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 50^th 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:

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:

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:

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.

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.

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.

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 50^th anniversary of Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision

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

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.

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;

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 22^nd-26^th, 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. 28^th-Feb. 2^nd, 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 1^st 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 6^th and

responses to the same postings by any two classmates due

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

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 4^th-9^th, 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”

1^st 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 11^th-16^th, 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.

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 18^th-23^rd, 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 2^nd 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 22^nd and closes as of 1:00pm, Saturday,

March 15^th, 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 25^th-March 1^st, 2008) Critical Reasoning and Writing in Problem-Solving

Monday night, February 25^th, 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 25^th, 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 27^th, 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 29^th, 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 3^rd-8^th, 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 3^rd, 2008 HW #10 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

1^st 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 5^th, 2008 WA#2 Problem-Solution Essay Due(At start of class with creating techniques attached)

1^st 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 7^th, 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.

1^st 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 10^th-15^th, 2008) Midterm Examinations

20. Monday, March 10^th, 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 12^th, 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 14^th, 2008 WA#1 Evaluative Essay Revision Due(At start of class with Original Draft and Writing Tutor's Signature

Midterm Objective Exam: Part 2 –Writing Conventions

Homework #13: Writing Activity #1-5, pg. 637 from The Sundance Writer.

Closing of Write Time #2 (As of 2:00pm, March 14^th, 2008))

Write Time #3: “Of Bill Cosby and the ‘Pound Cake’ Speech” (Opens as of 2:00pm,

Saturday, March 15th with students having up through 2:00pm, Friday,

March 28^th to respond to original writing prompt and then up through

2pm, Sunday, April 13^th, to respond to any two classmates)

Please note that Spring Break is March 16^th-23^rd – Campus will be closed with no classes.

Week 9 (March 24^th-29^th, 2008) Midterm Objective Exams

A scant 143 years have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and enforced with Civil War victory putting an end to the Slave Trade and the need for that Underground Railroad Blacks took during that time to freedom. Young Black America’s challenge is to carry the torch forward and teach.

23. Monday, March 24^th, 2008 HW#13 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

Discusssion: "Track-Switching -- The 3rd in Group of Expanded Techniques"

Discussion: The Argumentative Essay (Writing Assignment #3)

Homework #14: "An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Whites Have a Moral Obligation to Recognize Slavery's Legacy" by Manning Marable, pgs. 679-681, "Understanding Context, Questions 1-6, pg. 681 and "Evaluating Strategy," pg. 682 from The SundanceWriter.

24. Wednesday, March 26^th, 2008 Homework #14 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

Select Discussion of Midterm Essay Exam Results (With return for revisions)

Homework #15: "A Childish Illusion: Reparations Enshrine Victimhood, Dishonoring Our Ancestors" by Shelby Steele, pgs. 683-685, Understanding Context 1-5, Evaluating Strategy 1-3 and Appreciating Language 1-2, pg. 685 from The Sundance Writer.

25. Friday, March 28^th, 2008 Discussion: "Responding to Bill Cosby's 'Pound Cake' Speech"

Lecture: “Writing for Power and Flair: The Function Paragraph (Part 1)”

Reading: Part 6 – “Healthy Hearts & Minds,” pgs. 159-172 from Come On

People

Week 10 (March 31^st-April 5^th, 2008) Critical Thinking and Writing

The relationship that exists between critical thinking and writing is not only one of power. It is marked by a grace, a flow, a rhythm in the writing that appeals to all discerning readers and audiences.

Note: Monday, March 31^st, is Cesar Chavez Day – An Official State Holiday with Campus closed and no classes scheduled.

26. Wednesday, April 2^nd, 2008 Homework #15 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

Midterm Essay Exam Revisions Due (At start of class with Blue Book and Writing Specialist's signature

Writing Assignment #3 Due (At start of class with creating techniques) Lecture/Presentation: "Ten Week Assessment and Status Report"

Homework #16: Writing Activity #1-6, pg. 642 from The Sundance Writer.

27. Friday, April 4^th, 2008 HW#16 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

Homework #17: Questions for Review and Revision and Writing Suggestion #1, pg.

649 from The Sundance Writer.

2^nd Round –“Writing the Research Paper” Presentation Assignments: Group 1,

“Strategies for Using Sources,” pgs. 769-777 (Jessica Driscoll and

Anthony Douglas); Group 2, “Strategies for Documentation: The MLA

Style, pgs. 777-797 (Christina Kiflow, Von McGee and Nicole Turner);

and Group 3, “Strategies for Documentation: The APA Style,” pgs. 797-

820 (Shanna Hudson, Irvin Lackey and Monica Youngblood) with all

presentations from The Sundance Writer. Note each group has 45-60

minutes in which to present using Powerpoint and handouts.

Reading: Part 6 – “Healthy Hearts & Minds,” pgs. 173-190 from Come On People.

Week 11 (April 7^th-12^th, 2008) The Evaluative Essay: Taking a Stand, Giving an Informed Opinion

For those who lived in the 9^th Ward of New Orleans, this was a familiar sight in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Great Flood of 2005. PAS 350 Advanced Writers are challenged to not only master grammar and mechanics, but put those skills to work in becoming problem solvers for those who lack the skills like the many thousands trapped by the storms and then victimized afterwards by the government.

28. Monday, April 7^th, 2008 HW#17 Due (Via email as of 10:00am)

WA#2 Revision Due ((At start of class with 1st draft and Tutor's signature)

Return of WA#3 for Revisions

Peer Critiques of Selected Personal Experience and Evaluative Essays

Objective Quiz Results and Week 11 Progress Report

Screening: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

(On reserve at Oviatt Library Media Center)

Reading: Chapter 17, “Becoming a Critical Reader: Reading with a ‘Writer’s

Eye,’” pgs. 251-261 from The Sundance Writer.

29. Wednesday, April 9^th, 2008

Presentation: “The Track-Switching Technique”

Presentation/Lecture: "The Function Paragraph"

Reading: Chapter 18, “Description: Presenting Impressions,” pgs.262-310 from

The Sundance Writer.

Closing of Write Time #3 (As of 2:00pm)

Write Time #4: “Yes We Can – The Remarkable Campaign of Barack

Obama” (Opens as of 4:00pm today, April 9^th, with students

responding to original writing prompt by 9:00pm, Friday,

April 16^th and then having one week in which to respond to

any two classmates with this Write Time closing effective

9:00pm, Friday, April 25^th.)

30. Friday, April 11, 2008

Guest Presentation: "Surviving in Unfriendly Territory: Coping with the University Experience as Underrepresented Students" (Reading of Essays and sharing of personal testimonies by Mr. Yonas Ambaw, Mr. Marquis Brignac and Ms. Britni Cardosa, former PAS 350 students and graduating CSUN students/PAS Majors)

WA#4: To do Looping & Track-Switching + 1,000-word Argumentative Essay on Assigned Topic based upon When the Levees Broke.

Reading: Part 7 – “The High Price of Violence,” pgs. 191-220 from Come On

People

Illinois Congressional Senator Barack Obama’s history-making campaign to be nominated as the

Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States has galvanized not only Black

Americans, but millions of Americans from sea to shining sea while posing the very real

Question for PAS 350 Advanced Writing students to consider: “Can an African American indeed

Make it to the White House?”

Week 12 (April 14^th-19th, 2008) Writing The Research Paper

One of the fundamental lessons youth must not only learn, but appreciate, is that very few are self-made; moreover, that it is a proud legacy knowing that they stood on the shoulders of giants, their parents and ancestors who always taught, “You are to go farther, reach higher than I!”

31. Monday, April 14, 2008 Guest Presentation: "Some Make It, Some Don't: The Obstacles That Seek to Deny Minority Student Achievement" (Guest Presentors -- Ms. Salomae Kpohanu, CSUN Graduating Senior and Mr. Corey Manlove, CSUN Alum, CTVA Major, Class of 2006)

Return of WA#2 for Revisions (To be done at LRC with Writing Specialists)

Reading: “Developing a Thesis Statement” by The Harvard Writing Center; Chapter 14, “Writing with Visuals,” pgs. 200-212 from The Sundance Writer.

32. Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Lecture: "The Function Paragraph: Crucial Considerations in Developing a Writing Persona or the Importance of Attitude, Movement and Consciousness in Written Discourse"

Return of WA#3 for Revisions (To be done at LRC with Writing Specialists)

Reading: Chapter 15, “Business and Professional Writing,” pgs. 213-234 from The Sundance Writer.

33. Friday, April 18, 2008 WA#4 Due (At start of class with creating techniques attached)

Lecture: "Developing the Thesis Statement for Research Papers: An Exercise in Good Judgment as well as Critical Thinking"

Reading: Part 8 – “From Poverty to Prosperity,” pgs. 221-231 from Come On People; Chapter 29,

“Conducting Research,” pgs. 729-764 from The Sundance Writer.

Week 13 (April 21^st-26^th, 2008) The Proper Conduct of Research and Documentation

While Denzel Washington should be given credit for "re-discovering" Melvin Beaunorus Tolson as the educator-scholar

that he was at Wiley College in Texas in motion picture The Great Debaters (2007), what many do not know is Tolson's

greater achievement as one of the nation's major poets, considered a "modernist" alongside T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound..

34. Monday, April 21, 2008 WA#2 Revision Due (At start of class with creating techniques attached)

2nd Round – "Writing the Research Paper" Presentations: Group 1. Note that each group will have 45-75 minutes to present. Group 1 presents on "Strategies for Using Sources"

Reading: Chapter 30, “Writing the Research Paper,” pgs. 765-800 from The Sundance

Writer.

35. Wednesday, April 23, 2008 WA#3 Revision Due (At start of class with creating techniques attached)

2^nd Round – "Writing the Research Paper" Presentations: Group 2: "Strategies for Documentation: The MLA Style." (This group has 40-45 minutes in which to complete its presentation)

Reading: Chapter 30, “Writing the Research Paper,” pgs. 801-824 from The Sundance

Writer.

36. Friday, April 25, 2008 Return of WA#4 for Revisions (To be done at Writing Center)

2nd Round – "Writing the Research Paper" Presentations: Group 3: "Strategies for Documentation: The APA Style" (This group has 40-45 minutes in which to make its presentation)

Reading: Part 8 – “From Poverty to Prosperity,” pgs. 232-244 from Come On People.

Write Time #4 Closes (As of 9:00pm)

Write Time #5: “What It Will Take to Bring Respect to Black Studies” (Opens as of

4:00pm today, April 25^th, responses to original writing prompt are due by 4:00pm, Wednesday, April 30th, then having one week in which to respond to any two students with this Write Time closing 4:00pm, Friday, May 9th.)

Week 14 (April 28^th-May 3^rd, 2008) The Annotated Bibliography

Pan African Studies teaches its students, unapologetically, that their world is much larger, and always has been, than any man-made ghetto.

37. Monday, April 28, 2008

Presentation/Lecture: "Writing the Annotated Bibliography"

Writing Assignment #5 Annotated Bibliography Groups: AB#1: Louis Armstrong

(Jessica Driscoll and Irvin Lackey), AB#2: A. Philip Randolph

(Shanna Hudson and Anthony Douglas, AB #3: Rita Dove

(Monica Youngblood and Von McGee), AB#4: Shirley Chisholm

(Christina Kiflom and Nicole Turner).

38. Wednesday, April 30, 2008 All Final WA Revisions Revisions Due (At start of class with original drafts and Tutor’s Signature) Special Workshop: "Library Information Sciences and the Annotated Bibliography" by Ms. Jennie Quionez-Skinner, Research Librarian, Oviatt Library (Class to meet at the Oviatt Library for this Workshop session)

39. Friday, May 2, 2008 Guest Lecture & Reading: "Sweet Potato Pie Under the Broiling Sun" (Guest Lecturer: James Golden, Poet and Author, CSUN Alum)

Reading: “Writing About Literature,” pgs. 705-728,The Sundance Writer.

Week 15 (May 5^th-10^th, 2008) Review Week

As students near the end of this course, they are given this image of the Black Man

Carrying the world…and left to wonder why it is no important to develop a cosmogony

That speaks to Black achievement as a significant contributor to world civilization.

40. Monday, May 5, 2008 WA#5 Annotated Bibliographies Due (At start of class)

PAS 350 Common Essay Exam (Large Blue Book Required)

41. Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Guest Lecture: “Writing About Literature” (Dr. Tom Spencer-Walters, Chairperson,

Pan African Studies Department and Author)

Week 16 (May 12^th-17^th, 2008) Finals Week

Communities are only as healthy and strong as the individuals upon whom they are built.

42. To Be Announced Exit Essay Examination (Large Blue Book Required)

10:15am-12:15pm Return of PAS Advanced Writing Student Portfolio (i.e., Essay

Exams, Objective Exams, Papers, etcetera)

43. Friday, May 16, 2008 PAS 350 Capstone Paper Due (In PAS Main Office by or

before 4:30pm – Santa Susana Bldg. Room 221)

Student Learning Outcomes for PAS 350:

The PAS 350 Advanced Writing student will realize 18 outcomes as a direct result of meeting the stated objectives for this course. Those outcomes include the following:

ü A developed facility at examining explicit relationships that exist between general concepts and specific details;

ü An enhanced understanding of the relationships among sentence structures, word choice, and meaning;

ü The ability to read critically about ideas and issues, including multicultural perspectives; analyze and synthesize information; draw inferences from data; draw conclusions from arguments; and distinguish fact from fiction;

ü The ability to analyze message, audience, language choice, tone, purpose, and author’s ethos in selections from a text;

ü The ability to comprehend and critically assess writings that reflect multicultural images and perspectives;

ü The ability to recognize logical fallacies, biased language, idioms, slang, jargon, and tone;

ü The ability to develop ideas with logical support, including the use of informed opinion, facts, and their interpretations;

ü The ability to write critically about ideas, including multicultural perspectives; analyze and synthesize information; draw inferences from data; draw conclusions from arguments; and distinguish facts from opinion;

ü The ability to write both independently and in collaboration with others;

ü The ability to assess and address appropriately the character and needs of an explicit audience;

ü A facility in using different genres in writing (e.g., autobiography, position, problem-solution, argumentative and case studies) for different academic disciplines or discourse communities;

ü The ability to apply the concepts of subordination/coordination; abstract/concrete words; general/specific examples; and cohesion;

ü Development of vocabulary appropriate to the subject and/or topic;

ü The ability to effectively use the syntactic and mechanical conventions of Edited American English (.g., grammar, usage, mechanics, and diction);

ü The ability to integrate one’s own ideas with those of others, using appropriate documentation;

ü The ability to use a style sheet consistently, such as MLA or APA style sheets;

ü An awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures and contexts of human experience;

ü The ability to show ways that writing can contribute to society and be an instrument for change; and

ü Lastly, the student will be able to demonstrate the ability to write for possible publication.

Student Information Competence (IC) Outcomes for PAS 350:

The PAS 350 Advanced Writing student may expect to experience four specific outcomes as a direct result of meeting the stated objectives for this course. Those outcomes include the following:

ü The ability to effectively use library and online resources individually and in concert with others;

ü Knowledge and mastery of basic word processing, email, WebCT, PowerPoint and the Internet;

ü The ability to integrate one’s own ideas with those of others, using appropriate documentation with the varied formats of information technology; and finally,

ü The ability to use computer technology in the writing process, including research and documentation.

How Met (Assessment):

Pre-Semester, Midterm and Common Timed Essay Examinations;
Objective Quizzes, Midterm Objective Examination and Exit Essay Examination on grammar and mechanics of writing;
Formal Homework Assignments submitted via electronic mail (i.e., Information Technology);
Advanced Writing Group Presentations using Power Point to discuss Grammar and Mechanics of Writing (e.g., The Structure of Sentences) , formats for documenting research (e.g., Modern Language Assn.) with these Group Presentations providing another method for assessing information technology skills;
Four expository papers involving various modes of written communication including personal narrative, evaluative, problem-solution and argumentative essays;
The Write Time Discussion Forums afford for students to become orientated to the WebCT and HyperNews at same time they are learning additional Information Age Technology skills through an ongoing learning process.