Defining Academic Writing: Due 10/5/09

Now that you have completed the first draft of your first paper at CCNY (at least in FIQWS), devise a working definition for academic writing.

This statement should be no more than a paragraph long, and should include:

1. Your concept of how writing is used to learn and/or perform other tasks in the college setting.

2. An acknowledgment of your position in the world of academic writing:  what do you stand to gain from writing papers in college, and what does the college stand to gain from you?

Reminder:  We will meet in the library on 10/5 at 5pm.  Please arrive on time to room 1/340. 

Quotations and Paraphrase

Check out this page for the information we covered in class about quotation and paraphrase.

In addition you might consider:
1.reviewing the information available in the Writing Skills Handbook you purchased for this class
2. Reading over the information available from Michael Harvey or at the Purdue OWL.

I am available to discuss your first drafts on Friday from 1-4pm in NAC 6/213 6/218, also known as the English Student Lounge.

Paper #1 Planning, Due 9/23

The documents related to the first paper for this class are now available online.  They will also be distributed and discussed in class on Wednesday, 9/16.

For class next Wednesday, 9/23, create an outline of your argumentative paper using the principles of argumentation that we discussed in class.  The notes for that class are available in a link below.  You should bring a typed or written document to class on 9/23 that includes: a claim about the issue you are investigating, some reasons to support it, evidence from the texts you have already read, and any warrants or responses that you deem necessary. 

Paper Topic
Grading Rubric
Formatting Guidelines
Creating an Argument 
Thesis Statements

Article Citations, Due Wednesday 9/16

Please post a citation for the article(s) you received in class on Monday, 9/14.  Use MLA format, just like we did for the first article. 

Due 9/14, Your Comments on Anne Lamott's "Shitty FIrst Drafts"

When you finish reading the chapter I gave you in class from Anne Lamott's book, Bird By Bird: Some Reflections on Writing and Life, answer the following reflection questions.  When you write your response, think about how you can organize your answer so it is not simply a list of answers to my questions.  Instead, use these questions to frame your response in paragraph form.  You might even need a topic sentence or thesis statement to introduce your ideas....

What role does editing and drafting seem to play in Lamott's writing? 

After she has written her first draft, does she agonize over what comes next, or relish in more drafts? 

Does your own writing process share any characteristics with hers?

What seems to be achieved by finishing the "shitty first draft?"

What, if anything, is Lamott trying to show or teach us about the work of a professional writer?

If you misplaced the article or were not in class, you can check out a reprint of it here.

How will the E-book Change the Way We Read and Write? Analysis, Due 9/9

Pick one issue raised by Steven Johnson in the Wall Street Journal article and write a one or two paragraph analysis of it.

Post your analysis as a comment, by clicking on the link in the bottom corner.

Check out this link to the summary vs. analysis information we discussed in class.

Article Citation, Due 9/9

In the comment space, post a citation for the article you collected for Lynn's class.  Use standard MLA form, just like we did in class with the Wall Street Journal article.