This document outlines the syllabus for a freshman composition course. It details the course objectives, major writing assignments, reading requirements, and grading standards. Students will complete a series of writing exercises and essays over the course of the semester designed to help them deepen their understanding of ideas and improve their writing skills through practice, peer review, and instructor feedback. The course aims to treat writing as an art and help students learn that the only way to improve their writing is through dedicated work.
This document outlines the syllabus for a freshman composition course. It details the course objectives, major writing assignments, reading requirements, and grading standards. Students will complete a series of writing exercises and essays over the course of the semester designed to help them deepen their understanding of ideas and improve their writing skills through practice, peer review, and instructor feedback. The course aims to treat writing as an art and help students learn that the only way to improve their writing is through dedicated work.
This document outlines the syllabus for a freshman composition course. It details the course objectives, major writing assignments, reading requirements, and grading standards. Students will complete a series of writing exercises and essays over the course of the semester designed to help them deepen their understanding of ideas and improve their writing skills through practice, peer review, and instructor feedback. The course aims to treat writing as an art and help students learn that the only way to improve their writing is through dedicated work.
Pr of essor Pat C. Hoy I I Of f i ce Hour s 411 Laf ayet t e St r eet , 407 By Apt M- Th Of f i ce ( 998- 8868) ph3@nyu. edu Required Texts: Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay. Ed. Rober t Di Yanni and Pat C. Hoy I I . Mercer Street. Ed. Di r ect or s, Exposi t or y Wr i t i ng Pr ogr am. The Little, Brown Essential Handbook for Writers. 6 th ed. J ane E. Aar on Oxford English Dictionary. Online t hr ough Bobst Li br ar y Li nk. Fr ee. Texts Recommended (as needed): Reading and Writing Essays: The Imaginative Tasks. Pat C. Hoy I I The Scribner Handbook for Writers. 4ed. Rober t Di Yanni and Pat C. Hoy I I . Writing Well and Inventing the Truth ( avai l abl e i n paper ) , Wi l l i amZi nsser . Revising Prose. Ri char d Lanham. Course Objectives: 1. To l ear n t hat wr i t i ng i s pl easur abl e, har d wor k. 2. To l ear n t o wr i t e a number of di f f er ent ki nds of essays. 3. To devel op an i nt er est i ng and ar r est i ng wr i t i ng st yl e. Conferences: I wi l l meet wi t h you when you t hi nk you need t o see me. I may al so ask you t o meet wi t h me i f I t hi nk you need addi t i onal hel p. You and I wi l l schedul e t hr ee r equi r ed conf er ences dur i ng t he semest er and one af t er cl asses end. Standards: Al l f i nal essays must - - * expl or e and devel op an idea i n a coher ent , i nt er est i ng way; 2 * have a t hought f ul begi nni ng, mi ddl e, and end; * be gr ammat i cal l y cor r ect ; and * have a t one appr opr i at e f or t he i nt ended audi ence. Grades: A wor k gi ves t he r eader a posi t i ve i mpr essi on of excel l ence i n al l l i st ed st andar ds. B wor k gi ves t he r eader a posi t i ve i mpr essi on of gener al super i or i t y i n al l l i st ed st andar ds. C wor k i s aver age i n each st andar d. D or F wor k i s ser i ousl y def i ci ent i n one or mor e of t he l i st ed st andar ds. Major Writing Requirements: Thr oughout t he cour se I wi l l hel p you l ear n t o wr i t e ef f ect i vel y; you can al so expect a gr eat deal of hel p f r omyour cl assmat es. We wi l l of t en have wor kshops i n cl ass. You can expect t o wr i t e f or ever y cl ass- - ei t her i nf or mal l y or f or mal l y, ei t her i n your j our nal or i n manuscr i pt f or m. Major course writing requirements are as follows: 1. J our nal wr i t i ng amount i ng t o per haps 20 pages. 2. Ni ne t o t wel ve peer - and- i nst r uct or eval uat ed wr i t i ng exer ci ses. Lengt h wi l l be speci f i ed on each assi gnment sheet . 3. Thr ee peer - eval uat ed/ i nst r uct or - gr aded essays. Lengt h wi l l be speci f i ed on each assi gnment sheet . Other Requirements: You wi l l r ead near l y ever y day, of t en wr i t i ng about what you r ead. When you come t o cl ass, pl ease be pr epar ed t o di scuss r eadi ng assi gnment s. Syllabus: 3 Come t o cl ass pr epar ed. Tur n i n assi gnment s on t he day t hey ar e due, dur i ng t he cl ass per i od, not at t he end of t he day. Pl an ahead. See me in advance about problems. You will likely lose a letter grade a day for late papers. Attendance: I t goes wi t hout sayi ng t hat a cl ass based on wor k- shoppi ng and wr i t i ng r equi r es your at t endance. Mor e t han t wo un- excused absences wi l l l ower your cour se gr ade. You may wel l f ai l t he cour se i f you have 4 un- excused absences. Document ed medi cal condi t i ons and t he obser vance of r el i gi ous hol i days ar e l egi t i mat e excuses f or an absence. See me about each absence.
A Few Words About Format and Housekeeping: Dr af t s of your essays must be t ypewr i t t en ( near l et t er qual i t y) - - doubl e- spaced wi t h 1 1/ 2 i nch mar gi ns on t he l ef t , 1 i nch mar gi ns el sewher e, st apl ed or paper - cl i pped. Use st andar d pi ca or el i t e t ype ( 11 or 12) . Avoi d f ancy f ont s; t hey usual l y dr aw at t ent i on away f r omyour good i deas. You wi l l of t en need t o pr ovi de xer oxed copi es ( somet i mes 2) of your wor k f or your cl assmat es. Revi si ons of essays t hat you t ur n i n must al so be t ypewr i t t en. Keep extra printed copies of your work. " The cour se i s based on sever al assumpt i ons: t hat t he onl y way one l ear ns t o wr i t e i s by wr i t i ng, and t hat a cour se i n Fr eshman Composi t i on, t her ef or e, ought t o be a cour se i n wr i t i ng, not i n somet hi ng el se; t hat wr i t i ng i s an ar t and deser ves t o be t r eat ed as an ar t , by t eacher and st udent al i ke; t hat i t i s a wr i t er ' s r esponsi bi l i t y t o i mpr ove hi s [ or her ] wr i t i ng because no one el se can do i t . . . . Above al l , t he cour se ai ms at shat t er i ng t he i l l usi on t hat l ear ni ng about wr i t i ng i s Easy, or Meni al , or Dul l . " Wi l l i amE. Col es, J r . " The Teachi ng of Wr i t i ng 4 Essay 1. The Deepening Progression.
WE #1 (Paragraph) WE #2 (Letter)
WE #3 (Scene)
WE #4 (Paragraphs) WE #5 (Letter) ESSAY St udent s ar e asked t o borrow an idea f r omone of si x assi gned essays ( wr i t t en by pr of essi onal essayi st s) and t o deepen t hei r r eader s under st andi ng of t hat i dea by usi ng at l east t wo ot her essays and sel ect ed moment s f r omexper i ence. Thei r i nt el l ect ual wor k must enl ar ge t hei r r eader s sense of t hat i dea. St udent s wi l l , over t he cour se of t he pr ogr essi on, anal yze t he bor r owed idea i n l i ght of t hese quest i ons: What ar e t he l ar ger i mpl i cat i ons of t he i dea? How do ot her essays you have r ead i n t he cour se, or i n ot her cour ses change t he way you t hi nk about t he i dea? How does your own exper i ence i nf l uence your t hi nki ng? The essay wi l l not , of cour se, t ake up t hese quest i ons one at a t i me and pr ovi de answer s t o each i n t ur n. I nst ead, st udent s shoul d use t hese quest i ons t o hel p t hemsel ves under st and t he pr ocess by whi ch t hey can deepen their own understanding of t he bor r owed i dea ( and our s) . They do so by act i ve r eadi ng, r i gor ous anal yzi ng, ast ut e connect i ng, and t hought f ul r ef l ect i ng ( bot h i n t hei r mi nds and on t he page) .
5 First Progression Deepening an Idea Analysis Seei ng i s of cour se ver y much a mat t er of ver bal i zat i on. - - Anni e Di l l ar d- - Lsn Date Subject Assignment 1 25 J an The Essay Cour se I nt r oduct i on. On Vi si bi l i t y ( Handout ) . Cr i t i ci sm, 557f f . 2 27 J an Readi ng Writing Exercise 1 due. Read: The St one Hor se, 405f f ; The Myt h of t he Lat i n Woman, 167f f ; Comi ng Home Agai n; 263f f . 3 1 Feb Pr obi ng Let t er Writing Exercise 2 due. Read: Tr ansf i gur at i on, 398f f ; Spr i ng, 391f f ; I nt o t he El ect r oni c Mi l l enni um 469f f . 4 3 Feb Exper i ent i al Evi dence Scene Wor k Writing Exercise 3 due. Read: But t er f l y Gi f t s, and Li vi ng Li ke Wei sel , bot h at : www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp. ( Pl ease schedul e a conf er ence bet ween Lsns 5 & 8. Si gn- up sheet on desk. ) 5 8 Feb Consi der i ng For m& Deepeni ng I deas Writing Exercise 4 due. Read: Madcap Hoar der s 1f f MS. 6 10 Feb Deepeni ng I deas Writing Exercise 5 due. Peer / Gr oup di scussi on i n cl ass. Read: InshAllah 13f f MS. 7 15 Feb Col l abor at i on Bring first draft of Essay 1. Peer / Gr oup di scussi on. 8 17 Feb St udent Readi ngs Bring second draft of Essay 1. Peer / Gr oup di scussi on. 9 22 Feb St udent Readi ngs Essay 1 due, in class. Peer / Gr oup di scussi on. 6 Essay 2. The Reckoning Progression Thi s pr ogr essi on consi st s of f i ve wr i t i ng exer ci ses and t wo or t hr ee dr af t s bef or e t he f i nal essay i s due. WE #1 (Dialectic)
WE #2 (Exhilaration) WE #3 (Assessment) WE #4 (Scene Making) WE #5 (Letter)
Essay Thi s pr ogr essi on i s desi gned t o hel p st udent s l ear n t he f ol l owi ng ski l l s and t echni ques: Anal yzi ng a t ext s r het or i c Devel opi ng an assessment of a t ext s per suasi veness Anal yzi ng a t ext s st r at egi es i n l i ght of ot her , t hemat i cal l y r el at ed t ext s Devel opi ng a wr i t t en conver sat i on among a gr oup of t hemat i cal l y r el at ed wr i t t en t ext s Pr act i ci ng t he ar t of i ncor por at i on: pl aci ng a r ange of wr i t t en t ext s wi t hi n t he cont ext of an over ar chi ng and uni f yi ng i dea Under st andi ng how t o br i ng a var i et y of t ext s t oget her t o subst ant i at e and cl ar i f y an i dea whi l e r espect i ng and acknowl edgi ng ( t hr ough t he wr i t i ng i t sel f ) t he const r ai nt s of an essay s f or m Wr i t i ng an essay t hat f ocuses on a t ext - whi l e al so br anchi ng of f f r omi t - and assesses t he t ext s val ue i n an i nt er est i ng, cr eat i ve way t hat does not j ust r ehear se t he t ext s poi nt s i n or der of t hei r pr esent at i on. That assessment and t hat t ext pr ovi de t he f oundat i on f or a mor e sweepi ng essay about an idea that grows out of and moves beyond the foundational, or chosen text. Locus: The r el at i onshi p bet ween a t ext s i dea, i t s r het or i c, and i t s evi dence- al l measur ed agai nst l ogi cal and pr act i cal st andar ds of per suasi on and i nf or med by a r i gor ous r eadi ng of t hat t ext i n t he cont ext of ot her r el at ed t ext s. 7 disinterestedness- [ . . . ] a f r ee pl ay of t he mi nd . . .--M. Ar nol d Lsn Date Subject Assignment 10 24 Feb The Funct i on of Cr i t i ci sm Read: Cr i t i ci sm, 557f f . El bow on Chaucer s Di al ect i c. Di al ect i c, Lanham( Handout s) . 11 1 Mar Readi ng & Quest i oni ng Writing Exercise 1 due. Read: Or anges, 226f f ; St eps Towar d, 106f f ; Cr i cket s, Bat s, 490f f ; A Shar k, 480f f ; The Bi r d of Par adi se, 459f f . 12 3 Mar Tr aci ng Text ual Det ai l s: A For mof Readi ng Writing Exercise 2 due. Read: Your chosen essay, agai n. 13 8 Mar Connect i ng Moment s: Anot her For m of Readi ng Under st andi ng t he I dea Writing Exercise 3 due. Re- Read: Your chosen essay and Bur l s, 692f f ; or Pi ct ur es, 706f f ; or Cr eat ur e, 751f f ; or Seei ng Engl and, 720f f ; or Sci ent i f i c Reasoni ng, 443f f . 14 10 Mar Gr oundi ng & Roundi ng Writing Exercise 4 due. Read: Bi t s and Pi eces, MS, 17f f . Schedul e a conf er ence bet ween l essons 16 & 18. Si gn- up at desk. 15 22 Mar Epi st ol ar y Wor k Conver sat i onal Excur si ons Writing Exercise 5 due. Read: Pi nbal l Wi zar dr y, 33f f ; and Li vi ng Room, MS, 27f f . http://www.nyu.edu/cas/e wp/nommensenpinball08.pdf http://www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp/ho usesleeping11.pdf 16 24 Mar J udgment s & I deas 1 st Draft, Essay 2, due. Read: Sevent h Gr ade, EWP Websi t e: ht t p: / / www. nyu. edu/ cas/ ewp/ ch at el l i er sevent h05. pdf 17 29 Mar J udgment s & I deas Second Draft due. 18 31 Mar Ref i nement s Essay 2 Due.
Second Progression Reckoning Analysis 8 Essay 3. The Secret-Is-in-the-Texts Progression The third progression s f or mshoul d pr esent no sur pr i ses f or st udent s; t her e wi l l be si x exer ci ses and a number of dr af t i ng and r evi si ng sessi ons.
WE #1 (Signs and Clues)
WE #2 (Signs and Clues Repeated)
WE #3 (Style and Idea) WE #4 (Conceptual Patterns)
WE #5 (Connections) WE #6 (Letter)
Essay Thi s pr ogr essi on asks st udent s t o devel op an i dea about a par t i cul ar wr i t er s wor k ( st udent - sel ect ed) . The pr i mar y t ask t hr oughout t he pr ogr essi on wi l l be get t i ng t o know t he wr i t er s mind so t hat st udent s can make an interpretive claim about t he wor k i t sel f . The cl ai mai ms t o capt ur e somet hi ng essent i al about t he way t he sel ect ed wr i t er t hi nks and what t hat way of t hi nki ng act ual l y conveys t o us- somet hi ng i n addi t i on t o what t he wr i t er says st r ai ght out . The essay must r eveal what t he st udent wr i t er bel i eves t o be central t o our under st andi ng of t he wr i t er s mi nd, t he way t hat mi nd wor ks, and what t her e i s about t hat mi nd t hat i s i di osyncr at i c- even t hough t he wor k i t sel f t r anscends t he i di osyncr at i c. Knowi ng t hese t hi ngs we can come t o under st and t he wr i t er s wor k, cat chi ng gl i mpses of hi s or her i magi nat i on at wor k t hr oughout al l of t he essays. The f i nal st udent essay wi l l have t o i ncl ude ci t at i ons f r omat l east f i ve of t he wr i t er s essays, al ong wi t h i nt er pr et i ve anal ysi s and r ef l ect i ons about t hose ci t ed t ext s. But mer e r ei t er at i on of t he t ext and compi l at i on of evi dence wi l l not suf f i ce. The st udent s i nt el l ect ual wor k must r esul t i n an i dea t hat ar i ses f r omt he r eadi ng- an i dea t hat poi nt s beyond t he si gns or cl ues i n t he t ext and beyond t he pr of essi onal wr i t er s pr eoccupat i ons t hemsel ves t o t hei r si gni f i cance. As r eader s f i ni sh r eadi ng t hese t hi r d- pr ogr essi on essays, t hey wi l l happi l y excl ai mt o t hemsel ves t hat , f i nal l y, t hey under st and t he wr i t er ; t hey wi l l do so because t hey wi l l sense t hat t he st udent wr i t er has i n f act capt ur ed t he ver y essence of t he pr of essi onal wr i t er s wor k and r eveal ed a deep under st andi ng of i t .
9 I have di f f i cul t y wi t h t he i dea t hat I , or f or t hat mat t er you, can be under st ood as mer el y t he pr oduct of pr act i ces we have no cont r ol over and no di r ect knowl edge of . - Ker mode Lsn Date Subject Assignment 19 5 Apr Readi ng f or Text ual Si gns or Cl ues Writing Exercise in Class. Read: Cr i cket s, 490f f . Assign signs work for teacher-selected writer. 21 7 Apr Enact ment s wi t h Evi dence Writing Exercise 1 due. Read: The Kni f e ( Handout ) pl us 1 essay by your chosen wr i t er . Re-assign signs work for student-selected writer. 22 12 Apr Mor e Enact ment s Writing Exercise 2 due. Read: 2 mor e essays by your chosen wr i t er . Assign additional signs work and the stylistic exercise. 23 14 Apr St yl i st i c Revel at i ons Writing Exercise 3 due. Read: Pr et ender , MS, 33f f ; Cyni c, MS 25f f ; and Wher e Do You Get Your I deas Fr om? 536f f . Assign conceptual work. 24 19 Apr Concept ual i zi ng Writing Exercise 4 due. Read: t hr ee addi t i onal essays by your sel ect ed wr i t er . Assign connecting work. 25 21 Apr I nf or mi ng Connect i ons Writing Exercise 5 due. Read: Car di nal Di r ect i ons, MS online ( 2008) ; and El i zabet h s I s, MS online ( 2009) . Assign letter. 26 26 Apr An Epi st ol ar y Exchange Exercise 6 due. Organizing Exercise in Class. Readi ng Out war d, MS online ( 2007) . 27 28 Apr Dr af t i ng & Or gani zi ng 2d Draft of Essay 3 due. Re- Read What i s Cr eat i vi t y?, MS Online ( 2007) Schedule a Conference. 28 3 May St udent Readi ngs 3d Draft of Essay 3 due. Por t f ol i o Assembl ed f or Cl ass. 29 5 May Last Cl ass Essay 3 due, NLT 1130, 11 May, My Office. No Exceptions. Third Progression * The Writers Vision * Formal Argument 10