ENGLISH 271-272 - ADVANCED
EXPOSITORY WRITING
Summer Quarter 2012
Kathleen White
kwhite@bellevuecollege.edu
Office B200F (when on campus)
Office Phone: 425-564-2122
English 271-2 is concerned with expository and rhetorical
non-fiction prose rather than short stories or poetry: assignments may include
personal essays, memoir, review, and some light research and persuasion. The
content and form of compositions will be the most important aspects to
consider, but grammatical clarity and correctness will also factor in. It does
no good to be brilliant and creative if the reader can't make sense of the
piece.
TEXTS
There is one required textbook for this class: The
Writer's Presence (Sixth Edition) is our collection of essays, and
we'll use it for examples, models of what we do and don't like, and topics to
generate our own writing and thought. If you do not have a handbook for
reference purposes or a similar text leftover from 101, 092, or 3, you might
pick up a copy of The Writer's Pocket Handbook (by Rosa and Eschholz, Longman's Publishing) as a refresher; if you have
been away from writing for a while and have not concerned yourself with form
and structure of essays during that time, this is a very straightforward but
concise explanation of the writing process, from pre-writing techniques, to
organization, research forms, as well as editing and grammar mistakes. I also
recommend The Writer's Harbrace Handbook,
which covers research form in more depth, as well as every grammatical snag
you'll ever need to know about. Either choice is, a fine reference book to
follow you through a university career.
Throughout the quarter, English 271-2 will
generate 4-5 essays, 3-7 pages long (750-1750 words). These will be run through
different levels of development, beginning with a draft that will be edited in
group sessions. Two to three rhetorical analysis essays, participation in
the editing, as well as written critiques of peer essays, will factor in
with the essays to determine the quarter grade.
Participation in
threaded group discussion is also required. Topics
will be set out at the beginning of each week; each student must make a minimum
of one, three-to-four line comment responding directly to each question in
the listed topic, and at least one reply to another student's thread. (More
comments are warmly encouraged.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Throughout the quarter, English 271-2 will
generate 4-5 essays, 3-7 pages long (750-1750 words). Starting with the second
assignment these will be run through different levels of development, beginning
with a draft that will be edited in group sessions. The two rhetorical analysis
essays (2-4 pages), as well as participation in the editing, and written
critiques of peer essays will factor in with the essay grades to determine
the quarter grade.
Participation in
threaded group discussion is also required. Topics
will be set out roughly once every week or ten days, and each student must make
a minimum of one, three-to-four line comment responding directly to each
topic question, and at least one reply to another student's thread. (More
comments are warmly encouraged.)
Assignments will be posted on the Course
Content page, along with the weekly lectures. Assignments will become
accessible the day the previous assignment is due.
GRADING
Basically, your grades will come from your
writing; however, that 'writing' means a little more than just the essays you
create. You will also receive grades for the written editing critiques you
will send me (2), and rhetorical analyses essays (2), and will receive
credit for your threaded discussion participation. In all, 60% of your grade
will be from the essays, with 25% for the written critiques of editing sessions
and analyses, and another 10% for threaded discussion participation, which can
take a large chunk if ignored. There is 5% I reserve for an instructor slush
fund, to credit improvement. It will never work against you, but it helps me to
figure grades accurately in terms of a student's whole performance.
Work turned in late will lose credit points
every day it's past the due date, roughly to one-third of the grade. For
instance, if your paper would have been an A- on the day it was due but you
turned it in the next day, it would now be a B+; if you turn it in another day
later, it will be a B. You can see the trend. No work will be accepted more
than one week after the posted due date without prior agreement. If
something genuine and difficult prohibits you from turning your essay in on
time, please let me know; I can be reasoned with in some instances. Also, be
sure to let me know as soon as possible if you're having trouble with or are
confused by an assignment. However, due to the nature of the on-line class, punctuality
needs to be respected.
A WORD ABOUT HONESTY
This being an on-line course, we will never
actually see each other as a whole, trapped in a class room together, fighting
to stay awake on a sleepy summer morning. Be advised, though, that teachers
actually can pick up a student's individual style fairly quickly, and
therefore, can detect when essays come from sources other than the student's
own hand. If any work done for this course is plagiarized, the student will
receive a zero for the assignment with no chance of rewriting it. More than one
such episode, and the student will receive an F for the course. If you use
material in your writing which comes from other sources, you must document this
using current MLA citation form. Descriptions of this are noted under the
Course Info icon.
Finally, do not be tempted by on-line essays
floating out there in the ether; to tell you the truth, most of them aren't
really all that good anyway.
SCHEDULE
(Note: All assignments due to me by website e-mail, midnight of the due date)
Week One: June 25th-30th
Lecture One: What is this All About?
Lecture Two: The Personal Essay
Readings:
"On Keeping a Notebook", by Joan Didion,
Writer's Presence, 87
"On the Essayist" by E.B. White 275
"The Joy of Reading and Writing" by Sherman Alexie 13
Begin First Essay Assingment (see Course Content)
Opening Thread Questions
Week Two: July 1st-7th
Lecture Three: Memoir and the
Personal Essay
Topics for Second Essay Assignment
"Toy Children" Meghan Daum 83
"The Problem with T-Shirts" Thomas Beller 53
"Eight Days in a Corset" Siri Hustvedt 434
First writing Assignment Due Monday
7/2
First Group Editing Sessions Post Drafts to Groups by 7/5
Thread Questions posted
Week Three: July 8th-14th
Lecture Four: Aristotle, The Essay,
and Literary Stuff
Still More Thread Questions
"Calculated Risks," by K.C. Cole (attached to
weekly module)
People like Us, by David Brooks 306
Editing Critiques Due Monday 7/9
Essay Two Due Thursday 7/12
Topics for Third Essay Assignment
Week Four: July 15th-21st
Lecture Five: Exposition
Lecture Six: Exposition in Function
"In the Combat Zone" Leslie Marmon Silko 842
"Shootings" Adam Gopnik
694
Thread Questions
Analysis One Due Tuesday 7/17
Editing Critiques 7/19
Topics for Third Essay
Check Thread
Week Five: July 22nd-28th
Lecture Seven: Review and Evaluation
LectureEight:
Fine Lines--Persuasion
"Corn Pone Opinons" Mark
Twain 853
"Killing Civilians" George Orwell (attached to
Weekly Module)
Third Essay Due Tuesday 7/24
Thread Questions
Week Six: July 29th-August 4th
Lecture Nine: Persuasion/Argument
"Where I Lived and What I Lived For" HD Thoreau
(attached to weekly module)
"The Insufficiency of Honesty" Stephen L. Carter 318
Analysis Two Due Monday, 7/30
Week Seven: August 5th-11th
Essay Four Due Monday 8/6
Week Eight BCC Finals: August 9th
There is No Final Exam in 271-2.
Grades Posted on the BC Website: