Pan African Studies 350

Pan African Studies 350

Advanced Writing

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

California State University, Northridge

Spring Semester 2007-2008

 

“Ever since Bill Cosby delivered what might be called the historic Ghettoesburg Address in Washington, D.C. during the NAACP’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision, there’s been a big brouhaha brewing in the black community over his controversial remarks. On one side, you have those folks who applaud the successful entertainer/role model for having the courage to send a no-nonsense tough love message, while others resent the general tenor of what they feel was a diatribe by a bourgie brother who has lost touch with his roots and is now allowing himself to be used by right-wing conservatives simply to blame the victim. Like latter-day Booker T. Washington, the authors call for African-Americans to embrace self-help while shedding self-destructive behaviors. Never mincing their words, they state their positions on any number of subjects, unequivocally.

 

Ultimately, in a cultural war, you have to pick a side, and I suspect that most parents who truly love their children will consider straight talk of this nature not only appropriate but downright necessary in the face of the degeneracy directed daily at African-American youth in the battle for their bodies and minds.” – Kam Williams, Dallasblack.com on the book that the PAS 350 Advanced Writing students at CSU Northridge will be researching, analyzing and debating for the spring semester 2007.

 

 

Ticket #14850                                                                                                            Instructor: Johnie H. Scott, M.A., M.F.A.

Units: 3                                                                                                                     Associate Professor of Pan African Studies

MWF, 11:00am-11:30am                                                                                            PAS Writing Program Director

Manzanita 124                                                                                                           Santa Susanna Bldg., Room 210

Email                                                                                                                                     Office Hours: MWF, 1:00pm-2:30pm or

Webpage                                                                                                                                                 By Appointment

Telephone: 818-677-2289

 

 

Course Description:

 

Prerequisite – completion of the lower-division writing requirement. Advanced course emphasizing alternative strategies in expository writing skills development. Focuses on such purposeful forms of discourse as reports, the research paper, critiques, the essay examination, and selected forms of correspondence. Cursory review of grammar, mechanics and syntax is offered as needed. More intensive review of such basics is available on an individualized basis in the Writing Center. Course, though equivalent to, is not a substitute for ENGL 305 or BUS 305.

 

Required Textbooks:

 

1. Connelly, Mark, The Sundance Writer/A Rhetoric, Reader, Handbook/3rd Edition, Thomson Wadsworth, A part of the Thomson Corporation, Boston, MASS, © 2007;

2. Cosby, William and Alvin Poussant, M.D., Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors, Thomas Nelson, New York, NY: October 9, 2007; and

3. Gibaldi, Joseph, The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers/Sixth Edition, Modern Language Association of America, New York, NY: 2003.

 

Recommended:

 

4. Stern, Linda, What Every Student Should Know About Avoiding Plagiarism, Pearson Longman, New York, NY: © 2007 by Pearson Education;

 

Course Objectives:

 

The PAS 350 Advanced Writing student meets ten (10) primary objectives in taking this course. Those objectives are:

 

ü      The course will increase the student’s ability to analyze and comprehend university-level texts;

ü      The course will expand and enhance, through culturally diverse readings, the awareness of rhetorical strategies as well as the abuses and uses of language;

ü      The course will increase the critical reasoning skills as they reflect the interdependence of critical thinking and written discourse;

ü      The course will build confidence, reduce writing anxiety, and strengthen personal voice;

ü      The course will reinforce the theory and practice of writing as a recursive process;

ü      The course will help students understand the many contexts for writing, including timed writing, and develop appropriate strategies for the writer’s multiple purposes and audiences;

ü      The course will develop fluency and style by encouraging word and sentence variety, increasing vocabulary, and using Edited American English;

ü      The course will increase proficiency in research techniques required by various University disciplines and familiarizes students with appropriate style sheets;

ü      The course will definitely facilitate the use of basic computer applications – word processing, email, and Internet access – and other technological media including HyperNews and PowerPoint; and

ü      The course will promote writing as a means of participation in democracy and as a tool for social change.

 

Course Requirements:

 

  1. Essay Examinations: One of the objectives in this course is for the student to achieve a mastery of the timed essay examination. To this end, there are four (4) timed essay examinations in this course. Those examinations are all taken by the student using a large (i.e., 8 ½”x11”) Blue Book. Each examination is timed at 60 minutes, i.e., the same amount of time as the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Examination (UDWPE) required of every CSUN student prior to actual graduation. The essay examinations in this class include the Pre-Semester, Midterm, 12-Week and Common Essay. The Pre-Semester Examination does not count towards the final course grade. The remaining essay exams, on the other hand, are averaged together and count as one of the primary grade factors for the class. These essay examinations are scored using the same rubric as the UDWPE. The Pre-Semester and Common Essay serve as one of the assessments for this course.

 

  1. Objective Examinations: Students in this class are assessed in regards to the skills taught and/or reviewed in regards to college study skills, grammar and mechanics, and the various writing conventions. The assessments of those skills taught in the class take the form of objective quizzes, a two-part Midterm Objective Examination and an Exit Examination. These objective examinations are averaged together in forming the second of the primary grading factors in the class.

 

  1. Critical Comprehension Homework Assignments: There are formal homework assignments in this class which are based upon improving and increasing the student’s critical thinking and reading comprehension skills. The majority of the assignments are to be submitted using email. They are averaged together in constituting the third primary grading factor for the course. It is to be noted the homework assignments are all due as noted by the course instructor. No “late” homework assignments will be accepted for grading. Accordingly, an assignment due at 10:00am and not submitted for grading until 11:00am, i.e., one hour later, will be judged as “failing” in that the student failed to meet the submission deadline. It is to be understood that developing a work ethic in which students successfully meet deadlines is part of the assignment, and the course itself.

 

  1. The Write Time Discussion Forums: Located within WebCT, the Write Time Discussion Forums provide students with opportunity to develop and enhance information competence skills by using the very latest in distance learning technology. The Write Time Discussion Forums find students engaged as learning communities with the course instructor, employing critical thinking skills with discourses about specific subjects that demand development of argumentative writing skills in Forums built around central issues and concerns in the African American community and, by extension, the world community. Students typically have three (3) weeks in which to respond to a writing prompt posted by the instructor as well as the responses made to that same prompt by any two of their classmates for a total of three (3) postings per Write Time Forum. Each of these Forums is valued at up to 4.0 possible points, i.e., with up to two points for the writing prompt itself and one point each for responding to the two classmates. The five (5) Write Time Discussion Forums are then averaged together in comprising the four primary grade factors for the Student Portfolio. Students are graded for three postings per Write Time only, with those being the first three made. Any postings beyond that will not be counted – no exceptions! Postings made outside the stated deadlines will not be counted for grade points as, again, an emphasis on meeting deadlines under girds the course methodology;

 

Noted philanthropist and comic Bill Cosby shocked the nation with “Pound cake”

speech given on 50th anniversary of Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision

outlawing school segregation. Speech is a centerpiece for Write Time discussion forums.

 

  1. Advanced Writing Group Presentations: Each student participates in two (2) AW Group Presentations. The presentations consist of 5-6 class members working jointly together on an assigned topic which is presented to the class using Power Point and complete with a formal handout for each student in the class. The presentations are drawn from The Sundance Writer course textbook in focusing on grammatical and mechanical conventions as well as in regards to protocols for preparing and documenting the research paper. The individual grade is based upon the student’s preparation and presentation as well as the group’s overall effectiveness. These presentations are averaged together in forming the fifth primary grade factor.

 

  1. Writing Topics: Students in this class will write and submit a total of four formal essays within the modes of discourse – the personal narrative, position, evaluative critique, and the problem-solution. In addition, students learn the techniques of researching and writing the Annotated Bibliography with what becomes a fifth formal writing assignments. All of the papers are written according to the recursive writing process of prewriting, rough draft, editing and revision, then final draft with peer critiques and one-on-one conferencing. The papers will be written in standard manuscript format, typewritten, double-spaced with cover pages. The papers constitute the sixth factor in grading for the class;

 

  1. The Capstone Paper: The assigned book for this course is Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors by Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussant. The Advanced Writing student prepares a critical analysis of this work as the capstone paper. The paper is to be no less than 2,500 typewritten, double-spaced words (i.e., ten pages). It is to have no less than fifteen (15) formal citations including four (4) drawn from at least two (2) outside references such as published book reviews in scholarly journals that are peer-reviewed. The Capstone paper must have a “Works Cited” section. Citations and “Works Cited” are to be done according to Modern Language Association guidelines. Due as noted in the course schedule, no student shall receive a grade of “B” or higher in this class who fails to submit this paper which constitutes the seventh and final primary grading factor for the course – no exceptions!

 

Grading Policy:

 

Grades in this class are administered on a “Plus-Minus” basis. The final course grade in based on the average of the primary grade factors listed under “Course Requirements” combined with any bonus points earned by the student.  Grades are based on the following valuations, as is the final grade that a student receives for work completed in the course. The Bonus points include the utilization of the Writing Specialists in either the Pan African Studies Writing Center or the University Learning Resource Center and those other areas as described herein. The system is based upon that of Grading Policy as stated in the 2006-2008 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog of California State University Northridge (34) with slight modifications as shown below:

 

“A+” = 4.3;

“A” = 3.71 - 4.0;

“A-“= 3.5-3.7;

“B+” = 3.3 – 3.49;

“B” = 3.0 – 3.29;

“B-“= 2.7- 2.99;

“C+” = 2.3- 2.69;

“C” = 2.0- 2.29;

“C-“= 1.7- 1.99;

“D+” = 1.3- 1.69;

“D” = 1.0- 1.29;

“D-“= 0.7- 0.99; and

“Fail” = 0.00 – 0.69.

 

While a student cannot receive a final course grade of “A+,” that grading can be applied to individual assignments (e.g., a writing assignment, a group presentation, a posting in The Write Time, etcetera) presented by the student during the semester in this class. The course final grade represents the cumulative grade point average achieved by the student for the seven primary grade factors described under the “Course Requirements.” To wit, Essay Examinations, Objective Examinations, Advanced Writer’s Group Presentations, Write Time Discussion Forums, Homework Assignments, Writing Assignments (i.e., Papers), and the Capstone Paper.

 

In addition, the cumulative grade point average earned in this course also reflects any earned "Bonus" points by the student to include exceptional in-class performance, outstanding attendance, extra-credit assignments and special projects. Those "Special Projects" include, but are not limited to, the student memorizing and then reciting in class any one of the following poems (with bonus points indicated in parenthesis following the particular work mentioned): Maya Angelou, "Still I Rise (1.0 points) or "Phenomenal Woman" (1.0 points); Nikki Giovanni, "Ego Tripping" (1.0 points); Langston Hughes, "The Negro Mother" (2.0 points) or "Mother to Son" (1.0 points) and Margaret Walker, "For My People" (2.0 points). To qualify for bonus points where one of the aforementioned poems is concerned, the student must contact the course instructor at least two class meetings prior in requesting opportunity to present the poem which must be fully memorized as no credit will be given for partial recitations.

 

Acclaimed poet and educator Nikki Giovanni is among those major writers PAS 350 students

Are given opportunity to not only study but gain empowerment from through works such as

“Ego Tripping,” one of the poems students can learn and use for bonuses in the class.

 

Lastly, the course policy with regards to the grade of “Incomplete” is that stated in the CSUN Catalogue with special emphasis that, “An incomplete shall not be assigned when a student would be required to attend a major portion of the class when it is next offered. “In this instance, the incomplete grade shall not be offered to any student whose semester performance has been at “C-“ or lower or who has failed to complete “a substantial portion of the class requirement.”

 

In short, the grade of “Incomplete” shall only be given to the student whose cumulative grade point average in the class is 2.3 or higher and is able to provide a verifiable reason for missing one (1) important element in the class; e.g., the Term Paper, the Exit Essay Examination, the Common Essay Examination due to unforeseen circumstance and cannot make said grade factor up within the actual semester. The grade of “Incomplete” will not, under any circumstances, be awarded to a student doing below average work in the class or who stops attending class with no verifiable, acceptable cause. The “Incomplete” Grading Policy in this instance is the same as that stated in the 2006-2008 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog of California State University Northridge (34)

 

Classroom Protocols:

 

All students are to read “What A Professor Expects from Students: Survival Motions for Successfully Getting Through College” found in the Appendix to The Effective Writer (Scott, 2005), pgs. 191-192 for in-depth discussion on this issue.

 

Course Schedule

 

“You were never expected to aspire to excellence. Instead, you

were to make peace with being mediocre.”

-- James Baldwin, from “My Dungeon Shook”

 

James Baldwin in 1958 (photograph by Mottke Weisman).His seminal collection of essays

The Fire Next Time is among those works students in this course have an opportunity to

Learn from in studying the craft of writing with insight and power.

 

Week 1 (January 22nd-26th, 2008)                         Orientation

 

1. Wednesday, January 23, 2008                                                                                   Orientation: “Course Requirements”

 

2. Friday, January 25, 2008                                                                                           Orientation: “The PAS 350 Grading System”

                                                                                                                                  Announcement: The Color Purple (Special Guest: Christopher Aston,

                                                                                                                                                          Office of Student Affairs and International Programs)

 

Week 2 (Jan. 28th-Feb. 2nd, 2008))   A Black History Month Treat

 

This scene comes from THE COLOR PURPLE, the Los Angeles production at the Ahmanson Theater of the play nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2004 and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones, which set tone for this spring 2008 offering of PAS 350 with the students attending performance

on February 1st and subsequently writing Evaluative Essays on the experience underwritten by Discovery, Inquire and Grow in Los Angeles (DIGLA) Program which has made it possible to enhance instruction in Pan African Studies be exposing students in Writing Program to first-rate, professional Black Theater.

 

3. Monday, January 28, 2008                                                                                         Pre-Semester Essay Exam (Large Blue Book Required)

                                                                                                                                   Reading: Chapter 1, “Why Write,” pgs. 1-8 from The Sundance Writer.

 

4. Wednesday, January 30, 2008                                                                                   Lecture: “The Stages of Writing: Stage One – Creating”

                                                                                                                                  Homework #1: "Making Choices: The 9-Step Life Management Protocol,"

                                                                                                                                                           Key Concepts and Discussion Questions.

                                                                                                                                  Reading: “Introduction,” Come On People; Chapter 2, “The Writing Process:

                                                                                                                                                 An Overview,” pgs. 11-19 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                  Write Time #1 Opens (As of 10:00am with response to Writing Prompt due

                                                                                                                                                          to be posted by/before 10:00am Wednesday, February 6th and

                                                                                                                                                          responses to the same postings by any two classmates due

                                                                                                                                                          by/before 10:00am Wednesday, February 20th.)

 

5. Friday, February 1, 2008                                                                                        HW#1 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                Lecture: “The Evaluative Mode of Discourse”

                                                                                                                                                                Homework #2: The Looping Technique on "The Worst                                                                                                                                                                         Commercial Ever Made"

                                                                                                                                                       Topic – “The Worst Commercial Ever Made”

                                                                                                                                Reading: Part 1 – “What’s Going On With Black Men?” pgs. 1-16 from Come

                                                                                                                                              On People; Chapter 3, “The Writing Context,” pgs. 21-36 from The

                                                                                                                                              Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                Writing Assignment #1: To do Looping and Cubing techniques + 1,000-word

                                                                                                                                                                        Evaluative Essay on The Color Purple – The

                                                                                                                                                                        Musical (Note: Students to leave at 5:30pm this same

                                                                                                                                                                        Friday evening from CSUN to attend performance

                                                                                                                                                                        of The Color Purple at the Ahmanson Theater in

                                                                                                                                                                        downtown Los Angeles)

 

Week 3  (February 4th-9th, 2008)           Stage One of Writing: The Creating Techniques

Each week in PAS 350 Advanced Writing course finds students progressing from one stage to the next not only in terms of writing abilities, but consciousness and self-realization as well.

 

6. Monday, February 4, 2008                                                                                                 HW#2 Due (Handwritten at start of class)

                                                                                                                                            Lecture/Presentation: “The John Wooden Philosophy of Success and

                                                                                                                                                                              How It Translates to Advanced Writing”

                                                                                                                                                      Homework #3: "The Cubing Technique" (Key Concepts

                                                                                                                                                                    assigned by instructor)

 

7. Wednesday, February 6, 2008                                                                                             HW#3 Due (Key Concepts via email as of 10:00am with Cubing

                                                                                                                                                               to be handwritten and submitted at start of class)

                                                                                                                                             Lecture/Presentation: “The Creating Techniques”

                                                                                                                                             1st Round Group Presentation Assignments: Group 1 – “Strategies for

                                                                                                                                                            Detecting & Revising Fragments/Strategies for Detecting &

                                                                                                                                                            Revising Run-Ons and Comma Splices,” pgs.. 842-845;

                                                                                                                                                            Group 2 – “Strategies for Detecting & Revising Faulty

                                                                                                                                                            Parallelism/Strategies for Revising Sentence Problems,” pgs.

                                                                                                                                                            847-852; and Group 3 – “Strategies for Overcoming

                                                                                                                                                            Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement/Strategies for

                                                                                                                                                            Avoiding Sexism in Pronoun Use,” pgs. 853-859 (Note: All

                                                                                                                                                            presentations based upon The Sundance Writer with each

                                                                                                                                                            group having 40-45 minutes in which to make presentation) 

                                                                                                                                             Reading: Part 1 – “What’s Going On With Black?,” pgs. 16-30 from

                                                                                                                                                           Come On People “Critical Thinking: Seeing with a Writer’s

                                                                                                                                                           Eye,” pgs. 45-58 from The Sundance Writer.

 

8. Friday, February 8, 2008                                                                                                     Writing Assignment #1 Due (At start of class)

                                                                                                                                             Lecture: “Considerations in Evaluative Writing: Assessment with an

                                                                                                                                                           ‘Insider’s Perspective”

                                                                                                                                                     Homework #4: "Attention Grabbers: Essay Gambits" (Key                                                                                                                                                     Concepts & Discussion Questions)

                                                                                                                                                                     Gambits” (Key Concepts & Discussion Questions)

                                                                                                                                             Reading: “Developing and Supporting a Thesis,” pgs. 70-79 from The

                                                                                                                                                            Sundance Writer.

 

Week 4 (February 11th-16th, 2008)          Fundamental Writing Principles

From John Singleton’s seminal Boyz in the Hood to Will Smith’s the Pursuit of Happyness and on through Bill Cosby’s Come On People, there can be no mistaking the importance of strong, positive male adult role models in the growth and development of healthy, responsible black male youth which is one of the themes

undergirding the teaching of this course preparing students majoring in Pan African Studies and looking to take on roles of responsibility in Black communities across the nation.

 

  1. Monday, February 11, 2008                                                                                          Homework #4 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)        

                                                                                                                                               Lecture: “Basics of Evaluative Writing: Moving from Protagonist to

                                                                                                                                                              Antagonist”

                                                                                                                                              Homework #5: Effective Listening and Note-Taking Techniques

                                                                                                                                                                        (Key Concepts and Discussion Questions”

                                                                                                                                               Reading: Part 2 – “It Takes A Community,” pgs. 31-43 from Come

                                                                                                                                                             On People.

                                                                                                                                               Faculty-Student Clinical Conferences

 

9. Wednesday, February 13, 2008                                                                                              Homework #5 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                               Lecture: “The Principle of Unity in Writing: Focus on Paragraphs”

                                                                                                                                              Homework #6: "The Power Words"

                                                                                                                                               Reading: Chapter 7, “Supporting A Thesis,” pgs. 80-88 from The

                                                                                                                                                             Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                               Faculty-Student Clinical Conferences

 

 

10. Friday, February 15, 2008                                                                                                   Homework #6 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                              Lecture: “The Principle of Unity in Writing – Levels of Support”

                                                                                                                                              Homework #7: Writing Activities 1-5, pg. 88 from The Sundance

                                                                                                                                                                     Writer.

                                                                                                                                              Reading: Part 2 – “It Takes A Community,” pgs. 43-56

                                                                                                                                                            from Come On People; “Developing and Supporting a

                                                                                                                                                            Thesis,” pgs. 88-91 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                              Faculty-Student Clinical Conferences

 

                                                                   

                                                                    

Week 5 (February 18th-23rd, 2008)           Writing Principles – Unity and Coherence

Talk radio “Shock Jock” Don Imus, left, is shown here appearing on Rev. Al Sharpton’s program in aftermath of the controversial, racist remarks made by Imus about the Black members of the Rutgers University NCAA women’s basketball team after that group’s 2nd place finish in the NCAA’s women’s championship tournament where he referred to these young ladies as “nappy-headed ho’s.”

 

 

11. Monday, February 18, 2008                                                                                     Homework #7 (Due via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                   Lecture: “The Principle of Unity in Writing: Levels of Support in Longer

                                                                                                                                                  Compositions”

                                                                                                                                          Homework #8: "The Fire This Time" by Johnie, Key Concepts &

                                                                                                                                                            Discussion Questions.

                                                                                                                                   Reading: Chapter 9, “Developing Paragraphs,” pgs. 112-121 from The

                                                                                                                                                 Sundance Writer.

 

12. Wednesday, February 20, 2008                                                                                HW#8 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                   Lecture: “The Principle of Unity in Writing: From Topic Sentences to

                                                                                                                                                  Thesis Statements”

                                                                                                                                   Return of Pre-Semester Essay Examinations

                                                                                                                                                             for Revisions in Writing Center

                                                                                                                                   Closing of Write Time #1 (As of 10:00am)

 

13. Friday, February 22, 2008                                                                                         Lecture: “The Principle of Coherence in Writing: The Clarifying Devices”

                                                                                                                                   Write Time #2: “The Power of Language: Of Don Imus and the Political

                                                                                                                                                              Correctness in Using the N Word” (Opens as of 1:00pm,

                                                                                                                                                              Friday, February 22nd and closes as of 1:00pm, Saturday,

                                                                                                                                                              March 15th, 2008)

                                                                                                                                   Homework #9:“Letter to Ho Chih Minh, April 10, 1967 by President Lyndon

                                                                                                                                                          Baines Johnson and “A Short Story about the Vietnam War

                                                                                                                                                          Memorial,” pgs. 37-41 followed by answering Questions 1-6,

                                                                                                                                                          pg. 42 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                   Reading: Part 3 – “We All Start Out As Children,” pgs. 57-77 from Come On

                                                                                                                                                 People.

 

Week 6 (February 25th-March 1st, 2008)     Critical Reasoning and Writing in Problem-Solving

Monday night, February 25th, finds ABC-TV having a World Premiere showing of play Raisin In The Sun starring Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Rashad and Sean Combs in 2004 production which received 11 Tony Award nominations for Lorraine Hansberry’s searing examination on the trials and tribulations facing African American families with PAS 350 students viewing the film and then writing Problem-Solution analyses of the work and issues contained therein.

 

14. Monday, February 25th, 2008                                                                                       Homework #9 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                      Lecture/Presentation: "The Problem-Solution Mode of Discourse"

                                                                                                                                      Writing Assignment #2: Looping and Cubing Techniques + 1,000-word

                                                                                                                                                                          Problem-Solution Essay on Raisin in the Sun

                                                                                                                                                                          (ABC-TV World Premiere, Feb. 25, 2008).

                                                                                                                                      Reading: Chapter 4, “Critical Thinking: Seeing With A Writer’s Eye,” pgs.

                                                                                                                                                    45-49 from The Sundance Writer.

 

15. Wednesday, February 27th, 2008                                                                                 Pre-Semester Essay Exam Rewrite Due (At start of class with Blue Book

                                                                                                                                                                                            and Writing Center Tutor’s Signature)

                                                                                                                                      Lecture: "Coherence in Writing: Transitions and Synonym Reference"

                                                                                                                                      Reading: Chapter 4, “Critical Thinking: Common Errors in Critical Thinking,”

                                                                                                                                                    pgs. 50-53 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                      Homework #10: Writing Activity #2, pg. 56 from The Sundance Writer.

 

16. Friday, February 29th, 2008

                                                                                                                                     Lecture/Presentation: "Organization" (Power Point)

                                                                                                                                      Reading: Part 3 – “We All Start Out As Children,” pgs. 77-98 from Come

                                                                                                                                                    On People; Chapter 4, “Critical Thinking: Common Errors in

                                                                                                                                                    Critical Thinking,” pages. 54-56 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                              

Week 7 (March 3rd-8th, 2008)                    The Argumentative Mode of Discourse

 

In The Miseducation of the Negro, Noted historian Carter G. Woodson noted that “The Negro has been so enslaved in the mind until he instinctively looks for the back door rather than the front. And where there is no back door to enter, he will make one.” These are the psychological chains that PAS 350 seeks to break.

 

17. Monday, March 3rd, 2008                                                                                         HW #10 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                      1st Round – Group Presentations: Group 1, "Strategies for Fragments, Run-

                                                                                                                                                        Ons and Comma Splices" (Anthony Douglas, Shanna Hudson

                                                                                                                                                        and Von McGee. Each group has 40-45 minutes in which to

                                                                                                                                                        make its presentation.

                                                                                                                          Reading: Chapter 27, “The Essay Examination” from The Sundance Writer.

 

18. Wednesday, March 5th, 2008                                                                           WA#2 Problem-Solution Essay Due(At start of class with creating                                                                                                                                           techniques attached)

                                                                                                                                      1st Round – Group Presentations: Group 2, "Strategies for Faulty Parallelism

                                                                                                                                                        and Sentence Problems" (Jessica Driscoll, Christina Kiflom and

                                                                                                                                                        Irvin Lackey). Each group with 40-45 minutes to  present.

                                                                                                                          Reading: Part 4 – “Teach Your Children Well,” pgs. 99-111 from Come On People;

                                                                                                                                        Chapter 25, “Cause and Effect,” pgs. 587-594 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                          Homework #11: “Who Killed Benny Paret?” by Norman Cousins, pgs. 603-605,

                                                                                                                                                    Understanding Context, Evaluating Strategy and Appreciating

                                                                                                                                                    Language, pg. 605 from The Sundance Writer.

 

19. Friday, March 7th, 2008                                                                                  HW#11 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

                                                                                                                                       Return of WA#1 Essay for Revisions to be done in Writing Center

                                                                                                                                   Writing Assignment #3: To do Looping and Cubing + 1,000-word                                                                                                                                             Argumentative Essay on Assigned Topic.

                                                                                                                           1st Round – Group Presentations: Group 3, "Strategies for Subject-Verb                                                                                                                                  Agreement and Avoiding Sexism" (Nicole Turner and Monica Youngblood.)                                                                                                                           Each group has 40-45 minutes for its presentation.

                                                                                                                         Reading: Chapter 25, “Strategies for Reading Cause and Effect,” pg. 599 from The

                                                                                                                                       Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                         Homework #12: “Why Schools Don’t Educate” by John Taylor GATT, pgs. 606-608,

                                                                                                                                                   Understanding Context/Evaluating Strategy/Appreciating

                                                                                                                                                   Language, pgs. 608-609 from The Sundance Writer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Week 8 (March 10th-15th, 2008)                               Midterm Examinations

 

20. Monday, March 10th, 2008                                                                   HW#12 Due (Via email at start of class, 10:00am)

                                                                                                                     Midterm Essay Examination (Large Blue Book Required)

                                                                                                                     Reading: Chapter 26, “Argument and Persuasion,” pgs. 633-651 and Argument and

                                                                                                                                  Persuasion Checklist/pg. 692” from The Sundance Writer.

 

21. Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

                                                                                                                    Midterm Objective Exam: Part 1 – Terminology (45 mins.)

                                                                                                                    Reading: Part 4 – “Teach Your Children Well,” pgs. 112-132 and Part 5 – “The Media

                                                                                                                                  You Deserve,” pgs. 133-158 from Come On People

                                                          

22. Friday, March 14th, 2008                                                                                  WA#1 Evaluative Essay Revision Due(At start of class with Original Draft and