UNIVERSIDAD CENTROAMERICANA Facultad de Humanidades Departamento de Idiomas I Quarter 2005 - Syllabus

One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily. - Gabriel
Garcia Marquez Course: Instructor: Class times: Office Hours: E-mail: Reading and Writing III Jose Paz Cuadra Romano Mon., Tue. ,Thur: 11-12.50 m Fri: 8-10 am jpc247022@yahoo.com

I. Course Description Reading and Writing III aims at further developing the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills which are required of college students. Throughout the course you will be discussing and writing a variety of texts, some of which will be written to help you learn what you think about a subject; others will be more polished texts written to communicate in a more formal context. You will be reading through different sample texts and essays intended to expose you to the conventions and styles of written English. In addition to writing, you will often be engaging in in peer correction in order to share ideas and improve each others writing. II. Course Objectives

To compose essays in which you narrate but also interpret and develop a point, moving effectively between generalizations and particulars. To read college-level material intended to further develop your critical thinking skills. To understand the fundamentals of good reasoning and to be able to distinguish good reasoning from bad reasoning. To further become more knowledgeable of and reflect on your composing process: drafting and revising. To complete your essays with attention to development, organization, style, and mechanics. To gain further understanding of the rhetorical patterns of thought and organization in written English. To incorporate source material into your essays following APA guidelines.

III. Course Contents Unit 1 Date 10 HRS Contents Toward Mature Writing Combining sentences with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, run-on sentences, comma splices fragments, paraphrasing sentences.

10 HRS 2

Comparison and Contrast Essay Block organization

Thesis Statements for Comparison-Contrast Essays Linking Reading and Writing: Man and Woman (Separating Fact from Opinion) 3 10 HRS Exploring Literature What is Literature? Literary Elements: Plot, Irony and Symbol Linking Reading and Writing: The Tell-Tale Heart. Writing about Literature Literary Elements: Metaphor, Simile and Personification Linking Reading and Writing: The Stones, A Short Digest of a Long Novel Writing Essays About Relationships Paraphrasing sentences, adding specific details, guidelines for subject-verb agreement Linking Reading and Writing: The Friendship Bond, Choosing Mates the American Way Writing About Global Issues Summarizing, making segment parallel, achieving consistency in tense, person, number and tone The Argumentative Essay: The argumentative thesis, rhetorical stance, avoiding logical, fallacies, explaining and supporting the reasons

10 HRS 4 10 HRS 5

10 HRS 12

IV. Grading Criteria I would rather that we stay focused on becoming better thinkers and writers than on grades. I realize, however, that grades are important too, and I want the grading system in this course to be clear and fair. Your overall performance will be based on the following criteria: In-class assignments Homework Quizzes Essays Final Test 10% 10% 20% 30% 30%

V. Course Requirements 1. In-class and out-of-class writing will be assigned throughout the course. Any class work missed as a result of tardiness or absence is your responsibility to make up, if the instructor allows makeup work. 2. All final drafts must be submitted in word processed form. Both first and final drafts must be double-spaced. You are required to keep copies of all drafts and major assignments until after the end of the quarter. 3. Any late assignment will receive a lower grade unless you make arrangements for an extension before the due date. 4. Avoid plagiarism (stealing the exact words or idea of another) like the plague. Acts of plagiarism may incur a zero. 5. All of you are responsible for upholding UCAs academic and discipline policies and take great responsibility for your learning. 6. Cell phones must be kept off while in class.

7. Keep this handout. You may need it to refer to throughout the course not only to keep track of the class contents but also to recall requirements and expectations. VI. Attendance Because the format of the course is discussion and participation and there will be multiple in-class assignment, attendance is mandatory. Any student with more than six absences for any reason will fail the course. Any student with excessive absences must take responsibility for contacting the instructor within a week of the absence to obtain instructions for any reading or written assignments. VII. Suggestions If you still dont have an e-mail address, you should try to obtain one within the first two weeks of the course. This may be a useful optional tool for you and your professor to take care of class issues such as changes of schedules, assignment due dates, raising questions etc. If you do not currently own a good monolingual dictionary, you ought to get one as soon as you can. There are a few available in the some of the local bookstores. (I recommend Oxford or Longman.) You should keep a disk on which you save all the writing (including drafts) you do during the quarter. VIII. Bibliography Macdonald, A. and Macdonald G. (1999) Mastering Writing Essentials. Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River,NJ. Smalley, R. and Ruetten M. (1990) Refining Composition Skill: Third Edition. Heinle and Heinle Publishers Scull, S. (1987) Critical Reading and Writing for Advanced Students. Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ Wegmann,Brenda et al (1995) Mosaic Two. A Reading Skills Book: Third Edition. Mc Graw-Hill Inc. Smalzer, William R. (2005) Write to be Read . Second Edition . Cambridge University Press Banchard, K. and Root, C. (1997) For your Information (3) Addison Wesley Longman