Cañada College
English 165AA: Advanced Composition/Critical Thinking
Clay, Spring, 2009

3.0 Units.
transfer: CSU, UC. prerequisite: English 100.
Section AA, CRN #31140, TTh 9:45-11:00 Room 13-0114

Instructor: David Clay email: clayd@smccd.edu
web page:<http://smccd.net/accounts/clayd/>
telephone (650)306-3379
office hours: room 3-242, MW 10:30-11:30, TTh 1:00-2:00 & by arrangement

Course Description
This is an advanced course in non-fiction writing, emphasizing critical thinking and critical reading skills. One by arrangement hour of lab per week is required.

Texts
Cooper. Writing Logically, Thinking Critically. 5th ed.
Gore, Al. An Inconvenieent Truth.
Hacker. Rules for Writers. 5th ed.
Hours by Arrangement Folder (in bookstore)
Other text materials may be assigned.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
A)Read critically, and evaluate ideas from a variety of culturally, ethnically, and gender diverse sources to:
1. identify and state the main idea, thesis, or unifying theme in expository and argumentative prose
2. identify and analyze the structure of arguments underlying texts
3. identify instances of inferential reasoning, and of inductive and deductive logic
4. distinguish facts from judgments
5. evaluate the validity and soundness of arguments
6. recognize and clearly state assumptions (including unstated, critical, ethical and/or gender- based assumptions) in an argument
7. draw and justify inferences about the intentions of the author, based on student observation of the author's uses of language
8. identify common logical fallacies
B)Write a progression of compositions beyond the ENGL 100 level, which demonstrate continued development in writing college-level prose to:
1. employ, in a number of substantial essays, various writing strategies such as analysis, synthesis, and summary, that emphasize argumentative modes of development, including causal analysis, evaluation, refutation, or interpretation
2. limit the topic appropriately to a scope that can be dealt with responsibly, given the length of essay
3. establish and state clearly a unifying thesis or proposition
4. select evidence such as details, data, definitions, and principles to support or validate the thesis
5. organize main parts of the composition, defining a sequence that contributes to clarity and to the purpose of the writing
6. provide for coherence in and between paragraphs
7. rephrase written arguments accurately, producing a faithful distillation of the central meaning of a given text
8. discover, evaluate, and use outside sources, including the use of the conventions of documentation, for use in the development of the student's own writing

Course Activities
Large group discussions led by the instructor
Small group discussions and collaborations
Class presentations
Brainstorming, prewriting, outlining, rough draft evaluations, final drafts, revisions of critical essays, peer evaluations, outlining and paraphrasing
In-class quizzes and examinations
Writing 8,000 to 10,000 words of expository prose, including 5 essays
16 hours "by arrangement" out of class work

Evaluation
Grades will be determined by the instructor's evaluation of
Mid term and final examinations (20%)
Essays 60%)
Summaries, Analyses, In-class assignments (10%)
Class participation (5 %)
By arrangement hours (5%)

Policies
Late Papers: Assignments are due on the dates shown on the assignment sheets. If special circumstances occur, please discuss the situation with me. I know that we all have lives.
Attendance You may be dropped from the class if you miss more than 4 classes.
Plagiarism: Don't even think about it. All writing must be your own work, and the development of your essays must be evident to me in the notes, outlines, and rough drafts that are turned in with every essay. A rough draft should be rough; don't worry about neatness on the developmental material and do not copy it over after you have completed the final draft. You may not hand in essays that you have written for previous classes, as the whole point of this class is to develop your writing further. Any work that contains plagarized material will receive and "F" with no credit.
Revisions: Your are welcome to revise one or two of your papers. Please discuss this with me, and be sure to hand the original paper along with the revision.
Essay Format: All of your work written outside of class must be typed, double spaced, with the class heading on the first page. Attach all preparatory work to the back of the final draft. Use MLA style.

Plagiarism: Don't even think about it. All writing must be your own work, and the development of your essays must be evident to me in the notes, outlines, and rough drafts that are turned in with every essay. A rough draft should be rough; don't worry about neatness on the developmental material and do not copy it over after you have completed the final draft. You may not hand in essays that you have written for previous classes, as the whole point of this class is to develop your writing further. Any work that contains plagarized material will receive and "F" with no credit.