SYLLABUS FOR E301 ADVANCED COLLEGE WRITING
CSU FULLERTON, FALL 2006

*2023 Note. Links have been removed from this archival copy, leaving mainly procedural information and the reading schedule. Some of the guides mentioned below are available from my current website’s “Writing Guides” menu section.

COURSE INFORMATION. English 301, Course Code 12978. Tuesday 7:00 – 9:45 p.m. University Hall (UH) 206. Office hrs: Tuesday 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. in University Hall (UH) 329. Email: e300_at_ajdrake.com. Catalog: “Prerequisite: English 101. An advanced course in writing expository prose. Emphasizes precision in rhetoric and development of individual style by concentration on matters of diction, audience, emphasis and persuasion. Required of English majors seeking a secondary credential. Instructional fee. Units: (3).” 

REQUIRED TEXTS AT TITAN BOOKSTORE

Kirszner, Laurie and Stephen R. Mandell. The Concise Wadsworth Handbook. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004. ISBN: 1-4130-1030-X.

COURSE RATIONALE AND ACTIVITIES

FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES. This course will cover a small number of literary and non-fiction texts, but our main purpose is to consider writing as a craft: how best to develop a thought-provoking and convincing argument; how to set it forth on the page so that it unfolds logically and doesn’t put unnecessary stylistic or other obstacles in a reader’s way; how to give credit to sources when and where credit is due, etc. Good writing is of course somewhat more formal than everyday conversation with its “likes” and “you knows,” but there’s no reason why it has to be stuffy or pompous, either—good writers and critics aim to be understood more than to dazzle us with erudition or befuddle us with “jargon for jargon’s sake” from their discipline.

ACTIVITIES. In class, there will be a mix of lectures, whole-class and smaller-group discussion, occasional quizzes, an essay, and a final exam. I encourage questions and comments—class sessions improve when students take an active part. Outside class, do the assigned readings before the relevant discussion dates, complete your journal sets as outlined below, and start planning and drafting your essay early. In literary studies, the aim is to read and discuss actively and thereby to develop your own voice in response to the texts you read. Insightful interpretation and the ability to make compelling connections are central goals. The essay, discussions, and journal-keeping should combine to help you work towards these goals.

HOW YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE EVALUATED

COURSE POLICIES. Please review the course policies page early in the semester since it addresses matters such as attendance, incompletes and withdrawal, late or missing work, and academic integrity.

ESSAYS REQUIREMENT. Final drafts for two papers (5-7 pages each) due as specified towards the bottom of the syllabus page. Follow MLA guidelines. See onsite resources: MLA, Grammar, Deductive, Citing, Analyzing, and Editing. (50% of course grade: First paper = 20%, second paper = 30%.) Working drafts are required, but grade is based on final drafts.

JOURNAL REQUIREMENT. Keep a word-processed journal based on your thoughts about what you are currently reading: literary texts for other courses, texts read for pleasure, scholarly journal articles, magazine or in-depth newspaper articles, etc. What makes this material good or bad in terms of style, argument, structure, content, or some mixture of those elements? Three times during the semester, I’ll collect journal installments. (20% of course grade.)

PRESENTATIONS REQUIREMENT. Each participant will offer two (or three if enrollment warrants) brief in-class presentations (5-7 minutes or so) developed from journal observations. I’ll post a schedule of presenters as soon as I can. One week in advance of their presentation, students will hand out copies of brief excerpts from something they’ve been reading, and the next week we will listen to their comments on what makes the whole piece worthwhile or otherwise. As with the journal requirement, the idea here is simple: people who read with an eye for quality and detail find themselves paying more attention to their own writing. (15% of course grade.)

FINAL EXAM REQUIREMENT. The exam will consist of materials that test what you have learned about grammar, style, quotation-handling, and argumentation strategies. Books and notes allowed for all sections. Exam date Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 7:30 – 8:50 p.m. (15% of course grade.)

SCHEDULE: WORKS DISCUSSED ON DATES INDICATED

WEEK 1

08/22. Introduction to class and to wiki features. Assigned as one-page word-processed writing sample to hand in next week: describe something (an object or an event) in detail.

WEEK 2

08/29. Read in advance my “Writing Deductive Essays” online guide. Please print out the guide and bring it to class with you. Discussion about textual annotation: responding to a text (Wadsworth Handbook 114-17).

WEEK 3

09/05. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 1: Chapters 1-4 (10-62). my guide Editing Essays. Please print out the guide and bring it to class with you.

WEEK 4

09/12. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 1: “Writing Essays,” Chapters 5-7 (62-97). Journal Set 1 due.

WEEK 5

09/19. Peer review of drafts. Paper 1 working draft due.

WEEK 6

09/26. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 4: “Understanding Grammar,” Chapters 20-23 (196-226).

WEEK 7

10/03. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 4: “Understanding Grammar,” Chapters 24-28 (227-260).

WEEK 8

10/10. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 3: “Sentence Style,” Chapters 13-17 (151-179).

WEEK 9

10/17. Small-group discussion of editing choices made for the final draft of Paper 1. Paper 1 final draft due.

WEEK 10

10/24. Presentations. Wadsworth, Handbook Part 5: “Understanding Punctuation,” Chapters 32-34 (283-303). Journal Set 2 due.

WEEK 11

10/31. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 6: “Understanding Spelling and Mechanics,” Chapters 35-38 (305-325).

WEEK 12

11/07. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 7: “…Documenting Sources,” Chapter 44 (379-389).

WEEK 13

11/14. Peer review of drafts. Paper 2 working draft due.

WEEK 14

11/21. Thanksgiving Holiday. No classes all week.

WEEK 15

11/28. Presentations. Wadsworth Handbook, Part 7: “Documenting Sources,” Chapter 45 (389-399).

WEEK 16

12/05. Informal review. Journal Set 3 due.

FINALS WEEK

Final exam date: Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 7:30 – 8:50 p.m. Also due: Paper 2 final draft. I must turn in grades by Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007. For other courses, see CSUF’s Final Exam Schedule.