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Rhetoric and Writing Studies 92: Developmental Writing
Fall 2012
Instructor:
Candace Boeck
Section/Sch.: #1/#22580
Office Phone: 594-0821
Office Number: AH 3108
Email: cboeck@mail.sdsu.edu
Meeting Times: MWF 8:00-8:50 a.m.
Meeting Place: AH 3140
DRWS Mailbox: AH 3138
Office Hours: MW 1:00-1:50 p.m.
and by appointment
Lower Division Writing Competency Requirement
RWS 92 is open to students who have not yet satisfied the SDSU lower division writing
competency requirement. In this course, students who receive passing scores on their portfolios
earn a grade of CR (Credit) and satisfy the SDSU competency requirement. Students whose
portfolios are not passing will receive a grade of NC (No Credit).
Students who receive a grade of CR (Credit) in RWS 92 will be qualified to take RWS
100 in the spring semester. Students who receive a grade of NC (No Credit) will continue on to
developmental writing in the spring. Students who do not satisfy the developmental writing
requirement within their first year will be disenrolled from SDSU. The completion date for
developmental coursework for students in this Fall Developmental Writing Program is summer,
2013.
Required Textbooks
Goshgarian, Gary and Kathleen Krueger, eds. Argument as Dialogue: A Concise Guide
New York: Longman, 2012.
Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers. 6th ed. USA: Cengage, 2011.
Vie, Stephanie, ed. (E)dentity. USA: Fountainhead Press, 2011
Course Description
RWS 92 is a writing development course. The main objective of the program is to enable
students to write effective college-level prose. The course will emphasize the purpose, structure,
and style of academic essays. To this end, you will be asked to write frequently. But since
writing is so intimately tied to one’s ability to analyze experience and to comprehend the ideas of
others—in short, to think—you will also be asked to read extensively and to discuss your
impressions in the company of your classmates. In this way, you will gain experience in
identifying and analyzing features of written arguments, and you will be developing the
command of argumentative strategies and the control of voice that will enable you to present
your own ideas cogently and persuasively with the depth and complexity of university-level
work.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who pass RWS 92 will be able to
1.
Identify and evaluate, without assistance, the elements of an argument (claims,
methods of development, and kinds of evidence) from a reading.
2.
Identify the author’s intended audience and purpose for writing an expository text.
3.
Comprehend words and phrases central to understanding a reading.
4.
Produce an accurate rhetorical précis of an expository text.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Develop a written argument that is organized around a central point, thesis, or
claim.
Integrate relevant source material into their writing through accurate and effective
use of quotation, paraphrase, and/or summary.
Employ conventions of standard written English.
Draft and revise their texts, rethinking focus, content, overall structure, use of
sources, point of view, diction, and transitions.
Edit their texts effectively for clarity and standard written English, including word
choice and register.
Reflect critically upon their progress as readers and writers.
RWS 92B Writing Assignment Types:
1.
Introduce a topic and compare two relevant positions, drawing from two sources.
2.
Identify and evaluate arguments from two or more texts on the same topic.
3.
Construct an argument from multiple sources.
4.
Reflect critically on student’s progress as a writer.
5.
Respond to a text-based argument under timed conditions.
Course Requirements:
 Five assignments, including one, three page paper and two, three to four page typed
papers, a critical reflection, and a timed writing, corresponding to the assignment
types identified above.
 Drafts and revisions of all writing assignments except for timed writings.
 Thoughtfully and critically read course texts.
 Class participation in small group activities, class discussions, and writing
workshops.
Portfolio Contents:
Assignment #2: Identifying and Evaluating Arguments.
Clean copy of final draft and all marked previous drafts, placed in reverse chronological order
with final draft on top, should be included.
Assignment #3: Constructing an Argument from Multiple Sources.
Multiple drafts of assignment #3, also placed in reverse chronological order with the unmarked
final draft on the top.
Assignment #4: Critical Reflection
In-class timed critical reflection only.
Assignment #5: Respond to a Text-Based Argument under Timed Conditions
In-class timed essay only.
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Grades:
To satisfy the SDSU Lower Division Writing Competency Requirement, students must receive a
grade of CR in the course (see Lower Division Competency Requirement on page one). Students
will be evaluated by submitting a portfolio of their course work. Each student will present a
folder consisting of the work done during the course, including two typed essays, with all drafts,
the critical reflection, and the timed writing essay. Students who do not have each of these items
in their folder at the end of the last day of class will be choosing to receive No Credit for their
RWS 92 class. In addition, if you have more than FIVE absences, you will not be allowed to
submit a portfolio and will receive a No Credit for the 92 class.
Course Policies
1. Assignment Requirements/Format—All essays except timed writings should be typed MLA
style. See Keys for Writers, Part 3, for detailed instruction. Paper copies of the essays must
be turned in on the due date. No email submissions will be accepted. When turning in a
revision, place it ON TOP, stapling previous drafts underneath. On workshop days, bring
four copies of your draft. One copy will be turned in to me and the others will be shared with
class members. The essays will be reviewed and commented on for content and editing.
2. Plagiarism—Plagiarism or other forms of academic cheating will not be tolerated and will
result in severe consequences. According to the policy file, “Plagiarism shall be defined as
the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another, whether purchased,
borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to the university as one’s own work to
fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to the appropriate source.” Evidence of
plagiarism will result in a NO CREDIT for the course and disciplinary measures from the
Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities, which may include expulsion from the
University. If you use a quotation or paraphrase another individual’s work, be sure and cite
your source.
3. Late Assignments—In order for you to have a completed portfolio by the end of the course, it
is essential that assignments be turned in on time. If you do not turn in your assignments on
time, then you will not be able to turn in a portfolio, and therefore will receive a No Credit
for the course.
4. Attendance—No more than FIVE absences are allowed. More than FIVE absences will
make you ineligible to submit a portfolio, and you will therefore receive a No Credit for the
course. There is no distinction between excused and unexcused. If you are not in class,
you are absent. Arriving after class begins or leaving early counts as a tardy, and three
tardies are equivalent to an absence. If you miss more than a total of twenty minutes of class
time, you will be marked absent.
5. Classroom Behavior—Your courteous, respectful, and attentive attitude will help facilitate
classroom learning. This means listening, and not interrupting or disrupting the class by
speaking to other classmates while others are speaking. Turn off all electronic
communication devices, and leave them in backpacks or purses during the class period. If
you are texting during class, watching videos, or surfing the internet, clearly you are not able
to fully participate, and you will be asked to leave.
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RWS 92B ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES AND CLASS SCHEDULE
Fall 2012
(1) Monday,
August 27:
Review syllabus, City College registration.
Wednesday, August 29:
Diagnostic timed writing.
Friday, August 31:
MLA and Success Factors.
(2)Monday, September 3:
Labor Day Holiday—No Class
Wednesday, September 5:
Prior to class, read “The Writing Process” pg. 3-43 in
Raimes.
Friday, September 7:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Understanding Persuasion” pg. 123.
(3)Monday, September 10:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Reading Arguments” pg. 25-57.
Wednesday, September 12:
Prior to class, read Vie “Excerpt from Public Displays of
Connection” by Judith Donath and danah boyd pg. 29-43.
Friday, September 14:
Prior to class, read “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’s Avatar”
by Nicholas Carr pg. 159-164. Begin Essay #1.
(4) Monday, September 17: Continue Essay #1.
Wednesday, September 19: Sentence Structure—fragments and run-ons
Friday, September 21:
Write: First draft of Essay #1 due for peer editing workshop.
Bring 4 copies of your draft.
(5) Monday, September 24: Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Addressing Audiences” pg.
79-111.
Wednesday, September 26: Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Using Evidence” pg. 155-179.
Friday, September 28:
Prior to class, read Vie “Small Change” by Malcolm Gladwell
pg. 77-87. Class Review of Essay #1.
(6)Monday,
Prior to class, read Vie “The Things that People Say” by Elizabeth
Kolbert pg. 105-113. Begin Essay #2.
October 01:
Wednesday, October 03:
Continue Essay #2.
Friday, October 05:
Write: Revision of Essay #1 due. Pronouns.
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(7) Monday, October 08:
Write: First draft of Essay #2 due for peer editing
workshop. Bring 4 copies of your draft.
Wednesday, October 10:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Finding Arguments” pg. 58-78.
Friday, October 12:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Shaping Arguments” pg. 113-134.
(8) Monday, October 15:
Class Review of Essay #2. Punctuation—commas, semicolons,
and colons.
Wednesday, October 17:
Subject/verb agreement.
Friday, October 19:
”Five C’s of Style.”
(9) Monday, October 22:
Write: Essay #2 Revision due. Adjectives/Adverbs.
Wednesday, October 24:
Prior to class, read Vie “Faux Friendship” by William
Deresiewicz pg. 47-58.
Friday, October 26:
Prior to class, read Vie “Excerpts from Always-On/AlwaysOn-You: The Tethered Self” by Sherry Turkle pg. 135-141.
(10) Monday, October 29:
Begin Essay #3.
Wednesday, October 31:
Continue Essay #3.
Friday, November 02:
Incorporating sources/support.
(11) Monday, November 05: Write: First draft of Essay #3 due for peer editing
workshop. Bring 4 copies of your draft.
Wednesday, November 07:
Apostrophes and capitalization.
Friday, November 09:
Introductions/conclusions. Class Review of Essay #3.
(12) Monday, November 12: Holiday—Veteran’s Day—no class.
Wednesday, November 14:
Critical reflection—bring all essays (drafts and revisions).
Friday, November 16:
Critical reflection continued.
(13) Monday, November 19: Write: Essay #3 Revision due. Timed reading/writing strategies.
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Wednesday, November 21:
Optional Writing Conferences.
Friday, November 23:
Holiday—Thanksgiving—no class.
(14) Monday, November 26: Grammar Review.
Wednesday, November 28
Critical Reflection make-up. Attendance only required if you
missed one of the Critical Reflection class sessions..
Friday, November 30:
Review readings for the Final.
(15) Monday, December 03: Review readings for the Final.
Wednesday, December 05:
Review readings for the Final.
Friday, December 07:
Assemble Portfolios—bring all drafts and revisions.
Final –Saturday, December 08, 10:30-12:30
Three Contact Hours Office Hours
Monday, October 01—1:00-1:50
Monday, October 29—1:00-1:50
Monday, November 19—1:00-1:50