The Freshman Writing Sequence

The sequential courses, Composition and Rhetoric (English 1301) and Composition and Literature (English 1302), teach students the written skills they will need to succeed in college and beyond as literate and educated adults, workers, and citizens. These skills include the ability to think through and compose basic rhetorical patterns such as classification, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect; to do research and present the results of that research in a clear, organized and appropriate manner; to think and write critically and analytically; and to develop a broader perspective on their world and their place in that world.

Because of the information explosion, understanding and writing English will become even more crucial to the economic survival of Americans in the increasingly pluralistic twenty-first century. English 1301 and English 1302 are designed to help students compete in that world.

Limitations and Latitudes

These syllabi are designed to insure consistency in the course offerings of the English 1301-1302 sequence and constitute a mandatory minimum. However, although the syllabus states what must be included in each semester, instructors may:

Schedule the sequence of materials within the semester as they wish (certain exceptions are noted in the syllabi).

Employ whatever methods that, in their opinion, best facilitate learning for the student.

Supplement the minimum requirements. (Please take care, however, not to endanger course consistency by excessive supplementation.)

Employ individual evaluation methods and systems as long as they adhere to the stated policy of the NHMCCD bulletin and the English Department's "General Evaluation Standards."

Composition and Rhetoric: English 1301

Objectives

The focus of English 1301 is expository writing with a persuasive, argumentative edge. Reading and writing essays that help students to think and write critically are central to the course. English instructors at North Harris College believe such skills are absolutely essential to students in their pursuit of a college certificate or degree.

Since clarity of thought and forcefulness of expression are damaged by confusing grammatical and syntactical structures, students entering English 1301 will be expected to have or acquire an adequate knowledge of grammar and sentence structure to enable them to recognize and avoid solecisms.

Texts

Troyka, Lynn Quitman. Quick Access . 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2004.

One of the following rhetorics:

Sansom, Steve, and Cher Brock. Creating A Voice: A Rhetoric for Writers . Houston: Fountainhead, 2004.

Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 
     8th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2004.

Peterson, Linda H., John C. Brereton and Joan E. Hartman. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction      Prose. 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2004.

An up-to-date dictionary.

Requirements

The Diagnostic Essay. This essay is encouraged but is optional. It can help the student, as well as the teacher, discover quickly any major writing problems which could affect the student's success in English 1301. This sample essay, along with the Grammar Proficiency Exam, should alert students to deficiencies in their writing backgrounds. Students should then immediately seek out the Learning Center, tutors, or counselors as deemed appropriate by the student and the instructor.

Grammar Proficiency Exam. Since English instructors at North Harris College believe that clarity of thought and expression depend in part upon one's knowledge of and ability to use correctly the grammar of the English sentence, students will be required to pass the English Department's Grammar Proficiency Exam, which must be given before mid-term, and instructors should teach grammatical structures as needed.

Students must make a score of 26 on the GPE before they can receive credit for English 1301. If a student fails the GPE the first time, he or she may retake a different form of the test two more times. The instructor is responsible for monitoring all retakes of the GPE through the Assessment Center. If a student fails the GPE the third time—and is making a C or better in the class—he or she may submit a writing sample (developed from a departmentally approved writing prompt) to a committee of English instructors who will evaluate the essay's grammatical competence. If the committee decides the writer is grammatically competent, he or she will be considered to have passed the GPE.

Essays. Students in English 1301 will write a minimum of seven full essays or six plus a full revision of an earlier essay). Three of these must be written in class.

Three 500-700 Word Essays. Since the focus of English 1301 is expository writing with a persuasive, argumentative edge, not all of the traditional patterns of exposition must be taught. Entering students should already be familiar with standard patterns of personal essay development. Students will write three essays based on the following rhetorical patterns:

Classification/Division

Comparison/Contrast

Cause/Effect

Definition (In conjunction with other patterns)

Research, as well as elements of formal argument, may be incorporated into any of these patterns.

A Mid-term and a Final Essay.  The mid-term can be a “cold prompt” essay, a fourth rhetorical pattern, or a full revision of an earlier paper. The final essay can be a rhetorical analysis, an argument, or another rhetorical pattern.

Formal Argument Paper. Students must evolve from writing simple, self-centered exposition to writing essays with an argumentative and persuasive edge directed to a knowledgeable and demanding audience. The major writing assignments in English 1301 will therefore be directed toward this goal. In addition, students will be introduced to the study of logic and required to write at least one, formal, 700-1500 word argument paper. In the formal argument paper, the student must take a stand on a controversial issue, support that stand with evidence and logic, and include a refutation of major opposing arguments.

Critical Analysis Paper. In order to enhance students' ability to read, write, and think critically, one section of English 1301 will introduce students to the concepts and techniques of critical and rhetorical analysis. This introduction will prepare students for the types of analysis they will be asked to perform in other, more advanced courses across the curriculum, such as English 1302.

Critical analysis here means the process of carefully examining and evaluating a text to increase one's understanding of its purpose and rhetorical appeal. Students will be introduced to several traditional methods of textual evaluation—such as logical, emotive, and structural analyses—discussed in detail in Creating a Voice . The texts chosen for analysis will be limited to the non-fiction prose essay. Students will then write at least one 500-word paper presenting the results of their critical analysis of a specified text.

Research. While English 1301 is not specifically a research course, research is a major activity in almost every academic field, and in order to think and write critically, a student must know how to find and evaluate information. Therefore English 1301 will introduce students to the basic methods of research and MLA documentation procedures. The research requirement of English 1301 may be accomplished in one of several ways:

The incorporation of research into the required, formal argument/persuasion paper.
A short research paper on a non-literary topic.
The incorporation of research into several of the rhetorical and critical papers required of every student.

The strength of this writing course lies in constant feedback to the student. Therefore, it is recommended that student papers be returned to them before they are required to write another paper. Further, except for the diagnostic essay and the mastery essays, the order of these assignments may be decided by the instructor. Weighing of these assignments to determine a final grade is also up to the instructor; however, all instructors should use the department's General Evaluation Standards as a guide to grading freshman papers.