Course Syllabus

Course Number/Name: College Composition I/ENG120

Location: (HS Name) Pembroke Academy

Academic Year/Term:2015-16

Faculty Name: Nate Graziano

Email address:

Office Location: Rm. 1030

Office Hours: Monday-Friday from 2:20-3:00 p.m.

Phone Ext: 483-7881 (X1030)

Required TEXTBOOK(s) and Supplemental Materials: Axelrod & Cooper’s Concise Guide to Writing: Sixth Edition, Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, Bedford/St. Martin’s, ISBN-13:978-0312668907

COURSE PREREQUISITES: N/A

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This is a college-level writing course designed to give students the writing skills needed to succeed in an academic setting. Students will be immersed in the process method of writing, taught techniques for library research, and instructed in the use of MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation style. The course will include outside and in-class readings, class discussions, class instruction, in-class and out-of-class writing, library and Internet research, and the writing of four longer papers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:To prepare students to write competently at the college-level. This will include composing, rewriting, and editing four essays: a personal narrative, a literary/critical analysis, a persuasive/argumentative essay, and a research paper. At the conclusion of the course, students will compile a portfolio of their finished work, which will include an in-depth self-reflection on their writing and the process, then lead a portfolio conference with the instructor.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will compose component essays that will prepare them to write and research at the college-level.

GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT:This course is part of the General Education Program at SNHU. Five of the Course Learning Goals correspond to General Education Learning Goals: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Collaboration. Your four essays with peer review worksheet will be the critical task used to assess these General Education Learning Goals. Instructions and additional details will be discussed in class.

COURSE LEARNING GOALS:

By the end of this course you should be able to

:

  • Produce writing whose form, organization, syntax, diction, style, and tone are appropriate for a given audience, subject, and purpose. (Communication)
  • Read critically with an eye toward identifying main ideas, supporting evidence, and conclusions so that they can utilize these components in their own writing. (Communication)
  • Use process writing for generating ideas, drafting, and revising.
  • Locate, evaluate, and integrate information purposefully from electronic and print sources and to document them correctly using MLA style. (Communication)
  • Write captivating introductions, coherent theses, well developed, organized, and supported text, and conclusions that lead the reader to the bigger picture. (Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Demonstrate personal and collaborative editing skills developed through workshops and peer feedback. (Collaboration)
  • Write grammatically correct sentences demonstrating control over punctuation, syntax, and word choice.

WEEKLY READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS/EXAM SCHEDULE:

Unit 1: The Personal Narrative/Memoir

Week 1-2: Excerpt from “Townie” by Andre Dubus III; “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard; “The Youth in Asia” by David Sedaris; “My Father’s Life” by Raymond Carver; Ch. 2 in Axelrod & Cooper’s Concise Guide to Writing.
Week 3-4: “Killing Chickens” by Meredith Hall; “Fat Girl Rhapsody” by Roxane Gay; “Fairytales” by a former student; “The Strange Experience of Having My Memoir Turned Into a Movie” by Stephen Elliott
*Draft of Personal Narrative Essay due
Week 5-6: Student-conferences and peer-editing groups
Week 7-8: Revisions, copy-editing, and student-led conferences
*Personal Narrative Portfolios due

Unit 2: The Persuasive Essay/ Argumentation

Week 9-10: “The Case Against High School Sports” by Amanda Ripley; “The Language of Persuasion,” Ch. 5 in Axelrod & Cooper’s Concise Guide to Writing. “Ripping Off Young America: The College Loan Scandal” by Matt Taibi; “Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi Misunderstands Student Loans” by Jason Richwine
Week 11-12: “The Classical Argument,” “The End of Australia” by Jeff Goddell, “Propaganda” and “The Death of The American University” by Noam Chomsky; “Abolish the SAT” by Charles Murray; “Careless and Detrimental Convenience” by a former student.
*Drafts of Persuasive Essay due
Week 13-15: Student conferences and peer-editing groups/“The Case for More Guns” by Jeffrey Goldberg/Gun control responses and Socratic seminar; revisions, copy-editing, and student-led conferences
*Persuasive Essay Portfolios due

Week 16: Midterm conference/portfolio

Unit 3: Literary Analysis

Week 16-18: “The Dead” by James Joyce; research paper assignment, “Writing a Literary Analysis Paper” courtesy of Germanna Community College; “Hints for Writing Effective Paragraphs pf Literary Analysis” from Jazz and Literature by Anne Fleischmann and Andy Jones.
*Draft of Lit. Analysis #1 due
Week 19-20: “What It Was Like, Seeing Chris” by Deborah Eisenberg; and “Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story” by Russell Banks; “Back Rub” by Tom Perrotta; “Greasy Lake” by TC Boyle; “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates
*Draft of Lit. Analysis #2 due
Week 21-22: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot; “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath; “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost; “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley; “Sailing to Byzantium” by WB Yeats; “The Sandbox” by Edward Albee
*Draft of Lit. Analysis #3 due
Week 23-24: Student conferences and peer-editing groups
Week 25-26: Revisions, copy-editing, and student-led conferences
*Literary Analysis Portfolios due

Unit 4: Research/Inquiry Paper

Week 27-28: Outlining research papers; Ch. 4&6 in Axelrod & Cooper’s Concise Guide to Writing; “Derek Boogaard: A Brain ‘Going Bad’” by John Branch; “The Children of ISIS” by Janet Reitman
Week 29-32: “2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal” by Lev Grossman; “Slow-Motion Torture” by Jeff Tietz; “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov; Solitary Nation Frontline documentary; drafting research papers, student conferences
*Draft of research paper due
Week 33-35: Student conferences and peer-editing groups/ “A Nation of Wimps” by Hara Estroff Marano/ Generation Y and entitlement responses and Socratic seminar : Revisions, copy-editing, and student-led conferences;
*Research Paper Portfolios due

Week 36: Final conferences/portfolios

COURSE EVALUATION CRITERIA: A final portfolio of the student’s writing, containing essay mentioned in the course objectives and a student-led conference

GRADING POLICY: 20% Narrative essay and portfolio; 20% Persuasive Essay and portfolio; 20% Literary Analysis Essay and portfolio; 20% Research Essay and portfolio; 10% Final portfolio and conference; 10% drafts, critiques and reading quizzes

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Consult the Pembroke Academy Student handbook.