COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course aims to improve your writing skills–your ability to write nuanced, engaging sentences; to build effective paragraphs; to construct arguments; to engage various audiences; to integrate other people’s thoughts into your own. It encourages you to be more reflective, critical, and careful writers, through a series of exercises and formal assignments in expressive, expository, argumentative, and researched writing. While skills-oriented, the course will both read imaginative and creative non-fiction essays, and discuss several contemporary social/cultural/political issues that relate to issues of good stewardship of land and resources. We will read essays from The Value of Hawaii 1 & 2, as well as several short “models” for the kinds of writing each unit of the course engages.
ASSIGNED WORK: You will write five graded essays, four of them around three pages, and one a longer essay (involving research and argumentation) of about eight pages. In addition to the graded papers, there will be short in-class writings for most periods on pre-assigned topics (relating to short readings, topics, or assignments for the day) and a few required exercises. Students will give two short reports: one on a grammatical/argumentative term, and one a brief summary of an essay from Value of Hawaii 1 or 2.
ATTENDANCE: Much of the work for this course (short writings, free writing, outlining, editing, peer evaluation/draft workshops, discussion of writing strategies and expectations for assignments) will be done in class. Therefore, attendance is mandatory; more than six unexcused absences will lower your grade by a full grade; more than nine unexcused absences may result in an “F” for the course. If you have to miss class on official school business, let me know beforehand, or, in the event of illness or emergency, as soon as possible. Papers may be lowered by a grade for unexcused lateness.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
–. Read and/or turn in assigned work on time
–. Come to class on time, ready to discuss/question the texts you have read
–. Meet with Instructor and mentor at assigned times
–. Respect the views and learning needs of other students
GRADING: The course grade will be arrived at as follows:
–. Four shorter papers (3 pages) (15% x 4 = 60%)
–. Value of Hawaii/Research Paper (25%) (6-8 pages)
–. Class Participation/Course Citizenship (15%)
This includes attendance, exercises, in-class writings, postings on Laulima,
reports, and participation in class discussions and draft workshops.