From brainstorming to messy first drafts to peer editing to polished
final drafts, writing is a process. In this course, we will learn and explore
this process, as an introduction to “the rhetorical, conceptual and stylistic
demands of writing at the university level.” Beginning with examining
foundations of successful writing, we will move from crafting personal
narratives to essays that incorporate outside sources. We will examine what it
means to “join the conversation” taking place at the academic level, and we
will begin to join that conversation.
At that end of this course, students will have produced at least 5,000
words (about 20 typed pages) of finished prose. Required reading
not listed below will be available to download and print via Laulima.
Course Requirements
- Attendance and participation
- 4 major writing assignments (personal narrative, argumentative essay, oral history, and research paper)
- Informal writing assignments and grammar exercises
- Grammar presentation
- Peer-editing/workshopping
- Final portfolio of revised work
Required Texts
(available at Revolution Books, 2626 King Street)
- A Pocket Style Manual with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates, 5th ed., Diana Hacker
(Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010) - “They Say / I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein,
Russel Durst (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008)