COURSE OUTLINE
A. Date October 7, 1998B. Department English
C. Course Number English 92
D. Course Title Basic Composition and Reading II
E. Course Outline Preparers Stacey Cerwin, Moneera Doss, Matt Duckworth,
Linda Legaspi, Meredith Rose, Joan WilsonF. Department Chairperson Michael Hulbert _________________________
G. Department/Division Dean Suzanne Korey __________________________
A. Hours 3 Lecture hours per week1 Laboratory hour per week (e.g., AcademicComputing Lab, Media Center, Reading Lab,
Writing Lab, Writing Success Project)
B. Units 3
C. Prerequisites Completion of English 90 with a grade of C or
completion of City College Assessment Exam inEnglish and placement into English 92.
D. Course Description Continued instruction and practice in writing and reading. Emphasis
on reading expository prose and literature as a basis for writing.E. Field Trips No
F. Method of Grading Letter grade
G. Repeatability 0
Continued instruction and practice in writing and reading. Emphasis on reading expository prose and literature as a basis for writing. (A final grade of Dor F does not allow the student to progress to English 94 without the consent of the English DepartmentChair.) [Credits earned in English 92 do not satisfy the graduation requirements in written composition (Area B).]
A. WRITINGStudents will1. Compose short essays in primarily expository modes with effective paragraphing and sentence variety.
2. Compose at least six essays directed to a specific topic (out of class 400 - 600 words, in class 250 - 500 words in a fifty-minute period).
3. Use clear thesis statements which will guide development and organization of ideas in both in- and out-of-class essays.
4. Use paragraphs as units of thought and will link ideas within and between paragraphs to improve coherence.
5. Revise for and correct major errors in sentence construction, mechanics and usage.
B. READINGStudents will1. Identify the audiences and purposes for a variety of writings.
2. Distinguish between their literal and figurative levels of meaning.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of what they read orally and in writing.
4. Draw accurate inferences, summarize, and paraphrase.
A. WRITINGStudents will write expository essays using various types of development.
Students will1. Use a variety of prewriting techniques covered in English 90, such as journal entries,
freewriting, brainstorming, and clustering.
2. Formulate a supportable thesis, revise it for clarity, and develop that thesis fully.
3. Write paragraphs that contain clear topic sentences with general and specific support.
4. Develop extended essays in primarily expository modes, including comparison/contrast,
problem/solution, analysis, and argument.
5. Make changes as suggested by peers and/or the instructor to produce more effective
essays, particularly by adding relevant details, omitting repetition, and improving
organization and coherence.
6. Summarize and paraphrase assigned readings and cite sources.
B. SENTENCE STRUCTURE, GRAMMAR, AND MECHANICS
Students will give attention to the construction of more varied sentences than they did in
English 90; they will demonstrate a sharper awareness of the relationships between
sentences. They will identify and proofread to substantially reduce errors in
grammar and mechanics.
1. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students willa. Revise sentences to relate ideas through coordination and subordination.
b. Provide transitional words and phrases to indicate logical relationships.
2. GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS
Students will proofread to identify and correct sentence structure and grammar/mechanics
problems, especially misplaced modifiers, parallelism, and dangling constructions, in
addition to the problems addressed in English 90.
C. READING
Students will read to improve comprehension, analyzing writing strategies used by
professional and successful peer writers.
Students will1. Recognize how one idea may be expressed in various forms, i.e., an essay and a short
story.
2. Analyze how form and content are interrelated, e.g., purpose, mode of writing,
development, organization, and tone.
3. Distinguish between literal and figurative language, and understand how allusion and
connotation convey meaning.
4. Broaden vocabulary through consistent use of a dictionary, increased awareness of
contextual clues, and recognition of denotative and connotative meanings.
D. CRITICAL THINKING
Students will1. Formulate clear questions and appropriate responses about content, purpose, audience,
organization and tone of readings.
2. Evaluate effectiveness of readings for relationships between content and structure.
3. Analyze readings and students' own writing to distinguish between general and specific
support and between fact and opinion.
A. METHODOLOGY1. Class discussion.2. Brief informal lectures.
3. Collaborative small-group work.
4. Individual instructor conferences with students.
5. Workshops.
6. Films.
7. Demonstrations.
8. Quizzes.
9. Exercises.
10. Examinations.
B. ASSIGNMENTS1. READINGa. Reading of expository prose and literature, which may include, but not be limited to, poetry, drama, and the novel.
b. In- and out-of-class reading comprehension and vocabulary activities using contextual clues, directed questions, and dictionary exercises provided by the text, lab, or instructor.
2. WRITINGa. Writing of essays in and out of class (at least 6 different essays -- out of class,400 -- 600 words; in class, 250 -- 500 words in a fifty minute period).
b. Revisions of essays.
c. Written answers to essay questions.
d. Frequent in-class writing activities.
3. CAMPUS LABORATORYAt least 16 hours of lab work.
C. EVALUATION1. Assessment of in- and out-of-class writing.
2. Assessment of in- and out-of-class reading comprehension.
3. Midterm composition and reading comprehension exams.
4. Final composition and reading comprehension exams.
5. Satisfactory completion of 16 hours of lab work.
D. TEXTS AND OTHER MATERIALS
1. Essay anthologies supplemented by poems and novels.
2. Books designed to improve writing skills, such as rhetorics, handbooks, or workbooks.
3. Relevant audio-visual materials.
4. A college-level dictionary.
CREDIT/NON-DEGREE APPLICABLE (meets all standards of Title V, Section 55002 (b) ).