WR 121 Syllabus Fall 2014
Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus
English Department
WR 121
Fall 2014
NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change.
CRN 40184 Course Credits: 4.00
Mondays, Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 22 — Monday, Dec. 8
ST (Science Technology) 107
Instructor: Andrew Giarelli, Ph.D. andrew.giarelli@pcc.edu Office: CC210 desk 14
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – noon
Prerequisite: WR 115 (C or higher)
Course Description and Objectives:
Writing 121, English Composition, teaches you college-level writing skills, the kind you will need for essay assignments, term papers, and exams, as well as perhaps your own further explorations into your writing talents. We’ll read, identify and write the four classic forms of essays, also called “modes of discourse” — e.g., expository, descriptive, narrative, and argumentative (traditionally nicknamed EDNA). Most importantly, though, we’ll study and practice the writing process, how to select and narrow a topic, how to generate and organize ideas, and how to revise drafts.
While we’ll concentrate on writing the whole essay, we’ll also work on writing clear sentences and interesting, well-connected paragraphs— not to mention technical issues like grammar (see below). Using our main textbook, William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, we’ll focus especially on eliminating clutter and achieving clarity in our writing (I say “our” because it’s a lifelong process and I still need to work on it, too).
Textbooks: Available at PCC Sylvania Bookstore.
1. William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition. Harper Perennial, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0060891541 ISBN-10: 0060891548 Edition: 30th anniversary reprint. Paperback.
2. William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style. Longman, 1999. ISBN-13: 978-0205309023. ISBN-10: 020530902X. Edition: 4th. Paperback.
Online Resources:
1) The OWL (Online Writing Center) at Purdue University, General Writing Resources
2) “Classic Essays” on about.com
English Department
WR 121
Fall 2014
NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change.
CRN 40184 Course Credits: 4.00
Mondays, Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 22 — Monday, Dec. 8
ST (Science Technology) 107
Instructor: Andrew Giarelli, Ph.D. andrew.giarelli@pcc.edu Office: CC210 desk 14
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – noon
Prerequisite: WR 115 (C or higher)
Course Description and Objectives:
Writing 121, English Composition, teaches you college-level writing skills, the kind you will need for essay assignments, term papers, and exams, as well as perhaps your own further explorations into your writing talents. We’ll read, identify and write the four classic forms of essays, also called “modes of discourse” — e.g., expository, descriptive, narrative, and argumentative (traditionally nicknamed EDNA). Most importantly, though, we’ll study and practice the writing process, how to select and narrow a topic, how to generate and organize ideas, and how to revise drafts.
While we’ll concentrate on writing the whole essay, we’ll also work on writing clear sentences and interesting, well-connected paragraphs— not to mention technical issues like grammar (see below). Using our main textbook, William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, we’ll focus especially on eliminating clutter and achieving clarity in our writing (I say “our” because it’s a lifelong process and I still need to work on it, too).
Textbooks: Available at PCC Sylvania Bookstore.
1. William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition. Harper Perennial, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0060891541 ISBN-10: 0060891548 Edition: 30th anniversary reprint. Paperback.
2. William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style. Longman, 1999. ISBN-13: 978-0205309023. ISBN-10: 020530902X. Edition: 4th. Paperback.
Online Resources:
1) The OWL (Online Writing Center) at Purdue University, General Writing Resources
2) “Classic Essays” on about.com