Core 110

Core 110 – Effective Writing

Master Syllabus

Revised: 1/2001

Preface to Instructors: “Effective Writing” enjoys a long and rich history at King’s College, a history shaped by faculty devoted to the art of writing and dedicated to leading students to respect language and evidence, use rhetoric responsibly, and write imaginative and thoughtful prose. The department’s approach to teaching writing has emphasized the process of writing and has included strategies like drafting, peer-editing, and one to one conferencing.

With the implementation of the new Core Curriculum in 1985 and in cooperation with other faculty at the College, the department began to refine an approach to teaching that was already student-centered by stating the objectives of “Effective Writing” not in terms of what instructors and the course would do but in terms of what students should know and be able to do as a consequence of taking the course. Further, the department believed it would help to insure a common learning experience for King’s students and a collaborative spirit among instructors if every syllabus included the objectives and goals defined below.

Instructors of “Effective Writing” should include in their individual syllabi the following items from this Master Syllabus:

	The Introduction
	Objectives and Goals
	The Grading Pyramid (Appendix A)
	The Core 110 Portfolio (Appendix B)

Instructors may include the objectives for “The Use of Library and Other Information Sources” (Appendix C) in the syllabus or in guidelines for students as they prepare them for that particular assignment.

Catalog Description: A course in college-level composition with emphasis on writing clearly, effectively and interestingly for a variety of purposes and audiences. Individual conferences, writing workshops, journal writing and regular writing assignments encourage practice in each step of the writing process. A library unit introduces the student to the use of sources in informational writing. Required of all freshmen. Offered each semester. 3 hours. 3 credits.

Introduction: The liberally educated person must be able to discover ideas and express them clearly and effectively in writing. As creative art, writing shapes experience into knowledge and is, therefore, essential to the development of the person and to the health of free institutions. As a facet of effective communication, writing is also a practical art, one that society respects and regards as necessary for success in all careers and professions.

Objectives: As a consequence of taking this course, the student should be able to:

use heuristic strategies to discover ideas for writing;
narrow a general subject to a specific one;
translate a topic into a thesis statement;
develop and support that thesis by using specific evidence and concrete detail;
use techniques of drafting and editing in the writing process;
outline or plan a logically clear and rhetorically effective development of the thesis;
recognize and use methods of development such as definition, example, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, process analysis.
understand and use library and other information sources in the preparation of a paper.

Goals:

describe objects or events accurately;
understand and use organizing principles;
use a variety of sources to discover information;
compile and rank information;
synthesize facts, concepts, and principles;
develop a broad vocabulary and sensitivity to language;
use conventions of standard English in spelling, grammar and usage;
develop a respect for ideas supported by evidence and logical argumentation;
appreciate the vital connection between good reading and good writing;
develop ideas and write clear and forceful prose for a variety of purposes and audiences;
present an authentic individual voice in writing.

Strategies:

Exercises in using various writing processes and heuristic devices for developing subjects, e.g., list making, free writing, brainstorming, clustering, looping.
Exercises and assignments in using specific rhetorical forms (e.g., comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, classification) and rhetorical purposes (e.g., to narrate, describe, inform, argue and persuade).
Exercises in writing for a particular audience.
Exercises in the use of peer editing techniques to develop ability to make observations and to separate observations from inferences.
Exercises to incorporate library material into essays and informational papers.
Discussions of readings and writing samples.
Reading and discussing writing in class sessions.
Use of workshop and tutorial approaches.
Submission by students of six papers, each revised thorough drafts. At the discretion of the instructor, a journal may be substituted for one of the papers.
Use of grading pyramid in evaluating papers.

Assessment:

A. Transferable Skills of Liberal Learning:

Effective Writing: Individual papers are graded with the use of criteria outlined in the Grading Pyramid (See Appendix A).
Information Literacy: The instructor may request the assistance of the library staff to give students basic instruction in finding, evaluating, and using print and electronic sources. As a consequence of this instruction and the use of sources in at least one paper, the student should be able to (See Appendix C

a. explore general information sources to increase familiarity with a topic;

b. develop a research strategy appropriate to the topic;

c. use the services and expertise of reference librarians to identity and locate relevant sources;

d. access print and electronic sources effectively and efficiently;

e. distinguish between primary and secondary sources, i.e., between media, texts, letters, interviews, etc., and biographies, critical analyses, reviews, commentaries, etc.;

f. critically evaluate the reliability, accuracy, authority, and timeliness of sources consulted;

g. accurately summarize main ideas extracted from sources;

h. demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and the unlawful use of copyrighted material;

i. record pertinent citation information for future reference; and

j. use the MLA documentation style to cite sources.

B. The Use of Student Portfolios for Assessment: All students in Core 110 are required to keep all drafts of papers in a portfolio which the instructor collects at the end of the course. Instructions should be included in the syllabus. Note: instructors may regard the reflective essay in item 3 as optional. (See Appendix B).

In cooperation with the College’s Comprehensive Assessment Plan, at the conclusion of each semester instructors should submit to the Project Team Facilitator the number of students who have by means of their portfolios demonstrated the following levels of achievement:

	Superior (A or B+)
	Satisfactory (B, C, or C+)
	Less than satisfactory but passing (C- or D)
	Unsatisfactory (F)

In addition, and at the request of the Vice-president for Academic Affairs, instructors will submit sample portfolios to the Project Team Facilitator. Those instructors who submit portfolios on a periodic basis as determined by the Project Team should use the following guidelines for submitting portfolios:

Guidelines For Instructors Submitting Student Portfolios:

Select three portfolios from your class or classes that are representative of Superior work (A or B+), Satisfactory work (B, C+, C), Less than Satisfactory but still Passing work (C- or D). Delete students’ names from the papers.
Use a cover sheet for the three portfolios that includes the following information

a. an explanation of each assignment: if you can, include any written guidelines you gave to students;

b. a definition of the criteria you gave to students and used to evaluate their papers, e.g., the Grading Pyramid, cover sheets;

c. an explanation of how you provided feedback to students, e.g.,comments on papers, tutorials or conferences;

d. the total number of students in your classes performing at the following levels:

Superior (A or B+)

Satisfactory (B, C+, C)

Less than Satisfactory but Passing (C- or D)

Unsatisfactory (F)

3. Please add notes or comments in which you raise questions or problems regarding the content and format of the course that you would like the Core 110 Project Team to address.

The Project Team Facilitator will deliver the sample portfolios to the Office of Academic Affairs. In the following semester, the Project Team will discuss what the portfolios and the current content and format of the course reveal that may help to improve the course and enhance student learning.

Resource Packet: Instructors may consult the resource packet kept in the department office. The packet contains a variety of strategies instructors may find helpful in teaching Core 110, e.g., guidelines that define assignments for students, coversheets for student papers, peer-editing guidelines, suggestions for collaborative writing assignments.

GRADING PYRAMID

Appendix A: Core 110, Effective Writing

The essay gives

imaginative

treatment

To a significant and

striking central idea.

The plan of the essay evidences

a strategy for persuasion.

Generalizations are carefully supported.

Details show originality, freshness and

concreteness. Sentences show variety of

pattern and are rhetorically effective.

Style is authentic and demonstrates that ideas

have been interiorized.

B+/B

The essay’s central idea is interesting and

significant. The organization of the essay demonstrates careful

planning. Details are specific and sharp; there is a concern for

showing rather than just telling. Sentences show variety of purpose

and pattern. Diction is chosen with awareness of audience and purpose.

C+/C

The essay has a clear central idea. The plan of the essay is clear with an identifiable introduction and conclusion. Generalizations are supported by details. Paragraphs are unified and coherent. Transitions are clear. Sentences make sense and conform to conventional patterns. Subjects and verbs agree. Pronouns agree with antecedents. Verb tenses are consistent. Punctuation is conventional. Words are spelled correctly.

D/F

Central idea is weak or confused. Organization is poor. Paragraphs lack unity and coherence. Generalizations are unsupported by evidence. Sentence structure is confused. Errors in usage, grammar, spelling or punctuation are frequent or serious.

Appendix B: Core 110, Effective Writing

THE CORE 110 PORTFOLIO

This course requires that you submit a portfolio of your writing that I will use to determine your final grade. Please prepare your portfolio in the following manner:

Include all of the papers you have written for this course, and arrange them in chronological order.
For each assignment, place the final draft on top of earlier draft.
As the cover sheet for your portfolio, compose a reflective essay of one to two pages in which you evaluate your progress in writing. Before you begin your essay, review your final drafts and the comments I wrote on them. In your essay you may want to consider the following questions:

a. How have you changed, if at all, the process you use in writing a paper?

b. In what ways has your writing improved in the course of the semester?

c. What are your strengths as a writer?

d. What are your weaknesses as a writer?

e. What aspects of your writing do you want to continue working on?

4. Place your essays in a simple folder or large envelope with your name on top.

I will explain when and where you will deliver the portfolio at the end of the semester.

Appendix C: Core 110, Effective Writing

The Use of Library and Other Information Sources in the Preparation of a Paper

As a consequence of using sources in the preparation of a paper, you should be able to: