English 1B: The Art of the Essay
“Now I will tell you the secret to becoming a great writer: READ, WRITE, REVISE”
Lewis Buzbee
Section 37256 Beginning Monday 2/24/2014 MW 12:30-2:40 Fox 107 (3 Units)
Professor: Yolanda Santiago Venegas
Email: yvenegas2@gmail.com (the best way to reach me)
Office Hours: MW 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm and by appointment
Office Hours Location: Common adjunct area in Language Arts Building (turn left at the main entrance)
Course Website: wvcenglish1b.wordpress.com
Course Description
Welcome to English1B! This course builds on composition skills developed in English 1A by
introducing students to the analysis of literature through discussion and writing. While reading literary
texts (fiction, poetry, drama) from diverse cultures, students will learn a variety of writing techniques,
interpretive strategies, and research skills. This is an information competency infused course; it may
focus on a theme, which is noted on the Schedule of Classes. Transfer: UC, CSU. Prerequisite: English
1A.
The literary texts we will read in this class focus on the art of the personal essay. More specifically we
will read a selection of the best (mostly) American essays of the century. The essays we will read are
clustered thematically as such: exploring issue of ethnic identity, exploring people and places and
essays that explore a specific issue. Along with the essays, you will read selections from Janet
Gardner’s Writing About Literature, as well as essays that attempt to define the personal essay tradition
and essays about the broader genre of creative nonfiction writing as a literary form. The combination of
personal essays, readings about the art of the essay, as well as the selections from Writing About
Literature is designed to help you develop the reading, writing, and thinking skills that I hope will
extend through college writing and beyond.
What we will do in this course and why
This course is one where you will practice writing and revising regularly, at least one draft or essay per
week. You will be writing three full essays for this class not counting your Literacy Narrative. One of
our primary goals in this class is to have you write thoughtful, developed, well-organized essays that you
have polished through multiple revisions.
In this course we will focus not only on the process and practice of writing, but also on the ways that
reading, thinking, and writing interact and complement each other. A premise guiding our approach is
that writing, reading, and thinking are all interconnected and you become better at these by learning how
to use one to improve on the otheras you become a better writer, you become a better reader and a
more careful and critical thinker.
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In addition to the assigned course readings, the second type of primary text will be your writing and the
writing of your classmates. This is a class where your writingand how you can continue to develop
and hone your writing skillswill be taken seriously. We will therefore make use of a writing
workshop on a regular basis. Each week I will ask you to bring your writing or replicate your essays
and/or excerpts from your writing to allow us to focus on issues of writing. This is an essential part of
learning to return to your writing and beginning to create a language for talking about writing. You will
also, throughout the term, be responsible for responding to the work of your peers in written format, and
thus helping each other to write more engaging, complex, precise, and reflective essays. This class’s
success depends above all on the learning community we are able to build as writers who respect and are
interested in the work that individual writers are doing.
A last important point is that this course stresses revisionboth in terms of the work you will do and in
terms of how I grade. You can expect to practice writing and revising regularly. In other words, this
class is a place where you will practice writing but it is also a place where the writing is expected to
change. You will be writing regularly, but I will also be asking you to reviseto step outside your
writing to see what it might represent (not just what it says), and to make changes. I will teach you how
to read your own writing, how to pay close and critical attention to what you have written, and I will
teach you how to make this critical attention part of the cycle of production, part of your work as a
writer.
A Few Tips to Succeed: You will have reading or writing homework to do after each class. You can
expect to write regularly, at least one draft or essay per week. If you are not writing, you can expect to
be reading. You will need to develop the habits and the discipline of a writer/reader. You will need a
regular schedule, a regular place and time for reading and writing. There is nothing fancy about this.
You need to learn to organize your time so that there is time for writing/readingso that it becomes part
of a routine. Make sure once you schedule your writing/reading time that you do nothing else during
these sessions. You need to develop the discipline (or kind of physical training) to focus on the
writing/reading task at hand only, turn off the phone, internet, etc. These are writing times, when you
will be working closely with your words and the words of your peers. If you begin to have a hard time
with the routine of our course, you will have to work on your time management and develop a time
management plan. You can do this in one of two ways: with the help of an academic/EOPS advisor or
with me during office hours
Required Materials
•Access to the internet and a printer
• A grammar/mechanics handbook (use one you have; I will recommend some)
•A card for printing on campus, add $20.00 for printing your essays and course readings
•A flash drive to save your work when you are working in a lab and back up your work if using your
own computer
•A dictionary of the English language (small paperback)
•A 1 ½ -inch black binder (to keep your work organized in and turn in during student-teacher
conferences))
Course Requirements
1. Attend all class meetings, prepared (see attendance policy)
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2. Complete assigned reading or writing homework by the next class (you will have reading or writing
due each time you come)
3. Participate in class discussion
4. Participate in in-class writing exercises; participate in draft workshops and group work
5. Complete peer-review written feedback as instructed
6. Draft, write, and revise three essays of various lengths and purposes
7. Complete various short (1-2 pg.) reading logs, writing assignments, and reading quizzes
Course Outcomes/Objectives
Student Learning Outcomes:
Outcome: Create a well-reasoned, researched literary analysis, documented in MLA format, that
synthesizes primary and secondary sources.
Assessment: 2,500+ word literary analysis essay, in MLA format, synthesizing the student's ideas, the
literary text(s), and secondary sources.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Analyze literary texts and draw inferences based on textual evidence
2.Analyze and evaluate arguments and interpretations advanced by literary critics, both student
and professional.
3. Write well-supported analytical essays advocating specific interpretations of literary works
4. Write a structured, purposeful essay in an established time frame.
5.Write a MLA documented paper-demonstrating competency in the synthesis of the individual
student’s viewpoint, primary sources, and secondary source material.
6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the major literary criticism theories
7. Compose literary analysis essays incorporating literary criticism theory
8. Read a variety of texts actively and critically.
9. Identify key elements of major genres in order to analyze and interpret texts.
10. Define common literary terms and apply them to the analysis of specific texts.
Compose formal written analyses of texts that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and
the conventions of literary analysis.
11.Research appropriate primary and secondary sources and apply documentation skills without
plagiarism.
Assignments
As we move through the quarter we will achieve the class objectives through the following assignments:
Reading Assignments: Careful reading is crucial to your work in this class. You should plan to read
some of the assigned reading twice before we begin to discuss it in class (this is particularly true for the
theoretical work). The first time through you should read it quickly to get a sense of what the writer is
doing, what the reading is about. Then you should read through a second time, this time working more
closely and deliberately with the text, focusing on those sections that seem difficult, puzzling, or
mysterious. You should read with a pen or pencil in hand marking the text in a way that will help you
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when you go back to it (particularly when you go back to it as a writer). If you can't bring yourself to
write in the book, there are post its and reading flags available that you can use for this purpose. The
readings become more challenging as the term progresses, and I expect the assigned readings will give
you much to think about as you shape and reshape your own responses, and as you think about your own
position as a reader, writer, and thinker. You will have time in the course to build, modify, and rethink
your writing about these texts in light of other readers’ responses, and as you gain a richer sense of
context from the other assigned readings, your other coursework, and outside (of the classroom)
activities during the fall term.
Writing Assignments. I have designed several types of writing activities to help foster the learning goals
of our course. They include:
• 4 EssaysOver the course of our 10 weeks together you will write four separate essays, each one
informed by the assigned readings and class discussions. The sequence of the essays is designed to
reproduce, in a condensed period of time, the rhythm and texture of college writing. Each week you will
write one essay or revise one essay. You will be required to revise (multiple times, if you wish) most of
the writing you do in this course. NOTE: late papers will not be accepted.
I will read individual essays carefully each week and write comments on them. I spend a lot of time on
these comments and I will expect you to take the time to read what I have written. All of our energy and
attention—yours and mine—will be directed toward the revision process, a process most successful
writers, and virtually all professional writers, take very seriously. The best way to read my comments is
to start at the beginning of your essay, reread what you have written, and stop to read my comments
along the way. This is how I write the marginal comments, while I am reading. They show my
reactions and suggestions at that moment. The final comment is where I make a summary statement
about your essay. As you read my comments know that my goal is to provide you with comments
designed to help you revise the work into a more effective piece of writing.
If your work seems thoughtless or quickly done, I will notice. I have taught writing for years and know
when writers are working hard and when they are fooling around. I will tell you if I think you are
fooling around.
• Shorter Writing Assignments in the form of Dialectical Reading Journals, Critical Reading Logs
(responses to reading) and Difficulty Essays: The introduction to Ways of Reading (which you will read
later today) encourages you to become “strong readers” of “strong texts” and to learn to read both “with
and against the grain.” Each of these assignments will ask you to respond in a variety of ways to the
assigned readings. One of the primary ways you will engage the texts in your Critical Reading Log is by
writing a Difficulty Paper. A Difficulty Paper assignment will help you pay greater attention to what
your mind is doing as you read and will allow you to explore a text in greater depth. Difficulty Papers
help you develop a repertoire of meaning construction strategies for reading and writing and to know
both how and when to use them. I will grade the Critical Reading Logs using a +, , -. These
correspond roughly to an A excellent thoughtful work, B good completed work, and C incomplete work
or work that needs improvement. If you are absent, late or otherwise miss any of these assignments you
will receive a 0. There are no makeups.
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• 3 “Substantial” Revisions. You will be required to submit 3 substantial revisions of earlier essays. For
each revision assignment I will give you a handout with specific instructions about how to revise and
what the focus of our revision is on each particular revision. By “substantial” revision I mean that you
will integrate new pages or rewrite your initial draft completely. The revisions I expect from you should
evidence deep re-thinking and re-seeing of previous drafts, not just surface-level corrections. I will give
you a revision assignment handout to guide your process and make sure you meet my revision
requirements. We will review the difference between revision and proofreading/editing in class.
Selected Readings
David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky Introduction Ways of Reading; selections from Janet
Gardner, Writing About Literature; Phillip Lopate, Introduction to The Art of the Essay; Carolyn Forché
“The ‘New’ Literature;” James Baldwin “Notes of a Native Son” and “Stranger in the Village;” Cynthia
Ozick “A Drugstore in Winter:” Jamaica Kincaid “On Seeing England for the First Time;” Le Thi Diem
Thuy “The Gangster We Are All Looking For:” Barry Lopez “The Stone Horse;” John McPhee “Duty of
Care;” George Orwell “Shooting an Elephant;” Terry Tempest Williams “Prayer Dogs;” N. Scott
Momaday “The Way to Rainy Mountain” Richard Rodriguez “In Athens Once;” Rachel Carson “The
Marginal World.”
Conferences: We will meet individually to discuss drafts and revision. These are required meetings.
Missing a conference with your instructor is like missing a class (and we are not likely to be able to
reschedule your conference). You need to bring to the conference all of the work you have done
thus far, your composition notebook, and your grammar handbook. I will also ask you to prepare
an agenda (a list of items you wish to discuss) and bring this agenda with you. In addition to mandatory
conferences, I expect you to stop by my office (during office hours and/or by appointment) and to seek
assistance from your peer educator whenever you need help.
Attendance and Class Participation: If your class is M/W or Tu/Th you cannot pass the class if you
miss more than two days. If the class is MWF you cannot miss more than three days. This includes
excused absences due to illness and emergencies. I will reproduce your papers and use them for class
discussion (with your name removed). Much of our class time will be spent discussing copies of your
essays. This is as important to your education as the time you spend alone working on your writing. I
expect you to attend all classes. If you are absent you are not taking the course and I will ask you to
drop. From what you have already read it should be clear that attendance is crucial to achieve the
learning goals and objectives of the course. You must be here, every day, on time, prepared. We will
make the content of the course together in discussion in this classroom. We cannot reproduce for you the
discussions you miss when you do not attend class. Consequently you cannot pass this class without
attending regularly.
Attendance and Participation grade will drop 5% for each day you are absent. Your class participation
grade begins to be affected upon the first absence, and I will consider the student who misses more than
four classes dropped from the class. If you must miss a class email me to let me know in advance. You
may not make up any in-class work you miss, but you will be responsible for all assignments made, and
all material covered, in your absence. Class will begin on time. If you are late more than once, I will
ask you to begin meeting with me to develop and evaluate a time management plan.
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Similarly, all written work must be completed on schedule. Because you will be writing every week,
and because one week's work will lead to the next assignment, you cannot afford to fall behind. Once
again, I will not accept work that is late. If you are not doing the writing, you are not taking the course.
Grading
Grade Weights:
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Short Writing Assignments, Critical Reading
Logs, Exercises, Pair Presentations, Quizzes
Class participation (attendance and
preparation)
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
Use and misuse of sources: I will spend quite a bit of time with you discussing why and how we use
sources, and will provide instruction in how to cite sources appropriately. To avoid plagiarism and
other misuses of sources, you must quote exactly, paraphrase accurately, and credit and accurately
document your sources, including websites. Documentation (that is, acknowledgment and citation) is
also required for ideas, concepts, and paraphrases that you borrow from sources.
Disability Statement
Any student who needs accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately
to discuss specific needs. DESP (Disability and Educational Support Program) may be contacted to
coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with verifiable documentation. DESP is located in
the Learning Services building. Phone 408-741-2010.
Emergency Evacuation Procedure
In case of a campus emergency, our evacuation procedure is to assemble in parking lot #7 on the
perimeter of campus; Lot #7 is the one closest to the library. Take all your belongings (as practical) and
evacuate together; if you are separated from the class, please meet us in lot #7. Minors must stay with
instructor at all times. No one should leave campus or the assembly area unless instructed to do so by
the instructor or another official (police, fire, etc.)
Unlawful Discrimination/Sexual Harassment Statement
If you have a complaint or someone has shared information with you as a student that is unlawful
discrimination or sexual harassment, contact the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at
West Valley Community College District (408) 741-2060. If the Associate Vice Chancellor is not
available, contact the President of West Valley College, Dr. Brad Davis (408) 741-2097.
Course Schedule
Arrive promptly to each seminar class. Attendance will be recorded. This course schedule is subject to
change to suit the needs of the class. The syllabus, including the course schedule below, is our contract
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and you are responsible for knowing what is on it from week to week. I will post your homework
assignment on our course websiteplease be sure to log in and check the site between classes since it is
your responsibility to stay informed. As a general rule, if there is reading or writing due, bring it to
class.
Week 1
Monday Feb 24 Course Introduction
Overview of our course. How to access course material on course website. Prewriting for Literacy
Narrative. Assign Literacy Narrative
Homework: Read Sherman Alexie “Superman and Me,” and write Literacy NarrativePost your
Literacy Narrative in your drop box on Angel. Print the Introduction to Ways of Reading and bring it to
class on Wednesday.
Wednesday Fed 26: Essays Exploring Culture and Identity
In-Class work with Literacy Narratives. The Basics of College, in-class work with introduction to Ways
of Reading writing via discussion of Ways of Reading: writing as a form of critical inquiry, integrated
reading and writing, engaged difficulty.
Homework: Read Lamont “Shitty First Drafts,” the Introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay by
Phillip Lopate; James Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son”; “A Stranger in the Village.” Visit
Wordpress.com and read tutorial for starting a blog.
Week 2
Monday March 3 Essays Exploring Culture and Identity
Finish reading Literacy Narratives. Discuss Lopate’s Introduction to The Art of the Essay and the essay
genre. Graphic Organizer for Asking Critical Questions about Baldwin’s “Notes…”
Homework: Read Jamaica Kincaid “On Seeing England for the First Time,” Ozick “A Drugstore in
Winter,” and read Janet Gardner Chapter 2-4 Writing About Literature; write a one to two page response
and post it on your blog and respond to one of your peer’s responses by Wed. Your blog should by now
be connected to everyone else’s blog.
Wednesday March 5 Essays Exploring Culture and Identity
Continue work with readings for Essay 1. Student-led discussions. Introduction to blogging.
Homework: Re-read Jamaica Kincaid “On Seeing England for the First Time,” Ozick “A Drugstore in
Winter,” and Janet Gardner Chapter 2-4 Writing About Literature. Make sure you are linked or that you
are following all course blogs.
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Week 3
Monday March 10 Essays Exploring Culture and Identity
Discussion/Work with readings. Student-led discussions. Pre-reading/preparation for Essay 1 in the
Writing Lab & troubleshooting blog issues
Homework: Read Jamaica Kincaid’s “On Seeing England for the First Time;” Cynthia Ozick “A
Drugstore in Winter;” and Chapter 2 to 4 of Gardner, Writing About Literature
Wednesday March 12
Return to the course syllabus with attention to attendance and other requirements. Work with/Discuss
Ozick, reading for Essay 1. Prewriting in-class for Essay 1. Assign Essay 1
Homework: Write Essay 1 and bring it to class on Monday
Week 4(meet with first presentation group to review presentation assignment sheet this week )
Monday March 17
Discuss Revising vs. Proofreading (handout and graph). Discuss summarizing vs. analysis (handout
posted)
Workshop Essay 1. Work on revisions in Writing Lab
Homework: Revise Essay 1. Read Forché “The ‘New’ Literature” and Gardner’s Chapter 8 “Literary
Criticism and Literary Theory,” Read through the essays on the syllabus and think about who you would
like to present on (decide when you want to present).
Wednesday March 19
In-class revision work to expand and deepen Essay 1. Discuss reading assigned 3/17 and chapters 2-4 of
Gardner.
Homework: Finish revising Essay 1
Week 5
Monday March 24
Student signup for first conference.
Essay 1 Due in Class by 12:30 (we will discuss your essay and grade in our one-on-one conference)
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Continue discussion of Gardner’s chapter 2-4 and readings assigned 3/17
Assign Student Presentations. Explain presentations assignment and expectations. Students sign up for
their presentations. Show students how to find scholarly sources using online databases. Practice find
sources in the Writing Lab.
Homework: Read the first two essays for Essay 2: Le Thi Diem Thuy “The Gangster We Are All
Looking For:” Barry Lopez “The Stone Horse”
Wednesday March 26
First Student Presentations. Discuss/work with first two readings for Essay 2.
Homework: Write a Difficulty Essay to post on reading discussed and respond to one Difficulty Essay
Week 6 SPRING BREAK
Monday March 31 No Class, Spring Break
Wednesday April 2 No Class, Spring Break
Week 7
Monday April 7NO CLASSyet you do have reading to do
Student Conferences
Homework: Read the second two essays for Essay 2: John McPhee “Duty of Care;” George Orwell
“Shooting an Elephant”
Wednesday April 9
Reading quiz on 4 essays for Essay 2. Second Student Presentations. Discuss/work with second two
readings for Essay 2.
Prewriting for Essay 2. Assign Essay 2.
Homework: Write draft 1 of Essay 2
Week 8
Monday April 14
Workshop Essay 2: In-class work on Essay 2
Homework: Revise Essay 2. Read Selection from Murray.
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Wednesday April 16
Discuss Lamont and Murray. Work with revision of Essay 2, focus integrating readings. Assign
Reflective Letter for Essay 2 due with Essay 2
Homework: re-read the essay you are using for Essay 2 and do your final revision. Read the first two
essays Essay 3: Terry Tempest Williams “Prayer Dogs;” N. Scott Momaday “The Way to Rainy
Mountain”
Week 9
Monday April 21
Essay 2 Due
Third Student PresentationsIn-class work with reading for Essay 3
Homework: Write Short Writing Assignment on readings for Essay 3 (on blog) and Read the second two
essays for Essay 3: Richard Rodriguez “In Athens Once;” Rachel Carson “The Marginal World.”
Wednesday April 23
Fourth Student PresentationsIn-class work with reading for Essay 3. Prewriting for Essay 3. Assign
Essay 3.
Homework: write Essay 3
Week 10
Monday April 28
Library research for Essay 3: Finding the scholarly articles you need for Essay 3. Meet at the library
Homework: Finish writing Essay 3
Wednesday April 30
Using sources. Understanding and avoiding plagiarism. Ways to integrate other’s texts.
Week 11
Monday May 5
Workshop Essay 3. Sign up for second conference with your instructor.
Homework: Final revision of Essay 3
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Wednesday May 7-No Class
Second conference with your instructor
Week 12
Review of what we learned in class for use in your final revision letter.
Course evaluation (if any)
Monday May 12
Essay 3 Final Draft Due. In-class revision/ work on Reflection Letter due with final revision
Wednesday May 14
Last Day of ClassTurn in your final revisions
Week 13 Finals Week
There is no Final Exam for this course
Acknowledgements: This syllabus borrowed from Bill Davis’ English 1B, Tara Lockhart’s English 114First-Year Composition @ SFSU syllabus, and from David Bartholomae’s “Sample Course Description”
in Resources for Teaching Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers
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