OCEAN (Oberlin College Educational Alliance Network)
College Writing
Syllabus 2014-2015
Instructor: Ms. Molnar
Room: B-206
Email: lmolnar@lcjvs.net
Phone: 440-774-1051 ext. 2456
COURSE OVERVIEW
Welcome to College Writing. This is an elective English class in which you will be exploring your
writing process, reading critically, writing in a variety of forms, and developing research skills.
Fortunately, you will not be alone; this class is your writing community for the year. You will be
discussing essays and writing strategies, sharing written work with one another, and finding assistance
along the way. The assignments are designed to challenge you as they involve you in the kinds of reading,
writing, and researching that will serve you well in your college career and in your life outside of college.
NOVELS
You will be reading novels that have controversial material in them (profanity, sexuality, racism,
violence, death). They are in no way meant to offend anyone, but meant to make you think and to
generate discussion and thought provoking material for class. Some of you may not see any problem at all
with what we are reading, but some may. Keep in mind, this is a college level class and you are expected
to keep up with the work and to be challenged.
The novels:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
REQUIRED MATERIALS
 A positive attitude! (You were chosen to be in this class and a lot of it is what you make of it!)
COURSE GOALS
This course is designed to help students:
 improve their writing skills for college level work;
 develop critical thinking skills, as readers and writers;
 recognize the importance of audience and intent in their own writing and in the writing of
others;
 thoughtfully evaluate and productively revise their own work;
 participate in constructive discussions about writing by professionals and peers;
 gain an appreciation for the writing process and the discussion of reading and writing
theories.
This class depends greatly on your participation and willingness to share your ideas and thoughts about
what we are reading and writing. Part of your grade will be based on how much you contribute to class
discussion.
Peer Response/Workshops
In this course, you will also be receiving various kinds of feedback from the instructor and from your
classmates. The workshop component of the course requires your writing will be “public”—meaning that
classmates will read and discuss your work. You will be asked to engage thoughtfully in giving feedback
to your classmates. While you may wonder if you are properly prepared to comment on someone else’s
paper, consider this: you are already an experienced reader and writer, so use that experience to do the
best you can. There are some particular worksheets for Peer Response that I will be offering you as guides
for giving feedback. Try to be honest and encouraging when giving feedback. To maximize a workshop’s
usefulness, you will all have to develop ways to express your ideas respectfully, thoughtfully, and
helpfully. You may be surprised by how much you learn about writing from offering feedback to your
peers.
*Most of this class is “student” lead. YOU will be presenting and leading the class in discussions on
numerous occasions.
*When we are working on papers, I will give you further details about each assignment. Then over the
next few days, you will be using class time as a workshop to complete the assignment. Your classmates
will be peer editing your work to help you finalize your paper. We will work in the computer lab most of
the time, but plan on typing some of the paper at home as well.
*There are not many “fluff” assignments to boost your grades. Grades are based on papers, presentations,
participation, classwork, etc. It is important that you get your work done when it is due.
OBERLIN COLLEGE HONOR CODE
Acknowledging the influence of others (giving credit where credit is due) and understanding the academic
customs and conventions of documenting one’s sources are fundamental writing skills for college and
beyond. You can read the honor code in its entirety at:
http://www.oberlin.edu/students/links-life/rules-regs.html
*One element of the Honor Code is that you write and sign the following statement on your essays before
turning them in:
"I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this
assignment." – Your name
No essay will be graded until it has this signed affirmation that the work is your own and that you
have fully credited all sources. When in doubt: cite. When you submit an assignment via email, type your
full name after the Honor Code statement to serve as your signature and send it from your own email
account.
*You may submit papers to me via email @ lmolnar@lcjvs.net or in a hard copy form the day that it is due
by the time the class begins (even if you are absent). HOWEVER, if I do not have it by that time, for
whatever reason, it will be late. If I receive it after your scheduled class time, it’s late. If you do not attach
your paper in the email sent to me, it’s late. If your printer broke, ran out of ink, or the library was closed,
it’s late. No signed affirmation at the end? It’s late. Get the point? However, if we are doing peer revisions
and you do not have your paper it will be a “zero”; you are not able to participate or contribute to the class.
All student work MUST be typed. This includes rough drafts of papers. You MUST bring your work to
class in hard copy format.
We will use MLA Citation Style and Formatting. This will be reviewed with you on the first few papers,
then, it is expected of you to know how to do it and use it in any paper you get outside information from. I
would HIGHLY RECOMMEND referencing the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource for assistance.
TRANSCRIPT FOR YOUR FUTURE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
Just because you are signed up for this class does not mean you will automatically receive the college
credit. You have to work hard and earn it. Students must obtain a grade of “C” or higher to earn 4 college
credits for this course from Oberlin College. Oberlin will only record your grade on your transcript as
PASS or FAIL, however.
You are responsible for having your transcript sent from Oberlin College to the schools you are applying
to. Guidance counselors are not responsible for this, nor am I. Your transcript request form from Oberlin
College may be obtained at http://new.oberlin.edu/office/registrar/transcripts/ for $6.00 per transcript.
You will be given a weekly calendar of what we will be doing and when assignments are due as the class
progresses, but here is a tentative schedule:
1st nine weeks:










What are we looking for? The expectation of OCEAN handout
Define Yourself personal reflection (2 pg.) [entire class revision- how the revision process works]
Epiphany journal (and various journals)
“Moment of Impact” essay (3-4 pg.)
Group story mystery writing (2 pg.) [class presentation]
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Personal/reflective paper based upon Glass Castle theme (3-5 pg.)
Career passport with resume and references
College Admittance Essay
MLA review/O.W.L. Purdue website
2nd nine weeks:










Annotated Bibliographies
“Something I’ve Always Wondered About” MLA Informative/Analytical/Research paper (6-8
pg.)
journals
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah/Blood Diamond analysis
Creative writing paper on A Long Way Gone (write the next chapter of the book- 4 pg.)
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr./ Injustice letter
“Stiff” Essay /assignment
Scholarship essay writing
Peer Responses
Semester exam
3rd nine weeks:



My So-Called Life expository television series and critical articles
Reflective journals per episode of MSCL
1 ½ + response paper MLA format incorporating “They Say/I Say” template to each of the
following articles:
o “Gender/Sexuality/Desire: Subversion of Difference and Construction of Loss in the
Adolescent Drama of MSCL” by Michele Byers
o “My So-Called Queer: Rickie Vazquez and the Performance of Teen Exile” by Jes Battis
o “Whatever Happens Happens: Infidelity in MSCL” by Deidre Dowling Price
o “My So-Called Magical Life: Magical Realism Joins the Chase(s)” by Chris Brooks
o “One of Those Fights Where it Feels Like’s Having You: The ‘Patty Reading’ of MSCL”
by Bill Kte’pi
o “It Only Got Teenage Girls: Narrative Strategies and the Teenage Perspective of MSCL”
by Caryn Murphy MSCL student led discussions of critiques
4th nine weeks:





“Is Technology Rotting Our Brains?” essay with MLA (3-4 pg.)
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
View Achieving Your Childhood Dreams lecture
The Last Lecture paper application (3-4 pg.).
Final Exam- evaluate your writing over the year (3 pg.)
I look forward to a great year with all of you. If you ever have any questions or concerns about anything,
please feel free to speak with me.
Ms. Molnar reserves the right to amend or alter any and all assignments mentioned in this syllabi and all
attached pages.