English 100
Course Overview This course is an introduction to the essentials of academic writing. It is designed to help students to develop the essay writing skills necessary for success in their studies at the university level. Major assignments will include: 1) the writing of a summary; 2) the writing of expository essays using patterns of development such as narrative, process analysis, comparison and contrast; the writing of an argument/ persuasion essay and the writing of a research essay. In this course, students will be expected to complete various reading assignments, do independent analytical thinking about what they read, and participate in discussions on what they read. Learning Outcomes At the completion of this course, each student will be able to: * understand academic essay structure * understand rhetorical strategies used in essay writing * write a summary * formulate a thesis * write essays using rhetorical strategies Required Textbook S. Norton & B. Green. (2011) Essay Essentials with Readings (5th ed). Toronto, Ont: Thomson Nelson. Course Requirements and Evaluation Peer Evaluation and in Class work 10% Summaries (1) 5% Essays (5) 55% Grammar Quizzes (3) 15% Final Exam 15%
Cour se Schedule Week
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
Topic or Task
Course introduction The writing process
In class introductory writing
Grammar: Sentence Structure, 7.1 Refining by Combining 7.6
Ch 1: Your Audience and You Ch 2 Selecting a Subject
Essay Analysis and Summary Finding and writing a thesis
Ch 4 Writing the Thesis Statement
Grammar: Using Verbs effectively 7.8
WEEK 3
Quizzes / Assignments / in-Class exercises
Peer Edit Introductions
Reading Assignment: “Where Do We Stand” L. Davis
Reading Assignment: “Sex Roles” H. McCubbin & B. Blum Dahl Ch 12: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
Chapter 10 Revising, Editing & Proofreading
Grammar Quiz 1 Grammar: Fragments & Run-on Sentences 7.2 & 7.3
WEEK 4
Description/Narrative description and story in essays; narrative essay samples; narrative essay outline Grammar: Solving modifier problems 7.4
WEEK 5
Summary Assignment DUE Chapter 15 Three Basic Strategies: Description, Narration & Example Reading Assignment: “Frozen Tears” M. Ruecker
Essay #1 -- Narrative/Description In-class writing Chapter 16 Process Analysis Process Writing
Reading Assignment: “Home Office Ergonomics From A to Z” T. Verna
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
Process Writing continued
Grammar: Parallelism Principle
Essay #2 – Process Analysis In class writing
Comparison/contrast essay; thesis statement construction essay outline
Chapter 18 Comparison & Contrast
Grammar: Subject/Verb agreement 7.7 WEEK 8
Reading Assignment: “The Gas-Electric Hybrid Demystified” S.R. Howerth Grammar Quiz 2 Essay #3 – Comparison/Contrast In-class writing
Persuasive /Argumentation Thesis development
Chapter 20 Argumentation Reading Assignment: “An Arts Education Does Pay Off” L. Di Matteo
WEEK 9
Persuasive/ Argumentation cont’d Grammar: Solving Pronoun Problems 7.9
WEEK 10
Essay # 4 Argumentative Essay In-class writing Introduction to Research Essay Researching a Topic
Ch 12: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Chapter 11 Researching your subject Grammar Quiz 3
WEEK 11
Library Orientation Documentation APA formatting
Chapter 13 Documenting your sources Chapter 14 Formatting a Research Paper Reading Assignment: Uncertain Future: The Potential Dangers of Genetically Modified Crops.
Research Essay continued WEEK 12 Final Review
WEEK 13
Final Exam
Essay #5 Research Essay Due