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English Composition Provisional Assignments-

Weeks One & Two:  

Topic :  Introduction to the Course and Thesis

Web Assignment :  Read Online Thesis One: 

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml 

 

AND Online Thesis Two:  http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/thesis.htm 

for more information about the the thesis statement. 

Assignment Due :  

 1) Write a minimum one paragraph introduction of yourself 

Reading Text: Companion Site

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/hrel/toplinks/title.asp?

title=Models%20for%20Writers%2C%20Alfred%20Rosa%20and%20Paul%20Eschholz%20%288th%20ed.%29 

Weeks Three & Four:  

Assignment Due :  

1) A minimum one-paragraph answer to the following questions: What is a thesis statement? Why is it important? What are the characteristics of a good thesis statement? What are the characteristics of a bad thesis statement? 

Reading Text:  Companion Site

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/hrel/toplinks/title.asp?

title=Models%20for%20Writers%2C%20Alfred%20Rosa%20and%20Paul%20Eschholz%20%288th%20ed.%29 

PART II: THE ELEMENTS OF THE ESSAY
    
  3. Thesis,  P.67
    Helen Keller, The Most Important Day
    James Lincoln Collier, Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name
    Witold Rybzynski, One Good Turn: The Importance of Machine-Made Screws
    
  4. Unity, P. 86
    Sandra Cisneros, My Name
    Gloria Naylor, The Meanings of a Word
   *Samuel H. Scudder, Learning to See
    
  5. Organization, P. 106
    Cherokee Paul McDonald, A View from the Bridge
    Eudora Welty, The Corner Store
   *William Lutz, Doubt About Doublespeak
    
  6. Beginnings and Endings, P. 129
    Michael T. Kaufman, Of My Friend Hector and Achilles
    Dick Gregory, Shame
    Ruth Russell, The Wounds that Can't Be Stitched Up
    Carl T. Rowan, Unforgettable Miss Bessie  
  

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT  

Think about an important day in your life.  Using the thesis statement "The most important day of my life was...," write an essay in which you show the significance of that day by recounting and explaining the events that took place as Keller does in her essay. P. 74

Topic :  Run-ons, Commas Splices and Fragments

Reading Text:  Companion Site  

 7. Paragraphs, P. 160
    William Zinsser, Simplicity
   *Pico Iyer, In Praise of the Humble Comma
    Mike Rose, "I Just Wanna Be Average"
    
  8. Transitions, P. 184
    Steve Brody, How I Got Smart
    Russell Baker, Becoming a Writer
   *Pete Hamill, Band of Brothers: Faces of Honor
    
  9. Effective Sentences, P. 208
    Annie Dillard, Hitting Pay Dirt
    Langston Hughes, Salvation
    Caroline Hwang, The Good Daughter
    Martin Gansberg, 38 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police

Assignment Due: 

 1) Choose one of the questions on PP. 181-182 and write a minimum one paragraph response to  "I Just Wanna Be Average," P. 178

Weeks Seven & Eight: 

Assignment Due: 

1) Write a brief essay in which you describe your neighborhood. P. 272

          2) Choose one of the questions on P. 285 and write a coherent essay.

Assignment Due:

          1) Write a brief essay on question # 2 on . P. 328 

          2) More assignments will be announced

Weeks Eleven & Twelve: 

 

Web Assignment : 

 

Read:

Thesis and The Introduction:

http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/intro_thesis.htm 

 

Introductions and Conclusions:   

http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/introconslu.html 

 

  15. Process Analysis, P. 362
    Garrison Keillor, How to Write a Personal Letter
   *Manny Howard, A Tricky Stick
   *Janisse Ray, Built by Fire
    Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
    
  16. Definition, P. 388
    Isaac Asimov, Intelligence
   *John Berendt, The Hoax
    Ellen Goodman, The Company Man
    
  17. Division and Classification, P. 404
    Martin Luther King Jr., The Ways of Meeting Oppression
   *Bernard Cooper, The Fine Art of Sighing
    Judith Viorst, Friends, Good Friends--and Such Good Friends
    Russell Baker, The Plot against People

Assignment Due :   

1) Write an argument essay with an introduction with impact and three strong reasons agreeing or disagreeing with this statement: "Violent pornography ought to be banned."

Week Thirteen & Fourteen: 

 

Assignment Due:   

 

Reading Text:   Companion Site

Web Assignment: 

MLA Style and Evaluating Sources and Sample Works Cited Page and

Web Assignment

Paraphrasing, Summary, and Quotations and Using Your Sources Without Plagiarizing 

THE INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIA
    Joanmarie Kalter, Exposing Media Myths: TV Doesn't Affect You as Much as You Think
    Barbara Kingsolver, Life Is Precious, or It's Not
    Pete Hamill, Crack and the Box

END