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Note: Students cannot take ENG300 until or unless they
take English Composition. Students need to show proof
of the prerequisite before they take this course.
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS 1
LESSON ASSIGNMENTS 13
LESSON 1: A REVIEW OF THE WRITING PROCESS 17
LESSON 2: PLANNING A RESEARCH PAPER AND 37 EVALUATING SOURCES
LESSON 3: FINDING SOURCES, TAKING NOTES, 51 AND SYNTHESIZING
LESSON 4: DRAFTING, REVISING, AND FORMATTING 67 A RESEARCH PROJECT
LESSON 5: DEFINITION: 85 EXPLAINING WHAT YOU MEAN
LESSON 6: READING AND WRITING 107 ABOUT LITERATURE
LESSON 7: COMPARISON AND CONTRAST: 137 SHOWING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
LESSON 8: ARGUMENTS 161
SELF-CHECK ANSWERS 183
APPENDIX 213
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INTRODUCTION Welcome to your Advanced Composition course. In this course, you’ll practice research and writing skills by develop- ing papers that require you to use sources and correctly cite them using MLA formatting. You’ll learn to look at writing with a critical eye—a skill you can apply to your own work, as well as to the reading you do for research or in your daily activities. You’ll apply these skills to your own writing through editing and revising.
COURSE OBJECTIVES The primary objective of the course is to use research to plan, organize, develop, and edit a variety of papers with clarity and precision using standard MLA formatting.
When you complete this course, you’ll be able to
n Use the writing process to write essays using different patterns of development
n Apply an appropriate rhetorical style to an audience and purpose
n Write effective thesis statements
n Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions
n Identify, define, and analyze literary elements
n Develop critical reading skills
n Use responsible research methods to locate appropriate secondary sources
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Note: For Lesson 7, you’re required to read one novel that has
been turned into a movie and to watch that movie. The list of
movies made from books is extensive and includes To Kill a
Mockingbird, The Princess Bride, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
(A short story or children’s book isn’t an appropriate selection.
You must read a full-length novel.)
n Use Modern Language Association (MLA) citation and documentation style to reference secondary source mate- rial correctly and appropriately
n Quote, paraphrase, and summarize secondary source material correctly and appropriately
n Use the conventions of standard written American English to produce correct, well-written essays
COURSE MATERIALS The following materials are part of this course:
1. This study guide, which contains
n An introduction to your course
n A lesson assignments page, which outlines the study assignments in your textbook
n Self-checks and answers to help you assess your understanding of the material
2. Your course textbook, Successful College Writing, which contains your assigned readings, as well as additional quizzes, essay assignments, as well as additional quizzes and essay assignments.
Instructions to Students2
YOUR TEXTBOOK Your primary text for this course is Successful College Writing, 6th edition, by Kathleen T. McWhorter. Begin reviewing the text by reading the table of contents on pages xxvii–xlv. Then follow the study guide for directions on required reading assignments. Note the following features of your text:
n The “Quick Start” features at the beginning of each chapter are short introductions designed to help you get a head start on the material. Make sure you work through the exercises, even though they won’t be formally evaluated.