Composition 110 Honors
Composition 110 is an honors-level, dual-credit course offered in conjunction with Illinois Central College. Students who successfully complete the course will earn ½ English credit through Dunlap High School. Students who meet ICC’s prerequisite guidelines and who choose to pay tuition will also earn 3 credit hours of ICC credit.
Students will write expressive (expressing the writer’s ideas), referential (explaining or analyzing subject matter for the reader), persuasive (convincing or encouraging the reader to think or act in a specific way), and reflexive (writing to and about self) compositions and expand their understanding of the writing process through critical reading, discussion, exercises, conferences and revision. Students will regularly work on improving usage, transition and grammar skills.
Students will write expressive (expressing the writer’s ideas), referential (explaining or analyzing subject matter for the reader), persuasive (convincing or encouraging the reader to think or act in a specific way), and reflexive (writing to and about self) compositions and expand their understanding of the writing process through critical reading, discussion, exercises, conferences and revision. Students will regularly work on improving usage, transition and grammar skills.
Objectives of Comp 110
To develop critical reading skills by
a. summarizing, analyzing, interpreting and synthesizing information
b. distinguish fact from opinion and evidence from inference
To progress in writing assignments from experiential and referential aims to persuasive aim
To define the context for each writing assignment: aim, purpose, audience, writer’s role and development mode
To develop a precise, unified thesis and then develop that thesis into a unified, coherent essay
To develop, analyze and revise each essay through a series of drafts
To make informed stylistic choices
To adhere to the conventions of written discourse
To understand and accurately use MLA documentation
a. summarizing, analyzing, interpreting and synthesizing information
b. distinguish fact from opinion and evidence from inference
To progress in writing assignments from experiential and referential aims to persuasive aim
To define the context for each writing assignment: aim, purpose, audience, writer’s role and development mode
To develop a precise, unified thesis and then develop that thesis into a unified, coherent essay
To develop, analyze and revise each essay through a series of drafts
To make informed stylistic choices
To adhere to the conventions of written discourse
To understand and accurately use MLA documentation
Syllabus for Comp 110
Unit 1: Introduction to writing
Completion of ICC registration
Levels of language
MLA manuscript requirements
Unit 2: College Essay/Personal Narrative
What do admissions officers look for?
College essay topic exploration
Narrative writing strategies: plot structure, word choice, description
Unit 3: Narrative/Expressive Writing
Dialogue: realism techniques and correct format
Characterization: direct and indirect
Description: sensory detail, dominant impression, vantage point
Unit 4: Journalism/Character Profile
Journalistic terminology
Relating audience, style and purpose
Focus and tightening central theme
Paragraph unity and transitional devices
Anecdotes
MLA Documentation
Unit 5: Exposition and Argument/ Referential and Persuasive Writing
Avoiding plagiarism: quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing
Evaluating sources for objectivity and purpose
Persuasive techniques and organizational structures
Citing and documenting a variety of references using MLA