Welcome to English 101
To Do List for Today:
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Go over syllabus
Discuss turnitin accounts and course website
Prepare for success in Eng 101
Discuss the questions “What is rhetoric?” and
“What is pop culture?”
• Review the writing process
• Branstorming and freewriting practice
• Write diagnostic essay
Syllabus Highlights
• The best way to reach me is my email or faculty
mailbox.
• Assignments are due on the date they are listed
under on the syllabus.
• Please note policies on cell phones, absences,
and rough drafts.
• The syllabus is available on the class website.
• You are responsible for knowing and
understanding the content of the syllabus.
Course Resources
• We have a class website that is accessible by going
to my LAMC faculty page and clicking on our
course link on the left hand side of my page.
• I will be posting copies of assignment sheets and
handouts that I pass out on the website. If you
lose a handout or your syllabus, it is probably
posted there. (Note: This does not apply to copies
of readings.)
• You will be using our course turnitin.com site to
upload all paper drafts and do peer review.
What can I do to be successful?
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Come to class
Do the work
Strive for excellence
In order to help you meet these goals…
– Have a partner in the class who will take notes/get
copies of assignment sheets for you (assignment
sheets will also be posted on the class website)
– Come to see me during my office hours.
– Come to class prepared to participate.
– Indulge in curiosity. Question your assumptions.
What should I bring to each class
meeting?
• Yourself. Show up ready to engage with the
material we are learning every class meeting.
• Your text book. Even if there is no assigned
reading, I may ask you to refer to the book
during a lecture or activity.
• The most current draft of the current essay.
Paper and pens/pencils. We will be doing
frequent in class assignments.
What will our class meetings look
like? A regular day might include…
• Discussion of readings that are listed as due on the syllabus
for that day. This means that if it’s listed on the syllabus,
you should come to class prepared to offer your ideas
about it.
• Lecture on a new writing technique and time to practice it.
• Lecture on a writing technique and time to incorporate it
into an essay draft. (If I tell you to bring a draft, this is why.
If you don’t bring a draft, you won’t get the time to work on
it in class using what you learned.)
• An in-class writing addressing a question about a reading or
a set of readings we have already done.
• A quiz on the reading that is listed as due on the syllabus
for that day.
Student Data Sheet
• On the back of your student data sheet, answer
the following question:
• “Why are you here at LA Mission College?” What
experiences have led you to this place? What are
the goals you hope this college will help you to
accomplish?
• I have two rules for in class writing, and they are:
– Write the whole time. At no point during an in class
writing situation should you be finished. There is
always something you can do to improve your work.
– Don’t talk while other people are trying to write.
What is “Rhetoric”?
• Definition of RHETORIC (from Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary)
• 1: the art of speaking or writing effectively: as
• a : the study of principles and rules of composition
formulated by critics of ancient times
• b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of
communication or persuasion
• 2a : skill in the effective use of speech
• b : a type or mode of language or speech; also :
insincere or grandiloquent language
Who Uses Rhetoric?
• The short answer is, everyone. If you have ever
convinced someone to come around to your
point of view, written a facebook post, or written
a clever tweet on twitter, you have used rhetoric
effectively.
• Rhetoric is simply the study of how to
communicate effectively and persuasively.
• When I talk about “rhetorical choices,” I am
talking about the choices that a writer makes in
order to fulfill the purpose of the piece of writing
and communicate effectively.
The Writing Process
• Prewrite – Choose a topic, brainstorm, freewrite, outline.
If you are writing a research paper, then this is where
you being to find sources.
• Draft – Put your ideas together in a first draft. It doesn’t
have to be perfect, but this is a first try.
• Revise – It’s time to see your writing from a new
perspective. Seek advice from peers, tutors, and
instructors. Put revision strategies we learn in class to
work.
• Edit – Check for grammar, spelling, word choice, and
clarity. Read your essay aloud to yourself.
• Publish – Check your format, make sure your paper looks
the way you want it to on the screen, then print/upload.
What is “culture”?
• cul·ture
• noun : the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a
particular society, group, place, or time
• The art of a culture is ALL of that culture’s
methods of creative expression. What are
some of the ways people express themselves
creatively in the culture of early 21st century
America?
What is “Pop Culture”?
• One possible definition is in the introduction to our
textbook Pop Perspectives, where pop culture is
defined as “the common images, traditions, customs,
and knowledge shared by large groups of people” (5).
• What this means:
• Pop culture is short for “popular culture.” This means it has
a broad appeal. (A large cross section of society relates to
it.)
• Pop culture is sometimes defined in opposition to “high
culture” (which is a label I’m not fond of). “High culture” is
thought to be more accessible to the educated/elite, while
“popular” cultures is thought to be the art and creative
expression of the “masses.”
Group List of Pop Culture
• What are some specific examples of pop
culture you we can come up with as a group?
• Again, we’re talking about TV, Movies, music,
books (yes, comic books count), fashion icons,
artists, and brands that have a broad appeal.
Some Other Features of Pop
Culture…
• Pop culture is dynamic. This means it is constantly
changing and in motion. This is always been true,
but the speed at which pop culture shifts has
increased as mobile internet technology and
social media have become more and more
popular.
• Pop culture is not monolithic. This means that
while we may talk about pop culture as a whole
in order to understand it, the individual pieces
that make up pop culture are diverse, and
sometimes contradictory.
Brainstorming
• Brainstorming is a writing activity that asks you to
write down ideas quickly, in short bursts without
worrying about correctness.
– You might use an idea web
– You might make lists of phrases/ideas as they come to
you.
• We are going to brainstorm as a class about the
idea of “success,” and later you will brainstorm on
your own about a different topic.
Writing as “Unpacking the Box”
• One way to think of writing is as the process
of unpacking a box that is full of objects.
• Each sentence is a box that contains other
sentences. You just have to look carefully to
find them.
• Using our brainstorming as a class, we are
going to write three sentences and then
“unpack the box” in order to find more
sentences.
What to do with brainstorming
once you have it…
• Identify words/concepts that are related. Do
you notice any patterns? Record what you
notice on your brainstorming sheet.
• Does one set of ideas stand out to you? Mark
it. Why does it stand out?
• Which of the ideas you brainstormed seems
like the “box” with the most in it? (Remember
the metaphor of writing as unpacking a box?)
That is the one you probably want to write
about, as long as it fits your topic.
Freewriting
• Freewriting is “stream of consciousness” writing
about a topic. While you freewrite, keep your pen
or pencil moving and do not worry about unity,
coherence, or correctness.
• Having identified your favorite ideas from the
brainstorming, I am going to ask you to freewrite
about the topic for a specified period of time.
• If you get stuck, choose a phrase like “I don’t
know what to write,” and write that over and
over again. Your brain will eventually get bored
and give you something else to say.
Individual
Brainstorming/Freewriting
• Brainstorm, using an idea web or some other
brainstorming technique, about the following
topic:
•“My relationship with
pop culture.”
• When I call time, you should stop brainstorming,
identify groups of related ideas in your
brainstorming, and begin to freewrite about
those ideas.
Characteristics of an Essay
• Has a thesis statement – a claim the entire essay
works to support
• Has paragraphs that support the thesis.
– Each paragraph covers one point of support for the
thesis.
– Each point of support (these are your reasons that the
thesis is correct) is logical and explained thoroughly.
• Uses an appropriate tone and style for the
intended audience.
• Uses the tools of writing to convey the author’s
message clearly and memorably.
Using Brainstorming to Draft a
Short In-Class Essay
• Look back at your freewriting and write a brief inclass essay draft where you make a claim about
the topic we discussed earlier: “My relationship
with pop culture.”
• Your thesis will be a statement about the topic,
and your support will require you to think about
questions like this: Why do you have the
relationship with pop culture that you do? Has
this relationship enhanced your life? What events
and circumstances have led you to this
relationship?