Using The Call to Write: Sample Syllabi and Assignments with Narratives on Book Chapters

Authors: Anthony Edgington, Linda Panczner, Suzanne Smith, and Paul Wise

Created Summer 2008

The following handbook was created to assist both new and experienced instructors in using the Brief Fourth Edition of John Trimbur’s Call to Write. Within this handbook, teachers will find the following:

· Sample syllabi

· Sample assignments (including both full assignment sheets and ideas for possible assignments)

· Narratives about how the four instructors created the course syllabi and assignments

· Narratives on Section III (Writing and Research Projects) and Section IV (Writers at Work). These narratives focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each chapter, along with pointing out important sections and noting how the chapters could be used with other chapters/genres in the Trimbur text

Before you read over this handbook, it is important to look at two other documents first:

1. The University of Toledo Composition Program’s Faculty Handbook. This handbook contains information on course objectives and goals, course policies (such as attendance, late work, and plagiarism policies), prerequisites for the course, and course requirments. In addition, information on select teaching tools, such as peer review, conferencing, and responding to student texts, is included.

2. The Call to Write textbook. We would advise scanning through the textbook before reading this handbook so that you have a better sense of the layout of the book and so that you will be better able to understand the syllabi and assignments offered here.

Table of Contents

Anthony Edgington’s Course Documents…………………………………………………...page 4

· Includes Course Narrative, Sample Syllabus, Sample Profile Assignment, and Sample Commentary Assignment

Linda Panczner’s Course Documents………………………………………………….page 16

· Include Sample Syllabus, Sample Letter Assignments (with chapter narrative) and Sample Review Assignments (with chapter narrative)

Suzanne Smith’s Course Documents……………………………………………...…..page 22

· Includes Course Narrative, Sample Syllabus, Overviews of Chapters 8 (Reports) and 10 (Proposals), and Sample Proposal Assignments

Paul Wise’s Course Documents…………………………………….……………page 47

· Includes Sample Syllabus, Overview of Chapter 5 (Memoir) and Sample Assignments, and Overview of Chapter 3 (Argument) with Sample Assignments

Information about Section III (Writing and Research Projects)…………………………………………………….page 62

Information about Section IV (Writers at Work)………………………………………………..……...page 67

Anthony Edgington’s Course

When designing my syllabus for ENGL 1110, the first question I often ask myself is “What do incoming students at the University of Toledo need most?” I have found that I usually answer that question in three different ways, each of which influence the syllabus that encompasses the next few pages. First, students entering a first semester composition course need to be introduced to successful writing strategies, ones they can incorporate into not only the current course, but into other writing intensive courses they will take throughout their academic career. They need to know about strong invention strategies, like freewriting, journaling, and brainstorming. They need to be able to conduct both rhetorical and audience analysis as they create and review different texts. They need to be taught systems of proofreading and revision, something that is easier to do using a portfolio system. They need to be able to not only find and use research, but should come to see themselves as researcher, able to create research through their own primary researching skills. And, they need to come to realize the importance of grammar, especially how it affects readers’ views of a writer’s credibility.

Second, new students need to be able to learn about this new community they are entering. For many students, the first year in the university brings with it new faces and environments and often challenges previously held beliefs and assumptions. Thus, the writing assignments I ask students to complete during the course are designed to now only introduce them to genres and writing strategies they will encounter in future classes, but also offers them the chance to learn more about the University of Toledo and life as a college student. I will talk more about these assignments in the section titled “Discussion of Assignments.”

Finally, new students should also participate in many of the activities expected inside of a college classroom. I organize the course so that students have the opportunity to discuss various topics and issues in small and large group formats. Students also receive feedback on their writing through workshop groups and have the chance to talk with me several times during the semester in one-on-one conferences. Having an opportunity to speak to others about a topic they have researched is important; an informal presentation on findings from their researched commentary is also included in the course. Finally, I want students to take time to think about their strengths and weaknesses as writers and researchers, something that is done through reflective journals, letters, and in-class writings. This reflection will help them come to a better understanding of what they can accomplish as writers and sets the stage for their future development in later writing courses.

Discussion of Assignments

As outlined on the syllabus on the next few pages, students are asked to complete four formal assignments for this course. The following are brief overviews of the four assignments, including pertinent information from the chapters that would be highlighted:

· Memoir Assignment: Typical of most first semester writing courses, the memoir assignment asks student to write a narrative-based text the recounts experiences and memories on a particular topic. For this course, keeping with the theme of introducing students to college, I plan to ask students to write a memoir on a fellow family member’s experiences in college or a memoir about when the student first decided to attend college. In teaching the assignment, I would take time to point out the reading selections in the chapter, focusing on use of detail, how the texts are organized, and the moment of revelation (I think Trimbur’s discussion of this on page 149-150 is a good starting point). The information about social networking sites on page 153 is short and a little vague, but could provide a nice starting point for a class discussion on the topic. There is also a list of additional assignments for this genre on page 157-158. Finally, I plan to use a good amount of the information in second half of the chapter, with a focus on the invention strategies and information on introduction and conclusions under the Working Draft section.

· Profile Assignment: The assignment sheet for the profile assignment is listed in this section of the handbook. My goal for the profile assignment is to not only have students learn about this genre, but also to introduce them to different organizations and groups on campus. The assignment has worked very well in the past and, semesters later, I still hear from students who were working with the group they profiled (including students working for Habitat for Humanity, the Black Student Union, and holding an office with the Student Government). For the profile chapter, I would use all three examples offered in the first half of the chapter, but would stress how their profile would be not only focusing on the group member, but also the group. I really like Trimbur’s discussion on open form and dominant impression on page 220-221 and would make sure to point that out to students. Again, more assignment ideas are listed on page 231-232. During the writing strategies section of the chapter, I would point out the important information on background information (pgs 233-234), deciding on the dominant impression (pg. 234) and establishing perspective (pg. 237-238).

· Commentary Assignment: The assignment sheet for the commentary assignment is listed in this section of the handbook. As outlined on the assignment sheet, students are asked to research and write a commentary on a problem affecting college students today. In addition to information from the commentary chapter, I often bring in short readings on possible topics, including the economic realities of attending college, school violence, drunk driving, and paying athletes. Newsweek’s My Turn articles work well for this assignment. Make sure to point out the section on Ethics of Writing on page 289-290 to students. The readings for this chapter are okay, but don’t relate directly to the assignment topics, so I tend to use the shorter readings listed above instead and link them to Trimbur’s analysis of his readings throughout the chapter. I’ve also found that incorporating material from chapter three works well here, especially Trimbur’s discussion of logos, pathos, ethos and counterarguments. Additional assignments are listed on page 304-305. Invention strategies are important for an assignment of this nature (especially since students will need to devote significant time to research), so make sure to spend some time with the invention section on page 306-308. There is good information on planning introductions and conclusions later in the chapter. And, while short, the section on maintaining a reasonable tone is important to point out to students who may be more accustomed to television and radio commentators yelling and screaming at each other.

· Letter Assignment: The final assignment for the course will ask students to write a reflective letter about their writing and themselves as writers. This letter will be used to introduce the final portfolio that will be submitted at the end of the semester. Students will be asked to reflect on and assess their writing in relation to the program objectives outlined in the faculty handbook. I will use the samples and information in Chapter 4 to point out to students the features of writing a formal letter to a specific audience. The reflective letter is the one formal paper students will create that will not receive initial feedback from the instructor. Students will be able to get feedback from peers on the letters, but I will treat this document almost like a final exam, gauging student writing ability and progress without my assistance.

The Portfolio

The final project for this course is a showcase portfolio. Students will include the reflective letter along with two of the other three formal papers written for this course. Students will also be asked to include some in-class and informal writing in the portfolio.

Odds and Ends

The course is built around some lecture and small and large group discussion. Most of this discussion will focus on assisting students in better understanding the genres they are writing and in introducing to them strategies that can be used as the create these genres. Students will also work in peer groups offering feedback on peers’ texts and will meet with me periodically for one-on-one conferences.

English 1110-074: College Composition I

MW 5:45-7 pm

UH 4280

Instructor: Dr. Anthony Edgington

Phone: 419-530-8578

E-mail: (send email before trying to call)

Office: UH 6050

Office Hours: MW 4:00-5:00 (or by appointment)

Required Texts:

Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook (5th edition). Longman, 2003

Trimbur, John. The Call to Write (Brief Fourth Edition). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

Course Description:

Welcome to English 1110, a course that will assist you in both your college and professional future. The goals of this course are two-fold. First, we will engage in academic discussions and write about the role of popular culture in our everyday lives. Second, you will be introduced to different genres of writing, including narrative, argument, summary, and rhetorical analysis. You will be practicing your writing skills constantly within these genres. Ideally, this course will sharpen your critical thinking and writing skills and allow you to consider in depth a variety of complex issues through discussion and writing.

When I think about writing, I am reminded of how individuals learn to ride a bike, play an instrument, or drive a car. It’s all about practice, and you will be practicing your writing a lot this semester. You will be writing texts for the instructor, along with texts for possible outside audiences. You will be writing for and with your peers. And, you will write just for yourself. The goal is to keep writing; the more you write, the easier it will get.

From a fortune cookie: Practice is the best of all instructors.

Prerequisites:

Prerequisite for ENGL 1110 - completion of ENGL 1100 with an NC grade or placement through a test score or writing sample

Learning Objectives:

Students who successfully complete ENGL 1110 will learn to do the following:

· Identify the purpose and thesis in both their own writing and in the writing of others;

· Display knowledge about multiple ways to arrange a text, including the successful use of organizational patterns, transitional and topic sentences, and audience awareness;

· Showcase the ability to develop arguments and perspectives through the successful incorporation of research, examples, details, and counter-arguments;

· Demonstrate effective revision skills (global revision, editing, and proofreading) that leads to clear, concise and error-free prose;

· Develop critical reading skills, including the ability to locate rhetorical features in a text, identify the audience for a given text, and identify strengths and weaknesses in an author’s arguments and reasoning; and

· Understand academic researching skills, including how to locate scholarly source, evaluate the reliability of a source, and effectively use sources within a text. The ability to cite sources in-text and develop a works cited page must be shown.

Course Requirements:

Students will produce a minimum of 5,000 words in final draft form over the course of the semester. This will mean roughly 18 to 20 finished pages. At least one paper will be a documented essay using MLA format and incorporating a number of sources with a sustained discussion that results in a paper of at least 5 pages.

Assignments

(more information will be provided about each assignment later in the semester)

1. Final Portfolio (40% of final grade)

a. Students will submit a portfolio consisting of formal papers, in-class writings, and other class documents. More information about the final portfolio will be handed out during the last three weeks of the semester.

2. In-Class Writings (20% of final grade)

a. Students will complete both individual and group in-class writings about the course readings throughout the semester. In-class writings will be evaluated based on knowledge of course texts, arguments within, organization, grammar and mechanics. More information about the in-class writings will be handed out throughout the course.

3. Draft Grades (20% of final grade)

a. Students will receive credit for workshopping and submitting drafts of formal papers. More information about the draft grades will be included on each formal paper assignment sheet.