CSUN Intermediate Expository Writing
Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have
long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion
too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the
discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one
present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You
listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the
argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him;
another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the
embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending on the quality of
your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows
late, and you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still
vigorously in progress.
-- Kenneth Burke The Philosophy of Literary Form (110-111)
Course Description from CSUN Guide to Writing
English 305 is an intermediate course in expository writing available to students who have completed their lower division writing requirement (ENGL155 at CSUN, an equivalent course elsewhere, or by exemption). This course provides preparation for the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) and satisfies the writing requirement in the Liberal Studies major.
Students enrolled in English 305 should have developed sufficient writing and research skills to meet the demands of college level writing. This course provides the additional opportunity for students to review, reassess, and further develop their writing skills.
English 305 is designed for upper division college students who wish to develop their writing skills or who need the course to fulfill a requirement in their major or program of study. Many students take the course to prepare for the WPE; Liberal Studies students take this course (or English 406) as part of their major. Single subject credential candidates in fields other than English take the course to demonstrate advanced, college-level writing proficiency (a grade of B- or better is required). However, English majors may not use English 305 to satisfy requirements within the major.
Aims of the Course
An important aim of the course is to give you guided practice in developing clear and coherent longer papers of various types, including those that narrate an autobiographical incident, report information, discuss issues, speculate about causes and effects, present arguments, solve problems, and interpret texts. As you work on these and other kinds of papers, you will develop several related areas:
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your own "voice" in writing;
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a repertoire of writing styles appropriate to your purpose, audience, and occasion for writing;
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your ability to compose sentences and paragraphs in a variety of syntactic patterns and with sufficient specific details;
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your skill in reading, analyzing, and assessing longer pieces of expository prose by professional writers and peers;
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your sensitivity to the impact of language on differing readers and listeners;
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your ability to use appropriate research methods and materials efficiently, clearly, and effectively for all disciplines;
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your skill in writing prose that conforms to the features of standard written English.
English 305cmp is a designated "computer" section. As such, we will be exploring all the above "traditional" areas online as well as offline. Research requirements will include online data bases as well as online educational learning environments. There is no presumption of computer or internet skills. You will be provided with guidance throughout the course as you move into new online territories.
Course Requirements
- Three in-class, timed essays (15%)
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Timed Writing (SAMPLE)
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Timed Writing (RESPONSE TO A TEXT)
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Timed Writing (REFLECTION)
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Three revised papers (30%):
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Techno-Rhetoric: Writing Goes Digital (5%):
In class short write on knowledge and assumptions of internet issues
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Web Page (10%): Students will build web folios consisting of class papers, collaborative projects and annotated online resources.
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Online Journal (30%): consists of posting summaries and responses to all readings, reading and replying to others on the publicly readable list.
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Two Annotated Bibliographies (10%): Students will research two separate topics and construct
annotated bibliographies documenting and evaluating their findings, using Janice Walker's
online MLA Style formating. Both bibliographies will be posted to the web. The second
bibliography will reflect the research for the final paper.