You just wrote your first draft of the first essay you will write for this course. Going off your personal reactions to the writing process, respond to Lamott's essay. Use your initial reactions to respond to the following questions. Remember to provide examples and quotations to support your points and to respond to what previous posters have said.
Lamott says that perceptions most people have of how writers work is different than the reality of the work itself. She refers to this as the "fantasy of the uninitiated." What does she mean by that?
Later in the essay, Lamott refers to going through many experiences as a writer and coming to a place where she "eventually let myself trust the process - sort of, more or less." She is referring to the writing process, but why does she write "more or less?"
Is Lamott's essay useful? Or not? Explain. Share some of your writing experiences. Do you feel any closer to "trusting the process?"
Lastly, did your impressions of your essay match up your reviewer's feedback? What would you guess might Lamott have to say about that?
I look forward to reading your responses
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Zadie Smith's "Joy"
Read "Chapter One: Starting with What Others Are Saying" in They Say, I Say (19-29)
Read Zadie Smith's essay "Joy" in Best American Essays (145-151)
Pay attention to Smith's excellent use of detail and example.
Think about the three questions I posed in class:
- What do I notice? (Patterns, details)
- What is this telling me? (Intended audience, what is the heart / central idea of this essay)
- What is this teaching me? (How might I use the techniques and ideas for my own writing and thinking; how does this expand my range of what is possible in writing and thinking; how does this compare with previously held ideas and knowledge)
In your blog response, answer the following question: how do Smith's definition of joy differ from our commonplace definition of that term? In what ways are her ideas different from your own?
As part of your answer, I'd like you to do two things:
- Describe something that gives you joy
- Use the templates from They Say on page 24. The section of the chapter is titled "Templates for Introducing 'Standard Views.'" For example: Conventional wisdom has it that joy __________; however, Zadie Smith suggests ___________.
As always, email me with any questions. I look forward to reading your responses. See you Thursday!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Dave Eggers Assignment
Read They Say, I Say, “Introduction:
Entering the Conversation” (1-15)
-
In Best Essays, read Dave Eggers’ “The
Man at the River” (31-33)
o
While reading, consider these questions:
§
What are the American’s “default settings”?
§
Why, at the end, does the speaker say he
“doesn’t want to be…someone who needs to cross a river to see anything at all?”
§
David Foster Wallace and Dave Eggers seem to be
addressing a similar issue, that of being stuck in one's own head. Which author do you think is more effective at conveying his message? why?
§
The author, Dave Eggers, spent a lot of time in
Sudan where this essay is set. In fact, many of the details of the story
correspond to Eggers’ life. Why, then, might he have chosen to put this story
in the third person?
o
On the blog, respond to two of the above
questions
o
Use quotations from the essay to support your
answer
o
If someone else has responded to the same
question, reference that person’s response in your response. Use the template
from TSIS on page 15 to do so.
§
Example: Professor Rattner suggests that Eggers makes himself seem like a hateful ogre. I disagree. In my view, Eggers comes across as a gentle goat.
§
You get the idea
-
Post your response by the start of class on
Thursday, 09/07. Late work will not be accepted
-
I look forward to reading your responses
-
Enjoy!!
Course Syllabus
HOLYOKE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
English
101| College Composition 1: Expository Writing & Research
FALL 2015 | TTr | 2:00 – 3:15 | Frost 235
Office Hours: By appointment | Don 366 (adjunct office)
Welcome
This course is designed to help you
develop the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills necessary for
success at the college level. Our primary focus is to refine your academic
writings skills, and in order to do so, we will work through each step of the
writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, copy-editing, and
reflecting. By the end of the course, you should be familiar with the elements
of effective academic writing and have a better sense of your own strengths and
weaknesses as a writer. From the beginning of this course, we will take as a basic premise that
in order to become a more attentive writer, one must necessarily cultivate an
active, attentive reading practice. Reading and writing are inextricable. By
starting from a position of academic inquiry, not of simply repeating or
recasting knowledge, but of posing questions, problems, and exercising
independent thought, you will see that academic writing demands a rigorous
practice that will ask you to keep your eyes and minds open. This course is
designed to allow you, the student, to be an initiate into the ever-unfolding
process of contributing meaning in your own work, and to be engaged in a
sustained effort at “supporting, testing, and complicating theses, not just having them.” As you construct your
own essays throughout the semester, you will be challenged to inhabit the role
of a writer and to see your own texts as valuable and vital contributions to
our academic community at HCC. Critical thinking isn’t just a dusty
teacher-term; it’s all about finding your place in the world and leaving a
mark.
Course
Policies
1 – Accommodations: If you have a condition that requires any
special attention, please see me immediately. Accommodations are easily made.
2 – Participation: This is a discussion class; discussion
comprises a significant portion of your grade. If you miss class, there is no
way to make this up. Discussion requires our being present. It is not possible
to be present when you use your cellphone or computer in class. If you do, you
will be marked absent for the day. No joke. I will inform you by email.
3 – Schedule: The schedule of readings and assignments are adapted
to the needs to the class. Therefore, the syllabus is not set in stone. If you
miss a class, check with your classmates or with me for the homework.
4 – Timeliness: No late assignments will be accepted. You will be
granted one exception to this rule if you speak with first. I’ll work with you,
but it is your responsibility to contact me before assignments are due (not an
hour before class, not after class).
5 – Conduct: You are expected to be honest in your criticisms, and
yet respectful to others. We are working together to improve our skills.
6 – If you have a question, ask.
Catalog
Description
This course is the first half of the
college composition sequence and focuses on expository writing, critical
thinking, and research, with emphases on the following: critical reading and
interpretation of nonfiction texts; engaging with and analyzing texts; using
summary, paraphrase, and quotation; finding, evaluating and documenting
sources; and writing with purpose. Students will produce approximately 3000
words of formal written work, including a documented research paper of at least
1250 words.
Teaching Procedure
This class is much
more interesting when people read assignments and voice their opinions.
Therefore, we’ll spend considerable time discussing assigned reading, examining
issues raised, and stylistic and rhetorical choices made. We’ll also do a lot
of writing, editing, and researching in class. These activities will prepare
you for the semester’s graded assignments. Additional writing activities will
expose you to new techniques in an effort to enlarge your stylistic palette.
Required
Texts & Materials
·
They Say/I Say.
Gerald Graff. W.W. Norton.
·
The Best American Essays 2014.
Ed. by John Jeremiah Sullivan.
·
Handouts, from newest credible texts,
provided for you.
·
A notebook (any bound notebook) for
in-class and homework exercises, essay ideas, etc.
Course Outcomes
Writing: Students should be able to produce
college-level essays that
·
Have a main idea with supporting
paragraphs;
·
Use observations from life and from
readings as examples and support;
·
Are well organized and sufficiently
developed;
·
Are clearly written in terms of sentence
structure, transitions, etc.;
·
Are grammatically correct;
·
Are appropriately formatted and
presented.
Process: Students should treat
writing as a process and demonstrate ability to
·
Revise writing in substantive ways by
re-thinking and re-seeing drafts and by experimenting with different ways of
developing and communicating ideas;
·
Be a more perceptive reader of your own
writing and learn to provide constructive feedback to others about their
writing;
·
Manage effectively your writing processes
by reflecting on your texts and making choices about them that are appropriate
to the assignment.
Reading: Students should be able to read at
college level, as demonstrated by their ability to
·
Identify the main ideas and supporting
details in readings;
·
Develop your thinking by questioning your
own and others’ views;
·
Recognize models of clear organization,
expression, and style;
·
Differentiate opinion from fact;
·
Define terms from context;
·
Recognize authors’ attitudes and biases.
Research: Students should be
able to write a college-level research paper that
·
Successfully makes use of secondary
sources, which should include library databases and may include appropriate
internet sources;
·
Uses documentation appropriately and
avoids plagiarism.
Grading System
Essay 1 10
points
Essay 2 10
points
Essay 3 20
points
Final Paper 10
points
Reading Responses / Blog 15 points
Writer’s Notebook 5 points
Writing Community membership 30 points
________
100
points total
Essays
Your classmates, with my facilitation, will
review first draft(s) and/or sections of each essay, and then I will grade the
final version. For the first essay, a draft comprises a portion of your
grade. In other words, even if you ace the final essay, you can earn at
best a B if you do not hand in an earlier draft.
Responses to readings & Blog
For most reading assignments, you’ll respond
with a brief, informal writing assignment. The scope of this writing will be
given in class or will be posted in the class blog. For most of these
assignments, I will ask you to quote, briefly and correctly, from the text. I’m
looking to see that you’ve read the essay, understood its ideas, and formed
thoughts in response to those ideas. Don’t worry too much about grammar,
spelling, or “correctness.” Instead, concentrate on saying something. Look at these informal assignments as a way to
prepare for class discussion, to reflect on your writing process, and to
generate ideas for the long essays. For the blog, respond to the lead question and
to what other folks have said. Make it a conversation. Late assignments will
not be accepted.
Writer’s Notebook
The first section of your notebook is for
in-class notes and various, pre-paper writings. The second half is for your
writings. Some of the exercises will be suggested in class, but I also encourage
you to experiment with anything that interests you and to try new things. Write songs, raps, stories, journal entries, a
pitch to an imagined investor for a business you would one day like to
build…whatever. These writing are yours, so I will simply check whether you are
writing. I will not read what you’ve written.
1-2 pages / week. Please number your pages to make it easy for me to check.
Community Membership
An important part of this course is your
participation in a community that is respectful and helpful to other people in
the class. Review of your participation in this community will include
completing all in-class writings, participating in review workshops, and taking
an active role in class discussion. Excellent attendance, quality feedback, and
no missing in-class writings will receive thirty points. Each missed workshop
will reduce your total by five points, each missed in-class writing by two
points.
Attendance
You may miss up to three classes. Three times
of coming into class late equals a full day of missed class. Using a cellphone
in class = not being in class. (Please do not use your cellphone in class. If
you do, I will give you the option to stay or to leave; either way, you will be
marked absent.) You may miss up to three classes, after which a class missed
will decrease your end total by a full letter grade. After five classes missed,
there will be no way to pass the course, zero exceptions. If you realize this
is the case, I encourage you to withdraw to avoid receiving an F.
Procedure for Evaluating Student Performance
Students are expected to participate in class
discussions, to offer full and useful responses to the writings of peers, to
keep absences to a minimum, and to write at least four typed essays that are
free of grammar and spelling errors. Essays will be at least three pages long, excepting
the research paper, which will be five-six pages long. Short assignments will
be graded on a 10-point scale.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism can exist in numerous ways,
ranging from taking an entire paper (from the Internet or a friend) and
presenting it as your own, to “borrowing” a few sentences from a source without
providing proper documentation. The bottom line is this: If the idea is not
yours, and you present it as your own without giving credit, that is
plagiarism. Over the course of the semester, we will study strategies for
incorporating interesting ideas into our essay and how to cite (give credit)
properly. Still, when in doubt, ask. Plagiarism is no joke. Committing plagiarism
will result in a zero for the work at-hand, potential failure of this class,
and a referral to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action.
Due dates for Essay Assignments
Essay 1: Personal Essay
First draft due: 09/29 Final
Draft due: 10/06
Essay 2: Critical Response Essay
Final draft due: 11/03 Note: Drafts are not part of your
grade for this essay. If you wish to revise your essay for a higher grade, you will
have two weeks from the time I return it to you.
Essay 3: Academic Research Essay
Due: 12/10 Note:
Drafts are not part of your grade for this essay. If you wish to revise your
essay for a higher grade, you will have until the exam period for this class to
make revisions.
Essay 4: Reflection
Due: During week of final exams
How to post on this blog
1. Make sure you are logged out of your HCC email
2. Click on the title of the most recent post
3. Read over the questions and previous comments
4. Enter your comment in the space provided (you may want to type it in Word and then copy & paste)
5. In the Comment as: box, select Name/URL, type in your name, and click “Continue”
6. Finally, click “Publish”
7. Sit back & admire what ye have wrought
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