“Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed”—Susan
Sontag’s directions for writing—will be a mantra for our class, in which we
will approach reading and writing as interrelated processes. Learning to write
well begins with close reading. We will read essays on relevant issues, not
only for content but also for form, as possible models for our writing. We will
analyze how successful writers use various rhetorical strategies to convey
meaning. The essay assignments will give you practice in using a range of
strategies to achieve specific purposes—to reflect, to inform, to analyze, and
to persuade. You will learn how to draw on your readings as relevant and
reliable sources to be integrated into your writing, following the MLA style
guide. We will work on planning, drafting, and revising, with an emphasis on
rewriting in order to produce clear and concise prose. We will also focus
on issues of style, grammar, and mechanics that are specific to your writing. Essential
to this course are our one-on-one conferences to discuss and guide your
composition.
Required Texts
Course Reader: ENG 100 (02).
Available at Marketing and Publication Services, on the campus of the
University Laboratory School/UHM College of Education, 956-4969.
A Pocket Style Manual. 6th ed.
Available at UHM Bookstore, Campus Center.