Redesigned Syllabus

Syracuse University

WRT 105, Practices of Academic Writing

Fall 2015

Instructor: Mrs. Amber Desimony

Course Credits: 3

Room C244

Contact: adesimoy@niskyschools.org

Course Description and Rationale

WRT 105 is an introduction to academic writing.  In this class, you will write, revise, edit and reflect on your writing with the support of the teacher. You will engage critically with the opinions and voices of others as you develop a greater understanding of how your writing can have an effect on yourself and your environment. In addition, you will have regular opportunities to write and to reflect on your development as a writer. The course will engage you in analysis and argument, practices that are interdependent and that carry across academic disciplinary lines and into professional and civic writing.

Analysis, as Rosenwasser and Stephen claim in Writing Analytically 7th edition, “is a form of detective work that typically pursues something puzzling, something you are seeking to understand rather than something you believe you already have the answers to. Analysis finds questions where there seemed not to be any, and it makes connections that might not have been evident at first. Analysis is, then, more than just a set of skills: it is a frame of mind, an attitude toward experience” (2-3). Analysis skills are important because they can be applied to many aspects of life. This class will help you to further develop your analysis skills through literature, writing, and reflection.

Argument involves inquiry and analysis and engages others in ongoing conversations about topics of common concern. In addition to being persuasive, arguments can be a means of sharing information, posing important questions, or even raising consciousness about issues. In this class, evidence for your arguments will come from analysis, from discussion with others, from your personal experience, and from research. You will also learn that arguments are dependent on the situation at hand: that is, they look, sound, and persuade differently depending on audience, purpose, genre and context.[1]   

   WRT 105 Learning Outcomes and Goals

1.       Writing as Situated Process
Students will practice a range of invention and revision strategies appropriate to various writing situations.

2.      Writing with Sources

Students will be introduced to primary and secondary research, utilize various library resources, evaluate sources, and synthesize and apply research in accordance with citation, genre conventions and ethical standards.

3.      Writing as Rhetorical Action

Students will gain knowledge of rhetorical principles and practice addressing different audiences and situations.

4.      
Writing as Academic Practice

Students will build their familiarity with values, strategies, and conventions related to a range of academic contexts and disciplinary conversations.

5.      Writing as Social Practice

Students will analyze, reflect on, and practice the dynamic use of language in diverse contexts and recognize issues of power, difference and materiality.