English1A—CollegeComposition.docVIP

English 1A—College Composition Fall 2005 Instructor: Roxann G. Schmidt Class Time: MWF 11-11:50am Office: Calaveras 149 Class Room: Douglas 106 Office Phone: 278-6349 Section: 17 Email: rschmidt@ Office Hours: M 10:30-11am, W 11:50-12:05pm or by appointment “Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what it is one is trying to say.” John Updike Welcome to English 1A English 1A is designed to introduce you to the formal academic writing of the university. While all of you have had a vast amount of writing experience to date, this class will focus on the rhetorical uses of language to develop analytical and thought provoking essays. The evolution of these essays will demonstrate your growth not only as a writer, but also as a thinker. In this class we will focus on developing our critical thinking skills and growing as a community of writers. Towards this end this course will emphasize writing as a process that can improve with time, effort, and substantial revision. Learning Goals Students in this class will learn to: Respond thoughtfully and critically to written texts Show a working awareness and sensitivity towards audience Provide constructive feedback to the writing of peers Evaluate and incorporate feedback of both the teacher and peers Use multiple steps of the writing process to develop and create meaningful responses to essay assignments Use MLA conventions to summarize, paraphrase, and directly quote outside sources. Required Texts On Writing: A Process Reader by Wendy Bishop The Brief Penguin Handbook (Third Edition) by Lester Faigley *Instead of a third text, you will bring in at least three copies of your essay each workshopping day. A college dictionary is strongly recommended. Course Requirements Open Journal Nearly everyday we will be doing at least 5-10 minutes of writing in class. The collection I will call an “Open Journal.” The purpose of the journal writing is to help you develop ideas for both discussio