English Composition:
Writing in the Age of Digital Media
In recent years, digital technologies and the internet have profoundly affected how we read, write, and communicate. New vocabularies and styles of writing emerge as various web platforms and social networking services allow ever-evolving access to publication. Meanwhile, older forms of print media, such as newspapers, have needed to adapt in order to survive. This section of English Composition will focus on written communication in the age of digital media. It will engage with audiovisual media and a variety of written texts—in periodicals, web publications, and in books—to refine students’ skills in critical reading and thought. At the same time, as in all sections of CWRIT 1101, students will explore techniques that allow their own writing to better articulate ideas within various communal, academic, and civic environments. The skills you learn in this course should enable you to become a more engaged and effective writer both in your classes at Lesley and within the social communities to which you belong.
Working toward these goals, our class will be structured around four units: 1) an opening section in which students reflect on their own reading practices or use of media in a personal essay; 2) a second section in which students will report on current events in and around campus, turning the experience into expository writing; 3) a third unit where students will review and analyze a song; 4) a final unit in which students will write an Argumentative essay with research, responding to a current debate. Students will also need to complete an online MLA Quiz (5% of the overall grade) and will be divided into two groups to complete in-class presentations at different points in the term (10% of the overall grade).
Required Texts:
Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, Eds. A Writer's Reference, With Exercises. 9th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2018.
Additional readings on Blackboard—Be sure to check our course website frequently!
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
Write in a variety of rhetorical styles: Expository, Analytical, Argumentative, and Reflective.
Identify suitable topics for writing projects using invention strategies;
Use various online and library resources to identify appropriate material for your research and writing;
Evaluate and incorporate external sources into your own writing, documenting sources appropriately;
Summarize, analyze, and respond to texts written by others, including your peers;
Revise and proofread your own texts for effective paragraph construction and sentence structure.
Grading:
Personal Essay on Reading: 15%
Report on Exhibit, Talk, Organization, or Event: 15%
Analytical Review of a song: 15%
Argumentative Research Essay: 25%
In-Class Presentation: 10%
MLA Quiz: 5%
Participation and In-Class Writing: 15%
Schedule
Wed, 9/4: Introductions
Unit I: The Art of Reading
Mon, 9/9: What is Literacy?
Blackboard Reading: Frederick Douglass, “Learning to Read and Write”
Wed, 9/11: Reading Nature
Bb Reading: Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
“Asters and Goldenrod” and “Learning the Grammar of Animacy.”
Mon, 9/16: Personal Narrative and Plot Conflict
Bb Reading: Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue”
Wed, 9/18: A Writer’s Reference: “Composing and Revising” (C1-C3, 3-35)
Complete MLA Quiz (5% of Overall Grade); Link on Blackboard.
Mon, 9/23: In-Class Workshop
Draft of Reflective Essay on Reading (Please bring draft for in-class workshop)
Wed, 9/25: A Writer’s Reference: “Sentence Style” (S4-S7, 125-147)
Mon, 9/30: Unit I Recap / Introduction to Expository Writing and Reporting
DUE: Personal Essay on Reading (15% of overall grade)
Unit II: Writing like a Reporter
Wed, 10/2: Expository Writing, Reporting, and Description
In-Class readings and Reporting Activity
Mon, 10/7: Bb Reading: Newspaper Reports
Wed, 10/9: Reading the News
Bb Reading: Brooke Gladstone “The Great Refusal”
Mon, 10/14: Fall Weekend Holiday, No Classes
Wed, 10/16: In-Class Workshop
Draft of Report on Exhibit, Talk, or Event (Please bring draft for workshop)
Mon, 10/21: Grammar Matters
A Writer’s Reference: “Basic Grammar” (B1-B4, 343-367)
“Sentence Fragments and Run-Ons” (G5-G6, 229-243)
For Group A: “Speaking Confidently” (A5, 102-106)
Wed, 10/23: In-Class Presentations, Group A (10% of grade)
DUE: Report on Exhibit, Talk, Organization, or Event (15% of grade)
Unit III: Analyzing, Explaining, Reviewing
Mon, 10/28: Introduction to Analytical Writing
A Writer’s Reference: “Reading and Writing Critically” (A1-A2, 57-78)
In-Class Analysis of Visual Images
Wed, 10/30: Movie, Music, and Food Reviews as Analysis
Bb Reading: Periodical Examples of Analytical Writing
Mon, 11/4: Integrating Sources
Bb Reading: UNC Writing Center, “Evaluating Print Sources” and “Paragraph Development.”
Wed, 11/6: In-Class Workshop
Draft of Analytical Review of a song (Please bring draft for in-class workshop)
Mon, 11/11: Veterans Day, No Classes
Wed, 11/13: In-Class Presentations, Group B (10% of grade)
DUE: Analytical Review of a pop song (15% of grade)
Unit IV: Developing Informed Opinions, or The Art of Persuasion
Mon, 11/18: Introduction to Research and Argumentative Writing
A Writer’s Reference: “Reading Arguments” (A3, 78-88)
Wed., 11/20: Topic Selection
Refer to links posted on Blackboard for guidance.
Bring 3 Potential Topics and Research Questions to class
Mon, 11/25: Library Workshop
Meet in our usual location, and be sure to bring laptop/digital device
A Writer’s Reference, “Researching” (R1-R2, 371-389)
Wed, 11/27: Thanksgiving Recess, No Classes
Mon, 12/2: Conducting Research
A Writer’s Reference, “Evaluating Sources” (R3, 390-402)
Wed, 12/4: Developing a Thesis / Outlining
A Writer’s Reference, “Writing Arguments” (A4, 88-102)
Bb Reading: UNC Writing Center Website, “Introductions” & “Outlining.”
Mon, 12/9: In-Class Workshop
Draft of Argumentative Research Essay (Please bring draft for in-class workshop)
Review UNC Writing Center Website, “Paragraph Development.”
Final Class: DUE: Argumentative Research Essay (25% of grade)