College of Marin Course Outline of Record

 

 

 

 

 

Course Outline for English 120: Fundamentals of Composition II

 

 

39. Catalog Description: (Please list course number, title, student units, any prerequisites, corequisites, advisories or other limitations on enrollment, lecture and lab hours, the times course may be taken for credit if more than one, or if course is offered in a distance learning format.  Limit to eight sentences. Thank you.)

 

Students sharpen their skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking to improve reading comprehension and to develop composing techniques for effective academic writing. Course is designed to prepare students for success in college level academic reading and writing, emphasis being placed upon thinking clearly and logically and upon the construction of cogent arguments. Students also review such matters as standard usage, appropriate diction, punctuation, grammar, and ways to achieve variety in sentence structure within the context of the essay.  Assignments show the interconnection among readings, personal experience, observation, and class discussion.  Requires one hour weekly of instructor guided practice in the Lab co-requisite. May  also be offered in a distance learning format.

 

 

40. Schedule Description: (Please limit to one or two sentences. Thank you.)

Students sharpen their skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking to improve reading comprehension and to develop composing techniques for effective academic writing. Course is designed to prepare the students for success in college level academic reading and writing, emphasis being placed upon thinking clearly and logically and upon the construction of cogent arguments.  Requires one hour weekly of guided practice in the Lab co-requisite.

 

41. Expected Outcomes for Students Upon completion of course, students will be able to:

      (Example: Upon completion of course, students will be able to compare and contrast the works of other artists as well as their own in historical, social, and cultural contexts with particular attention paid to the expression of ideas in the artistic medium.)

 

By the end of the semester, the student will demonstrate readiness for college level freshman English by being able to write a clearly conceived and well-formulated essay of approximately 500 words which is well unified, well developed and reasonably free from major logical, organizational, grammatical, syntactical, and mechanical error.

 

 

 

 

Upon completion of the course student will be able to:

 

120 outcomes

1.      Comprehend, analyze, respond to, and evaluate a variety of expository and argumentative compositions of a variety of lengths.

2.      Develop critical thinking strategies through a variety persuasive/argumentative essay readings of various lengths.

3.      Adopt appropriate reading and writing strategies such as identifying purpose, identifying audience, identifying tone, gathering ideas, and organizing ideas.

4.      Differentiate between expressive, expository, argumentative writing.

5.      Demonstrate an understanding of written argumentation—understanding the logical relationships between a thesis, topic sentence, and supporting evidence.

6.      Explain and be able to apply the elements of an effective composition (such as thesis statements, topics sentences, supporting points, unity, and coherence).

7.      Demonstrate ability to research multiple relevant reliable sources and incorporate sources into writing.

8.      Demonstrate proficiency in revising writing assignments for organization and clarity.

9.      Demonstrate proficiency in editing by applying rules of grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling and usage in written exercises by studying their own grammatical and punctuation errors to make their writing more effective.

10.  Demonstrate proficiency in revising sentences to make them more complex and varied using sentence structures such as coordinators, subordinators, and transition words.

 

42. Methods of Instruction (Explain what methods will be used to teach this course.)

1.      Collaborative learning sessions;

2.      Demonstrations and exercises;

3.      Lecture;

4.      Tutorial sessions;

5.      Peer review;

6.      Student writing will receive instructor comments;

7.      Research assignments

8.      Internet or computer-assisted instruction

9.      Small group or directed discussion

 

43. Course Content

        List the major topics in a representative sequence from the beginning of the course to the end.  You may identify a schedule of topics, or you may indicate a representative emphasis on the course material.  The catalog description and course content delineate the information to be covered by all instructors teaching this course.  Differences in sequence, emphasis, and approach constitute a legitimate exercise of academic freedom.  Instructors teaching the same course multiple times are not required to place the same emphasis, etc. on the course each time

        (Please use outline format when possible.)

 

1.      Topic sentence and thesis statement development.

2.      Practicing sentence structure and variety.

3.      Developing unity and coherence in paragraphs and essays.

4.      Development of student writing of various compositions using the forms of exposition and argumentation.

5.      Practicing research to find relevant sources.

6.      Analyzing and evaluating texts.

7.      Identifying audience, assumptions, and bias.

8.      Developing composing techniques such as gathering ideas.

9.      Practicing sentence error identification and correct usage in the context of student writing.

10.  Review of grammar tailored to the individual student's needs.

11.  Practicing sentence development and revision for clarity and coherence. 

 

NOTE:  Instructors will combine these areas in different lengths of time and sequence as their professional expertise dictates.

 

44. Critical Thinking (Give several examples of how critical thinking processes or activities occur in this course.)

A major part of this course focuses on the student’s ability, particularly in the argumentative essay, to analyze and evaluate ideas, to make fine critical distinctions, to make use of the various facets of informal logic.

 

  1. In small groups, students analyze a text to determine what may be used in their compositions as relevant supporting evidence.
  2. Analyze outside sources for reliability
  3. Individually, students map their ideas for an assigned writing topic
  4. Individually or in small groups, students draft an outline in response to an assigned essay topic.
  5. Analyze purpose and audience.

 

45. Assignments and Methods of Evaluation

 

  1. Formal or informal class presentations
  2. Classroom discussion;
  3. Quizzes,
  4. Papers
  5. Journals.
  6. Term projects
  7. Field Trips
  8. Short answer and sentence skills exercises
  9. Application of knowledge/skill using revision techniques
  10. Completion of homework assignments
  11. Laboratory projects
  12. Observation of ability and participation
  13. Portfolio Assessment
  14. A grading scale will be specified in the course syllabus

 

 

46. Sample Out-of-Class Assignments

  1. Compositions of various lengths
  2. Group Projects
  3. Reading
  4. Journaling
  5. Summarizing Readings
  6. Sentence skills exercises
  7. Editing and revising in the context of student’s own writing

 

 

 

 

47. Representative Texts and/or Assigned Reading (Include title, author, publisher, and publication date for textbooks.)

 

Robinson, et al. Texts and Contexts. Wadsworth, 2000.

Miller, G. The Prentice Hall Reader. Prentice Hall, 1998.

Pirrozzi, R. Critical Reading, Critical Thinking. Longman,2000.

Calderonello, et al. Perspectives on Academic Writing. Allyn & Bacon, 1997.

Packer et al. Writing Worth Reading. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

48. Special Student Materials