Instructor: Josh Hall
Office: AH 3163
Office Hours: TTH 3:15 – 4:15 PM and by appt.
Email: Joshua.Hall@gcccd.edu
RWS 280: Academic Reading and Writing
We live in a world where there is more and more information,
and less and less meaning.
—Jean Baudrillard
Class: Sec. 12, 3 units, SDSU, Fall 2013
Meeting Times: TTH 2:00 – 3:15 PM in EBA-442
Required Texts (please get the editions listed):
Miller, Richard E. and Kurt Spellmeyer, eds. The New Humanities Reader. 4th edition.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. (Dial Press, 2009).
Class handouts and online articles (see course calendar)
Recommended Texts:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
A college-level dictionary.
MLA Citation (online resource): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Course Description: RWS 280 engages students in using key rhetorical concepts as a mode of
inquiry and invention as they develop reading and writing proficiency in academic disciplines and
other contexts.
Course Objectives: To learn to write with clarity and cogency while becoming inquiring and
analytical readers and thinkers. You’ll be given practice in writing of various kinds in order to
help you develop the skills needed for further university work. The readings for this course are
rich and challenging and will serve as stimuli for your writing and our class discussions. By the
end of the semester, you will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Develop an effective process of reading for comprehension.
Develop an effective writing process—including prewriting, drafting, revision, and selfevaluation.
Analyze the elements of academic texts—particularly argument, genre, audience, context,
purpose, and strategies.
Articulate in writing key rhetorical concepts.
Explore the significance of texts to yourself and your educational project.
Expectations: Always bring the assigned reading to class, and arrive having completed the
assignment(s). To succeed in this course, my expectation is that you will spend at least one hour
of outside study for every hour that you are in class.
Attendance: Attendance is paramount to your success in this course. It is imperative that you
attend each class session in order to keep up with the assignments. If you are absent, it is your
responsibility to find out what you have missed.
Grading:
Paper #1: 100 pts.
Paper #2: 100 pts.
Paper #3: 100 pts.
Paper #4: 100 pts.
Final Reflection: 25 pts.
Homework Assignments: 10 pts. each
Editing Workshops: 10 pts. each
Grading Scale:
93-100% = A
90-92% = A88-89 % = B+
83-87% = B
80-82% = B78-79% = C +
70-77% = C
60-69% = D
0-59% = F
Papers: There are four formal papers, and there will be an editing workshop the week before
each paper is due. Please arrive on time and bring three copies of a complete rough draft to
each workshop. If you do not arrive on time or bring three copies, you will not be given
credit for the workshop. I am available during office hours to answer any questions you might
have about the papers.
Final Reflection: During the final exam period, you will write a reflection on your work as a
writer this semester. Bring a large Bluebook to class for the reflection.
Homework Assignments: You will be required to turn in a one-page summary of and response
to each reading that we discuss over the course of the semester. These assignments will have two
parts: first, you will write a paragraph summary of the text (i.e., in your own words, discuss the
main idea(s) presented in the text). Second, you will write a paragraph in which you respond to
the idea(s) you have summarized (i.e., what is your reaction to reading?).
*All work done outside of class must be in MLA format, typed, and stapled (Handwritten
assignments will not be accepted, and five points will be deducted from essays that are not
stapled).
*Papers will be accepted up to one class period late for a full letter-grade reduction of the
original grade.
*The homework assignments and final reflection cannot be made up.
*I do not accept papers or assignments via email.
Classroom Etiquette: Thoughtful, respectful contribution to class discussions is welcomed and
highly encouraged. Please arrive on time; if you are late, enter as quietly as possible and choose
a seat at the back of the room or close to the door. With regard to the burgeoning ubiquity of
technological gadgets, I ask that you turn off and put away all electronic devices before each
class session begins. Texting, checking Facebook, and other phone-related disruptions are highly
disrespectful to both me and your classmates. If you are on your phone during class, you will be
marked absent. I do understand, however, that genuine emergencies arise, so if you are expecting
an urgent or important call, please let me know before class begins.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism—presenting someone else’s work as your own—is a serious offense and
will result in an “F” for the work plagiarized. Instructors are also required to report all cases of
plagiarism to the university judicial officer, who may impose further penalties. If you have
specific questions regarding plagiarism, refer to the university guidelines or see me.
Special Needs: If you have special learning needs or are registered with Student Disability
Services, please let me know early on so that I can accommodate you.
Best wishes for a successful semester!
RWS 280 Course Calendar
*Read each assignment before we discuss it in class. For Tuesday 9/3, for example, you will
need to read Edmundson’s “On the Uses of a Liberal Education” and complete the first
homework assignment. Assignments due are in bold.
Week 1
T 8/26 Introduction to the course
TH 8/28 Introduction to academic reading and writing
Week 2
T 9/3 Mark Edmundson, “On the Uses of a Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored
College Students” (find online, print, and read)
http://www.mjfdesign.net/terri/9optedmundson.pdf
Edmundson Homework Assignment Due
TH 9/5 Edmundson (cont’d)
Week 3
T 9/10 Mark Edmundson, “Dwelling in Possibilites” (find online, print, and read)
http://chronicle.com/article/Dwelling-in-Possibilities/7083
Edmundson Homework Assignment #2 Due
TH 9/12 Edmundson (cont’d)
Week 4
T 9/17 Paper #1 Editing Workshop
TH 9/19 Daniel Gilbert, “Immune to Reality”
Gilbert Homework Assignment Due
Week 5
T 9/24 Virginia Postrel, “Surface and Substance” (Handout)
Postrel Homework Assignment Due
Paper #1 Due
TH 9/26 Postrel (cont’d)
Week 6
T 10/1 Martha Stout, “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday”
Stout Homework Assignment Due
TH 10/3 Tim O’Brien, “How to Tell a True War Story”
O’Brien Homework Assignment Due
Week 7
T 10/8 O’Brien (cont’d)
TH 10/10 Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Vonnegut Homework Assignment Due
Week 8
T 10/15 Vonnegut (cont’d)
TH 10/17 Paper #2 Editing Workshop
Week 9
T 10/22 Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making us Stupid?”
Carr Homework Assignment Due
TH 10/24 Carr (cont’d)
Paper #2 Due
Week 10
T 10/29 Edward Tenner, “Another Look Back, and a Look Ahead”
TH 10/31 Tenner (cont’d)
Week 11
T 11/5 Annie Dillard, “The Wreck of Time” (Find online, print, and read)
http://www.midwayisd.org/cms/lib/TX01000662/Centricity/Domain/115/The_Wreck_of_
Time.pdf
Dillard Homework Assignment Due
TH 11/7 Dillard (cont’d)
Week 12
T 11/12 Paper #3 Editing Workshop
TH 11/14 Eric Schlosser, “Global Realization” (Handout)
Schlosser Homework Assignment Due
Week 13
T 11/19 Malcom Gladwell, “The Power of Context”
Gladwell Homework Assignment Due
Paper #3 Due
TH 11/21 Jean Twenge, “An Army of One: Me”
Twenge Homework Assignment Due
Week 14
T 11/26 Twenge (cont’d)
TH 11/28 Holiday—No Class
Week 15
T 12/3 Paper #4 Conferences
TH 12/5 Paper #4 Conferences
Week 16
T 12/10 Paper #4 Editing Workshop
Week 17
T 12/17 Final Reflection 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Paper #4 Due
*I reserve the right to revise the syllabus and reading calendar at any time
RWS 280 Tutoring Policies
Tutoring will be an important component of this course. Below are my policies
for required meetings with tutors:
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

Students who will be required to meet with tutors will be notified via written
comments on a homework assignment or paper.
Students who are consistently receiving low scores on homework assignments and
papers will be required to meet with their tutor before turning in the final draft of an
upcoming paper (see RWS 280 Course Calendar for due dates). Final drafts of
papers will not be accepted from students who in this case fail to meet with their
tutor.
Struggling students may also be required to meet with their tutor to work on reading
comprehension, development, structure and organization, grammar, and mechanics.
Again, the final draft of an upcoming paper will not be accepted from students who
in this case fail to meet with their tutor.