Unit 1: Critical Reading and Writing
Homework schedule

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WRT 105
Practices of Academic Writing
Section 267, Fall 2005
Syracuse University
Time: Thursdays 12:30 - 1:50 p.m.
Place: 213B HB Crouse

30 August

In class

1. Course introduction
2. Syllabus review
3. Introduction to Course weblog. (I'm "senioritis.")
4. Introduction to Blackboard site
5. Overview of WRT 105 learning goals
6. Preview homework for next class
7. Class members' introductions
8. Circulate contact information
9. Fill out Writing Program questionnaire on writing and diversity
10. Informal writing: What are your expectations of, hopes for, and/or fears about your college writing and college writing instruction?

1 September

Prepare for class

1. Study the course website and its links, and make a list of questions you have about the course website, the course weblog, and/or the course Blackboard site.
2. Read Bell, Kaitlin. "Provision Tells Schools to Grade Students on Subjects, Not Ideology." Boston Globe 8 Aug. 2005.
3. Write a 500-word response to the Bell article.

Bring to class

1. Copy of Bell article
2. Two copies of your response to the Bell article
3. Copy of Howard Chapter 8, section 8d, "Reading to Respond" (pp. 33-36). (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)
4. Copy of Howard Chapter 7, sections 7a-7b, "Designing College Papers" (pp. 192-204). (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)

In class

1. Syllabus discussion
2. Discussion of Bell article
3. Approaches to writing responses
4. Academic document design
5. Preview assignment for next class

6 September

Prepare for class

1. In Howard's Unnamed Handbook, study Chapter 8, section 8d, "Reading to Respond" (pp. 33-36).
2. In Howard's Unnamed Handbook, study Chapter 7, sections 7a-7b, "Designing College Papers" (pp. 192-204).
3. Read Lewin, Tamara. "Writing in Schools Is Found Both Dismal and Neglected." New York Times 26 April 2003. (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)
4. First major writing assignment: Draft a 500-word response to the Lewin article; directions (and the opportunity to ask questions) are here.

Bring to class

1. Copy of Howard Ch. 8, pp. 33-36
2. Copy of Howard Ch. 7, pp. 192-204
3. Three copies of your response to Lewin
4. Harbrace Handbook

In class

1. Revising and editing workshop
2. Directions for dropping file in Blackboard folder
3. Preview assignment for next class

8 September

Prepare for class

First graded assignment, final draft: Write a 500-word response to the Lewin article.

Bring to class

1. Final draft of your response to Lewin
2. Copy of Howard Ch. 9, pp. 1-22. (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)
3. Copy of Wallace, David Foster. "Tense Present: Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage." Harper's (April 2001): 39-58. (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)

In class

1. Hand in hard copy of your Lewin paper
2. Techniques for tackling tough texts
3. Practices of text analysis
4. Preview assignment for next class

13 September

Prepare for class

1. Read and analyze Wallace, David Foster. "Tense Present: Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage." Harper's (April 2001): 39-58.

Bring to class

1. Copy of Wallace
2. Copy of Howard Ch. 8, pp. 23-25.
3. Copy of Howard Ch. 9, pp. 1-22.

In class

1. Discussion of Wallace
2. Practices of text analysis
3. Techniques for summarizing texts
4. Preview assignment for next class

15 September

Prepare for class

1. Find out about Harper's and why they published the Wallace article
2. Read Wallace again--with a dictionary
3. Review Howard Ch. 9a-e, and think about applications of this chapter to the Wallace article

Bring to class

1. Copy of Howard Ch. 9a-e
2. Copy of Wallace article

In class

1. Analysis of Wallace
2. Preview assignment for next class

20 September

Prepare for class

1. Study Howard Ch. 8, pp. 23-25
2. Read Rose, Mike. "The Language of Exclusion: Writing Instruction at the University." College English 47.4 (Apr. 1985): 341-359. (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)
3. Draft a "reader's summary" of the Rose text

Bring to class

1. Copy of Howard Ch. 8, pp. 23-25
2. Copy of Rose article
3. Three copies of your reader's summary of the Rose text

In class

1. Discussion of Rose
2. Workshop on writing a summary essay
3. Preview assignment for next class

22 September

Prepare for class

1. Revise your summary of the Rose article. Aim for a 500-word summary that is free of quotation (except for occasional keywords such as "behaviorist" or signal phrases such as "the myth of transience." Follow advice from our 9/20 class session concerning formatting, avoiding patchwriting.

Bring to class

1. Three copies of your Rose summary essay
2. Copy of Howard Ch. 19, pp. 4-12
3. A highlighter pen
4. Harbrace Handbook

In class

1. Peer workshop on Rose summaries
2. Preview assignment for next class

27 September

Prepare for class

1. Prepare final draft of second major writing assignment: Summary of Rose article. Submit your summary in hard copy in class, and also put a copy in the Blackboard digital dropbox.
2. Read Sapp, David. "Towards an International and Intercultural Understanding of Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty in Composition: Reflections from the People's Republic of China." Issues in Writing 13.1 (2003): 58-79. (Available in the "Documents" folder on the course Blackboard site)

Bring to class

1. Final copy of your Rose summary essay
2. Copies of the following articles: Bell, Lewin, Wallace, Rose, and Sapp.

In class

1. Discussion of Sapp
2. Discussion of the relationship between writing and diversity
3. Topic exploration for Unit 2

Unit 2 homework schedule