English 1304 
Writing Improvement for University Courses

English 1304 takes up advanced writing for university students.  This class, which should be taken during your second semester at the University of Houston, is designed to make you think critically, organize, and express persuasively your ideas and those of others you have assimilated.  

Books Required:  Cursius and Channell. The Aims of Argument, 4th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2003
                                Selzer, Jack.  Conversations: Reading and Writing, 5th Edition Longman, 2000.

Books Recommended: Fulwiler and Hayakawa, The Blair Handbook. 
                                         A good college dictionary.

Instructor:  David C. Judkins, PhD, djudkins@uh.edu ph. 713-743-2948 
office: 233C Roy Cullen Bldg.

This class is offered completely on line.  It will involve an extensive use of computers and some of the materials will be located online. (www.uh.edu/webct)  Follow the easy to use instructions to sign on.  If you have not taken an on-line class before, please read my remarks on on-line classes featured on the home page for this class. On-line classes are no more difficult than normal classroom classes, but on-line students must have very strong initiative.  They must be tremendously self-motivated.  If you are a persistent procrastinator, you will almost certainly do poorly in this class.

The class will concentrate on writing, and you should be prepared to write regularly.  By being prepared, I mean that you must have  time, quiet, interest, and energy for the process of writing.  It is important that you take the class seriously, that you approach the subject with positive expectations, and that you earnestly seek to improve (not necessarily perfect) your writing skills.

Class requirements:  You must submit three essays and and an eight  page research paper during the course of the semester.  You must participate weekly in class discussion and you must submit 15 journal entries.

Grading:  The following is a break down on how the grades will be weighted.

  During the semester I will provide additional information on grading particularly the relative importance of mechanics of writing to content of your essays.  Your grades will be available to you on-line.

Organization:  I will make weekly reading and writing assignments as noted below.  I will also provide lecture notes on line to supplement the reading assignments.  In addition, I will post on line discussion questions based upon my lecture notes and the reading assignments.  You are required to respond to some or all of these discussion questions.   Discussion responses and all other writing submitted including email must be written in standard English following normal spelling, capitalization, and punctuation conventions. 

Weekly Assignments:

First  Week:  Orientation. We will have an orientation session in the Writing Center (Agnes Arnold Hall Room 213) on Wednesday January 15 at 4:00 for all who can attend. In any case, get on line.  Find the home page for this course.    Read from The Aims of Argument, Chaps 1 & 2, pp. 3-52.  Turn in your personal information form.  Turn in your first journal entry by Friday, January 17 11:55 PM.

Second Week:  Read from The Aims of Argument, chapter 3, pp. 53-68.  In Conversations read pp. 731-749. Also, read my remarks on this assignment posted in Remarks on Readings on the Homepage. Answer the weekly discussion questions by the end of the week.  Turn in your journal entry  Friday January 24 by 11:55PM.

Third Week:  Read from The Aims of Argument, Chapter 4, pp. 69-106.  Read my lecture notes on this chapter posted in Remarks on Reading on the Homepage. Begin writing your first essay.  See the weekly assignment for additional details on the first essay.  Answer discussion questions posted for this week.  Submit weekly journal entry by the normal time. 

Fourth Week:  Finish your first essay.  Be certain to have traded essays with another class mate for a critical evaluation.  Write final draft and submit essay Friday, February 7 by 11:55 PM.

Fifth Week:  Read from Aims of Argument Chapter 6,  pp.  161-208.  Read my comments in Remarks on Reading.  Answer the discussion questions on this chapter.  Submit a journal entry by the normal time.

Sixth Week:  Read from Conversations  " Should Drugs be Legalized? " pp. 750-778.  Answer the discussion questions.  Submit a journal entry by the normal time.

Seventh Week:  Second Mid-term Essay.  See the Assignment page for details.  Read from The Aims of Argument,  Chapter 6 from The Aims of Argument.. 

Eighth week: Spring Break.  I know it is early, but I don't set the calendar!  Don't blame me.

Ninth Week:  Time to get started on the Research Paper.  Begin by reading Chapter 5 from Aims of Argument pp. 107- 160.  Read my notes on preparing to write a university research paper.  Answer discussion questions and submit journal entry.

Tenth Week:  Let's start thinking about topics and sources.  See specifications in my notes on writing a research paper.  Read from Conversations. "What Do You Make of the Internet" pp. 894-929.  Submit topic for research paper by Friday evening.  You can include it in the journal entry.  Also, don't forget to answer the discussion questions.

Eleventh Week: Write the rough draft of your paper and share it with a classmate. To do this right, your paper should go back and forth a couple of times.  You should do the same for your partner.  Writing a paper like this is a long project.  You need to keep working with it.

Twelfth Week:  This is a continuation of the Eleventh Week.  It will take two weeks to work on this rough draft with the help of your partner.  It is important that you are deeply involved in the writing process that you are doing the very best job possible.

Thirteenth Week:  Time for the final draft!  Work, Work, Work, this week (isn't it great not to have to go to class and waste time on  boring lectures).  Your final paper is due on Friday.  As usual, you will first submit through Turnitin and within 24 hours I will get the essay.  Do the very best you can on this essay!  It is important.

Fourteenth Week: Read Chapter 7 in Aims of Argument, pp. 209-250.  This will form the basis for the final essay.  Answer discussion questions and submit a journal entry.

Fifteenth Week:  Last week of classes. Read from Conversations the readings posted on the Assignment Page.  Answer discussion and post your final journal entry.

Final Essay:  Return to Room 213 of Agnes Arnold Hall at the posted time for your final essay written in the Writing Center.