Ideas in Writing

This course focuses on the problems writers face when they must read and respond to others' ideas, honestly and responsibly. It requires one minor and four major writing assignments, described below, and a commitment to working in groups to review others' drafts and to make suggestions for revisions. Both activities are vital to the success of the course: each student must complete the writing assignments on time and each student must spend time responding to other students' drafts. None of this works unless every student comes to class prepared with the work that is due for the day.

In the table of classes and assignments on the next page, the work listed is due on the day specified. Thus, by the beginning of class on September 10 or 11, you should have read Phillip K. Howard's book The Death of Common Sense. Please bring The Informed Writer with you every week, even when there is no specific assignment in that book.

For additional information, see the Course Description and the General Course Outline.

In addition to the books listed on the "Ideas in Writing" course outline, you need to sign up for an electronic mail account at the University of Baltimore -- unless you have reliable access to electronic mail at work. Reliable access means that you can use electronic mail conveniently and that you can send mail to and receive mail from people outside your place of employment. If you do not know how to use email, I will try to provide an introduction. The University also offers brief workshops to help you use computers in your academic work.

1.	All work for a grade must be produced on a word processor (or a typewriter). Use double-spacing to make your work easier for others to read.
2.	Number all pages except the first one. If you are using a computer or word processor, use the application's utility for numbering rather than inserting the page numbers manually!
3.	Give every essay an informative title. You do not need to create a separate title page but you may do so if you wish.
4.	Make sure your name appears either on the first or on the last page of your essays.
5.	In every essay, use correct reference and documentation format whenever you paraphrase, summarize, or quote someone else's text. You may use either the Modern Language Association or the American Psychological Association format. You will find explanations and examples of these citation formats in Chapter 11 of The Informed Writer.

week	date	work due
1	1.31	Introduction to the course
2	2.07	Howard, pp. 1-187
3	2.14	Informed Writer, Chapters 1-4, 8 Writing Assignment: Review of Howard (1st pass)
4	2.21	Robinson and Godbey, Parts 1-2 (pp. 3-120) Informed Writer, Chapter 6
5	2.28	Robinson and Godbey, Parts 3-4 (pp. 123-225) Informed Writer, Chapter 5 Writing Assignment: Review of Howard (2nd pass)
6	3.07	Robinson and Godbey, Parts 5-6 (pp. 229-318)
7	3.14	Writing Assignment: Investigative Proposal No Class
8	3.21	Informed Reader, "Social Mobility" (pp. 126-129); "Poverty and Progress: Social Mobility in a Nineteenth Century City" (pp. 131-138); "Rags to Riches in Paterson, New Jersey" (pp. 142-150); "The Golden Door: Italian and Jewish Immigrant Mobility in New York City, 1880-1915" (pp. 151-159) Informed Writer, Chapters 9-10
9	4.04	Writing Assignment: Persuasive essay (only pass) Informed Writer, Chapter 12
10	4.11	Writing Assignment: Investigative Essay (1st pass)
11	4.18	Informed Writer, Chapters 13-14 Informed Reader, "Two Experimental Traditions in the Study of Memory" (pp. 210-217); "Long-Term Memory for a Common Object" (pp. 218-231); "Everyday Memory in Natural Contexts" (pp. 234-239); "The Lost Mariner" (pp. 263-273)
12	4.25	Writing Assignment: Analytic essay (1st pass)
13	5.02	Informed Writer, Chapter 16
14	5.09	Writing Assignment: Analytic essay (2nd pass)
15	5.16	Writing Assignment: Investigative essay (2nd pass)