ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 1 Discussion
Analyzing Grammar
For your initial post this week, you will be completing Step 1 for an activity based on the required Hulst reading, “Grammar, Rhetoric, and Style.” downloadIn the essay, Hulst analyzes examples from several types of texts: a manual from the video game Fallout 3, an academic essay, an academic article from the sciences, and his own essay.
For your initial post this week, your assignment is to share a paragraph or short section from any text you would like—and you should be creative. It can be from a cookbook, from a magazine article, or from a manual. In your post, simply share the selection and make sure you properly cite it according to APA formatting guidelines.
Connect with Classmates
In your responses to classmates, your assignment is to provide a short analysis of the selection your classmate shared using the Hulst essay as a model. In the essay, Hulst analyzes the texts for sentence structure, word choices, and other elements of style. Your goal is to provide similar analysis for your classmate’s chosen selection. Your responses should be a full paragraph.
And, remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Just do your best to model Hulst and have some fun while doing it.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 2 Discussion
Share a Paragraph, Review a Paragraph
Peer review is an important part of the writing process because it gives us an opportunity to gain insights and feedback from outside readers. Essentially, peer review offers us a chance to test out our writing on an audience in a very low-stress way. As a peer reviewer, remember you do not have to be an expert writer to offer feedback to someone.
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
In your initial post, share your introduction and one body paragraph from your Rhetorical Analysis essay due at the end of this module. Remember to provide a thesis statement at the end of your introduction and to use rhetorical terms throughout your rhetorical analysis.
Connect with Classmates
Please read the?Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay (Links to an external site.) from the Excelsior College OWL and the Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay (Links to an external site.) from St. Louis Community College. These readings will help you target your feedback to your peers.?
Select two of your classmates’ posts and try to aim for posts that have not been reviewed. After carefully reading the introduction and body paragraph, please address the following questions in your response:
Does the thesis statement make an assertion and make it clear that the reader is about to read a rhetorical analysis? If so, how? If not, what advice could you offer?
What rhetorical terms are covered in the body paragraph provided in the post? How does the author develop examples of those rhetorical terms?
Are the paragraphs well organized for you as a reader? Explain your response.
Did you notice any issues of clarity or any errors that impacted your understanding of the paragraphs? If so, be sure to point out a specific example(s).
Did the author properly cite examples from the essay according to APA guidelines? Explain your response.
What do you see as the strengths of the paragraphs so far? Be specific.
Remember, you do not have to be an expert writer to provide quality peer review feedback. You will be sharing your thoughts as an informed reader, and your classmate will then be able to consider this feedback during the revision process.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 3 Discussion
20 Most Common Errors
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
For this discussion, you first task is to review the full list of the 20 Most Common Errors (Links to an external site.) and choose two of the errors that you may have struggled with before or were just not aware of before reviewing the materials in the OWL. Then, in your own words, paraphrase the lesson on the error and provide an original error and correction for each of the errors you chose.
Connect with Classmates
In your two peer responses, comment on your classmates’ chosen errors. What did you learn from your classmates’ posts? Then, in several sentences, reflect on the importance of clarity in writing and explain how the grammar resources in the OWL can help you as you move ahead with your writing at the college level and your writing at work.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 4 Discussion
The Ingredients of Research
Before you begin this discussion, review the assigned reading for this module, Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources downloadby Cynthia Haller. ?
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
For this discussion, you are going to consider possible research scenarios. The scenarios can be from real life, work, or your academic courses (like the examples provided on pages 204-206 of the Haller article). In your initial post, create a research scenario for your classmates to respond to.?
Here are some sample research scenarios to give you some ideas as you work to create an original scenario for your initial post:
You are hoping to purchase a new car by the end of the year, and you want to consider a wide variety of factors including budget, safety, reliability, and gas mileage.
Your company has asked you to be a part of a committee to help research a new location in the United States for a branch office. Sales take place online, so sales are not a factor. However, your committee must consider the cost of living, quality of living, and cost of office space.?
In your economics class, you are being asked to write a paper analyzing the factors that led to the financial crisis of 2008. You are required to use at least one scholarly source and at least one popular source.?
Connect with Classmates
Respond to the posts of at least two of your fellow students. Your response posts should use the model from the Haller article (pp. 204-206), describing the?ingredients,?processes, and?product?you would use to carry out the research project described in your classmates’ scenarios. Remember, there are many ways to approach a research scenario, so you may have different responses than your classmates, even if you chose the same scenarios.?
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 5 Discussion
Research Paper Pitch
Review the instructions for your upcoming?Research Essay Assignment?located in Module 7.?Then, review the instructions for?recording Zoom videos with transcripts?that are attached below.?
For this discussion, you are being asked to?create a short video?pitch?of?your research project?for?your classmates, who will be playing the role of editors you are pitching to. Your task is to present your pitch and explain why your research is interesting and important. Your classmates will help you by responding with feedback.?
NOTE: Excelsior College normally does not allow students to re-use a research project that they created in another class. You should select a topic for this class that you have not used previously.
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
Before you create your video, you will want to outline your pitch and practice it. You do not have to memorize your full pitch, but you should have a plan for what you are going to say in your video.??
A good pitch will include the following:?
What is your topic, and why did you choose it? Why is it important?
What is your working thesis statement??
What sources do you plan to use to support it? You should briefly mention at least two of your best sources so far.??
What do you hope your readers will take away from your research project??
Your video pitches should be brief and should be approximately 1 to 2 minutes.??
Connect with Classmates
In your peer responses this week, your task is to play the role of editor and provide feedback on two of your classmates’?pitches. In your feedback, be sure to respond to the following questions:?
What interests you most about the topic? What are the strengths of the pitch???
What additional ideas do you have for the writer to consider??? ??
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 6 Discussion
Writing a MEAL Plan Paragraph
In this assignment, you will create a MEAL plan paragraph that you can use in your research paper. Before you begin,?refer to the readings in this module on the MEAL plan. You will also need at least one source from your research process so far.
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
In your initial post, begin by stating the working thesis you have developed for your research paper. Then use the MEAL plan paragraph structure to write one rough draft paragraph that could support this potential thesis in your research essay. The evidence from the Evidence section of your paragraph should come from the source you located on your topic.
Connect with Classmates
In your response posts, help two of your classmates by providing feedback on their rough draft paragraphs. Consider the following questions:?
Is the?Main?idea sentence a clear assertion in the author’s own voice? If not, how can the sentence be improved??
How well does the author integrate the?Evidence??
What advice can you offer on the?Analysis?and?Lead Out??
What suggestions do you have for the overall improvement of the paragraph??
What are some of the strengths of the paragraph?
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 7 Discussion
Peer Review
Review the assignment instructions for your research paper assignment as well as the readings from this module on peer review.?
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
In this discussion assignment, you will be engaging in a formal peer review process for your research essay assignment. Remember, you do not have to be an expert writer in order to provide sound feedback as a reader on someone else’s writing. Also, as a writer, remember that your peer review feedback is for you to?consider?as you revise. Ultimately, the changes you make to your essay are up to you.??
In your initial post, include the?full?rough draft of your research essay as an attachment. Be sure to attach your paper as a Word file. In the body of your message, write a short memo to your classmates providing two pieces of information:??
Where are you in the drafting process? What are your known struggles??
What specific areas would you like a peer reviewer to focus on in your essay??
Connect with Classmates
After?you post your essay,?you will begin the peer review process. Your task as a reviewer is to peer review two essays from your classmates. For each paper you review,?please read the memo in the initial post and then the attached paper. Complete the peer review?CARES form?respond to the questions in the memo written by your classmates. Peer review feedback is due by?Friday at 11:59 p.m. ET.?
NOTE: Please make sure to respond with your review of the draft by Friday so classmates?have the opportunity to?incorporate your suggestions into the final draft of their essay, due Sunday.?
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 8 Discussion
Course Reflection
Before you begin this activity, spend some time reflecting on your progress as a writer in this course. Review past assignments, paying special attention to your Flash Reflections from each module of this course.
Offer Your Initial Thoughts
For our final discussion, you will write a reflection about where you are as a writer, what you have learned, and what you hope to improve upon as you continue your journey. In your initial post, respond to the following questions:
Reflecting on where you were when you started this journey in this writing course, in what areas did you see growth? In what areas did you not see growth??Reflect on both the changes and the things that remained the same.??
What were some of the biggest struggles you had in the class? How did you overcome these struggles???
What did you learn about genre study and a rhetorical approach to writing that was most helpful to you? How can these things help you as you move forward with your writing??
Finally, where do you see yourself as a writer in the future, whether it in future classes, your professional work, or your personal life???
Connect with Classmates
In your peer response, please select at least two of your classmates’ posts and provide some feedback on their reflections. In your response posts, explain how your classmates’ experiences are similar or different from your own. What further insights do you have for your classmates?
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 1 Assignment
Reflection Essay—Writing About Your Writing
Thinking about your own writing processes and experiences, write a short reflective essay of 600 to 700 words in which you share your experiences as a writer.?
What kinds of writing have you done in the past? How does it compare to academic writing?
How does your writing process compare with what you have learned about the writing process over this week?
What are your goals for improving your academic writing?
What skills do you hope to gain from this course to help you in your future classes and/or writing in your profession?
Although this is a short essay and does not require source material, you may use a short quote or paraphrase from one of our readings from Module 1. This is a great opportunity to practice using an APA cover page and following APA formatting guidelines for any quote or paraphrase. Be sure to submit your paper in APA format and review the general guidelines for APA in the overview video located in the Excelsior College OWL.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 2 Assignment
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
For this assignment, you are required to complete a rhetorical analysis of?one?of the following texts. You should choose just?one?of these for your rhetorical analysis:
A Secret Weapon to Fight Climate Change: Dirt (Links to an external site.) (Barker & Pollan, 2015)
Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction (Links to an external site.) (Davidow, 2012)
The New Measles (Links to an external site.) (Lafrance, 2015)
Once you make your decision, you will write a short essay of 800 to 1000 words.??Be sure your essay has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion and follows the sample reviewed in this week’s lecture video.
Address the following:
What is the context for the argument being presented?
Who is the target audience? How do you know? How does the author appeal to that audience?
What is the author’s tone of voice in the essay? It is effective? How do you know?
How does the author appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text.
How does the author convey their attitude toward the subject at hand in the article?
How does the author handle opposing views, if applicable?
Ultimately, your goal as a writer in the rhetorical analysis is to make an argument about the effectiveness of the author in the piece. Is the piece effective or ineffective? The questions above will help you support your points.?
Please make sure that you quote frequently from the text in support of your argument.?
Before you write, be sure to review the?sample?essays located in this module.
Be sure to format your paper and cite your sources according to APA guidelines. Be sure to review the basic introduction to APA format (Links to an external site.) in the Excelsior College OWL before you complete your essay.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 3 Assignment
Genre Analysis Worksheet
Choose three of the genres defined in Module Notes area:
Narrative?Essays
Expository?Essays
Lab?Reports
Literature?Reviews
Case?Studies
Business?Reports
Care?Plans
Complete the Genre Analysis Worksheet downloadon each of the three genres you have chosen. When you complete the worksheet, write a short introduction (no more than a few paragraphs) to include with your submission. Be sure to include the introduction in the sample file as your worksheet. The introduction should be placed at the top of the worksheet.
In your introduction, answer the following questions:
Why did you choose the three genres you chose?
What did you learn from analyzing these different genres?
How can you carry this information forward into different genres and different writing assignments in college and beyond?
Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 4 Assignment
Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing
Be sure to review the materials on using the Excelsior College Library before you begin this assignment. In this module, you have been learning about how to find sources in the library and about the importance of summarizing and paraphrasing the information you find in them. This assignment will give you an opportunity to locate a source, share and cite quotes, and then practice your summary and paraphrase skills, something you will encounter again in the coming modules as you work on your research paper project.
Instructions
Using OneSearch in the Excelsior College Library, locate a?scholarly?article on a topic that interests you and is, ideally, related to your field. Think about an issue you would like to explore related to your current or future profession and find an article that feels engaging and important to you.?This could be the issue you use for your formal research paper assignment, but it does not have to be.
After you read your chosen scholarly article, complete the following tasks. Number each part as follows to make it easy for your instructor to find the necessary pieces of this assignment.?
Part 1:?Choose a longer paragraph or a group of several paragraphs. Share that paragraph as a quote. Be sure to add an APA citation for the quote at the end.?
Part 2:?Write a summary of the paragraph or passage you chose for Part 1. Be sure the first sentence identifies the author and passage you are summarizing. Add a proper APA citation for the summarized information.?
Part 3:?From a different section of the article, choose an important short passage—just a sentence or two. Share these sentences as a quote. Be sure to add an APA citation for the quote at the end.?
Part 4:?Write a paraphrase of the passage you chose for Part 3, putting the author’s ideas into your own original words. Make sure that the entire paraphrase is original and you aren’t just replacing a few words in the author’s sentence. Add a proper APA citation for the paraphrase.
Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 5 Assignment
Research Paper Sources
Be sure to, once again,?review the materials on using the Excelsior College Library before you begin this assignment.?In this short assignment, you will move forward with the process of writing your research paper by making a research goal statement and sharing some of your sources.?You will want to consider the feedback you received on your topic in this module’s discussion as you complete this assignment.??
Instructions
This assignment has two parts. Please respond to each part and label each part for your instructor.??
Part 1:?
Share a research goal statement by filling in the blanks for the following sentence:?
I want to write about _______________ in order to learn _________________ and to help my audience understand _______________.?
Part 2:?
Using OneSearch (Links to an external site.) in the Excelsior College Library (you will need to be logged into the library), locate two?scholarly?articles on your topic. Then, for each of the two sources provide a full Reference following APA guidelines (Links to an external site.) and then three to four sentences about each source explaining why this source will be helpful to you in your research paper.
Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 6 Assignment
Research Paper Rough Draft
For this assignment, you will submit a rough draft of the research essay you have been working on. Your essay should make an argument about a topic, issue, or problem related to your field of study or work. Before you begin, be sure you have reviewed the sample research paper walk-through lecture video from Module 4.
These student research paper samples can also help give you an idea about the genre conventions of this writing assignment.
Socioeconomic Status and Food Deserts: Finding the Oasis download(Ahn, 2020)
The Collapse of US Railroads in the 20th Century download(Horner, 2020)
The Negative Internal and External Effects of Corporal Punishment on Children (Links to an external site.) (Philbrick, 2020)
Instructions
Your research essay should be thesis-based and should develop an argument related to your topic. Your essay should be 4 to 5 pages in length and should include 4 to 5 scholarly sources from the Excelsior College Library.
Although the structure of your research essay should follow a traditional organization with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, APA format should be used for the general page set up (cover page, line spacing, font, etc.) and for source documentation (in-text citations and references).?
For this rough draft only, you will add MEAL plan notes to one of your body paragraphs. For the first or one of the first body paragraphs in your rough draft of your research essay, you will label each section of your MEAL plan paragraph with an M for Main idea, E for Evidence, A for Analysis, and L for Lead out. You should put the letters in parentheses AFTER the corresponding section. Please see the sample. download
Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it.
NOTE: Excelsior College normally does not allow students to re-use a research project that they created in another class. Your paper should be original to this class, not something that you have used previously.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 7 Assignment
Research Paper?Final?Draft GECC
For this assignment, you will submit a?final?draft of the research essay you have been working on.?As a reminder, your essay should make an argument about a topic, issue, or problem related to your field of study or work.?
Instructions
Your research essay should be thesis-based and should develop an argument related to your topic. Your essay should be 4 to 5 pages in length and should include 4 to 5?scholarly?sources from the Excelsior College Library.?
Although the structure of your research essay should follow a traditional organization with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, APA format should be used for the general page set up (cover page, line spacing, font, etc.) and for source documentation (in-text citations and references).??
Save your work frequently to your computer. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it.?
Grading
You will be assessed using the attached rubric.
This activity is used to assess one or more general education career competencies (GECC). You will see additional rows in your rubric from your instructor along with assessments of Above/Meets/Does Not Meet Expectations for each competency. These rows do not factor into your grade.
ENG101A ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Module 8 Assignment
Presentation
For this assignment, you are to use your argument and research from your research paper assignment and present that information visually to an audience. You may choose to create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation. You will then use Zoom to record yourself giving your presentation. Your total presentation should be 3-5 minutes long. Zoom instructions are attached to this page.
For tips on creating and delivering a presentation, see Excelsior College's Video Assignment Instructions download.
Instructions
Your presentation should include the following elements, although you are not limited to these:
An introduction slide.
3-4 content slides.
A conclusion slide.
A slide for references (be sure to cite images as well).
Remember that images are so important to any presentation. The images you use must be open source, in the public domain, or otherwise legally available for your use. Many websites, including Google Image Search, offer freely available images of this type.?
In Google Image Search (Links to an external site.), enter a search term and Google will return images from all over the internet. In order to make sure that the images are usable for this project, click "Settings," then "Advanced search." Scroll down to "usage rights" and select "free to use or share." Then click on the blue "Advanced Search" button. This will filter your search to include only images that are legally available for use.
Pay attention to the?specific licenses?associated with any images that you use. Images that are in the public domain and some Creative Commons images do not require any attribution. Other images may be available for use, but only if certain conditions are met, such as crediting the creator or using the image as-is without any changes. Here is a link to more information on the different Creative Commons Licenses (Links to an external site.).?
You can read more about other sites with public domain images on 31 free public domain image websites (Links to an external site.) (use with care).
Remember, you will need to?cite any images?that you include using APA Style. These should be cited?both?on the slide where they are used and on a separate references slide at the end. Good citation habits that you learned about this term are important in presentations and photo essays as well.
You can also watch APA Formatting for PowerPoint: How to Apply APA Style to PowerPoint Presentations (Links to an external site.) (5:21 minutes) by David Taylor.
