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Rhetoric and Writing Studies 92: Developmental Writing
Spring 2014
Instructor:
Candace Boeck
Section:
#1
Office Phone: 594-0821
Office Number: SHW 120
Email: cboeck@mail.sdsu.edu
Meeting Times: MWF 12:00-12:50 p.m.
Meeting Place: SH 126
DRWS Mailbox: SHW 141
Office Hours: MW 2:00-2:50 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 fall semester. Students who receive a grade of NC (No Credit) will continue on to
developmental writing in the summer. 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,
2014.
Required Textbooks
Rollins, Brooke and Lee Bauknight eds. Green USA: Fountainhead Press, 2010.
Goshgarian, Gary and Kathleen Krueger, eds. Argument as Dialogue: A Concise Guide
New York: Longman, 2012.
Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers. 7th ed. USA: Cengage, 2014.
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.
Disability Note
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it
is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot
provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter
from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
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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.
3.
Comprehend words and phrases central to understanding a text.
4.
Develop a written argument that is organized around a central point, thesis, or
claim.
5.
Integrate relevant source material into their writing through accurate and effective
use of quotation, paraphrase, and/or summary.
6.
Draft and revise their texts, rethinking focus, content, overall structure, use of
sources, point of view, diction, and transitions.
7.
Edit their texts effectively for correctness and clarity.
8.
Reflect critically upon their progress as readers and writers.
RWS 92B Writing Assignment Types:
1. Read a text critically and respond in writing.
2. Identify and evaluate arguments.
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 a reading response, two, 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 #1: Reading Response
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.
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,
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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.
RWS 92 ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES AND CLASS SCHEDULE
Spring 2014
(1) Wednesday, Jan.22:
Review syllabus, City College registration.
Friday, January 24:
Diagnostic timed writing.
(2)Monday, January 27:
MLA and Success Factors.
Wednesday, January 29:
Prior to class, read “The Writing Process” pg. 3-37 in
Raimes.
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(3)Monday, February 3:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Understanding Persuasion” pg. 123.
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Reading Arguments” pg. 25-57.
Wednesday, February 5:
Prior to class, read Rollins “Reframing the Problems.”
Friday, February 7:
Begin Reading Response—Assignment #1.
Friday, January 31:
(4) Monday, February 10: Continue Assignment #1.
Wednesday, February 12: Sentence Structure—fragments and run-ons
Friday, February 14:
Write: Reading Response due. Integrating sources.
(5) Monday, February 17: Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Addressing Audiences” pg.
79-111.
Wednesday, February 19: Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Using Evidence” pg. 155-179.
Friday, February 21:
Prior to class, read Rollins ”Prime-Time Subversion: The
Environmental Rhetoric of The Simpsons.”
(6)Monday,
Begin Assignment #2.
February 24:
Wednesday, February 26: Continue Assignment #2.
Friday, February 28:
Pronouns.
(7) Monday, March 3:
Write: First draft of Assignment #2 due for peer editing
workshop. Bring 4 copies of your draft.
Wednesday, March 5:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Finding Arguments” pg. 58-78.
Friday, March 7:
Prior to class, read Goshgarian “Shaping Arguments” pg. 113-134.
(8) Monday, March 10:
Class Review of Assignment #2. Punctuation—commas,
semicolons, and colons.
Wednesday, March 12:
Subject/verb agreement.
Friday, March 14:
”Five C’s of Style.”
(9) Monday, March 17:
Wednesday, March 19:
Write: Assignment #2 Revision due. Adjectives/Adverbs.
Prior to class, read Rollins ”Life after the Year without Toilet
Paper.”
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Friday, March 21:
No classes. NCAA Tournament.
(10) Monday, March 24:
Prior to class, read Rollins “To Really Save the Planet, Stop Going
Green.” Begin Assignment #3.
Wednesday, March 26:
Continue Assignment #3.
Friday, March 28:
SPRING BREAK
(11) Monday, April 07:
Sentence Snarls.
Write: First draft of Assignment #3 due for peer editing
workshop. Bring 4 copies of your draft.
Wednesday, April 09:
Apostrophes and capitalization.
Friday, April 11:
Introductions/conclusions. Class Review of Assignment #3.
(12) Monday, April 14:
Timed reading/writing strategies.
Wednesday, April 16:
Timed Reading/Writing Practice.
Friday, April 18:
Timed Reading/Writing Practice.
(13) Monday, April 21:
Write: Essay #3 Revision due. Critical reflection—bring all
essays (drafts and revisions).
Wednesday, April 23:
Critical reflection continued.
Friday, April 25:
Critical Reflection make-up. Attendance only required if you
missed one of the Critical Reflection class sessions.
(14) Monday, April 28:
Prior to class, read Rollins “The Obligation to Endure” and “A
Hole in the World.”
Wednesday, April 30:
Review readings for the Final.
Friday, May 02:
Review readings for the Final.
(15) Monday, May 05:
Review readings for the Final.
Wednesday, May 07:
Assemble Portfolios—bring all drafts and revisions.
Two additional contact hours--writing conferences—Feb.17 2:00-3:00 and March 17 2:00-3:00
Final –Wednesday, May 14, 10:30-12:30