Because Comp 1 is a gateway class (that is, success in Comp 1 correlates highly with success in college), and for many students it is a class they take their first semester in class – we cover some topics, skills…
If you use something, cite it!
Some salty language at the end if you scroll down, but it makes a good point. Original source here.
The problem with a social D
A report currently excerpted on Doonesbury in the “say what” (a kinda WTF quote of the day) states: The National Institute for Literacy estimates that 47% of adults (more than 200,000 individuals) in the City of Detroit are functionally illiterate,…
On the relevance of Media to Composition
I always get a few students who don’t see the point of using media in a composition classroom. This always surprises me. How many people see themselves writing essays for a living? How often will we write essays in our…
Rules for beginning writers.
Got wind of this advice for beginning writers from BoingBoing, who found it from VS Naipaul. 1. Do not write long sentences. A sentence should not have more than ten or twelve words.2. Each sentence should make a clear statement.…
Review: Lost on Planet China
I found this book on MP3 audio at the Lawrence Library. His introductory admission that he is, in no sense, an authority on China nor on any things Chinese, drug me into this book. While an admitted non-authority, he did…
in-text citations the basics
Duke has a great guide to parenthetical citations with MLA – and as a KU alum it’s hard to praise Duke. St. Cloud U. Writing Center also has a guide which points out how to cite when the author’s name…
On word count and length requirements
I’ve never understood when students turn in work that doesn’t meet the word count or length requirements, especially on the papers after the first turned in for grade. If you’ve played a sport – or studied a martial art –…
Technology expectations in the classroom
Had a couple students balk at using the Learning Management System – and even computers in general – in an English class. Teaching writing has always been about teaching technology, and inventions from the printing press to the typewriter and…
facebook ethics: JCCC in the news
Last Nov. 10 (2010) a group of nursing students took a photograph of a human placenta while they were in class on a field trip/ clinical. You’ll have to read the summary yourself at KC Star and The Pitch. Long…