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Don't bother writing your personal statement until you read 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays.
Without seeing how competitive the application process is, you are unlikely to be successful. So get this book before you even try to write your personal statement.
Room H112; Office PE 4;
Phone: 660-3673
e-mail:
jmcmahon@elcamino.edu
Website for students: http://herculodge.typepad.com/breakthrough_writer/
This course is designed to strengthen students’ ability to read with understanding and discernment, to discuss assigned readings intelligently, and to write clearly. Emphasis will be on writing essays in which each paragraph relates to a controlling idea, has an introduction and a conclusion, and contains primary and secondary support. College-level reading material will be assigned to provide the stimulus for class discussion and writing assignments, including a required research paper.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Compose a clear introductory
paragraph relevant to the topic.
2. Compose a clearly defined
thesis statement that limits and focuses the topic of the essay.
3. Organize information to be used
in the development of one's own thesis.
4. Write logically developed,
organized paragraphs that support the controlling idea or thesis.
5. Develop and use varied sentence
patterns effectively.
6. Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences to provide
for coherence between and within paragraphs.
7. Choose and effectively use a
rhetorical strategy appropriate to the topic.
8. Develop a conclusion that
effectively closes the essay.
9. Paraphrase and summarize
referenced material.
10. Incorporate direct quotes into
one’s own exposition.
11. Use MLA documentation
guidelines.
12. Avoid plagiarism.
13.Write an out-of-class writing
task and find multiple sources related to a particular topic, write a research
report, which shows the ability to support a thesis using analysis, to
synthesize and integrate materials effectively from a variety of sources, and
to cite sources in MLA format (including a works cited page). The report is
organized, technically correct in paragraph composition, sentence structure,
grammar, spelling and word use, and demonstrates thoughtful treatment of the
topic.
Required Texts: Acting out Culture,
edited by James Miller; Holes by Louis
Sachar; Rules for Writers by Diana
Hacker.
Grading:
Four Research Papers 225 maximum
points for 900 subtotal.
Four Surprise Closed-Book Reading
Exams for 25 a piece, 100 subtotal.
Total Possible Points: 1,000 (A 900; B 800; C 700; D 600)
Policies:
You cannot
make-up surprise closed-book reading exams. If you miss one, you lose 25
points. The reading tests are designed to encourage consistent attendance and
reading. A class with lousy attendance and “no readership” is a class low in
morale.
Late Papers:
Reduce one full grade ; no late papers accepted once new set of essays is due.
Research Papers
should be approximately 1,000 words, 12 font, Times New Roman, page numbers,
name, and essay title in upper right hand corner (headers in Microsoft View)
and Works Cited should have minimum 3 sources and spacing using MLA format.
Revisions: You may revise one paper for 10-30 pts. depending on the quality of the rewrite. Revision must be turned in one week after original due date.
Reading and Writing Schedule
2-18 Introduction
2-23 I Do Not 60-65
2-25 Unspeakable Conversations
92-108
3-2 Watching Torture in Prime Time
109-113
3-4 Mate de Coca 235-248
3-9 Essay One Due
3-11 Essay One Due
3-16 Big Organic 174-196
3-18 Wages of Sin 192-203
3-23 Add Cake, Subtract
Self-Esteem 217-230
3-35 Finding a Coach in the Land
of Oz 278-287
3-30 The Consequences—Undoing
Sanity 299-308
4-1 AWOL in America 358-367
4-6 Essay Two Due
4-8 Essay Two Due
4-20 Do the Right Thing 46-59
4-22 Cuteness 134-143
4-27 War is a Force That Gives Us
Meaning 368-379
4-29 Love and War in Cyberspace
380-397
5-4 Baby Genius Edutainment
Complex 450-471
5-6 Consultations
5-11 Essay Three Due
5-13 Essay Three Due
5-18 Holes 1-50
5-20 Holes 51-100
5-25 Holiday
5-27 Holes 101-end
6-1 Consultations
6-3 Consultations
6-8 Essay 4 Due
6-10 Essay 4 Due
All of your essays should be 4-5 pages with an additional Works Cited Page formatted in MLA and minimum of 3 research sources, including your text, my webiste, and other sources.
Essay One Options (choose only one):
First Option: Refute or support Catherine Newman’s position on marriage in her essay “I Do Not.”
Second Option: Refute or defend Peter Singer’s philosophical position on euthanasia and infanticide as it is presented in “Unspeakable Conversations” and other research sources.
Third Option: Refute or defend the use of torture as an effective form of intelligence. See “Watching Torture in Prime Time” and other sources.
Fourth Option: Refute or defend this thesis that addresses “Mate de Coca”:
Taras Grescoe’s essay convincingly shows that the
“War on Drugs” is an absurdity wrought with contradictions, hypocrisy, cultural
insensitivity, scientific humbug, and arbitrary notions of what constitutes
health and pestilence to society.
The mapping components would pertain to “contradictions,”
“hypocrisy,” “cultural insensitivity,” scientific humbug,” and “arbitrary
notions of what constitutes good health to society” on one hand and “pestilence
to society” on the other.
Essay Two Options
First Option: In the context of Michael Pollan’s
essay “Big Organic” (174), analyze the fraud and deception the food industry
uses to market foods that are allegedly “organic” and “natural.” 5-page
outline: In 2 pages, summarize Pollan's major points. Then write a thesis. As
my research and Michael Pollan's essay show, the idea of "organic" is
a marketing fraud evidenced by _________________, _____________________,
___________________, and ______________________. Your last 3 pages would flesh
out these mapping components.
Second Option: Write a research paper that argues
that the obesity crisis is neither a sin (see “The Wages of Sin” 192) or an
illness, but a complex problem that cannot be explained by a simple diagnosis.
Your 6 mapping statements will explore 6 major causes of obesity. No doubt, a 5
or 6-page essay can’t address all 15 causes. That would require a book.
Third Option: In the context of Caroline Knapp’s
essay, write a research paper that analyzes the causes of eating disorders.
Fourth Option: Choose a Writing Option in response to
“Finding a Coach in the Land of Oz” on page 289.
Fifth Option: In the context of “The
Consequences—Undoing Sanity,” analyze the psychological dangers of
unemployment.
Sixth Option: Address a thesis that defends the right
to go AWOL
A thesis against AWOL: The military will save itself
a lot of grief if it stops enforcing its stringent AWOL policies.
A Variation
It is morally bankrupt for the military to enforce
stringent AWOL policies resulting in keeping the soldiers in the military
service against their will. One, it is immoral to force people to kill against
their will. Second, the morale of the soldiers will be compromised if the eager
fighters are forced to mingle with the reluctant ones because there won't be
cohesiveness. Third, soldiers not willing or able to perform their assigned
duties will put their comrades' lives in peril. And finally, our armed forces
recruit many marginalized people. It is certainly conceivable that these people
did not fully understand what they signed up for.
An Opposing or Contrarian View of AWOL
It is crucial that the military uphold its stringent
AWOL policy. Failure to do so will result in a waste of tax money used to train
lame duck soldiers. Secondly, lenience will inevitably create a two-tiered system
whereby the rich use their leverage to pay their way out while the poor are
stuck where they don't want to be. Third, good soldiers may feel emboldened on
a whim to get out of their duty. In other words, lenience creates too much
temptation for even the solid soldiers. And finally . . .
Essay 3 Options
First Option: Write a research paper that refutes or
defends the biological or scientific basis for morality. See “Do the Right
Thing” on page 46.
Second Option: Analyze war as an addiction in the context
of “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning” on page 368.
Third Option: Analyze the mental breakdown and
general pathology of the computer addicts in “Love & War in Cyberspace” on
page 380.
Fourth Option: Defend or refute the efficacy and
salubriousness of the Baby Genius Edutainment Complex as described on pages
450-471.
Essay Four:
Write a 4-page research paper that
analyzes the 4 major causes that help transform Stanley from a frightened soul
languishing in learned helplessness and nihilism to a magnanimous soul full of
self-reliance, hope, and redemption.
Room H112; Office PE 4;
Phone: 660-3673
e-mail:
jmcmahon@elcamino.edu
Website for students:
http://herculodge.typepad.com/breakthrough_writer/
This course is designed to strengthen students’ ability to read with understanding and discernment, to discuss assigned readings intelligently, and to write clearly. Emphasis will be on writing essays in which each paragraph relates to a controlling idea, has an introduction and a conclusion, and contains primary and secondary support. College-level reading material will be assigned to provide the stimulus for class discussion and writing assignments, including a required research paper.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Compose a clear introductory
paragraph relevant to the topic.
2. Compose a clearly defined
thesis statement that limits and focuses the topic of the essay.
3. Organize information to be used
in the development of one's own thesis.
4. Write logically developed,
organized paragraphs that support the controlling idea or thesis.
5. Develop and use varied sentence
patterns effectively.
6. Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences to provide
for coherence between and within paragraphs.
7. Choose and effectively use a
rhetorical strategy appropriate to the topic.
8. Develop a conclusion that
effectively closes the essay.
9. Paraphrase and summarize
referenced material.
10. Incorporate direct quotes into
one’s own exposition.
11. Use MLA documentation
guidelines.
12. Avoid plagiarism.
13.Write an out-of-class writing task and find multiple sources related to a particular topic, write a research report, which shows the ability to support a thesis using analysis, to synthesize and integrate materials effectively from a variety of sources, and to cite sources in MLA format (including a works cited page). The report is organized, technically correct in paragraph composition, sentence structure, grammar, spelling and word use, and demonstrates thoughtful treatment of the topic.
Required Texts: Acting out Culture,
edited by James Miller; Holes by Louis
Sachar; Rules for Writers by Diana
Hacker.
Grading:
Four Research Papers 250 maximum
points
Total Possible Points: 1,000 (A 900; B 800; C 700; D 600)
Policies:
Late Papers: Reduce one full grade
; no late papers accepted once new set of essays is due.
Research Papers should be
approximately 1,000 words, 12 font, Times New Roman, page numbers, name, and
essay title in upper right hand corner (headers in Microsoft View) and Works
Cited should have minimum 3 sources and spacing using MLA format.
Revisions: You may revise one paper for 10-30 pts. depending on the quality of the rewrite. Revision must be turned in one week after original due date.
Reading and Writing Schedule
1-7 Introduction
1-8 Holes 1-58
1-9 Holes 59-104
1-12 Holes 105-169
1-13 Holes 170-233 (end)
1-14 First 2 pages and Works Cited
for Holes Due
1-15 Essay 1 Due
1-16 Essay 2 Due
1-19 Holiday; all subsequent
readings from Acting Out Culture
1-20 I Do Not 60-65
1-21 Unspeakable Conversations
92-108
1-22 Watching Torture in Prime
Time 109-113
1-23 Mate de Coca: Never Say No
235-248
1-26 Essay 2 Due
1-27 Essay 2 Due
1-28 The Big Organic 174-196
1-29 The Wages of Sin 197-203
1-30 Add Cake, Subtract
Self-Esteem 217-230
2-2 Essay 3 Due
2-3 Essay 3 Due
2-4 Finding a Coach in the Land of
Oz 278-287
2-5 The Consequences—Undoing
Sanity 299-308
2-6 AWOL in America 358-367
2-9 Essay 4 Due
2-10 Essay 4 Due
Writing Assignments
All of your essays should be 4-5 pages with an additional Works Cited Page formatted in MLA and minimum of 3 research sources, including your text, my webiste, and other sources.
Essay One:
Write a 4-page research paper that analyzes the 4 major causes that help transform Stanley from a frightened soul languishing in learned helplessness and nihilism to a magnanimous soul full of self-reliance, hope, and redemption.
Essay Two Options (choose only one):
First Option: Refute or support Catherine Newman’s position on marriage in her essay “I Do Not.”
Second Option: Refute or defend Peter Singer’s philosophical position on euthanasia and infanticide as it is presented in “Unspeakable Conversations” and other research sources.
Third Option: Refute or defend the use of torture as an effective form of intelligence. See “Watching Torture in Prime Time” and other sources.
Fourth Option: Refute or defend this thesis that addresses “Mate de Coca”:
Taras Grescoe’s essay convincingly shows that the
“War on Drugs” is an absurdity wrought with contradictions, hypocrisy, cultural
insensitivity, scientific humbug, and arbitrary notions of what constitutes
health and pestilence to society.
The mapping components would pertain to “contradictions,” “hypocrisy,” “cultural insensitivity,” scientific humbug,” and “arbitrary notions of what constitutes good health to society” on one hand and “pestilence to society” on the other.
Essay Three Options
First Option: In the context of Michael Pollan’s
essay “Big Organic” (174), analyze the fraud and deception the food industry
uses to market foods that are allegedly “organic” and “natural.” 5-page
outline: In 2 pages, summarize Pollan's major points. Then write a thesis. As
my research and Michael Pollan's essay show, the idea of "organic" is
a marketing fraud evidenced by _________________, _____________________,
___________________, and ______________________. Your last 3 pages would flesh
out these mapping components.
Second Option: Write a research paper that argues that the obesity crisis is neither a sin or an illness, but a complex problem that cannot be explained by a simple diagnosis. Your 6 mapping statements will explore 6 major causes of obesity. No doubt, a 5 or 6-page essay can’t address all 15 causes. That would require a book.
Essay 4 Options
First Option: Choose a Writing Option in response to
“Finding a Coach in the Land of Oz” on page 289.
Second Option: In the context of “The
Consequences—Undoing Sanity,” analyze the psychological dangers of
unemployment.
Third Option: Address a thesis that defends the right
to go AWOL
A thesis against AWOL: The military will save itself
a lot of grief if it stops enforcing its stringent AWOL policies.
A Variation
It is morally bankrupt for the military to enforce
stringent AWOL policies resulting in keeping the soldiers in the military
service against their will. One, it is immoral to force people to kill against
their will. Second, the morale of the soldiers will be compromised if the eager
fighters are forced to mingle with the reluctant ones because there won't be
cohesiveness. Third, soldiers not willing or able to perform their assigned
duties will put their comrades' lives in peril. And finally, our armed forces
recruit many marginalized people. It is certainly conceivable that these people
did not fully understand what they signed up for.
Part One. The Signs of Malaise
(especially as it pertains to “mall sickness” or “mallaise”)
Part Two. Essay #3 Option
Exploring William Kowinski’s
“mallaise” idea further, refer to the essays by Kowinski (323), David Guterson
(279), and George Lewis (311) so that you can develop a thesis about the mall’s
destructive effects on individuals and societies. Your essay will be stronger
if you interview one or more people who have suffered symptoms of “mallaise” as
described by these writers.
A sample thesis might look like
this:
While the mall is often esteemed
as the Shopper’s Holy Mecca of Capitalistic Ingenuity, there is a dark
underbelly to the mall. As many selections from Chapter 7 show, the mall has
pernicious, often insidious, effects on its patrons evidenced by
______________________________, ____________________________, _________________________________,
_______________________________, and ___________________________________.
Research Links:
Part One. George Lewis’ Main
Purpose: Show the Distinction Between Phony Community and Authentic Community
One. Locale: a geographic location
that creates a superficial community
Two. Gemeinschaften: a spirit of unity, togetherness, intimacy, trust, and
belonging among individuals; 312
Three. The Mall is Anti-Gemeinschaften:
Part
Three. Unintended Consequence of the Mall: It Has Become Misfit Land
The mall
attracts two different demographics: Retired geriatrics, who come out of a need
rooted in loneliness and a safe place to exercise, and teenagers, who come out
of a need for a minimum-wage job and social networking.
For
teens and old people, the mall is a last resort because they hate home life,
school life, etc.
In a
way, then, the mall if Misfit Land. And that’s not what the merchants want.
Part
Four. Mall Rats and Mall Bunnies
Part
Five. Depressing Conclusion
The old
people and teens who live at the mall know it’s phony community but they don’t
care because they’ll take phony community over no community at all. See page
319
Part
Six. Writing Assignment Option: Comparing the mall to Frankenstein and his
Monster:
Write
an essay based on McMahon’s commentary:
The
mall’s main purpose is to make money, but the selections in Chapter 7 show that
in a way the mall has become, like Frankenstein’s Monster, an uncontrollable
beast with consequences that cannot be controlled by his creator.
Drawing
from George Lewis’ essay and at least 2 others from Chapter 7, show how the
mall has become The Beast of Unintended Consequences, fulfilling several social
roles that its creators did not foresee.
The
title of your essay would be, inevitably, The Beast of Unintended Consequences.
A
sample thesis might look like this:
While
the mall’s main purpose is to make a profit, it has become, like Frankenstein’s
Monster, an uncontrollable beast that has, unwittingly, generated a host of
unwanted social pathologies including ____________________________,
__________________________, _______________________, and ___________________________________.
