EFFECTIVE WRITING

ENG 100H 1S

L5201 Professor M. Casas Tuesdays 6-9 p.m. Office: Robarts 14047 University College Tel.: (416) 946-8051 Room 85 maria.casas@utoronto.ca OVERVIEW

ENG 100H is a university level course for students who wish to improve their writing. It is designed to develop competence in writing expository and persuasive prose of various kinds, including those needed in university and the professions. It examines the principles of clear, precise and well-reasoned prose and shows their application in frequent assignments and exercises that develop understanding of writing, specific writing skills, and rhetorical effectiveness. It stresses the process of composition, the uses of preparatory writing, drafting, revising, and final editing. Students are made aware of the conventions followed in different disciplines and different prose forms, with special attention to the organization, apt presentation of argument and evidence, unity, coherence, suitable diction, and acceptable grammar and mechanics. (English Undergraduate Handbook 13)

In this section we will focus on the written genres required in university and other professional contexts while working on sentence structure, grammar and punctuation as well as on the mechanics of paragraphs and longer stretches of prose. This is a hands-on, practical, skills-centred course. There will be frequent short exercises done in class from Norton and Green (see below), and regular peer-editing. Each essay will be reviewed in class a week prior to being handed in. ASSIGNMENTS One personal essay of 500 words due Jan. 14th ................................ 5% Three formal essays of 500-1000 words each (10% X 3) ..................30%

Comparison or Contrast due Jan 28th Cause or Effect due Feb. 11th Persuasive due March 4th

Research essay, 1000 words due April 8th ........................................15% Grammar problem sets .......................................................................20% Final exam during exam period .........................................................20% Participation (peer editing 5%, class participation 5%) .....................10%

REQUIRED TEXTS Norton, Sarah and Brian Green, Essay Essentials with Readings, 3rd Ed. Finnbogason, Jack and Al Valleau, A Canadian Writers Pocket Guide, 2nd Ed.

These two books are sold as a package for this course at the University of Toronto Textbook Store. A good desk dictionary, e.g., Funk and Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, Canadian Edition; Merriam-Webster Tenth Collegiate Dictionary; Random House College Dictionary; Collins Dictionary. These are suggestions only. COURSE POLICIES Late assignments are penalized at the rate of 2% per day, including weekends. No extensions will be granted except under very exceptional circumstances (these do not include computer glitches, job commitments, or deadlines that have piled up). Plagiarism is represent[ing] as ones own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work (Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar 490-92). It is sometimes not easy to sort out which ideas are yours and which are somebody elses; one of the functions of this course is to pin down techniques of 1) quotation, paraphrase and summary, and 2) documenting your research, both of which can help you avoid blurring the lines. If you have any doubts about specific passages, please speak to me. My office hour is on Thursdays, 4-5; contact me to make an appointment if you cannot meet at this time. You are also welcome to phone or email me (contact info above) with concerns about your work or the course. Double space all drafts and essays and do not justify right margins. Leave wide margins (more than one inch) to allow for others comments. Problem sets do not need to be typed.

Final Syllabus

ENG100 H1S

Date Work due 1 2 3 Homework Jan 7 Preview Course course

philosophy (genre), course structure, syllabus, evaluation criteria

Personal essay Video on peer reviewing (half hour); Peer review

Develop diagnostic essay as personal essay

Jan 14 Personal essay due

Choosing a Topic Managing the Main Points; Revising (short)

Comparison / Contrast Writing -workshop

Read 17 and 12

Jan 21 Draft of Comp./Cont.

Subjects; Main Verbs Thesis Statements; Outlining Peer review Do 24

Jan 28 Comp./Cont. essay due; 24. 6

Parallel Sentence Structure Paragraphing; Topic Sentences

Cause / Effect Analysis -workshop

Read 18; Do 28

Feb 4 Draft of C/E; 28.5 Run-on Sentences Introductions; Conclusions Peer review Do 26 Feb 11 26.4 Commas Development Do 33 Feb 18 R E A D I N G W E E K Feb 25 Cause/Effect

essay due; 33. 8 Fragments Unity, Coherence, Tone Persuasive Mode

Read 19; Do 25

March 4 Draft of Persuasive; 25.7

Semi-Colons; Colons Argumentation Peer Review Do 35

March 11

Persuasive essay due

Library Workshop Room 4055, Robarts Library Meet at Robarts, 4th Floor, Room 4055 at 6 p.m.

Do 34

March 18

35.4; 34.4 Subject-verb Agreement Evaluating Sources Research Writing Read 20; Do 30

March 25

30.10 Verb Usage / Tense Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting

Read 21; Do 31

April 1 Draft of Research essay; 31.5

Dashes and Parentheses Documentation Peer review Read 22; Do 37

April 8 Research Essay due; 37.3

Review of grammar and punctuation

Review of rhetoric / genres Exam prep