ENG W2: Intensive Writing 2 – 0 credits, 2 hours

Course Coordinators: Dr. Robert Singer

Catalog Description: This course builds upon the practices of ENG W1. It is designed to engage students fully in the freshman-level reading and writing experience and beyond as it focuses on complex reading assignments and the development of higher level thinking and writing skills. Students are exposed to specially prepared materials that represent the typical freshman year college classroom and its reading and writing assignments.

College Now Description: This course builds upon the practices of ENG W1. It is designed to engage students fully in the freshman-level reading and writing experience and beyond as it focuses on complex reading assignments and the development of higher level thinking and writing skills. Students are exposed to specially prepared materials that represent the typical freshman year college classroom and its reading and writing assignments.

Explanation: This course builds upon the practices of ENG 2. Coursework requires students to read challenging material in the area of psyhology and to complete assignments designed to develop more advanced thinking and writing skills typical of freshman-year reading and writing requirements.

Course Objectives: At the conclusion of ENG W2, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to write coherent college-level essays, and write with fluency on topics drawn from typical freshman year courses, particularly, in the area of psychology.
   
2. Employ self/peer/teacher revision via the use of multiple drafts for essay assignments in order to develop portfolios demonstrating a feshman-year level and beyond of writing proficiency.
3. Develop thinking skills for broad intellectual discussion and close textual analysis of challenging college-level material.
4. Develop testing strategies for college proficiency exams that require writing in content areas, especially the CUNY Proficiency Exam.

Methods of Teaching: The method of teaching ENG W2 sections will involve individual instruction, group work, some lectures, and demonstrations of the psychology-based curriculum.

Assignments: Reading assignments: chapters from the especially prepared College Now text, 50 Minute Hour, along with the support material contained in the text, and other supplementary reading sources. Writing assignments: writing and revising 4-6 college-level, text-based essays, and shorter writing assignments. Journals should also be encouraged. All assignments should foster a sense of accomplishment through revision via multiple drafts.

Method of Evaluation: The students will be evaluated in terms of their development toward being prepared to take college-level writing courses for credit. Holistic grading by other students and the instructor is a typical procedure, with work kept in portfolios. The comments on each paper should be informative, detailed, and supportive. Students will be evaluated by classwork, the portfolio, and the instructor’s final examination.

Reading Resources:

A. Required:

1. 50 Minute Hour, Dr. R. Lindner (note: this psychology text has been prepared by the College Now English Course Coordinators in collaboration with the College Now high school English faculty)
2. Newsweek (a number will be ordered for each classroom)

B. Recommended: (note: text subject to availability)

1. Adams, W. Royce. Viewpoints. D.C. Heath, 1989. Multicultural readings with comprehension questions.
2. Axline, Virginia M. Dibs in Search of Self. Ballentine Books, 1964. Text about adolescent alienation.
3. Comely, Nancy. Fields of Writing. St. Martin’s Press, 1987. Essays, fiction, and comprehension questions.
4. Eschholz, Paul. Outlooks and Insights. St. Martin’s Press, 1987. Multicultural readings with comprehensive questions.
5. Fawcett, Susan (ed.). Evergreen. Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Writing/grammar review.
6. CUNY ACT, RAT and WAT samples.