Syllabus

College Writing

Teacher: Guy Moyer, Room Number: 334, Email Address: guymoyer@ocsi.org, School Phone Number: 958-3000

OCSI Web Address: https://sites.google.com/a/ocsi.org/dr-moyer-s-classes/

Course Description

College Writing class helps students employ the classic writing process of planning, drafting, and revision so as to become more effective and successful communicators via the written word. This will involve specific instruction and practice in skills that will help students better plan, draft, and revise their own essays. On that foundation, students will further develop more structural skill in essay support and organization. All of the above is important for future success as a college writer.

Course Introduction

This course will help you develop the skills necessary for college-level writing assignments. Here we will consider the writing process, review strategies for revision, and analyze writing samples. These will focus toward the effective use of support and development tools employed in college-level writing, to include comparison-contrast, classification, cause-effect, and others. Your work this term will culminate in a research-supported essay that should effectively demonstrate the use of such tools at the paragraph level and beyond. This research-supported essay will give you practice in gathering, integrating, and documenting sources of evidence as supporting material in your own writing.

In order to accomplish the above, this course will establish a foundation for enhanced proficiency in English discourse that is coherently and cohesively expressed. This class therefore constitutes an important stage in one’s development as a writer. For as the wise person is ever learning, so too are effective writers ever enhancing their writing “repertoire.” In our class this will involve a variety of building blocks contributing to effective written discourse, to include: effective sentence structure, parallelism/ consistency, effective revision strategies, support/development strategies, and others. As a result of having had this class, conscientious and capable students should find themselves en route to genuine collegiate proficiency in their writing. As the content of this class is designed to aid the developing writer, fullest participation in class activities potentially stands to contribute to student success in and beyond the classroom.

The class website (http://childsinc.com/drmoyer) provides useful review/preview of major course content. Passwords for this website will be provided in class. The site will also be made accessible on the OCSI website and through Jupiter.

Class Texts & Resources:

Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook. 12th (New International) ed. Edinburgh Gate: Pearson, 2014. (ISBN 978-1-292-02534-6)

Instructor Handouts

Class Website

Language Network and its workbook may on occasion also be utilized in this class.

Required Materials:

Lined Writing/Notebook Paper

Pencil(s)/Pen(s) (blue or black ink)

Notebook(s)/Folder(s) (for collecting class handouts)

Plain White A4 or Letter Paper (for typed/printed assignments—submitted in hard copy)

Class Schedule:

Quarter 1: Foundational Writing Skills

This will involve presentation of and practice with core writing skills essential for effective college writing.

Quarter 2: Structure and Organization

The will involve more structural issues, built on the above foundation, to include thesis, support, and organization.

Expectations and Rules:

Come to class on time, be seated, and be ready to listen and work.

Bring all necessary supplies/reading to class and submit assignments on time.

Turn off and put away all electronic devices, including cell phones.

Water is allowed in the class, but no food or other drink (without permission).

Follow school rules and any other rules announced in class.

Be considerate and use good adult common sense in the classroom. Talking in class not only potentially robs yourself, but it can also distract/rob others. As this is a college writing class, you should think of this as a college classroom.

Attendance/Tardy Policy:

Regular attendance and punctuality are important for success in this class. An excused absence does not necessary excuse a student from making up work. (The class website should prove most useful in this regard.) The school handbook provides more information regarding attendance and course credit.

Academic Vocabulary:

Some of the terms/concepts that will be encountered in this class include:

Grading:

Major Grades: 70%

(essays, exam, prstn, major online events et al.)

Minor Grades: 30%

(quizzes, homework/class participation)

The class participation grade includes demonstrated class preparedness and effective contribution to the daily activities and agenda of the class. Attendance (unexcused) and punctuality may also count toward the class participation grade.

This course addresses the discourse needs of the future college writer and grades on how its presented skills are evidenced in student writing. Accordingly, a thesis should be sufficiently sustained in writing that is both coherent and cohesive, and in all that implies regarding such skills as parallelism, effective sentence structure, and sufficiently focused and directed paragraphs, etc. Effective writing is a life-long process; in this context it is important to remember that this is ultimately a skill-oriented class.

An “A” paper (90-100) evidences the skills considered in class in a manner that is well organized and demonstrates good coherence and cohesion in effective formal English. A “B” paper (80-89) attempts the above, but in total or in one or more aspects is, in the instructor’s judgment, appreciably flawed. A grade of “C” or lower represents work that is, in the instructor’s judgment, more severely flawed.