Reinking, J. A. and R. von der Osten. (2005). Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric,
Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook . (7 th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Prentice Hall.
This course is designed to introduce you to college writing and documentation. Since the name of the course is ―
Critical
Writing,‖ we’ll be reading, analyzing, and writing about different types of media.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:

Critically analyze arguments employed in various mediums.

Use proper APA citation techniques.

Survive writing assignments in other college classes.

Use the Library, Web, and Databases wisely and efficiently.

Incorporate relevant research into well-organized essays.
Readings: You will have various reading assignments over the course of the semester, and, of course, I will expect that you’ve read them and are ready to discuss them on the appointed date.
These readings will serve as springboards for many of your papers, so the closer you read each essay the first time around, the better luck you’ll have when you sit down to write.
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and appear in size 12 font, Times New Roman, with 1 inch margins. All papers must be handed to me at the beginning of class on the day they are due: late papers are not accepted . It will therefore be necessary for you to arrange for someone to bring your paper to class if you are sick or must be absent on the day it is due. All papers will be graded with regard to organization, development of thesis, persuasiveness, style, and technical accuracy.

Summary Essay: In preparation for this paper, we will read and discuss two essays: ―The
Insufficiency of Honesty‖ and ―When is it Rape?‖ For this three page paper, you should summarize the main idea of one of the essays, thoroughly recounting the major concerns of the essay.
Evaluation Essay: This three page essay should be an evaluation of two texts we will interact with as a class: Super Size Me and ―Lay off the Fatties.‖ Your essay should evaluate which text makes its case most conclusively and why. The paper should move beyond a mere summary of the two texts and instead focus on the arguments and supporting evidence of each. You should explain what makes one argument (text) more convincing, supporting your opinion with plenty of specific examples.
Annotated Bibliography: In preparation for completing this assignment, you will need to read
6-8 sources related to the topic you have chosen for your Research Paper. Annotated bibliographies are designed to provide readers with a good idea of the main gist of a given source. Thus, you will need to write a brief summary of each source, in addition to simply correctly documenting the source in APA format.
Mini-Presentation: The presentation should be a maximum of two minutes and should briefly explain the question your research paper seeks to answer and what answers your research has yielded.
Research Essay: For this seven page essay, you should find an issue or area that interests you and determine what portion can be researched and written about. For instance, you might be interested in voicing your opinion on a two-sided, controversial issue like what should be done about the presence of illegal immigrants in America. Or you might be interested in some kind of sport, like skateboarding, in which case you might write about the rise of a particular brand of equipment. Because this paper is a research paper, proper in-text citations are expected, along with a properly-formatted ―References‖ section. You must also submit a source packet—all the sources used in the essay—with the portions you paraphrased, bracketed and the portions you directly quoted, highlighted. The source packet assists me in following the ways you used outside sources in your work.
You will attend three conferences with me throughout the course of the semester and a total of four with your peers. For conferences with me, a few things are crucial: 1) bring the appropriate number of copies for me and your group members on the day the paper is due; 2) read your peers’ papers thoroughly and attentively, and be ready to suggest ways they could revise it; 3) show up a few minutes early so that conferences stay on schedule.
For peer conferences, you should bring the appropriate number of copies of your paper on the day it is due, and you should perform the same thorough reading you did for earlier group conferences so that you are ready to give good, constructive criticism to your peers.

Class Participation (will be measured by your preparedness for discussions, the quality of your comments during class discussions, and your contribution to group work): 75
Summary Essay: 100
Evaluation Essay: 100
Annotated Bibliography: 100
Mini-Presentation: 100
Research Essay: 200
Assessment Exam: 50
You must attend class; attendance is not optional, it’s required. If you must miss class for an extended period of time, contact Bernadette Wimberley, Dean of Students, and ask her to email me verification of your situation. If you are desperately sick or have a family emergency, notify me in advance if possible. Then take the appropriate measures to figure out what went on in class; once you have spoken to classmates and copied their notes, come to me if you have further questions about the material you missed. Every missed moment of class is missed participation that you cannot make up—frequent absences will adversely affect your grade.
In addition to simply attending class, you need to be on time. ―On time‖ for me means being in your seat when the clock strikes the appointed time. If you ever arrive late, slide into class quietly and get involved right away with as little distraction of others as possible. If you make a habit of being late, I will talk to you outside class time so we can make arrangements for you to be on time. You are expected to hand in all work on time. If you must be absent, make arrangements to get work to me on time.
**I SHOULD NEVER SEE OR HEAR YOUR CELL PHONE DURING CLASS**
Any time you use information from another source, whether it is a direct quote or just a good idea, you need to cite that source accordingly. Proper source citation is just as important for a draft or response paper as it is for a final paper. Other people’s ideas and words are their property and using them for your benefit is stealing, which Goldey-Beacom College does not take lightly. If you plagiarize, you will be given a failing grade for the course. If you have any questions concerning plagiarism, please, just ask–don’t risk it. To read more about academic integrity and the many instances it applies to, read the Goldey-Beacom Honor Code online at http://www.gbc.edu/advisement/honorcode.html.

Date
Week 1
16-Jan
18-Jan
Week 2
23-Jan
25-Jan
Week 3
In Class
Introductions; unity, support, coherence; review APA format
Discuss summary; review APA citation style and quoting and paraphrasing
Discuss “The Insufficiency of
Honesty;” discuss conferencing & revising drafts
Discuss “When is it Rape?” discuss conferencing & revising drafts ( Felicity?
)
30-Jan Group conferences
1-Feb
Week 4
6-Feb
8-Feb
Week 5
13-Feb
Group conferences
Group conferences
Watch Super Size Me
Finish & discuss Super Size Me
Homework Due
Read pp. 349-51
Read “The Insufficiency of Honesty” (p.
537)
Rough draft of Summary Essay ; read
“When is it Rape?” (p. 541)
Final draft of Summary Essay
15-Feb
Week 6
20-Feb
22-Feb
Week 7
27-Feb
1-Mar
Week 8
6-Mar
8-Mar
Discuss analysis & evaluation
Discuss “Lay off the Fatties”
Grammar discussion
Group conferences
Group conferences
Group conferences
Discuss topic selection for
Research Essay
Read “Lay off the Fatties” (handout or online)
Rough draft of Evaluation Essay
Read p. 27-42

Week 9
13-Mar
15-Mar
Week 10
20-Mar
22-Mar
Week 11
27-Mar
29-Mar
Week 12
3-Apr
Discuss Annotated Bibliographies
& wise choices with sources
Research practices
In-class meetings about research topics
No Class
Group work with quotes and paraphrases
Discuss Mini-presentation goals
Grammar discussion
Final draft of Evaluation Essay
Topic for Research Essay
No Class
Thesis and outline for Research
Essay
Annotated Bibliography for
Research Essay
5-Apr
Week 13
10-Apr
12-Apr
Week 14
17-Apr
19-Apr
Week 15
24-Apr
Mini-Presentations
Mini-Presentations
Group conferences
Group conferences
Group conferences
Assessment Exam ( no class )
Rough draft of Research Essay
Complete Assessment Exam
26-Apr Course evaluations and wrap-up Final draft of Research Essay
**I reserve the right to make any and all changes I deem necessary during the course of the semester.