English 131

Composition: Exposition

Course Introduction

English 131 dovetails with the University of Washington's "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses."

Course Objectives

After successfully completing this course, you will be able to

• use the writing process to discover connections and ideas;
• produce complex, analytic, persuasive arguments that matter in academic contexts;
• read, analyze, and synthesize complex texts and incorporate multiple kinds of evidence purposefully in order to generate and support claims;
• demonstrate an awareness of the strategies that writers use in different writing contexts;
• develop flexible strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading;
• revise texts extensively and substantively; and
• recognize the difference between primary and secondary research.

Scope of the Course

If you have a copy of Ways of Reading, one of the books you'll be using in this course, take a few moments to thumb through it. As you browse, find a quote that intrigues you and write it down. You can select a quote of any length from any of the articles, essays, or stories; the choice is yours. If you don't have a copy of Ways of Reading yet (you'll need it very soon!), reflect on the quotes below and consider quotes you've encountered that are meaningful to you. Take a moment to recap them.

When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner's pick, a woodcarver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself in new territory. (Dillard)

Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning. (Freire)

Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students. (Freire)

As my favorite quotes above suggest, English 131 is about you—your writing, your reading, your discoveries through writing, and your shaping of your education. Over the months that you take this course, we will work together, reinforcing Paulo Freire's belief that education can enable you to be both teacher and student. Through your writing, revision, my feedback, and other strategies, English 131 will offer you the opportunity to become your own best teacher as you construct effective argumentative essays, immerse yourself in the kind of writing and thinking found in many academic settings, and reflect on yourself as a critical writer/thinker/reader.

English 131 is one of the courses that fulfills the University of Washington's writing proficiency requirement. It introduces you to ways of thinking about both reading and writing and to supporting reasoned interpretations of readings, what counts for evidence in this discipline. I've designed this course using several essays I admire and enjoy to help you develop and refine your abilities as a critical writer, reader, and thinker. English 131 will provide opportunities for you to practice writing well-reasoned arguments typical of writing at the university level. In fact, all of the writing you will do, from free writing to revision, will be part of the process of developing your critical writing and reading skills. Participating in a dialogue with me about your work is crucial, as this will enable you to help construct arguments that appeal to your audience and to continue the development of your analytical skills. In keeping with my own dearly held belief that we often discover our thoughts while we write, I have structured the Brief Writings and Writing Responses to help you experience this discovery and work toward the larger writings in this course. The Brief Writings and Writing Responses will help you—following a bit from Annie Dillard's metaphor above—mine your own resources, your very good ability to create good questions and to make connections and interesting, well-substantiated interpretations. Note: most of the writing you will submit to me; however, there are small, get-ready writings that are yours alone. Do save them, however.

About the Online Environment

Your online course offers several advantages over the traditional classroom, including the comprehensive Online Student Handbook and the ability to communicate electronically with students and with your instructor.

Online Student Handbook

The Online Student Handbook answers questions about your online learning course, such as how to purchase your textbook, schedule an exam, obtain a transcript, and get technical help if you need it. The handbook also provides additional resources, such as how to order books or journals from the library and how to study for an online course.

Communication with Your Instructor and Student Peers

Online Discussion Forums, designed by the University of Washington award winning Catalyst team, allow you to communicate with other currently enrolled students and with your instructor. We encourage you to use the forum to exchange ideas, resources, and comments about your course work with other students in this course. This unstructured forum is monitored by your instructor.

You can use e-mail to ask me a question or preferably post your question on the discussion forum. I will reply on the same forum.

Online Resources

As an online student, you have access to a wealth of Web resources compiled to provide fast, easy access to writing resources and other information that supports your online learning experience. Organized by subjects, Online Resources links you to sites with help not only for writing, but for research, study skills, language learning, and library reference materials. All links have been assessed for credibility and reliability, and they are regularly monitored to ensure their usability.

Required Textbooks

Bartholomae, David, and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading. 7^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. ISBN: 0312409958 (from here on, Bartholomae and Petrosky for short).

Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. 3^rd ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005. ISBN: 0312413238 (Lunsford for ease of reference).

The assigned textbooks offer material I not only value and enjoy but believe you will as well. In fact, Bartholomae and Petrosky is stuffed with a selection of readings that will have you browsing through them after you've completed the course. Lunsford (a handbook that explains punctuation, grammar, sentence style, research techniques, and other tools of writing) will prove to be a resource you can use, well, every day.

The Role of Revision in This Course

All writing is a process of thinking, reseeing, discovering, and revision. When you put your pen to paper or your fingertips to keyboard, you are letting words spin out from one another. You are thinking on paper, seeing what follows from your first notion. Often, we don't know where our words will take us: reflecting on another's essay or a puzzling theory leads from one connection to another. I like to think of the physical aspect of writing as spreading a net. It's a net that captures—for re-examination and rethinking—your ideas. Of course, discovery is an integral part of the process. Even as I write this, I'm not always sure what will happen. That net image I just created, for example, was not something I had put together before I sat down and wrote. In fact, I was having problems with my new computer and most of my mind was fretting about software malfunctioning. However, because writing is discovery and thinking, out came that particular focus, embodied in an image. When I come back to this paragraph in a few hours, or maybe a day or week, I will resee it, decide how to continue shaping it, and keep writing.

While all writing is thinking, it's also a process of revision. New words occur to you as you reread an essay or letter; you might also wonder, for example, if a middle paragraph would be more effective towards the end of an essay or if your beginning is inviting or relevant. You could realize that your essay's claim actually emerges at its end—it has been what you've been writing toward, discovering—and now it needs to become the paper's entire claim, set up and developed from the very beginning of the essay. Indeed, as you write and then reread, you may realize you've assumed your audience knew certain things that they didn't necessarily, so you return to the writing to revise. Revision offers those great opportunities to sit back (maybe grab another cup of tea or coffee) and reflect on what you want to suggest, communicate, and synthesize. Then you can reshape sentences, move paragraphs or cut them out entirely—add a different introduction, browse your thesaurus, and spend additional time on your conclusion, now that you see where your words have taken you.

Yes, if you're reading me right, you're surmising that revision is an important part of this course, and it is. The computer has certainly made that process easier: a few controls and, zip, paragraphs move, entire streams of words can be added or deleted. This helps encourage revision that is more than checking for possible spelling errors or tinkering with a few words. In fact, every free write, every rewrite offers opportunities to grow as a thinker and a writer: to understand more. You could even consider the word processor as a blender, offering easy opportunities to experiment with order, diction, and overall organization.

The Lessons

For each lesson, you will read

• at least one selection from Lunsford and
• my commentary for the lesson, found on the online syllabus as Lesson One, Lesson Two, and so on.

Some lessons require you to read an essay from Bartholomae and Petrosky. However, for the most part, I ask you to read parts of essays at various stages of a lesson, rather than the entire essay. Reading the requested essays and commentary will help you progress meaningfully in this course.

Lesson One: Critical Reading and Writing Skills

Lesson One introduces you to college reading and writing. It also examines a way of engaging with texts that focuses on how you can begin to forge your own readings and begin to understand what makes effective arguments. As such, this lesson begins the course-long process of building your understanding of—and skills in constructing—your own well-reasoned support for your positions and of setting up writing as a process. Lesson One seeks to show you where you can engage in, or enter, the texts, which can be considered, among other things, as
your contributions to your own education. It also prepares you to write your first Writing Response. For Lesson One, you will complete Writing Response #1 and two Brief Writings. One Brief Writing invites you to craft three or four paragraphs explaining your understanding of what strong reading is (based on the introduction in Bartholomae and Petrosky). Another Brief Writing requests a close reading of the first four pages of "The 'Banking' of Education," while the first Writing Response, Writing Response #1, encourages you to consider your education through one of the ideas in Paulo Freire's "The 'Banking' of Education."

Lesson Two: Working with Complex Readings

Lesson Two continues the process of having you read texts closely. It helps you consider ways of approaching complex texts, and it invites you to create questions. You will be composing two Writing Responses. They will suggest ways of digging into Freire's essay and ways of approaching Essay One, discussed in Lesson Three. The strategies offered in this lesson help you build on your own questions about readings and continue your progress as a critical reader, thinker, and writer.

Lesson Three: Creating Your Argument

Lesson Three introduces you to argument in its many forms and shapes. This lesson includes extensive work with claims and introduces Toulmin's model of argument, including warrants. As part of Lesson Three, you will write Brief Writing #3 and Essay One.

Lesson Four: Support and Development and Revising

Revising as a Whole

Rethink, revise, and revisit; there are lots of "re's" in Lesson Four. This lesson is about considering your essay's effect as a whole, but there is an emphasis on rethinking your introduction and conclusion. In this lesson, we use the "Four Criteria for Good College Writing" to examine what makes a well-organized essay, and to explore ways to reshape your first essay. For Lesson Four, you will revise your Essay One.

Lesson Four also includes Writing Response #4, in which you evaluate a sample student paper (in Appendix B) using the "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses."

To a large degree, college writing is about understanding what makes effective support and development of good claims in whatever discipline you are working in. In Lesson Four, you will more closely analyze your audience—who they are, how much information they need, and other considerations—as you make more decisions about what constitutes helpful support. As part of this lesson, you will read another sample student paper and evaluate it according to the "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses."

You will also thoroughly revise Essay One, sending in the revision and the original.

Lesson Five: The Continuing Process of Revising, Rethinking, and Editing

In Lesson Five, you will evaluate the organization of your writing. You will look closely at words and phrases that help your writing by expressing the relationship between sentences and paragraphs. A natural offshoot of this activity is examining diction, or word choice, and considering punctuation. You will compose the first of two Writing Responses on Jane Tompkins's "'Indians':Textualism, and Morality: The Problem of History." Lesson Five's Brief Writing asks you to correct the punctuation in selected sentences.

Lesson Six: Research and Critical Thinking/Writing

Lesson Six introduces you to the kinds of material and research that can be part of college-level writing. It continues the process of critical thinking and writing with Brief Writing #5, in which you create an annotated bibliography. This is a small research project that can be accomplished through a local library or through the University of Washington Libraries. You will find that doing this small research project—examining three different kinds of sources—will enable you to connect with and reflect on the reading from a position of researcher. For Lesson Six, you will also write Essay Two (six pages), your interpretation of the essay "'Indians': Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History," by Jane Tompkins.

Lesson Seven: Creating Your Portfolio

In Lesson Seven, you will put together your Portfolio. You choose what you'd like to be in your Portfolio, revising whatever you include. You will choose which essay (Essay One or Essay Two) you'd like to revise and which three Writing Responses you'd like to revise. Part of your Portfolio is a 2 ½ page self-reflective letter, which works closely with the goals for this class, evaluating your writing strengths and challenges. You'll include the original versions of each writing you place in your Portfolio.

Lesson Eight: Preparing for the Final Examination

Lesson Eight asks that you review all the writing you have created for the course and all the comments you have received. You will also select an essay from Bartholomae and Petrosky that has not been used in the course and that you find appealing. You will work with this essay in the final examination.

Assignments and Evaluations

This course consists of eight lessons. Each lesson is designed to help you become a more conscious reader and writer, respond more critically to the material, help you make discoveries through writing, and build progressively upon the skills you are acquiring. To these ends (and others), you will write two essays based on selections from Bartholomae and Petrosky. Each essay will be five and a half to six pages long. I will comment on every essay; all Writing Responses will receive a comment.

Both Writing Responses and Essays will be evaluated according to the University of Washington's "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses."

While your Portfolio is graded (it counts for 70% of the class), it will only be accepted (and receive credit) if all the work prior to it is completed. If I feel your writing might not be college-level writing (and that your work might not pass), I will let you know before you get to the Portfolio. To succeed in this course, you must write all the essays and all the appropriate writing responses, create and submit a Portfolio that reflects a good understanding of revision, and pass the final. A thorough revision means reseeing the original; it does not mean making a few editing changes. There will be a more in-depth discussion of revision in Lesson Four. In addition to your essays, you will submit five Brief Writings and six Writing Responses throughout the course. Each Brief Writing and Writing Response is from one to two pages long. These assignments can consist of a free writing exercise, work on claim development, practice of paraphrasing and summary, your description of the course goals/outcomes, analysis of supporting evidence of an essay, grammar exercises, and an annotated bibliography. All of the writing activities are designed to help you progress as a thoughtful thinker and writer. They help me to see your writing process and to make suggestions. The exercises are also designed to pace your progress and help you pause a moment during your writing, which will then benefit from your further reflection.

The Portfolio that you submit (worth 70% of your course grade) is composed of revisions of your Essay One or Essay Two and of three Writing Responses, plus a self-reflective letter evaluating your writing strengths and challenges. Note: you choose which pieces to include in your Portfolio.

Evaluation

In evaluating your writing, I will rely on the University of Washington's "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses." Throughout the course, we will work with these outcomes, and you will be asked to consider how your work meets them.

Because this course depends so much on sequencing and revision, it is not permissible to submit assignments simultaneously. You should submit your work, wait for a response and comments, and then incorporate those comments in your next writing.

Final Examination

The only examination in the course is the final exam, which consists of a two-hour writing based on a reading of your choice from Bartholomae and Petrosky. It is worth 20% of your course grade.

For your final examination, you will spend two hours writing an essay based on the selection you chose from Bartholomae and Petrosky. In this essay, which will come to about six or seven single-spaced, handwritten pages, you will have the opportunity to bring together all of the skills and approaches you've been working on for this course. This writing will demonstrate your understanding and mastery of the "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses." Note: for the final, you may bring a sheet of quotes from the essay you are using. However, you cannot bring any texts, including Bartholomae and Petrosky.

Scheduling Your Exam

For information on scheduling your exam, see Online Student Handbook: Examinations.

Appendices

In addition to my commentaries, the online syllabus includes three appendices:

Appendix A has the answers to several grammatical exercises that you will complete throughout the course, and also includes some sample annotations.

Appendix B consists of three sample essays written by former students in this course. You will be given instructions in the appropriate lesson for what to read in Appendix B. As you work through the lessons, consider that these student pieces have been included not only to highlight difficulties, but also to suggest helpful strategies.

Appendix C reproduces helpful pages from the University of Washington Libraries' Web page pertaining to the research process.

Your Grade in the Course

You must complete all assignments, your Portfolio, and the final examination to receive a grade for this course. Here is an overview of the required work for the course and the specific percentages of your course grade.

Brief Writings, Writing Responses, and Essays	10%
Portfolio	70%
Final Examination	20%

As noted previously in this introduction, revision is key. Your Portfolio, which contains one Essay and revisions of three Writing Responses (all of your choice), is weighed the most. This allows you to grow as a writer and have your Portfolio represent your best work, your overall improvement, and ability to demonstrate your achievement of the course's outcomes.

Your writing will be evaluated according to the "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses." The "Outcomes and Rubric for English 131" provides additional information on what strong, etc., can mean in terms of grades.

The "Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses" will help you understand what is generally expected of your papers in this and other college-level courses. The "Portfolio Rubric for 100-Level English Courses" reflects how your Portfolio will be evaluated. You can also match the comments I provide on Writing Responses to the descriptions in the "Portfolio Rubric."

Guidelines

Please be aware of the following guidelines for this course:

1. You can submit the writing from only one lesson at a time.
2. You cannot take the final unless you notify your instructor that you are ready to do so. You cannot take the final until all work has been submitted and commented on. This includes your Portfolio.
3. You cannot pass this course unless you submit all your materials in the required sequence.
4. The above is nonnegotiable.

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Instructions for submitting assignments and contact information for your instructor are on the "About Your Instructor" page on your online course syllabus.

Some Cautions

I know all about procrastination; it will be your biggest enemy. As you probably recognize, there are a hundred "reasons" not to get to an activity; however, don't fool yourself. Set up a schedule and keep to it. (Note: the schedule is for you; you do not need to notify me if you change it.) Make this course a priority so that the commitment you originally made is fulfilled and that your efforts pay off. The following suggestions will assist you in completing this course.

Get Started as Soon as Possible

Our records show that those students who submit the first lesson within two weeks of enrollment are most likely to complete the course.

Take Time Now to Plan Your Target Completion Date

If you set a date by which you'd like to take the final examination, you will help yourself by providing parameters. Use the "Assignment Due Dates" page on your online course syllabus to plan your time. Include enough time before each assignment to allow instructor feedback and to allow you to consider my comments. Two weeks between assignments is usually sufficient.

Mark Your Target Deadlines on a Calendar

Actually, mark those deadlines on two calendars! Students who submit lessons regularly are more likely to complete a course than are those who procrastinate. Fill out the "Assignment Due Dates" page on your online course syllabus, and print a copy for yourself before you submit it to your instructor.

While you are waiting for each assignment to be evaluated, I encourage you to work ahead on the next assignment.

Keep copies of everything you write for this class. This is also good practice for any class.

Welcome! I look forward to your work.

Works Cited

Bartholomae, David, and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading. 7^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.

Dillard, Annie. The Writing Life New York: Continuum Books, 1993.

Freire, Paulo. "The 'Banking' Concept of Education." Ways of Reading. 7^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. 256–67.

Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. 3^rd ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005.

"Outcomes and Rubric for English 131" Expository Writing Program. U. of Wash. 12 Oct. 2007 <http://staff.washington.edu/twelsh/131sp05/documents/outcome131.doc>.

"Outcomes for Expository Writing Program Courses." Expository Writing Program. U. of Wash. 12 Oct. 2007 <http://depts.washington.edu/engl/ewp/outcomes.pdf>.

"Portfolio Rubric for 100-Level English Courses." Expository Writing Program. U. of Wash. 12 Oct. 2007 <http://depts.washington.edu/engl/ewp/portfoliorubric.doc>.

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