Textbooks:
Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide
by Janet Lane & Ellen Lange (available at the bookstore)
Materials:
Two "blue books" for journal writing.
These can be purchased at the PSU bookstore.
A computer diskette for storing
drafts of your papers. All drafts must be typed.
Class Objectives: The main goal of this class is to help you develop skills and confidence in writing for college. This course will focus on responses to readings, instruction in grammar, and understanding of assignment instructions. You will learn both grammar and writing techniques. According to your needs, you will study the following:
Verb tensesAssignments: You will write short papers in response to readings or short video segments using summary, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis (1 ½ - 2 pages each). You will write several drafts for each assigned paper. It is important to incorporate my feedback and feedback from other students through critiques and conferences into your revisions. You will also write timed in-class essays. Finally, you will have short reading assignments and grammar and editing assignments from the textbook.
Subordinate, adjective, and noun clauses
Gerunds and infinitives
Other grammatical points as needed
Strategies for analyzing typical university assignments
Writing effective introductions and conclusions for essays
Differentiating between fact vs. opinion
Understanding plagiarism
The writing process (prewriting, organizing, writing, revising, editing, and asking for help from teachers and the writing center)
How to incorporate information from sources in essays by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing
How to use quotations correctly, cite sources using APA documentation style, and develop a bibliography for a short essay
Attendance: Attendance is part of your grade. If you must miss a class, please call or e-mail me before the class. Also remember that you are responsible for any information you miss if you are absent. If you miss an in-class writing, you cannot make it up, so please be in class on those days.
Participation: Active participation in all class activities, peer reviews, and writing conferences is required. If you participate actively, you will learn more in this class. Please try your best!
Grading: Your final grade will be based on: 1) your participation in class activities, conferences and peer reviews, 2) the timely completion of all homework and written assignments, and 3) the grades you receive on written assignments, including in-class essays.
The Writing Center here at Portland State University offers help with
writing at any level and in any discipline. Consultants assist writers
with such things as getting thoughts on paper, revising work in progress,
interpreting assignments, and working with documentation styles.
http://www.writingcenter.pdx.edu/
Literacy Education Online
(LEO) http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/
is
a great resource for writers. Just go to the site and click on the
phase that most nearly describes what is bothering you about your writing.
This site includes a variety of descriptors such as:
"I'd like
an overview of verb tenses"
"I'd like to
see an overview of comma rules"
"I'd
like some help with thesis statements"
"I'm overwhelmed
and don't know where to begin working on my paper"
For online grammar help, visit these sites:
http://www.ruthvilmi.net/hut/LangHelp/Grammar/
http://www.learning-english.com/learnonline/grammar.htm
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/toc.cfm
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