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ENGLISH 114B: CONTINUED

APPROACHES
TO UNIVERSITY WRITING
Spring 2016
Section #14155
M/W 11:00AM - 12:15PM
Room: Sierra Hall 207
Instructor: Bryan Rockwell
Office: Santa Susana 409
Office Hours: TBD
Office Phone: (818) 677-6907
Email:
bryan.rockwell.312@my.csun.edu

Required Materials

Small notebook (for in-class assignments)

Valid CSUN email address (for class communications and updates be
prepared to check your email frequently!)
Access to both the Internet and CSUNs Moodle site
Weebly Page (Youll make this as part of class)

Required Texts

Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Del Rey Publishing.
1997. Paperback.

Recommended Texts

Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull
Handbook with Exercises (2nd). W.W. Norton, 2014.
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That
Matter in Academic Writing (3rd). W.W. Norton, 2014.

Introduction
Hi Everybody! Welcome to English 114B, Continued Approaches to Academic
Writing. This class is a continuation of English 114A, the course you took last
semester, but its structure and content will be a lot different. Those of you who
had me last semester know that I dont like to run my class in a traditional style,
and for those of you who are just joining us be prepared! To continue your
development as critically-thinking, socially-conscious writers, I have designed this
course to engage you in writing (and reading) that will challenge your normal
perceptions of what writing and reading can be. We will be exploring the spaces of
our personal lives through science fiction, the diversity of writing through a hiphop musical, and the futures weve set out for ourselves through the medium of the
Internet and that list doesnt even include all the in-class activities and
freewrites that well do! Dont panic, though! My goal for this class is to increase
your overall awareness as a writer, and to do so, there will be lots of revision, class
discussions, and low-stakes (Credit/No Credit) writing. Ultimately, I hope you leave
my class at the end of the year not only prepared to tackle the challenges of
academic writing youll face in college, but also with a new outlook on writing and
appreciation of everything writing can do for us!

Course Description
Prerequisites: Successful completion of AAS 114A or CAS 114A or CHS 114A
or ENGL 114A or AFRS 114A or QS 114A. Expository prose writing with a focus on
both content and form. Specific emphases shall include the exercise of logical
thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational
strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes
instruction on diction, syntax, and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style.
Students receive credit for only 1 course chosen from AAS, AFRS, CAS, CHS,
ENGL, and QS 114B. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource
Center. (Available for General Education, Analytical Reading / Expository Writing
(IC).

Course Objectives
Demonstrate competence in university writing
Demonstrate the ability to use rhetorical strategies that include the
appeal to audience, logic, and emotion

Understand writing as a recursive process and demonstrate its use

through invention, drafting and revision (creating, shaping, and
completing)
Demonstrate the ability to use conventions of format, structure, style,
and language appropriate to the purpose of a written text
Demonstrate the ability to use library and online resources effectively
and to document their sources their sources.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will gain the ability to read critically.
Students will gain the ability to write effectively.
Students will gain knowledge of the cultural diversity of literatures.

GE Student Learning Outcomes

Students Will:
1. Analyze and compare perspective, meaning, and style in different
texts, including those that reflect multicultural images and voices;
2. Construct a theme or thesis and organize and develop a substantial,
balanced and convincing defense of it in a voice, tone, language, and
format (e.g., essay autobiography, report, editorial, case study,
inquiry, and research) appropriate to the purpose of the writing;
3. Use logical support, including informed opinion and fact, as well as
their interpretations, to develop ideas, avoiding fallacies, biased
language, and inappropriate tone;
4. Demonstrate satisfactory competence in the conventions of Edited
American English and the elements of presentation (including layout,
format, and printing);
5. Select and incorporate ideas derived from a variety of sources, such
as library electronic and print resources, books, journals, the
Internet, and interviews, and document them responsibly and
correctly;
6. Apply a variety of strategies for planning, outlining, drafting, revising
and editing written work.

Projects
Unlike English 114A, where the class was based around the completion of
progressions, English 114B is based around the completion of projects. What is a
project, you ask? Well, to be quite frank with you, it is a more intensive, less
constructed version of a progression built around a singular idea or topic that will
be explored through various readings, exercises, and discussions. While all of the
activities will be interconnected for each project, they will not have the same
linear direction that most progressions have. These projects will still culminate in a
final writing activity of greater length, and at the end of the course, you will be
turning in a portfolio. For my class, however, the portfolio will be an e-portfolio
constructed on your Weebly page that represents the best work youve done for
the class (as well as your revisions and two reflections, because why not reflect?!).
ONE FINAL NOTE - MOST WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS OUTSIDE OF CLASS
WILL BE SUBMITTED ON YOUR WEEBLY PAGE & THROUGH EMAIL FOR ME
TO EVALUATE!
The following are brief introductions to each of the projects you will be
completing this semester:

1. Project (Con)Text
For Project (Con)Text we will be exploring the hip-hop musical

Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Even though this musical

is still confined to Broadway, we will look at songs and clips from
the show to see how history can be re-imagined in different ways,
and how context plays a key role in all the writing that we do.
Various activities included in this project will be the creation of
your own song (or spoken-word poem), a music review, and a short
biography. This project will culminate in the creation of either a
play/musical or an academic text that represents a
personal/historical period in a different context.

2. Project Space(d OUT!)

For Project Space(d OUT!) we will be reading Douglas Adams The

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in an exploration of everyday
spaces and how they affect our lives and our writing. During this
progression, you will be practicing some of the writing skills you
learned in English 114A (summary, rhetorical analysis), as well as

critical reading skills that will develop as the project progresses.

Activities for this project include short narratives, continuing on
with our classmates narratives, and guide entries. The culminating
assignment for this progression will be the creation of a text
demonstrating your understanding of the everyday and how it
appears in our writing.

3. Project WebWorld

Project WebWorld is going to be very different from what you are

used to doing. We will use this project to explore how we portray
ourselves in the digital universe, and how the writing we do online is
often different from the writing that takes place in other
contexts. Much of this project will focus on the refinement of your
Weebly page, and will include writing activities like blogging,
Tweets, Facebook Posts, and website reviews. The final activity,
towards which all of the other activities will be directed, will be
the creation of a research project (note PROJECT, not paper)
about your chosen major (or a major you are considering). So yeah,
you guessed it - youre going to be researching for WebWorld!

Course Policies
Attendance
For all of you who had me last semester, the attendance policy for this
semester will be a little different. However, and I hope this fact is still obvious,
but just in case: ATTENDANCE IS ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY FOR THIS
COURSE! Seriously, how am I supposed to teach you if youre not in class? I do
recognize, though, that you are all real people with real-life problems, and that
unforeseen circumstances might cause you to miss class from time to time. For this
reason, I am allotting each of you three (3) absences before I take away half of
the points you get for participation. After five (5) absences, you lose all the
points in participation for the semester. If you manage to get more than six (6)
absences, you will fail my course. There are exceptions, of course, for emergencies
and sickness, but these will need to be addressed immediately and some proof will
need to be provided for the absence to be excused. THIS MEANS DONT BE
AFRAID TO COME TALK TO ME IF SOMETHING IS GOING ON THAT AFFECTS
YOUR ABILITY TO ATTEND CLASS!

As far as tardiness is concerned, I expect all of you to be on-time so we can

begin class right away. For this reason, I will count every three (3) tardies as an
absence. As I mentioned previously, if you have special circumstances surrounding
your transportation to CSUN, please let me know ASAP!

A Quick Word on Quizzes

As a rule, I am not a particular fan of reading quizzes, and will not be using
them in our class. HOWEVER, if I find that many of you are not doing the reading
and our class discussions are suffering because of it, I will institute reading
quizzes just to make sure that the reading is getting done. To put it simply DO
YOUR READING, OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!!!

Plagiarism
This goes without saying, but ANY INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM WILL
NOT BE TOLERATED, AND IF CAUGHT, YOU WILL FAIL MY COURSE!
Besides failing my course, you may also be subjected to suspension, probation, and
expulsion once the case is turned over to Student Affairs. In case youre unsure of
what plagiarism entails, according to the CSUN Policy on Plagiarism from the
University Catalog, plagiarism is defined as intentionally or knowingly representing
the words, ideas, or work of another as ones own in any academic exercise.

GradingBUM-BUM-BUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!!
You will be given a letter grade for this course, and I do utilize the +/system of grading (90-92 = A-, 93-96 = A, 97-100 = A+). Grading for most writing
activities will be done on a Credit/No Credit basis, but with a caveat I WILL
DETERMINE WHETHER YOU GET CREDIT OR NOT! I want each of you to turn
in your best work, and if I do not feel like you are doing so, I will hand the
assignment back to you (metaphorically speaking) and ask that you revise it until it
represents your best work. Smaller writing activities done at home will nominally be
due on Monday, but I will allow them to be reworked and revised until Friday to
ensure that full credit is given. Also note that I will give half credit if work is
submitted by Friday and it is still not up to my expectations. NO LATE WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT! E-PORTFOLIOS MUST BE
COMPLETED FOR YOU TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE, AND LATE
PORTFOLIOS WILL RECEIVE MASSIVE DEDUCTIONS IN THEIR FINAL
GRADE!!!

Your final grade in the class will be determined by the total amount of points
you acquire in the following categories (which each include their respective
percentage of your total grade):

1. Participation/Attendance (15%)
2. Moodle Posts (10%)
3. Writing Activities (35%)
4. Final E-Portfolio (40%)
Participation/Attendance (150 pts total)
Your participation/attendance grade will be determined by your attendance
in class, your participation in class discussions, and the completion of in-class
activities. There will also be one required student-teacher conference during the
semester, although I encourage you to come and visit me as often as possible to
address issues in your writing. Also, as noted up above, half or all of your
participation/attendance points can be lost due to excessive absences, SO
COME TO CLASS!

Moodle Posts (100 pts total)

For this class, you will be required to complete ten (10) Moodle posts (10 pts
each, graded Credit/No Credit) on the readings, lectures, and discussions that we
cover each week. Moodle posts will be due Sunday at 8pm (so that I have a chance
to read them before Mondays class). There will be no Moodle posts for the last
day of class. I may assign an extra-credit Moodle post later on in the semester.

Writing Activities (350 pts total)

This part of your grade includes all out-of-class writing activities, as well as
the larger culminating writing assignments at the end of each project. As noted
above, these will be graded Credit/No Credit and I will have the final say on
whether you get credit for the assignment. I will not be telling you the individual
points for each writing activity becauseto be honestI dont want anyone
calculating which assignments they can miss to still get a particular grade in my
class. If you do all the work, and make sure you get credit, you will not find getting

an A in my class overly difficult or impossible. I just want to see you put forth the
effort!

Final E-Portfolio (400 pts total)

The e-portfolio you will turn in to me through your Weebly page will be the
only assignment in this class that will be given a letter grade. For the e-portfolio,
you will be expected to submit 4-5 assignments, taken from the class, that you feel
represent your best writing after taking time for revisions. I will expect at least
one, if not two of these texts to be the culminating assignments at the end of the
progressions. You will also be submitting a piece of reflective writing about a
classmates work, as well as a final reflection in the form of your choosing about
your feelings on writing, the writing process, and this class. FINAL REMINDER
THE E-PORTFOLIO MUST BE COMPLETED FOR YOU TO RECEIVE CREDIT
FOR THIS CLASS!

ONE LAST WORD ON THE LEARNING RESOURCE

CENTER (LRC)
While I will not be making it mandatory for you to visit the LRC on the third
floor of the Oviatt Library, I highly recommend that you do so. There are welltrained individuals there who can help you with the content, organization, and the
invention of ideas for your writing. Because I am using a Credit/No Credit system
for grading that is determined by what I feel is your best writing, it is advisable
that you seek extra help to ensure that you are proud of the work youre doing, and
that it represents the totality of writing knowledge that you have. Remember,
though, the LRC is not an editing service when you visit them, be sure that you
have the assignment with you and that you have specific big issues (like
organization or the content of a particular paragraph) that you would like to
discuss.

Weekly Schedule Subject to Change

Week 1 Introducing Ourselves
1/25
Class Introductions/Ice Breaker
Short Introduction to Class Materials
Freewrite
1/27
Discussion: Revisiting our Past Writing
In-Class Writing Activity
HW: 1-2 pgs. (typed, printed, MLA, double-spaced) on what you took away from
your 114A class and what you would still like to work on in your writing. DUE
MONDAY 2/1
Week 2 Setting Up Our Digital Selves
2/1
Discussion: What Do I Mean by Digital Selves?
Lesson: Creating a Weebly Site
HW: EMAIL ME YOUR WEEBLY WEBSITE ADDRESS BY WEDNESDAY 2/3.
2/3
Mini-Lesson: Genre and Academia
Freewrite
Continue Working on Weebly Site
HW: Finish Weebly site. Post 1 pg. reflection about creating a Weebly site on your
own Weebly site. Look at/listen to songs from Hamilton musical (website on
Moodle)
Week 3 Looking at The Past
2/8
Discussion: What History Means to Us
Lesson: American History 101
Freewrite
2/10
Lesson: The Historical Hamilton
Read Excerpts from Ron Chernows biography Alexander Hamilton
Discussion: The Genre of Biography
HW: Your Own Alternative Biography (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)

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Week 4 What Does Music Mean to Us?

2/15
Freewrite
Discussion: Why We Listen to Music
Mini-Lesson: Musicals & Drama
HW: Revisit the songs of Hamilton for Wednesday
2/17
Discussion: The Songs of Hamilton (Vs. The History)
Freewrite
Choosing Songs for Music Review
HW: Music Review for Hamilton (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)
Week 5 Making Our Own Music i.e. Taking our Shot
2/22
Discussion: Music Reviews for Hamilton
Activity/Lesson: Looking at Spoken-Word Poetry
Freewrite
2/24
Activity/Lesson: Responding to Our Peers
Discussion: Whos Our Audience?
Mini-Lesson: Academic Genre of My Choosing
HW: Song/Spoken Word Poem (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)
Week 6 Those Pesky Lasting Impressions
2/29
In-class Writing Activity: Dear Mr. Jefferson
Begin Lesson: Representing Histories
3/2
Finish Lesson: Representing Histories
Work on Representing Histories
Begin Lesson: Introduction to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
HW: Representing Histories (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me). Start reading
chapters 1-7 of HHG2G.

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Week 7 Getting into the Guide

3/7
Mini-Discussion: Representing Histories
Finish Lesson: Introduction to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Freewrite
HW: Finish reading chapters 1-7 of HHG2G
3/9
Lesson: Science Fiction & The Everyday
Discussion: Chapters 1-7
Mini-Activity: Describing Our Characters
HW: Read Chapters 8-18 of HHG2G. Write 1-2 pgs. (typed, printed, MLA, doublespaced) summary/rhetorical analysis (RA) on chapters 1-16. DUE 3/14.
Week 8 Adding Our Own Entries
3/14
Discussion: Chapters 8-18
Freewrite
Lesson: Recording Information (Encyclopedias!)
3/16
Mini-Lesson: Academic Genre of My Choosing
Discussion: Technology in HHG2G
Freewrite
HW: Read Chapters 19-35 of HHG2G. Writing your own entry in the Hitchhikers
Guide to the Galaxy. (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)
Week 9 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
Week 10 Whats Your Towel?
3/28
Discussion: Chapters 19-35 of HHG2G
Lesson: Survival Fiction
Begin Activity: Whats Your Towel?
3/30
Finish Activity: Whats Your Towel?
HW: Begin working on Finding the Everyday assignment (Due 4/11)

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Week 11 Talking About the Everyday

4/4
Review: The Everyday in HHG2G
Lesson: Experiencing the Everyday in Other Writing
Freewrite
HW: Finish Finding the Everyday assignment (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)
4/6
NO CLASS CONFERENCE DAY!
Week 12 Who You Are and Who I Am
4/11
Discussion: Finding the Everyday
Lesson: Establishing Our Identity
Mini-Activity: Who is Bryan, exactly?
4/13
Lesson: Identity in the Media
Discussion: What We Think of Celebrities
Mini-Activity: Who are we online? (So far, at least)
HW: Bring a collection of your own tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media
examples for class Monday, as well as a 1 pg. write-up (typed, printed, MLA, doublespaced) on what you think these writings say about you.
Week 13 How We Represent Ourselves on Social Media
4/18
Freewrite
Discussion: Our Social Media Portfolio
Lesson: Looking at Online Languages
HW: Create a page on your Weebly site where you can add social media texts.
4/20
In-Class Writing Activity: Writing Through Each Other
Lesson: Weebly Review
HW: Weebly Review (Emailed to me, then Ill email to the classmate that youre
reviewing for posting)

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Week 14 Blogging: The Lost Art

4/25
Discussion: Weebly Reviews
Discussion: Why We Chose Our Majors (And Whats Important About Them)
In-Class Writing Activity: Social Media and Our Academia
HW: Start researching chosen major/subject of that major
4/27
Mini-Lesson: Academic Genre of My Choosing
Lesson: Blogging What It Is, What It Aint, and What It Can Be
Freewrite
HW: Continue researching chosen major/subject of that major. Blog entry on
major (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me)
Week 15 Researching the Future
5/2
Freewrite
Lesson: Working on our Research
Discussion: What Weve Found So Far
HW: Work on Research Project (DUE 5/9). Bring in shorter composition youve
done for this class for peer review on Wednesday.
5/4
Lesson: Reflections
Peer Review: Short Composition
HW: Finish Research Project (Posted on Weebly and emailed to me). Bring in longer
composition youve done for this class for peer review Wednesday.
Week 16 Wrapping It All Up
5/9
Discussion: Research Projects
Peer Review: Long Composition
HW: Work on E-Portfolio (DUE MONDAY 5/18)
5/11
Discussion: E-Portfolios
Freewrite
Time for Conferences on E-Portfolios
HW: E-PORTFOLIOS DUE WEDNESDAY 5/18 (POSTED ON WEEBLY AND
EMAILED TO ME). YOU MUST TURN IN AN E-PORTFOLIO TO RECEIVE A
GRADE FOR THE CLASS. WE WILL NOT MEET ON OUR FINALS DAY (5/18)