Week 1

Writing is Argument Unit. All writing is argument. Components of a Letter to the Editor. Engagement with audience. Writing for a purpose: getting published, expressing a different opinion, setting the record straight, persuading opinion, rallying supporters, recommending a policy change or action.

TUE SEP 02—Classwork only

THU SEP 04—Classwork only

Week 2

Letter to the Editor Unit. Bases for objection. Original must be sufficient, relevant, logical, reasonable, clear, complete, persuasive. Insufficiency is answered with evidence; irrelevance with redirection; illogicality with better logic . . . .

TUE SEP 09—Letter to the Editor Homework due

THU SEP 11—Rough Draft LTE due

Week 3

Letter to the Editor Unit. Revision strategies. Deep structural revisions for clarity, organization, and development of themes. Grammar and punctuation revisions following every structural revision. Establish standing and credentials. Avoid unnecessary claims. Quote only the essentials. In-class evaluation and global rewriting exercises.

TUE SEP 16—A01: LTE due

THU SEP 18—Classwork only

Week 4

Editorial Unit. Close reading strategies. Texts build upon other texts and converse. Recognize and evaluate the process of responsiveness to other authors. Evaluate the rhetorical techniques used to accomplish various goals for various audiences. Minimum grammar requirements to avoid failure. In-class exercises in local revision and text evaluation.

TUE SEP 23—A02: LTE Rewrite due

THU SEP 25—Classwork only

Week 5

Editorial Unit. Writing for meaningfulness: sentences that mean something, mean nothing. Eliminating vagueness. Revising to add claims to purposeless sentences.

TUE SEP 30—Editorial Exercise due

THU OCT 02—Classwork only

Week 6

Op-Ed Unit. Writing for meaningfulness: sentences that mean something, mean nothing. Eliminating vagueness. Revising to add claims to purposeless sentences.

TUE OCT 07—A03: Editorial due

THU OCT 09—Classwork only

Week 7

Op-Ed Unit. Responsible writing is fair and accurate. Practice in composing both fair and unfair summaries. Deciding when and how much to quote, when and how to summarize for clarity and effectiveness.

TUE OCT 14—A04: Editorial Rewrite due

THU OCT 16—Classwork only

Week 8

Research and Citation Unit. Finding and evaluating sources most appropriate for argument. Citation skills and mechanics. Gathering linked sources. Works cited technique.

TUE OCT 21—A05: Op-Ed due

THU OCT 23—Classwork only

Week 9

Argument Development Unit. Writing is synthesis of our opinion with others. Developing the voice appropriate to the argument. Incorporating sources into arguments. Converting rhetorical questions to strong clear claims.

TUE OCT 28—A06: Op-Ed Rewrite due

THU OCT 30—Classwork only.

Week 10

Critical Engagement Unit. Rebuttal is argument. Effectively incorporating refutation as positive proof of our own claims. Recognizing and practicing methods of refutation appropriate to different types of author failure.

TUE NOV 04—Election Day, No Classes.

THU NOV 06—Classwork only

Week 11

Critical Engagement Unit. Authors in broad agreement nonetheless write differently to engage audiences for different purposes. Examining a range of opinion on a single topic by numerous authors with different goals.

TUE NOV 11—A07: Annotated Bibliography for the Throwdown

THU NOV 13— A08: Summaries and Purposes for the Throwdown

Week 12

Self-Reflective Unit. Self reflection is argument. Crafting the ideal “argument” that a student has met the written, specific goals for a course. Rhetorical approaches to achieve maximum effectiveness.

TUE NOV 18—A09: Critical Engagement Essay due (complete with inclusive My Take section)

THU NOV 20—Classwork only

Week 13

Portfolio Unit. Final polish exercises.

TUE NOV 25—A10: Reflective Statement due

THU NOV 27—No Class. Thanksgiving Day.

Week 14

Portfolio Unit. Final polish exercises.

TUE DEC 02—A11: Critical Engagement Rewrite due

THU DEC 04—Portfolio due

Week 15

TUE DEC 09—Last Class Day. Oral Presentations.

THU DEC 11—Finals Week Grade Conferences for all 20 Students

Finals Week

TUE DEC 16—Finals Week Grade Conferences Cancelled if accomplished on THU DEC 11