“Write,
Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed”—Susan Sontag’s directions for
writing—will be a motto 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 short 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. 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.