Course Syllabus

SEE OUR CANVAS CLASS FOR ALL UPDATED PAGE NUMBERS AND CLICKABLE ASSIGNMENTS AND LESSONS. THIS IS INTENDED AS AN OVERVIEW.

WELCOME AND COURSE OVERVIEW

Lesson 1-Writing Myths and Rituals

Lesson 2--Rhetoric: Understanding PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE

Lesson 3--Introduction to first formal essay UNIT--PERSONAL DESCRIPTIVE-NARRATIVE

Reading TBA (new book this semester)

Under Courses Resources at the top of our Modules, you will find PDFs of all the above chapters for those of you who haven't gotten the book yet.

ALSO Read about Descriptive Writing here

DISCUSSIONS

a. This is ME (self introduction)

b. Possible Topics for NARRATIVE essay

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

1. Writea DEAR TRACEY letter inwhich you describe your own writing process or your own stages of writing.

2. Observe and Write (Two choices), posted to Canvas

WEEKLY GRAMMAR EXERCISE

Grammar/MechanicsExercise (assigned from book and posted to Canvas)

Planning and Brainstorming and PRE-WRITING for our first formal essay that you have been working on: Personal Descriptive-Narrative

Lesson One--The Importance of Description in Writing

Lesson Two--NEXT STEPS FOR ESSAY ONE: Topic selection, learning the structures of the essay, doing your Pre-writing sheet

Lesson Three--Grammar (Sentence Types)

1. Text book pages TBA (Plus online readings/viewings embedded in Lessons)

Text book readings TBA then CHOOSE ONE on which to answer the questions immediately following the essays, POST TO CANVAS.

2.Effective Description Discussion in Small Groups. This involves reading, doing your own initial post, and then responding to others in your small group

3. Fill out your NARRATIVE PREWRITING SHEETandPOST TO CANVAS

4.Complete Lesson 3 on Grammar and post Exercises in Module

WRITING THE NARRATIVE ESSAY

• How to Use Dialogue
• What are Peer Review, Revision and Editing?
• Peer Workshopping Draft #1
• Grammar FUN! Identifying CONJUNCTIONS and why they are important

Lesson One--Dialogue and its place in storytelling

Lesson Two--What isPeer Review and Revising?

Lesson Three--What are CONJUNCTIONS and WHY the HECK do I care?

READING TBA

2. Grammar: please read PAGES in Module for Week Three--Coordination and Subordination

(Plus online readings/viewings embedded in Lessons)

1. Canvas Post analyzing student essay

2. Discussion on Effective Dialogue (your post, two responses to peers)

3.Write the First draft of your Descriptive Narrative Essay then SUBMIT FOR PEER REVIEW. You will be in a small group for Peer Review, where you will receive feedback on your essay and offer feedback on TWO other students' essays.

4. Grammar: Coordination and Subordination

do exercises from Chapter

Revising Your Personal Descriptive Narrative And Beginning Essay 2.

This week, you will be taking thefeedback from your peers on Draft 1 and revising your essay.

Then you'll be submitting a Second Draft for MYfeedback. Then you'll make final revisions and submit your FINAL essay, which will be graded using the rubric.

LESSON ONE: Introduction to Second Formal Essay -- Extended Definition.

At this point in the semester, we aremoving from the strictly personal (narration) toward more academic writing.

LESSON TWO--Citation and MLA Style

LESSON THREE--Commas

Grammar

(plus online readings embedded in lessons)

1. POST SECOND DRAFT of your Narrative,receive comments from Tracey, then revise andPOST FINAL DRAFT

2. Canvas Post on learning about extended definitions and topic selection

3. Discussion Forum on Texting and Words (one initial post, two responses to peers)

4. Grammar exercise on commas (Canvas Post).

DEFINITION ESSAY

LESSON ONE--Denotation and Connotation

LESSON TWO—Extended Definition Essay SPECFICS

LESSON THREE --Avoiding Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments

Textbook Reading TBA

to supplement, here's a quick link to Great Starting Points for Research.

THEN In your textbook, read assigned grammar pages.

1. FINAL DRAFT OF ESSAY ONE DUE

2.Week Five Discussion--Masculinity (includes online viewings and readings). Initial post plus two responses to peers

3. Fill out and post Extended Definition Pre-Writing Sheet

4.THEN In your textbook, read and do grammar exercises.

DRAFTING YOUR EXTENDED DEFINITION

LESSON ONE--Using Sources Effectively: an Essential College-Writing Skill

LESSON TWO--Sample Essay Reviews

There will be NO grammar lesson this week, but you should continue to pay attention to the errors you make commonly.

Reading (embedded in lessons) of Past Student Essays as examplesand online readings and viewings in Lesson One

1. Fill out the Definition Essay, Part 2 Outline, which will help you with your organization and focus.You don't need to submit this; it's for your benefit as you write your first essay. If you follow this format, you will be in pretty good shape as you begin to draft.

2. Read and write about sample student essays (seeLesson 2) Canvas Post.

2. Write the first (complete) draft of your Definition Essay and Peer Review.Attempt to include all of your sources correctly cited in MLA style. That means you will also have a Works Cited Page. You will be put in a Discussion Forum with two others. You MUST RESPOND TO THE TWO OTHERS IN YOUR GROUP.

Continue Working on Extended Definition Essays

Once you receive the feedback from your peers, you should begin your SECOND draft, which you will post. At that point, I will read it carefully and give you my feedback for revision for yourFINAL DRAFT.

LESSON ONE--Introduction of Second Half of Semester Focus

For Formal Essay #3 and Formal Essay #4, you will be working on the SAME BASIC TOPIC. They will focus on slightly different things and their theses will be different. They will culminate with a FINAL PRESENTATION on your FINDINGS of Essays 3 and 4.That means you will write about this ONE TOPIC for the all the last projects.

Essay #3is a Rhetorical Analysis of a Documentary Film

Essay #4is an Argumentative Essay

Both will incorporate RESEARCH and you will be required to use MLA style to cite sources in both papers.

LESSON TWO--Reliable Sources

LESSON THREE--Subject-Verb Agreement

Readings and viewings are embedded in Lessons One, Two and Three

Read in your text, pp. in Module Subject-Verb Agreement.

1. REVISE DEFINITION ESSAY Based on the comments you received in our Peer Editing session, you are to REVISE your Definition Essay into a SECOND DRAFT.Remember that revising does not mean just proofreading. Instead, it means adding, subtracting, rethinking the whole essay.

2.Topic Search for Essays 3 and 4 Canvas Post

3. Discussion Forum on Reliable Sources (after reading Lesson TWO). Do both initial post and two responses to peers.

4. Read Subject-Verb Agreement. Do Exercises assigned and post to Canvas

INTRODUCTION TO FORMAL ESSAY 3: Rhetorical Analysis of a Documentary Film

LESSON ONE--What is Rhetorical Analysis?

LESSON TWO--Formal Essay #3--Rhetorical Analysis of a Documentary Film

LESSON THREE--Analyzing a Documentary Film

Readings and viewings embedded in the lessons, including sample student essays on documentary films.

1. Submit Draft 2 of Extended Definition. Then you'll get feedback from Tracey and then submit a final draft

2.Do Lesson One for background on Rhetorical Analysis

3. Review the assignment sheetfor your Rhetorical Analysis of a Documentary Film(Lesson Two has all details)

4. Choose your filmand post to CANVAS to get approval from Tracey (from Lesson Two)

5. ReviewLesson Three about the elements of Documentaries

6.Then WatchdocumentaryPower Strugglewith worksheet and POST about it.

Preliminaries for writing your Documentary Film Analysis.

There are no NEW lessons this week; rather, you will be focusing on understanding documentary films as a genre by watching the Q and A with Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer, critiquing other students' work (sample essays), and then watching your own film and filling out the planning/pre-writing sheet for that.

Reading:

Sample Student Essays (follow up Canvas Post)

1. Choose FilmIF YOU HAVEN'T SUBMITTED THIS YET, please do so ASAP, so I can "approve" of your choice. Secure access to the film.

2. Watch film and take extensive notes (using Pre-Writing Worksheet) and post

FIRST DRAFT of essay submitted on Canvas.

3. Attend a VIRTUAL Q and A with Power Struggle filmmaker, Robbie Leppzer

I recommend you take notes. You'll participate in a follow up Discussion Forum

4. REVIEW Student Sample Essays and Post about them

5. WATCH your filmand fill out the POST

6. Also,FINDat least ONE piece of criticism about your film that you may or may not include in your analysis. POST

7.Grammar in context exercise. Use your graded final draft of your Narrative essay (Essay #1). CHOOSE TWO PARAGRAPHS where you made the most grammar errors (marked by Tracey). Cut and paste those two paragraphs and CORRECT those errors.

Drafting the Documentary Analysis

That is our main work this week. You will be filling out a prewriting sheet and writing your first draft! Also, as you will need some sources for our upcoming essay (not this one), we are starting to look at research and databases a little more this week, too.

LESSON ONE--Intro to Scholarly Sources

LESSON TWO--Library Research vs Internet Research

Online readings and viewings embedded in Lessons.

1. Post FIRST DRAFT OF FILM ANALYSIS AND DO PEER REVIEWS

2. Scholarly vs Non-Scholarly Assignment POST

3. After doing LESSON TWO,Find TWO ARTICLES on your topic (NOT for your Documentary Analysis, but for your Essay #4 , Argument) POST

INTRODUCTION TO FORMAL ESSAY #4: ARGUMENT

LESSON ONE--ARGUMENT--Formal Essay #4 (Last Essay!)THIS IS on the same topic as your film essay, but you are no longer talking about the film. Now you're discussing the ISSUE.

LESSON TWO--COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS (GRAMMAR)

Online Readings and Viewings embedded in lessons.

1. SUBMITSECOND DRAFT OF FILM ESSAY for instructor feedback

Read Lesson One FIRST (important) and do the two assignments there:

2.Working Thesis foryour ARGUMENT ESSAY

3. Canvas Post on Learning About Arguments

4. Read Lesson Two and do Commonly Confused Words Assignment (post)

ARGUMENT

After reading my comments on your Working Thesis for the upcoming Argument Essay, you will want to continue the process of researching for articles that support your thesis. You will need a minimum of FIVE SOURCES (but you may use more if you wish). One of the those sources can be your film. Please make sure, however, that you do not ONLY use your film OR rely on it for most of your evidence/backing/source material.

LESSON ONE: Integrating Sources

LESSON TWO:Effective Thesis/Sample Arguments

Online Readings and viewings embedded in Lessons.

1. After reading Tracey’s comments, please revise your Documentary Film Analysis one final time into your final draft. POST FINAL DRAFT

2. Find three more sources for your Argument and post them.

3. Do Lesson ONE on Integrating Sources, which includes reading Chapter 29 in your book and doing the exercises assigned.

4. After Lesson TWO, Review the sample student argument essays and post

5. Do the Discussion Forum on your topic (initial post and two responses to peers).

Our focus now is on writing the Argument Essay, revising it, polishing it.

Also, you will do a FINAL REFLECTION on the semester. This will be an informal written look back at the semester-- like a self - assessment. Details forthcoming.

LESSON ONE--Organizing Your Argument and Pre-writing

1. Read the following in your book:

Chapter TBA for all kinds of good information on drafting and revising and MOST OF ALL EFFECTIVELY USING SOURCES.

Make sure to have fully read and reviewed Chapter 8: Taking a Stand. This will help you as you shape your argument.

2. Review "Quick Format Guide,"in your book, in the Appendix. Following the Format for an Academic Paper, in particular, but also review the whole thing.

1. Review the Argument essays of the students we have been following this semester: Maddie, Austin and Emily and post

2. After reading Lesson One, fill out the Prewriting Sheet and POST

3.Submit FIRST DRAFT OF ARGUMENT ESSAY with all your sources incorporated FOR PEER REVIEW

We are almost done!

Now it's all writing the Argument and revising it. Other than that, you have a FINAL REFLECTION TO COMPLETE AS WELL. There is NO newmaterial at this point.

DATES for the REST OF THE SEMESTER:

COURSE REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT

FINAL REFLECTION AND FINAL DRAFT of ARGUMENT DUE