Course Schedule

 

Day 1 – 8/28

Overview of Course & Syllabus; Introduction to Key Terms; Blackboard Demonstration

Homework: Post your reflection to the Blackboard Discussion Board before the next class. Reflection (#1): Why is a composition class important? What do you hope to learn from this class? Where do you hope to apply it in your life? Feel free to take the opposing stance that this class isn’t important. This is an assignment about finding your comfort zone in expressing your thoughts.

MONDAY 9/2 — NO CLASS; COLLEGE CLOSED

Day 2 – 9/4 

Reading due: “Art Spiegelman: Golden Age Superheroes Were Shaped By The Rise of Fascism” 

In class writing session; Discussion of the reading; Discussion of critical reading. 

Homework: Post on Discussion Board by 9:30AM 9/5. Choose an article or essay of your choice and post a rhetorical analysis of it.

Day 3 – 9/5 (Classes follow Monday schedule)

DUE BY 9:30AM: Rhetorical analysis post.

Homework:  Brainstorm a topic you would like to learn more about for the semester. During this activity, you’ll start to develop a semester-long research project. It begins with this first assignment: identify an issue that you’d like to learn or discuss more. Although you’ll be able to change your topic before the next essay assignment, you’ll be creating more work for yourself if you do. Post this to Discussion Board before the start of the next class.

 

Day 4 – 9/9

Reading due: Aristotle’s Rhetoric Book 1

In class writing session; Discussion of reading, recap, and Q&A of rhetorical analysis; Overview of a source based essay; Online research demonstration.

Homework: Create a rough draft of your source-based essay. It should be a complete rhetorical analysis of one article of your choosing. When bringing in essays you should always bring a paper printed version for me in addition to posting it on Blackboard. 

 

Day 5 – 9/11

In class writing session; Peer review of essay drafts.; MLA format lecture, workshop, & discussion.

Homework: 

DUE:  First draft of source-based essay. Posted on Blackboard before the start of class. Paper copy brought to class. 

 

Day 6 – 9/16

 

Personal Conferences. You must reach out to me to schedule this!

 

Homework: Writing Reflection (#2): What is your “literacy narrative”? Describe what type of reader and writer you would describe yourself as prior to this class. Do you read for fun or simply due to obligation? Do you have favorite things to read? Favorite things to write? What has been expected of you in regards to reading and writing? This applies as much to academic reading/writing as to personal. your home life, for work, or for pleasure or professional advancement. 

 

Day 7 – 9/18

 

Reading due: Revision and Life: Take It From The Top by Nora Ephron & The Rhetorical Situation by Lloyd F. Bitzer

In class writing session; Discussion of readings

Homework: Final draft of source-based essay. Posted to Blackboard as well as a paper copy brought in.

DUE: Reflection #2 posted to Discussion Board. 

 

Day 8 – 9/23

 

Reading due: Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

 

In class writing session; Discussion of reading; Closing conversation on Source Based Essay; Introduction to Inquiry-Based Research Essay

 

Homework: Begin thinking about topics for your inquiry-based research essay. Bring in three potential topics.

 

DUE: Final draft of source-based essay. Posted to Blackboard before the start of class. Paper copy brought in. 

 

Day 9 – 9/25

 

Reading due: Paging Big Brother: In Amazon’s Bookstore, Orwell Gets a Rewrite by David Streitfeld 

 

In class writing session; Questions about essays; Overview of research essay questions; Group discussion of research topics 

 

Homework: Writing Reflection (#3): This reflection will be based on your research topic. What inspired the desire for further inquiry, including how you came up with the question, why it might be important, and how you plan to explore the question in your research. Post to Discussion Board.

 

 

MONDAY 9/30 — NO CLASS

 

Day 10 – 10/2

 

Reading due: Genre & Design & A Puzzling Literary Genre: Comparative Views of the Essay by Richard M. Chadbourne

 

In class writing session; Discussion of readings; Discussion of research topics progress; Introduction  & discussion of genre

 

DUE: Writing Reflection #3.

 

Day 11 – 10/7

 

Reading due: Arundhati Roy: “Literature provides shelter” by Neel Dhanesha & Six Writers on the Power of Telling the Truth by Fran Bigman

 

In class writing session; Discussion of readings; Portfolio review; Setting up the CAC site; Put Source Based Essay on the site.

 

Homework: Research Proposal: The proposal should identify the specific, final research question that you determine based on your initial exploration/research. Your proposal should discuss the same ideas as the topic reflection, but should be a more finely tuned presentation of the question your research will explore. You will need to include: your research question; what is it about this question that interests you?;  a description of your audience and the name of a publication for which your essay might be appropriate; a bibliography of the work you have so far completed.

 

WEDNESDAY 10/9 — NO CLASS

 

MONDAY 10/14 — NO CLASS

 

DUE: CUNY Academic Commons must be set up by this point.

 

Day 12 – 10/16

 

Reading due: Humans Are About to Unleash an Irreversible “Hothouse Earth”, Scientists Warn by Peter Docktrill & It’s 2059, and the Rich Kids are Still Winning by Ted Chiang & Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit

 

In class writing session; Discussion of readings; Discussion of research proposal; Inquiry based essay review

 

Homework: Rough draft of Inquiry-Based Essay posted on Blackboard with paper copy brought to class.

 

DUE: Discussion Board Post: Research Proposal

 

Day 13 – 10/21

 

In class writing session; Peer reviews.

 

Homework: Post on Discussion Board a summary of each of the sources you intend to use for your first draft.

 

DUE: Rough draft of Inquiry-Based Essay posted on Blackboard with paper copy brought it. 

 

Day 14 – 10/23

 

Personal conferences. You must schedule this with me! 

 

Day 15 – 10/28

 

Reading due: The Importance of Technological Change in Shaping Generational Perspectives by Alexandra Samuel

In class writing session; Discussion of reading; Recap and Q&A of research topics and techniques.

DUE: Discussion Board: research summary. Final draft of the inquiry based essay posted on Blackboard with paper copy brought to class.

 

 

Day 16 – 10/30

 

Reading due: Multiple Voices, Multiple Genres: Fiction for Young Adults by Candida Gillis

 

In class writing session; Discussion of reading; Discussion of composition in two genres assignment.

 

Homework: Writing Reflection (#4) Analyze the process of moving from your research essay to your composition project, as well as think through questions that involve the key terms. Think about what rhetorical choices you have made, and consider the following questions: 1) Audience–what barriers in communicating to your audience(s) did you encounter? How did you overcome these barriers? 2) Process–how was the composing process different from your research essay? 3) Genre–why did you choose the two genres that you did? How did the genre affect the audience choice? 4) Reflection–what rhetorical practices did you find yourself using? Were they effective in the way you presented them?

 

Day 17 – 11/4

 

Reading due: Review: Multiple Genres, Multiple Voices: Teaching Argument in Composition and Literature by Karen D. O’Donnell

 

In class writing session; Discussion of reading; Discussion of genres.

 

DUE: Writing Reflection (#4)

 

Day 18 – 11/6

 

Reading due: What Makes a Fair College Admissions Process? by Julie J. Park , Christine R. Yano and Nadirah Farah Foley & Do You Suffer from Library Anxiety? by Alex Nunes

 

In class writing session; Discussion of reading; Review and recap of on Genres assignment.

 

Homework: First draft of Composition in Two Genres.

 

Day 19 – 11/11

 

In class writing session; Peer reviews.

 

DUE: First draft of Composition in Two Genres. Post on Blackboard and bring in paper copy.

 

Day 20 – 11/13

 

Personal conferences. You must schedule these with me!

 

Day 21 – 11/18

 

Reading due: Why I Write by George Orwell & Why I Write by Joan Didion 

 

In class writing session; Discussion of readings; Introduction to the theory of writing assignment

 

Homework: Final version of Composition in Two Genres essay. Post to Blackboard and bring in paper copy.

 

Day 22 – 11/20

 

Reading due: That Crafty Feeling by Zadie Smith & Devil Girl from Mars by Octavia Butler

 

In class writing session; Discussion of readings.

 

Homework: Writing Reflection (#5): Take the four theories of writing that we have read (Orwell, Didion, Smith, and Butler) and discuss two in depth. Do you agree with their points? Disagree? Are they helpful to you in any way while developing your own theory of writing? Post this on discussion board before the next class.

 

DUE: Final draft of Composition in Two Genres. Post on Blackboard and bring in paper copy.

 

Day 23 – 11/25

 

Theory of Writing in class writing workshop.

 

Day 24 – 11/27

 

Peer reviews.

 

DUE: Theory of Writing first draft.

 

Day 25 – 12/2

 

Personal conferences. You must schedule this with me!

 

Day 26 – 12/4

 

DUE: Final draft of Theory of Writing

 

Day 27 – 12/9

 

Reading due: Are Students Just Telling Us What We Want to Hear? by J.J. Anselmi

 

In class writing session; Portfolio review. Last chance to get everything sorted!

 

Day 28 – 12/11

 

Last class. All work must be handed in by this point to be eligible for any points.