| Credit- Degree applicable | | Effective Quarter: Fall 2020 | I. Catalog Information
| EWRT 1A | Composition and Reading | 5 Unit(s) |
| | (See general education pages for the requirement this course meets.) (Not open to students with credit in EWRT 1AH.)
Prerequisite: Eligibility for college-level composition (EWRT 1A or EWRT 1AH or (EWRT 1AS and EWRT 1AT)) as determined by college assessment or other appropriate methods. Lec Hrs: 60.00
Out of Class Hrs: 120.00
Total Student Learning Hrs: 180.00 Introduction to university level reading and writing, with an emphasis on analysis. Close examination of a variety of texts (personal, popular, literary, professional, academic) from culturally diverse traditions. Practice in common rhetorical strategies used in academic writing. Composition of clear, well-organized, and well-developed essays, with varying purposes and differing audiences, from personal to academic. |
| Student Learning Outcome Statements (SLO)
| | | Practice writing as a multi-step process including planning and revising with attention to varying purposes, audiences, and rhetorical strategies. |
| | | Read and analyze rhetorically and culturally diverse narrative and expository texts from a variety of perspectives. |
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II. Course Objectives | A. | Analyze college level texts and discourse that are culturally and rhetorically diverse. |
| B. | Compose essays drawn from personal experience and assigned texts. |
| C. | Utilize MLA guidelines to format essays, cite sources, and compile a works cited page. |
| D. | Create syntactically varied sentences that are free of mechanical errors. |
| E. | Distinguish, compare, and evaluate the multiplicity and ambiguity of perspectives |
III. Essential Student Materials IV. Essential College Facilities V. Expanded Description: Content and Form | A. | Analyze college level texts and discourse that are culturally and rhetorically diverse. |
| 1. | Identify various rhetorical styles and methods of development in college level texts and discourse. |
| a. | Narration and description |
| f. | Personal and academic writing |
| g. | Textbooks and scholarly writing |
| h. | Oral vs. written modes of discourse |
| i. | Visual and verbal modes of expression (in advertising, news, etc.) (media literacy) |
| 2. | Read and examine rhetorically and culturally diverse texts and discourse from a variety of perspectives such as: |
| c. | Gender and sexual orientation |
| f. | Rhetorical purpose and audience |
| 3. | Interpret and analyze readings, rhetorical styles, and cultural codes in classroom and group discussions. |
| a. | Extract author's main argument and supporting evidence from assigned readings. |
| b. | Analyze similarities and differences in theme and rhetorical devices in the assigned readings. |
| c. | Argue personal viewpoints with evidence from texts. |
| d. | Engage in collaborative discussions and work such as: |
| 4. | Collaborative reading and writing |
| e. | Synthesize ideas to form an opinion. |
| B. | Compose essays drawn from personal experience and assigned texts. |
| 1. | Write summaries of and reactions to the assigned readings using techniques such as: |
| a. | Paraphrase author's main argument and supporting details. |
| b. | Reading journals (reading logs) |
| 2. | Generate topics, thesis statements, and supporting arguments for essays. |
| a. | Employ pre-writing techniques such as: |
| b. | Use formal outlines to plan academic essays. |
| 3. | Write clear, organized, and well-developed expository and argumentative essays with the writing process approach that involves: |
| 4. | Formulate argumentative thesis statements such as: |
| b. | Concession thesis that acknowledges other viewpoints. |
| 5. | Develop coherent, topic sentence based body paragraphs that support the essay's thesis. |
| a. | Identify and employ paragraph writing strategies such as: |
| 1. | PIE (Point, Information, Explanation) |
| 2. | TEA (Topic, Example, Analysis) |
| 3. | Claim, Data, Warrant (Toulmin Model of Argument) |
| b. | Provide coherence in paragraphs by using repetition and transitional devices. |
| 1. | Use paragraph-level coherence devices such as transitional words and phrases and reference previous points. |
| 2. | Employ essay-level coherence devices such as repetition of thesis through the use of different vocabulary and paragraph hooks. |
| 6. | Integrate personal experience, assigned readings, and outside research to support an arguable thesis. |
| a. | Practice integrating quotes smoothly into essays to provide authorial support with techniques such as quote sandwiches. |
| b. | Practice paraphrasing with techniques such as alternate sentence structure. |
| c. | Employ various proofreading techniques to avoid plagiarism. |
| 1. | Compare sentences and paragraphs in student's essay to author's text. |
| 2. | Use peer review to check for plagiarism. |
| 7. | Create introductions that give background information on the essay. |
| a. | Utilize introductory devices |
| b. | Utilize attention grabbers |
| 8. | Create conclusions that synthesize the writer's argument. |
| C. | Utilize MLA guidelines to format essays, cite sources, and compile a works cited page. |
| 1. | Format essays according to MLA guidelines. |
| 2. | Cite sources with signal phrases and parentheses using current MLA documentation and conventions. |
| 3. | Compile works cited pages according to current MLA conventions. |
| D. | Create syntactically varied sentences that are free of mechanical errors. |
| 1. | Proofread for and revise errors in mechanics. |
| 2. | Use variety of sentence structures such as: |
| E. | Distinguish, compare, and evaluate the multiplicity and ambiguity of perspectives |
| 1. | Identify, compare, and evaluate alternative points of view (ideological, methodological), cultural values (culture, ethnicity, gender, social class), and textual meanings (ambiguity) |
| 2. | Determine one's own point of view and evaluate that perspective in relation to other viewpoints |
VI. Assignments | A. | Reading (rhetorically and culturally diverse texts, approx. 300-700 total pages, including:) |
| 1. | A substantial amount of challenging, college-level reading |
| 2. | At least one book-length work |
| 3. | A guide to rhetoric and usage, as desired |
| B. | Writing (at least 6000 words of rhetorically diverse writing assignments) |
| 1. | At least one in-class essay or essay-based midterm (or equivalent limited-time writing assignment for Distance Education) |
| 2. | A sequence of at least four out-of-class essays, with varying purposes and differing audiences, from personal to academic |
| C. | Final exam (predominantly essay) |
| D. | Optional additional assignments that support course objectives, such as: |
| 2. | Informal, exploratory writing (journals) |
VII. Methods of Instruction | | Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned reading
Discussion of student writing
In-class writing
In-class exploration of internet sites
Quiz and examination review performed in class
Homework and extended projects
Field observation, field trips, and service learning
Guest speakers
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
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VIII. Methods of Evaluating Objectives | A. | Essays, as listed in Assignments above, carefully evaluated according to clarity/correctness, organization/coherence, and development/depth (at least 75% of final grade to be based on written work) |
| B. | Final exam - essay(s) evaluated according to criteria listed above (at least 75% of final grade to be based on written work) |
| C. | Quizzes (e.g., to monitor reading) and other exams to evaluate ability to analyze critically, discuss and respond effectively to discourse and diverse rhetorical texts. |
| D. | Class participation, including activities such as oral presentations, small-group activities and projects, and class discussions and debates to evaluate ability to analyze critically, discuss and respond effectively to discourse and diverse rhetorical texts. |
IX. Texts and Supporting References | A. | Examples of Primary Texts and References |
| 1. | George, Diana, and John Trimbur. "Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing." 8th Edition. New York: Longman, 2011. |
| 2. | Lunsford, Andrea A. "Easy Writer." 6th Edition. New York: Bedford/ St.Martin's Press, 2017. |
| B. | Examples of Supporting Texts and References |
| 1. | Burns, Charles. "Black Hole." New York: Pantheon, 2008. |
| 2. | Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. "Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing." 9th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. |
| 3. | Erdrich, Louise. "The Round House: A Novel." New York: Harper Collins, 2013. |
| 4. | Graff, Gerald. "They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings." 3rd Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. |
| 5. | Greene, Stuart. "From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader." 3rd Edition. New York: Bedford/ St.Martin's Press, 2014. |
| 6. | Harvey, Gordon. "Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students." 2nd Edition. New York: Hackett Publishing Co, 2008. |
| 7. | Harvey, Michael. "The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing." 2nd Edition. New York: Hackett Publishing Co, 2013. |
| 8. | Hosseini, Khaled. "And the Mountains Echoed." New York: Harcourt Brace, 2014. |
| 9. | Jin, Ha. "Nanjing Requiem: A Novel." New York: Vintage, 2012. |
| 10. | Johnson, T. Geronimo. "Welcome to Braggsville." New York: Harper Collins, 2015. |
| 11. | Kirkman, Robert. "The Walking Dead: Book 1." New York: Image Comics, 2006. |
| 12. | Lahiri, Jhumpa. "The Namesake." New York: First Mariner Books, 2004. |
| 13. | Morrison, Toni. "God Help the Child." New York: Alfred Knopf Books, 2015. |
| 14. | Nichols, Wallace J. and Cousteau, Céline. "Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do." New York: Back Bay Books, 2015. |
| 15. | Ozeki, Ruth L. "My Year of Meats." New York: Viking, 1999. |
| 16. | Pham, Andrew X. "Catfish and Mandala." New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. |
| 17. | Ramirez, Juan. "A Patriot After All." Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1999. |
| 18. | Reynolds, Nedra. "Portfolio Keeping: A Guide for Students." New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. |
| 19. | Skyhorse, Brando. "The Madonnas of Echo Park." New York: First Free Press, 2010. |
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