8/29/09

So, in today’s class, we discussed the reading about grades, assessment, and judging someone’s writing. Some of the interesting points of the discussion involved questions you raised:

what kind of judgment and/or criticism is helpful to a writer, and what kinds will discourage and deter the person from writing further?

Has our language began to devolve, in a sense? Do we need to strive harder to uphold language standards and formality in our writing? How do we learn to switch between different ways of speaking? How do we maintain a sense of our own voice when writing within different standards?

I also heard one group discussing the difficulties that arise from trying to “take a stance” on an issue, when in reality they can see many parts of the issue. The group questioned whether it’s possible to convey “shades of grey” in their writing, or whether they just have to “pick a side to agree with.” I think that’s an interesting question, and it raises another question, which is how honest are we allowed to be as writers. Especially when writing for a test or an assessment, is it too difficult to try to convey our honest thoughts, when they are usually rather jumbled and interconnecting and complex? Things to think over, for sure.

We didn’t entirely discuss this in class, but MANY of you, even those of you who felt more confident about your writing, also said that you didn’t write well, that you are horrible at grammar, or that you struggle to express a self that is still evolving. I think it’s interesting to examine the ways you feel about your writing, which is why I would like you to read the following piece. Please read pages pages 426-431 (up to the “theory of affect). Think about the ideas presented and about your own feelings. Then please also read from the second link below entitled “No good at writing.” In this piece, please read pages 298-302, and look at pages 308-310 for examples of the different thinking styles.

susan-mcleod

no-good-at-writing1

You can take the little writing quiz below to help you think about it…

daly-miller-apprehension

That’s all! I will see you all on Tuesday!

8/27/08

So, today in class, we just discussed the syllabus and the requirements for the course.  Then you all wrote a diagnostic essay. This is just to allow me to see where you’re starting from.  As you all left, one of you asked me not to judge you based on the contents of the essay, and I want to assure you, I won’t be.  In fact, that’s part of what your homework assignment/reading is about.

Things to do before the next class period: 1) email me with a short paragraph detailing your experiences as a writer.

2) email me with a list of your current interests, in music, tv, film, art, etc.

Ok, see you all on Friday!

L

Syllabus for English 120

English 120, section 130 T/W/F 8:10-9:00 am

Room TH412

Laurie Nicholson Friedl

Fall 2008

Email: laursn@gmail.com

Office: 1432 West

Office Hour: Fridays 9:10-11:00

Course Description

This course will (hopefully) serve as an entry point for the transformation of your writing. Prior to entering college, students often experience academic writing as a series of hoops they have to jump through. While I certainly do want you to be fully prepared to pass any and all writing assessment tools that may be applied to you in the future, I also want you to use this classroom as a forum for you to explore your identity (or perhaps more accurately, your identities) and the ways you express that identity through your writing. I will work with you as a class, but also in small groups and as individuals, so that the content and assignments of the course are relevant for you, and tailored to your academic and professional goals. All I ask is that you are open to viewing the classroom as a place of exploration, rather than as a proving grounds. I don’t have anything to prove to you, and you don’t need to prove anything to me: I am working on the principle that you are all great communicators, and the aim of this course is to help you develop your skills to suit your own personal and professional interests.

Texts

Axelrod, Rise B., Charles R. Cooper, and Alison M. Warriner. Reading Critically, Writing Well : A Reader and Guide. Boston: Bedford/Saint Martin’s, 2007.

Course Requirements

The college requires that students in English 120 generate a total of 8 essays, though in some cases, an original draft may be considered a separate essay from a revised draft.

You are required to write:

1) Documented Research Paper, from 4-7 pages in length. We will develop topics and ideas for this paper throughout the semester. You will need to have a minimum of three to five sources for this essay.

2) Portfolio: Your portfolio will consist of

a. A cover letter explaining contents of the portfolio

b. A finished essay with at least one draft attached

c. A documented paper with at least one draft attached

d. An in-class essay

3) You are also required to participate in class discussions. Without active and consistent participation, you will not be able to receive an A in this course.

4) A final exam, given in class at the end of the semester

Plagiarism

Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Integrity Procedures.”

Disability Accommodations “In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical and/or Learning) consult the Office of Accessability located in Room 1124 East to secure necessary academic accommodations. For further information and assistance please call (212-772-4857) /TTY (212-650-3230).”

If you miss more than six hours of this class, you can be automatically failed. If you have a problem with attendance, please come speak with me.

Week 1

Aug 27 Wed, 29 Fri

Initial Essay

Discussing past writing experiences/expectations

Sept

Week 2

2 Tue, 3 Wed, 5 Fri

Discussion: Literacy Narratives, Personal Writing vs. Academic Writing

Writing Exercise: comparison of literacy narratives

Essay 1: Literacy Narrative

Week 3

9 Tue, 10 Wed, 13 Fri

Continued with Autobiography,

Discussion: Education in NYC, what kinds of issues do we face in an urban school system?

Practice peer editing

In class writing workshops

Week 4

16 Tues, 17 Wed, 19 Fri

Parts of an academic essay

Process: pre-writing, drafting, editing, proofreading

Sharing your work

Week 5

23 Tues, 24 Wed, 26 Fri

Writing as a way to reflect on an issue or topic

Readings and in-class writing

Essay: Reflections

Week 6

30 Tues NO CLASS

1 Wed NO CLASS

3 Friday

Turn in essays, peer editing

Week 7

7 Tues, 8 Wed NO CLASS, 10 Fri

Writing to speculate about causes and effects

Writing more in-depth on a particular issue

Discussion: Film–Gunnin’ for that #1 Spot

An examination of Rucker Park in Harlem, and high school basketball players

Discuss examples

Week 8

14 Tues NO CLASS, 15 Wed, 17 Fri

Persuasive essay in-class assignment

Deconstructing Advertisements, Methods of Persuasion Used in Society

In-Class: Dissect an advertisement using rhetorical methods discussed in class

Discussion: Advertisements on the Subway

How effective are they? How are they targeted to a specific audience?

Do a short write up of the rhetorical strategies used

Critical analysis of a piece of persuasive writing we have read

discussion in class

Week 9

22 Tues, 23 Wed

Research Essay: Generating Topics, Working in Groups to develop Topics, Research

Discussion of Research Papers and Portfolios

Documentation, Using Sources appropriately

24 Fri

Writing Check-in, Process of Writing

Peer groups

Discuss structuring the essay

Reviewing a draft as a class

Week 10

27 Tues, 28 Wed, 30 Fri

Library Visit, Evaluating Sources, Incorporating Sources

Week 11

NOV

4 Tues, 5 Wed, 7 Fri

First draft of research paper due

Peer editing sessions

Free-writing activity

Reviewing drafts together

Week 12

11 Tue, 12 Wed, 14 Fri

Continue to work on research papers, free-writing in class,

Text discussions

Week 13

18 Tuesday, 19 Wed, 21 Fri

Individual conferences, Discussion of Portfolios

Peer Editing Sessions

Week 14

25 Tuesday, 26 Wed, 28 Fri NO CLASS

Practice: In-class writing, Proposing a Solution

Week 15

DEC

2 Tuesday, 3 Wed, 5 Fri

Revisiting the Issue of Literacy, Writing

What Makes a Piece of Writing “good?”

Class Discussion, group work

Week 16

9 Tuesday, 10 Wed

In class essay

Revisions Due

Portfolios Due

FINAL EXAM