Northern Arizona University

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of English

English 205: Advanced Writer’s Workshop

Prerequisites: 105 or placement test

Spring 2003

Don Olson - Instructor

Telephone: (928) 523-6743

Office: LA 133 (Thin Air Office)

Email: dso6@danaucc.nau.edu

Website: http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~dso6

Course Description:

The Advanced Writer’s Workshop is a course for students who wish to improve and increase their writing abilities in response to the academic tasks they encounter. Students will review basic principles of rhetoric and be presented with advanced rhetorical ideas that are applicable to all disciplines and all types of writing. In this course, you will write, present, and model academic, professional, and research writing types. Through systematic inquiry and the rhetorical triangle of author, audience, and intent, you will evaluate, research, and construct a handbook of academic, professional, and research writing techniques. Your writing will help you develop your skill as a writer as you learn to adapt forms and techniques that will enable you to write clear, coherent prose. In addition, you will be expected to use technological tools to enhance your writing and communication style. And perhaps most importantly, this course will also encourage you to begin to explore your field of study and analyze the contexts in which you are and will be writing.

Class time will consist of individual and group activities, in-class writing assignments and short lectures. Because this is a “workshop” and also an exploration of your discipline, you will need a high degree of self-motivation. Individually, you will be responsible for being prepared for class discussion, participation, and five writing tasks. Group work will comprise a large portion of the class; you will be expected to actively participate. As a member of a group, you will be responsible for doing your share of the research, writing, and presenting of different writing models/styles. Your participation, insights, and questions are needed, encouraged, and expected. I realize participation can be displayed in many ways. And, finally, think of your classmates as learning resources, and remember that you are a learning resource for them as well.

Course Skills and Goals:

· To develop analytical thinking skills (Analysis)

Rhetorical Analysis – Author, Audience, Intent

· To develop critical writing skills (Evaluation)

Arrangement – Contextual positioning, thesis, body, conclusion

Style – Rhetorical Devices

· To develop research skills, including interviewing skills (Synthesis)

Evaluating Evidence – Logical fallacies, Claims and Warrants

Required Texts:

Crusius, T.W. and C.E. Channell (2003) The Aims of Argument: A Brief Guide. (4th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.

Hacker, Diana (2000) Style Manual, 3^rd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s

Some electronic reserve material will also be required throughout the semester.

Formal Writing Assignments:

As part of these assignments, you will develop your writing process by composing multiple drafts, participating in peer reviews, and practicing revision strategies. These assignments are formal and need to be typed.

Personal Narrative Essay - Who am I as a writer? 50 pts. 3 to 4 pages

In this essay, you will need to explore where you are right now as a writer. Think of this assignment as a formal catalog of your writing strengths and weaknesses. This assignment is also your history as a writer, so you should also include a brief history of your writing. And, finally, be sure to also include your goals for what you expect of this course and what you would like to learn.

Article Analytical Paper 100 pts. 2 to 3 pages

You will need to find an article from within your field of study that is controversial or groundbreaking. In this analytical essay, you will make a claim on how effective or ineffective the article is according to its audience and purpose. To prove your claim, you will summarize, paraphrase, describe, explain, and analyze the author's writing arrangement, the appeals used, and the reasoning and evidence chosen to persuade the audience.

2 Interviews with Transcripts @ 50pts each = 100 pts.

You will interview two different professors from your field of study (if you are undecided, then pick two professors from disciplines you’re interested in). The point of the interview is to find out what kind of writing they do (context) and how they do it (style). It might help to choose a professor who has been around for a while and one that is fairly new to the academy. You will need to type up the interview. You may end up using portions of the interview in your final paper. This assignment gives you a chance to explore the context of your discipline. With this assignment, include an analysis of how well the interview went according to your plan, what you would do differently, etc.

Short Persuasive Paper 100 pts 3 to 4 pages

This paper can be a stand-alone argument or a warm-up for your final paper. Choose a format such as a letter to the editor, an intra-office memo, or a proposal, and present your claim to a specific audience. Whichever format you choose should be something that you see yourself writing in the future—make sure you will benefit from this practice! Use rhetorical methods to grab your audience’s attention, illustrate your reasons, refute your opposition, and conclude with a call for action. Use the principles in your textbook (Chapters 7-8) to help you with this assignment.

Proposal for Final Paper 50 pts. 1-2 pages

This proposal will have an outline/map of major points and claims, and end with an annotated research bibliography. Think of this assignment as a way of organizing your ideas, research, and resources. It should include a brief history of the issue, a thesis statement, and a brief map explaining the organization. The body of the proposal will be an outline of your paper’s major points and claims with subheadings and brief written descriptions of what will be written in that section. The bibliography should have 4 to 6 references/sources. Each reference will have a brief annotation or abstract of the resource and how you hope to use it in your paper.

Instructional/Research Paper with cover-letter 200 pts. 6 to 8 pages

For this final, formal assignment, you will research an instructional essay for someone else in your field in which you explain to them how to write in a very specific context. For example, you might tell them what the editor of a particular journal expects to see in submissions for publication. Or you might tell them what a specific professor likes to see in the writing of his/her students. Any context goes, just make sure it is specific. As we have seen, there is no one right way to write, but particular situations have different requirements. This assignment may include a quote or quotations from the professional you interviewed. Finally, this paper will also include a formal cover-letter explaining the writing process for the paper, cataloging the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, and finally what you learned or discovered in writing the paper. You will also present this paper to your classmates.

Group Work Assignments

In-class Group Work and Group Presentations

Groups will put together mini-presentations and handouts on specific tasks of academic, professional, and research writing such as how to write a lab report or a survey, or a personal statement. Each group will present 3 times in the semester. Presentations should be semi-formal with plenty of room for discussion. Handouts will be graded on professional appearance and must present adequate and helpful information (3 @ 25 pts. = 75 pts.) Audience points may be given on presentation days as participation points. Class discussion will center on what the group has presented. The discussion should add to or refine the writing task the group has presented. Class discussion should also examine what types of questions need to be asked to perform specific writing tasks.

Individual and Group Participation

Participation / Writer’s Journal 100 pts.

Participation is both expected and encouraged. You must be in class, prepared and ready to contribute to the learning community through discussion, presentation, or writing. Moreover, your formal assignment should reflect not only your engagement with the material, but also, the discourse of ideas generated by our class of thinkers and writers. Participation and contributions to class can be shown in many ways from helping individual students to comments in class. Included in the participation points are points for your writer’s journal. I will collect these at the end of the semester.

Peer Review Days 3 days @ 25 pts. each = 75 pts.

In order to participate in discussions and writing workshops, you must attend class. Attendance is essential and mandatory for your success in this course. Attendance/participation points cannot be made up. You will receive points for helping your peer’s review their papers and you will also receive points for having your paper reviewed.

Group Work Days 3 days @ 25 pts. each = 75 pts.

Group workdays are for groups to construct presentations on various writing tasks. During this time, the teacher may lecture then assist each group with questions. On other occasions, the instructor and the class will meet in their respective groups in the library for further resources. It is necessary that you attend these days to prepare for your part in the presentation and to help research and construct the handout. Class time may not be enough time to complete the preparations for the presentation, groups are strongly encouraged to meet independently of class and to exchange email addresses and phone numbers. If a group member fails to assist and participate in his or her group adequately or in other words is not doing their share of the work, the member and the group will meet with the instructor and an appropriate plan of action will be taken. Remember that group workdays are required and you receive points for attendance and participation on these days.

Workshop Days 3 days @ 25 points each = 75 pts

Workshop days will be your opportunity to focus on specific writing aspects, such as using creative language in academic writing, editing, persuasive writing, academic writing, or whatever you and your instructor decide to focus on. These days will be informal, but expect to have in-class activities and presentations to help you practice and become a more skilled writer.

Attendance:

Try to not miss class. Remember that peer review days and group-work days are mandatory—they count as part of your grade and you cannot make them up. Audience points may be given on presentation days as participation points. But if you have to miss class, you need to communicate with the instructor and your group. When you miss class, it is your responsibility to make arrangements with your group and instructor. Things happen; I understand this, but I cannot help you if you do not talk to me about what is going on. Make arrangements and be responsible; it helps to keep your grade healthy. You are allowed 2 unexcused absences, so use them wisely. Each absence after that will result in a 5% (50 pt) deduction from your overall grade.

Grading

"A" work is clearly excellent work that exceeds the requirements defined by the assignment criteria.

"B" work is good work that meets the assignment criteria.

"C" work is acceptable work that meets the assignment criteria but contains a number of flaws.

"D" work is poor work that does not meet the assignment criteria.

"F" work is poor work filled with severe flaws.

Assignments	Points	Point Scale
Personal Narrative Essay	50 pts.
Article Analysis Paper	100 pts.	A = 900 – 1000
Paper Proposal	50 pts	B = 800 – 899
Interview Transcripts	2 @ 50 pts = 100 pts.	C = 700 – 799
Short Persuasive Essay	100 pts.
Instr./Research Paper	200 pts.	D = 600 – 699
Workshop Days	3 @ 25 pts = 75 pts	F = 599 or below
Peer Review Days	3 @ 25 pts. = 75 pts.
Group Workdays	3 @ 25 = 75 pts.
Presentation Handouts	3 @ 25 pts. = 75 pts.
Participation/Journal	100 pts.
TOTAL	1,000 pts.

Late Work

If you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to come to the next class prepared to participate. Your instructor will not accept late work unless you make prior arrangements for an alternate due date before the due date of the assignment or if you have documented proof of an extraordinary circumstance. Remember it is your responsibility to make prior arrangements with your instructor and plan accordingly.

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism is the writing equivalent of stealing or passing off another's work as your own. Rather than properly citing and documenting a source, the student copies the source word for word, or nearly so. Anyone caught cheating will receive an F in the course, face possible expulsion from school, and the infraction will go on your permanent academic record. If two students turn in the same work for an assignment that was to be completed individually, both will earn a "0" or F for that assignment.

NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to make additions, deletions, and modifications to the schedule in accordance with class needs and with reasonable notification to the students enrolled.