Unit 1: Summing Up (Fall 2013)

WEEK ONE__________________________________________

Tuesday 8/20–The Basics & Welcome

• Class Activities:
  • Introductions
  • Course Fundamentals
  • Preview the Y Blog and Course Website
  • Millennials-Writing Brainstorm: on finding your focus and using the research paper to explore potential academic and social interests
  • The “Extra Hour” as the Writing Workshop–The Work of Writing: Beyond Genius and the Aura of the Writer.  A discussion of how we will use Writing Tools, The Art of Styling Sentences, and They Say / I Say
  • Assignment Sheet: Exploratory Research Assignment
  • Assignment Sheet: Summing Up Assignment: The View from Nowhere / The View from Here
  • Assignment Sheet:Student Info and Goals Sheet

• Readings Due: 
  • Newt Gingrich: “Let’s End Adolescence”

Thursday 8/22–Summing Up Parts 1 and 2

• Class Activities:
  • Discuss Blogs, old and new
  • Group Summary of Henig’s article (discuss strategies and structure)

• Readings Due:
  • Peruse the excellent blogging my students accomplished last semester in a similar academic writing course.  Note, in particular, the range of possible research projects (click on “Y Blog” in the navigation toolbar to access the blog)
  • Blogging Instructions
  • Graff, Birkenstein & Durst: “Her Point Is: The Art of Summarizing,” from The Say / I Say (30-40–don’t worry about doing any of the listed exercises)
  • Robin Marantz Henig: “What Is It About 20-Somethings,” New York Times.

• Assignments Due: 
  • Student Info and Goals Sheet

Tuesday 8/27—Summing Up: The View from Nowhere

• Class Activities:
  • Summing Up Group Workshop I (objective summaries, engaged if we have time)

• Assignment Due:
  • Hard copy in class: Working Draft of Summing Up Parts 1 & 2: The View from Nowhere / The View from Here (on the Arnett / Twenge debate linked below). We will workshop these as a class, and in smaller groups.

• Readings Due:
  • Emerging Adulthood debate between Jeffrey Jensen Arnett and Jean M. Twenge in the inaugural issue of Emerging Adulthood (March 2013)

Thursday 8/29–Summing Up: The View from Here

• Class Activities:
  • Refresh: The Language of Engagement
  • Discuss Exploratory Research Assignments (from the Blog)
  • Style Workshop #1: Read the first three tools from Writing Tools (11-22) and read the first chapter (1-5), “Pattern 1” (7-14) and “Pattern 3” (18-21) in The Art of Styling Sentences. Bring your Summing Up drafts to class; there will be ample time to practice on that material if time permits.

• Assignments Due: 
  • Wednesday 8/28 by 8pm–Blog 1: Exploratory Research Assignment
  • Bring in your working drafts of Summing Up (hard copy or computer) and be ready to spend time working on them.

Final Drafts of Summing Up Parts 1 & 2 Due in our Oaks dropbox prior to class on Tuesday 9/3

[Please include both summaries in a single Word document, and strive for TWO PAGES–a combination of concision and completeness will be rewarded]