
English 305: Modes of Writing
Dr. Steven Frye
On-Line (WebCT) Course
Winter 2010
Office Hours: 9:30-12:20 TR, and by appointment
Office: Faculty Office 315
Phone: (661) 952-5095
E-mail: sfrye@csub.edu only if necessary. Please Use WebCT email for this course.
Course Description and Objectives
This is a course designed to introduce students to the writing skills necessary to produce
expository, narrative, and academic essays. The course will focus on the rhetorical strategies,
structures, and forms used in effective expository writing. Students will develop reading and
research skills and they will learn how to make logical and persuasive arguments in writing. They
will develop the ability to read arguments, understand them, communicate them to others, and
incorporate them into their own.
This is an online course using WebCT. We will meet two days a week using the discussion
board. The discussion board is not a chat room. It is not live. We will not meet in real
time, but you will be required to have postings and posted assignments completed in the
discussion board by 8:00 A.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the course. You
will post and respond to postings on topics in both Mosaics and The Prose Reader. You will
meet in assigned groups online through the discussion board. On those days, you will read
the essays and assignments written by all members of your group and make extensive
written comments. I will review all these comments, and I may occasionally comment on
the quality and substance of your feedback. So please be thorough and enthusiastic in your
discussion groups.
Please understand, in this online course prompt attention to schedule is important and will
be a significant aspect of your grade. YOU MUST POST RESPONSES TO THE
READINGS AND TO OTHER STUDENTS’ WORK BY 8:00 A.M. ON THE DATES
IDENTIFIED. I WILL RESPOND REGULARLY TO YOUR POSTINGS.
I WILL READ ALL YOUR POSTINGS AND EVALUATE YOUR THOROUGHNESS
AND ENTHUSIASM. ON THAT BASIS, I WILL ASSIGN YOUR CLASS
PARTICIPATION GRADE.
DRAFTS OF YOUR ESSAYS SUBMITTED TO YOUR GROUPS FOR CRITIQUE
SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN THE DISCUSSION BOARD ROOM DESIGNATED FOR
THAT GROUP. ALL OTHER POSTINGS SHOULD OCCUR IN THE MAIN
DISCUSSION BOARD.
Course Requirements
This course will be portfolio based. You will write a series of essays and other writing
assignments, revise them based upon feedback from other students and the instructor and submit
them in a portfolio. The portfolio will contain one draft and one final revision for four writing
projects. Thus the portfolio will contain eight items. The portfolio will then be graded
holistically, receiving a single grade.
I will not make written comments on individual drafts throughout the term. I will read
each draft and make a general comment to the class on the issues and problems I think
need to be addressed in revision for the portfolio. I will be available to meet with you for any
reason in my normal office hours, and I will be pleased and ready to read and comment on
your drafts in my office at any time. The portfolio will contain the following assignments.






Personal Narrative
Print Media Analysis
Dramatic Analysis
Essay on a Contemporary Social Issue
Portfolio Grade: 50% Portfolio Due the Day of the Final Examination
Group Participation on WebCT Discussion Board: 20%
 Final Examination: An in-class essay modeled on the GWAR Exam: 30%. This exam
will be given on-campus at a location I will identify during the final examination period.
Required Texts
Flachmann, Kim, The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, and Writing. Eighth Edition.
Flachmann, Kim and Michael Flachmann. Mosaics: Focusing on Essays. Fourth Edition.
Schedule
Week One:
1/7
Discussion Board: Introductions:
 State your name, major, and anything about yourself that you are comfortable providing.
Do include professional and educational goals.
 Write a brief (at least one substantial paragraph) account of your writing experience:
courses you have taken, when you took them, other writing you have done. This can
include anything from essays and short stories, to poems, to letters. When do you write
and why?
 Write a brief statement (at least one substantial paragraph) about what you expect to learn
in this course. Please move beyond completing the GWAR requirement.
Week Two
1/12
Readings: Mosaics, Part One
Discussion Board: Response to Part One of Mosaics, The Writing Process:
 What does “writing as a process” mean and why is it important?
 What does it mean to read critically and what practical tactics might we employ to read
critically?
 What does writing critically mean and how might critical writing be different in various
writing genre such as personal narrative, academic writing, or social commentary?
 How might you distinguish between revising and editing?
 Post an account of your writing process. Provide a narrative description of how you go
about writing an essay. Be honest about those areas where you think you cut corners and
don’t do as you should. Consider the productive and valuable aspects of your process and
the characteristics of your process you think could use improvement.
 Post a general response to other students’ accounts. What might they improve or modify?
What might you now borrow from their processes and use in your own?
1/14
Readings: Mosaics, Chapters 8 and 9
Personal Narrative: Discussion Postings
 Describe five minutes of any day is as much detail as possible. Try to use all five senses,
or at least four, and make sure there is a narrative, a sequence of events. Try to make this
description/narrative compelling and interesting to read.
 Read at least four narratives written by other students. Comment on them in a response
sent to all of us. Was the writing sufficiently detailed? Did you feel motivated to read
further? Did the writing seem to have a purpose?
Week Three
1/19
Discussion Board: Assignment #1, Personal Narrative
 By 8:00 A.M. post the draft version of your personal narrative for group critique, in the
discussion board room designated for your group. Compose them in a word
processing document, then COPY them into the discussion board posting. DO NOT
write them into the posting, and DO NOT attempt to attach the word processing
document. Others may have difficulty opening it.
 By 10:00 P.M. post your critiques of the personal narrative essays in the discussion
board room designated for your group. Does the essay seem to have a purpose and a
main idea? Is there sufficient detail to support the purpose and idea? Is there a narrative
line that makes you want to read to the conclusion? Does the personal aspect of the story
imply ideas and issues that concern us all that make it more than a journal entry but a
work of literary non-fiction?
 The answer to all of the above questions is a provisional “No.” At this stage in the
writing process, there will always be room for improvement. Be polite, but critical.
1/21
Reading: The Prose Reader, Ray Bradbury, “Summer Rituals”
Discussion Board:

Post one paragraph responses to questions 1-4, which are at the end of the Bradbury
essay.
Week Four
1/26
Readings: Mosaics, Chapters 11 and 12; The Prose Reader, Jay Weiner, “Sports Centered”
Discussion Board:
 Respond to the reading in Mosaics. What are the characteristics of an effective thesis?
What does it mean to analyze an issue or a topic? Why is audience important? What is
the purpose of comparison and contrast? How might this method make for an effective
argumentative essay?
 Post one paragraph responses to questions 1-4, which are at the end of the Weiner essay.
1/28
Discussion Board: Assignment #2, Print Media Analysis
 By 8:00 A.M. post your minimum five page drafts of your print media analyses, in the
discussion board room designated for your group. Compose them in a word
processing document, then COPY them into the discussion board posting. DO NOT
write them into the posting, and DO NOT attempt to attach the word processing
document. Others might not be able to open it.
 By 10:00 P.M. post your peer-critique responses to each essay in your group, based upon
the following questions: 1) Is the thesis statement argumentative, specific, clear, and
concise? 2) Are the body paragraphs analytical rather than summary, containing specific
details that support the thesis? 3) Are there transitions between paragraphs that refer
back to the thesis and bind the essay together as one complete whole? 4) Is the essay
sufficiently proofread, with little or no grammar or punctuation errors? 5) Is the essay
convincing and valid, whether you agree or not? Why or why not?
 The answer to all of the above questions is a provisional “No.” At this stage in the
writing process, there will always be room for improvement. Be polite, but critical.
Week Five
2/2
Readings: Mosaics, Chapters 13 and 15
Discussion Board:
 Respond to the reading in Mosaics. What is the purpose of dividing and classifying?
What might a thesis statement look like in an essay that involves dividing and
classifying? What is the purpose of an essay that deals with cause and effect? What is
the purpose of this kind of analysis? How you distinguish between cause, effect, and
coincidence? What might a thesis statement look like that involves cause and effect?
Compose one.
2/4
Reading: The Prose Reader, Bruce Catton, “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts”
Discussion Board:
 Post one paragraph responses to questions 1-4, which are at the end of the Catton essay.
Week Six
2/9
Readings: Mosaics, Chapter 16; The Prose Reader, Barbara Ehrenreich, “The Ecstasy of War”
Discussion Board:
 Respond to the reading in Mosaics. What kinds of support are often used in the
argumentative essay? What are a few of the proper ways to handle evidence and support
for your argument? What are some of the ethical pitfalls in handling evidence? What
strategies might you employ to convince an uncommitted audience? What are the
primary features of a thesis statement in an argumentative essay? Compose a thesis.
 Post one paragraph responses to questions 1-4, which are at the end Ehrenreich.
2/11
View any modern film version of any Shakespeare play. There are many. Consider Kenneth
Branagh’s Henry V or his Much Ado About Nothing, his recent As You Like It, or Oliver Parker’s
Othello. But the choice is up to you, as long as the film is less than forty years old.
Week Seven
2/16
Discussion Board: Assignment #3, Dramatic Analysis
 By 8:00 A.M. post your minimum five page drafts of your dramatic analysis, in the
discussion board room designated for your group. Compose them in a word
processing document, then COPY them into the discussion board posting. DO NOT
write them into the posting, and DO NOT attempt to attach the word processing
document. Others may not be able to open it.
 By 10:00 P.M. post your peer-critique responses to each essay in your group, based upon
the following questions: 1) Is the thesis statement argumentative, specific, clear, and
concise? 2) Are the body paragraphs analytical rather than summary, containing specific
details that support the thesis? 3) Are there transitions between paragraphs that refer
back to the thesis and bind the essay together as one complete whole? 4) Is the essay
sufficiently proofread, with little or no grammar or punctuation errors? 5) Is the essay
convincing, whether you agree or not? Why or why not?
 The answer to all of the above questions is a provisional “No.” At this stage in the
writing process there will always be room for improvement. Be polite, but critical.
2/18
Readings: Mosaics, Chapters 17
Discussion Board:
 Respond to the reading in Mosaics. What is the purpose of the research based essay?
How is it different from personal narratives or other forms of the argumentative essay?
Why are these differences important? To what extent are research based essays
argumentative? What is the proper manner of dealing with opposing points of view?
Compose a mock thesis for research essay.
Week Eight
2/23
Readings: Mosaics, Chapters 19 and 20
Discussion Board:

Respond to the reading in Mosaics. What are the characteristics of a credible source in a
research paper? How do you determine a credible online source? What role do sources
play in your argument? In other words, must you always agree with a source and, if not,
what grounds may you employ to disagree? What is the essential structure of the research
essay? What are its essential features?
2/25
Readings: The Prose Reader, Barbara Kingsolver, “Life is Precious, or It’s Not”
Discussion Board:
 Post one paragraph responses to questions 1-4, which are at the end of Kingsolver.
Week Nine
3/2
Discussion Board: Assignment #4, Essay on a Contemporary Social Issue
 By 8:00 A. M. post your minimum five page drafts of your essay on a contemporary
social issue, in the discussion board room designated for your group. Compose them
in a word processing document, then COPY them into the discussion board posting.
DO NOT write them into the posting, and DO NOT attempt to attach the word
processing document. Others might not be able to open it.
 By 10:00 P.M. post your peer-critique responses to each essay in your group, based upon
the following questions: 1) Is the thesis statement argumentative, specific, clear, and
concise? 2) Are the body paragraphs analytical rather than summary, containing specific
details that support the thesis? 3) Are there transitions between paragraphs that refer
back to the thesis and bind the essay together as one complete whole? 4) Is the essay
sufficiently proofread, with little or no grammar or punctuation errors? 5) Is the essay
convincing, whether you agree or not? Why or why not?
 The answer to all of the above questions is a provisional “No.” At this stage in the
writing process there will always be room for improvement. Be polite, but critical.
3/4
In class writing (preparation for the final exam): Assignment to be posted on WebCT.
Week Ten
3/9 and 3/11
Portfolio Revision
This is a period in which you should begin extensive revision of all the work in your
portfolios.
I will hold extended office hours for students from 9:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. to review
and discuss portfolios. No appointments. First come first serve. But I will spend time with
anyone who wants to see me. This is your opportunity for my individual feedback.
Week Eleven
3/16
Portfolio Revision, continued
I will hold extended office hours for students from 9:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. to review
and discuss portfolios. No appointments. First come first serve. But I will spend time with
anyone who wants to see me. This is your opportunity for my individual feedback.
Final Examination per the final examination schedule. Portfolios Due with the Final
Examination
Writing Assignments
Essay #1 – Personal Narrative – In this essay, you will tell a story taken from your own life. You
may combine elements of expository writing and description. Select an event and tell your story.
In essays of this sort, it is best to avoid the extraordinary. Don’t use a major event such as a
wedding or a birth, but work with a common event that on reflection assumed a genuine
significance—a day or a moment that proved meaningful for some reason you could not have
anticipated. Be specific in terms of timeframe. Use no more than a few days to frame the events
in your narrative. Avoid sentimentality. Be descriptive and critical and attempt to discover the
significance in the everyday. Try to move us and teach us.
Essay #2 – Print Media Analysis – In this essay you will select a particular issue that has been
covered in the last two years in the national print media. You should include at least three
sources: newspapers from major cities such as The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The
Chicago Sun Times, or any other large paper. You may also use magazines such as Harpers,
Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, etc. Analyze (do not summarize) how
effectively the issue is covered and treated. Is the information provided to the reader clear and
accurate? Is the issue explored analytically--with intelligence and depth? Is the treatment of the
topic fair and unbiased? It is sometimes very appropriate for these articles to take firm positions
on issues. But when they do, do they support their points of view with rigorous analysis,
argumentation, and data? Your purpose here is to evaluate the media, not to take a position
on the issue yourself. You might conceivably agree with a position taken but conclude that
the coverage was inadequate. You should make use of the library to acquire back issues of the
sources if necessary. Five pages minimum.
Essay #3 – Film Analysis – In this essay you will analyze the film version of a Shakespeare play.
See my recommendations in the schedule. You will formulate a thesis relating to the film’s
themes as you see them. Your thesis should explore the relationship between form and content.
What is the playwright trying to say and how effectively does he say it? You may explore any
combination of dramatic elements: dialogue, acting style, art direction, set and costume design.
etc. (You pick. You need not cover them all.) Do not summarize. Assume your reader has
seen this particular adaptation of the play. Analyze and make a claim about the film’s value.
Five pages minimum.
Essay #4 – Contemporary Social Issue – In this essay you will make a claim about a
contemporary political and/or social issue. You should avoid overused topics such as abortion
and capital punishment. The more unknown the issue the more interesting the paper may be to
readers. You may work with a topic you have dealt with in another class. Research all sides of
the issue, making sure that your sources are academic and valid. Avoid popular media sources in
this assignment. Then take a clear position on the issue in your thesis and make an effective
argument using at least five sources. Use MLA style, and remember that all sources that
appear in your Works Cited list must be cited in your essay, either by quoting, or
paraphrase, or notes (footnotes or endnotes). Five pages minimum.
Essay Recommendations and Format
In this class (and in virtually all your classes) you will write academic essays (with the exception
of the personal narrative). Your essays should be formal. They should have tight structure:
clear introductions with argumentative thesis statements, sets of paragraphs that directly support
main ideas, and conclusions that effectively synthesize major points. The essays should contain
detailed analyses of the texts or issues in question.
In the portfolio, your essays should be printed clearly on 8 ½ x 11-inch paper, in a standard font
at 10 or 12 points. You should have one-inch margins top and bottom, right and left. No title
page. Place your name, course, date, and professor in the left corner of the first page. Center the
title without bold print, quotation marks, or italics. Quotation marks and italics should only be
used for the titles of other works that appear in your title.
You must carefully and correctly document all your sources using MLA format.
A word about plagiarism. Failure to acknowledge the work of other scholars constitutes an
egregious breach of ethics and is a violation of civil law. You must in all cases do your own
work, acknowledge your sources, and document them appropriately. Any incidents of plagiarism
will result in an “F” for the course. Also, the sanctions imposed by the University Catalog will
be applied. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Attendance and Participation
Participation in class involves demonstrating an interest in the writing process and the reading
material and sharing insights with others in discussion board posting. All reading is to be
completed by the due date on the syllabus. Success in the course is dependent upon full,
complete, and regular participation in the discussion board. Any missed postings may naturally
affect your performance, but you may miss two postings without formal penalty. Additional
missing postings will affect your grade unless there are clear and verifiable extenuating
circumstances. If you miss more than five you will not pass the course.
Discussion Board
As is designated in the schedule, the course will take place on the WebCT discussion board
located on the WebCT site for this course. You will be assigned a peer-critique group and you
will submit essays to this group for criticism and feedback in the discussion board room
designated for that group. On certain days, you will post responses to your readings in Mosaics
and the Prose Reader. These responses should be posted in the MAIN discussion board. I
will review your responses and you will receive a grade (20%) for discussion board postings.
Your postings should be thorough, well-developed, detailed, demonstrating genuine enthusiasm
and effort.
Grading Criteria as defined by the English Department, CSUB
An “A” paper—unusually competent
1. Avoids the obvious and thus gains insights on an analytical level that are illuminating and
stimulating to an educated reader.
2. Develops ideas effectively and purposefully with appropriate evidence, examples, and
illustrations.
3. Progresses by clearly ordered and necessary stages with paragraphs that are coherent and
unified.
4. Uses a variety of punctuation conventionally and purposefully.
5. Has sentences which are skillfully constructed, concise, forceful, effective, and varied.
6. Demonstrates a concern with the right words and a willingness to be inventive with words and
structures in order to produce a clearly identifiable style, even though at times the efforts may be
too deliberate or fall short of the writer’s intentions.
A “B” paper—demonstrably competent
1. Usually avoids the obvious and offers interesting interpretations, but lacks the imaginative
insights of the A paper.
2. Develops an idea with a clear and effective sense of order.
3. Progresses by ordered stages with paragraphs that are coherent and unified.
4. Uses mechanics and punctuation to help communicate the meaning and effect of the prose.
5. Has sentences which are correctly constructed with efficient use of coordination and
subordination; demonstrates an understanding of variety.
6. Draws upon words adequate to express the writer’s own thoughts and feelings and
demonstrates an understanding of alternate ways of expression as a means of making stylistic
choices possible.
A “C” paper—competent
1. Functions on the literal level, often depending on the self-evident.
2. Develops ideas minimally, often leaving the reader with unanswered questions.
3. Has a discernible, if mechanical organization.
4. Conforms to conventional grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.
5. Has sentences which are correctly constructed, though perhaps tending toward repetitious
patterns with minimal or mechanical use of coordination and subordination.
6. Works with a limited range of words and thus becomes dependent on the clichés and
colloquialisms most available; is also generally unaware of choices that affect style and thus is
unable to control the effects a writer may seek.
A “D” paper—lacking competence
1. Exploits the obvious either because of a lack of understanding, an inability to read, a failure to
grapple with a topic, or, in many cases, a lack of interest.
2. Wanders aimlessly because of a lack of overall conception or, in some instances, has a
semblance of form without the development that makes the parts a whole.
3. Has a plan or method that is characterized by irrelevancy, redundancy, or inconsistency.
4. Frequently lacks careful mechanical and grammatical distinctions although some papers
contain correct (if simple) sentences.
5. Has sentences which are not correctly constructed or which are monotonous or repetitious.
6. Is characterized by convoluted sentences that are close to the rapid associations of thought or
by “safe” words (ones the writer ordinarily speaks or can spell) and by excessively simple
sentence structures.
An “F” paper—incompetent
1. Doesn’t fulfill the assignment; is unclear overall.
2. Lacks specific development; tends to wander aimlessly
3. Lacks logical and coherent progression.
4. Consistently lacks conventional grammar and mechanics so that communication is unclear.