Advanced Writing - 2nd year
This is a writing course that builds and refines skills learned in an earlier ESL Writing course. It integrates advanced-level writing and critical thinking skills. Students will select and apply appropriate writing strategies to complete academic paragraphs and essays. Grammar structures will be reviewed and practiced as errors occur in writing.
Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Continue to apply a process approach to writing by:
A. Strengthening skills at revising drafts for organization, content, and language;
B. Editing writing;
C. Developing proofreading skills by applying knowledge of grammatical structures.
2. Continue to develop strategies used in writing coherent and unified academic essays by:
A. Employing appropriate overall organization;
B. Developing effective introductory and concluding paragraphs;
C. Effectively using a thesis statement;
D. Framing paragraphs around one concept;
E. Stating main ideas clearly;
F. Moving from generalizations to specific supporting information;
G. Developing main ideas with adequate and convincing detail, examples, and
H. Illustrations;
I. Using facts to support opinions;
J. Including only relevant information;
K. Ordering paragraphs logically;
L. Utilizing effective sentence patterns;
M. Employing appropriate transitions and signal words;
N. Using appropriate vocabulary and form.
3. Write a cause or effect essay by:
A. Explaining and presenting the causes or effects of a specific topic;
B. Analyzing cause and effect relationships;
C. Writing focused thesis statements and topic sentences which proclaim causes or effects;
D. Providing evidence for the causes/effects;
E. Applying an appropriate cause or effect organizational pattern;
F. Applying cause and effect structure words and phrases (because, so, therefore, since, as a result, etc.);
G. Employing appropriate strategies used in writing coherent and unified academic essays.
4. Write an argumentative essay on a contemporary topic by:
A. Presenting the issue;
B. Formulating an argumentative thesis statement taking a clear position;
C. Supporting and proving the claim;
D. Identifying, understanding, addressing, and refuting contrasting opinion
E. Distinguishing between significant and insignificant ideas;
F. Using inductive and deductive reasoning;
G. Using an appropriate argument organizational pattern;
H. Employing appropriate strategies used in writing coherent and unified academic
I. Essays.
5. Answer essay questions by:
A. Determining what to do by recognizing terms that frequently appear in essay
B. Tests (illustrate, explain, classify, compare, define, contrast, discuss, evaluate,
C. Argue, analyze, etc.);
D. Choosing an appropriate organizational pattern to answer the question;
E. Sticking to the topic without getting sidetracked;
F. Planning time and writing quickly.
Topics:
Course topics will include the following:
1. Process writing
2. Paragraph development and unity
3. Academic essays and rhetorical modes
4. Essay form, unity and coherence
5. Revision practice
6. Impromptu writing
Method of Instruction:
1. Lecture
2. Discussion
3. Group and pair work
4. Writing
5. Error analysis
Types of Assignments:
1. Textbook exercises
2. Vocabulary study
3. Paragraph and essay writing
4. Journal writing
Sample Text:
1. Folse, Keith S., April Muchmore-Vokoun, and Elena Vestri Solomon, Great Essays, Houghton Mifflin Company.
