A Writing-about-Writing Approach to First-Year Composition
Keywords:
first-year composition, writing about writing, undergraduate researchAbstract
This syllabus is designed for first-year undergraduate students taking their first college writing course. The course adopts of a writing-about-writing approach (Downs & Wardle, 2007) in which students read scholarship from writing studies, engage in research-based writing projects, and produce reflective writing. The course is unique for its hands-on research projects and emphasis on process. Exit course surveys indicate that students learn much about writing as a content area and gain confidence in their own writing abilities.
References
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Bunn, M. (2011). How to read like a writer. In C. Lowe and P. Zemliansky (Eds.), Writing spaces: Readings on writing, volume 2 (pp 71-86). West Lafayette: Parlor Press.
Carroll, L. B. (2010). Backpacks vs. briefcases: Steps toward rhetorical analysis. In C. Lowe and P. Zemliansky (Eds.), Writing spaces: Readings on writing, volume 1 (pp. 45-58). West Lafayette: Parlor Press.
Council of Writing Program Administrators. Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition (3.0). http://wpacouncil.org/positions/outcomes.html
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Lowe, C., & Zemliansky, P. (2011). Writing spaces: Readings on writing, volume 2. West Lafayette: Parlor Press. http://www.writingspaces.org.
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Wardle, E., & Downs, D. (Eds.) (2014). Writing about writing: A college reader, 2nd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
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