ENG 3080J—Writing and Rhetoric II
Three Semester Hours
SF 8/19
Prerequisites
University Requisite: (ENG 1510 or 1610) and (Junior or Senior standing)
Course Overview
English 3080J seeks to increase your skills and expertise in the writing of discursive prose. It does so by regular practice and evaluation, supplemented by attention to the prose of some professional writers and to concepts in rhetoric and style. The course is aimed both at those who do not write particularly well and desire to acquire essential techniques, and at those who have some mastery of their writing and wish to improve what they already possess.
Methods of Course Instruction
All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail. You may submit your assignments as e-mail attachments, but your graded assignments will be returned to you by postal mail.
Textbooks and Supplies
- Baker, Sheridan. The Practical Stylist: The Classic Guide to Style . New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005. [ISBN: 9780321333490]
- Eschholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark, ed. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers . 12th ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2016. [ISBN: 9781457697975]
Number of Lessons
The course has 14 lessons, including one final essay. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1: Subject and Thesis
- Lesson 2: Essay Structure; Precise Use of Language
- Lesson 3: Paragraphs
- Lesson 4: Important Points of Grammar
- Lesson 5: Description, Narration, Exposition
- Lesson 6: Proper Punctuations
- Lesson 7: Sufficient vs. Insufficient Evidence
- Lesson 8: Writing Good Sentences
- Lesson 9: Words and Usage
- Lesson 10: Correcting Wordy Sentences; Stylistic Alternatives
- Lesson 11: Prejudice, Stereotypes, and the Minority Experience
- Lesson 12: Informal Outline for the Final Essay
- Lesson 13: Rough Draft for the Final Essay
- Lesson 14: Final Essay
Types of Writing Assignments
Each lesson in the course will have a submitted assignment consisting of a series of writing exercises. Six of the lessons will also require a written essay. Specific instructions for assignments are provided in each lesson. All assignments should be either typed or printed neatly, with double-spacing. Margins should be set at 2 inches on the left with all other margins set at 1 inch.
Grading Criteria
The course grade will be based both on the grades for the course's six papers and the answers to the different exercises contained in each lesson. The grades on the papers will count somewhat more heavily than those on the exercises. Lessons including both a series of exercises and the writing of a paper will receive a split grade—the first for the exercises, the second for the paper. The course has no separate examinations.