of summary writing.
Summary writing handout and exercise.
Homework 3: Write a summary of "Playing Games with Women's Sports," p. 113.
Essay 3: Write a summary and analysis of either ""Evan's Two Moms" by Anna Quindlen OR "Remarriage and Stepfamilies" by Stephanie Coontz. Answer the following questions:
- What is the author's purpose?
- Is the author credible? Why or why not.
- What are the key ideas of the essay? What problems/issues does the author raise?
- What evidence, information, and date are presented? Is the evidence accurate, relevant, and sufficient?
- Which statements are fact? Which are opinions? Does one or the other dominate the piece?
- Does the author make logical fallacies or misuse language?
- What is the author's tone? How does the author present herself?
Feb. 11 Troyka Handbook: Chapters 13 and 14: Sentence structure(fragments, comma splices, and run-on sentences)
Homework 4: Ch. 13, ex. 2, 4, and 5; Ch. 14, ex.
2, 3, and 4
Chapter 17: Subordination and coordination of ideas
Homework 5: Chapter 17: ex. 2, 6, and 8
Feb, 25 Chapter 6, Analyzing, pp. 135-158
Read and summarize "Men and Women Talking on
the Job" by Deborah Tannen, p. 550. Answer the
following questions:
- What idea does the author analyze? For what purpose?
- What devices, such as comparisons, examples, and references to persons, events or places, does the author use to make the analysis clear?
Essay 4: Analysis of a magazine ad, citing evidence to support the analysis
March 4 RESEARCH UNIT
Research: A Writer's Research Manual, chapters 27 (pp. 665-716), 28 (pp. 717-731, and 30 (pp. 795-810): How to research, where to research, and how to document research.
The Library: Internet resources and research; online research tools
Computer Lab: Internet research exercises; documentation forms and exercises
Homework 6: Documentation exercises
March 18 Chapter 7: Comparing and Contrasting, pp. 159-182
Read "Grant and Less: A Study in Contrasts," p. 160 and identify the points on which they are compared and contrasted.
Homework 7: Read "Take Me Out to the Ball Game but Which One?" on p. 163, state the author's thesis and the types of comparison-contrast organization used, and then summarize the points of similarity and differences noted.
Essay 5: Comparison and contrast essay: The US family, 1960-2000
Computer Lab: Research on the US family
March 27 Chapter 8: Explaining Cause and Effect, pp. 183-201
Homework 8: Read "How to Zap Violence on TV" by Ellen Goodman, p. 613, state the thesis, and summarize the cause/effect situation described.
Essay 6: Research major causes of homelessness, supporting your claims with researched evidence.
April 1-5 Spring Break
April 15 Chapter 9: Taking a Stand, pp. 202-223
Read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and answer the questions on the handout.
Essay 7: Research an area of censorship controversy and take a stand on it, emphasizing specific examples and evidence.
April 29 Chapter 11, Evaluating, pp. 245-265
May 6 Film: All My Sons by Arthur Miller
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