Productive Pineapples
Course Description
English 1000 builds on the writing skills you already have through an exploration of the writing process. By spending time together on each stage of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing) we will explore several kinds of writing in order to help you prepare for success in your first-year writing course.
Required Materials
Easy Writer Edition: 5th
ISBN 9781319034726
Fee Card: $5.00 (you can buy this at the WMU Bookstore)
Project 1
At the beginning of the school year, one particular genre takes WMU by storm: the flyer. It may seem easy, but a flyer only has a few seconds to make an impression. It needs to set itself apart from all of the other flyers plastered on the wall. Students will be introduced to the concept of GAPCaT and explore the creation of a flyer, redesigning an existing flyer as well as creating their own from scratch.
Project 1 Schedule
Project 2
This project introduces our students to the idea that they are part of a campus community. It is meant to help them begin to explore the cultures on campus. It is also meant to help them develop their sense of intellectual curiosity, learn some research skills (both academic and field) and engage in a self-directed topic.
Project 3
One of the most common forms of written assignment is the “argumentative essay.” This is because writing, that is, recording, expressing, and organizing one's thoughts, is closely tied to the ancient art of rhetoric. For this assignment, you will argue for a solution to a problem you identify within WMU or the surrounding community.
Project 4
Multi-Genre projects provide students with the opportunity to explore, learn about, and use more than one genre to further develop their understanding of a topic. This project serves multiple purposes. You will be reflecting on your individual growth and development this semester. This growth will include both academics and personal/social development. This is our capstone project for the semester and will require you to use all the skills and knowledge we have built throughout the course.
Recommended Reading List
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell
"In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?"
Catch-22 by Joesph Heller
"Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved. "
Black ButterFly by Robert Drake
"The Black Butterfly is a symbol of transformation and rebirth after death. Drake wrote this book for those who have lost someone in death and in life. This book is a collection of memories and experiences Drake lived after the death of one of his brothers. He promised he would write him a few words after he failed to complete the task while his brother was alive. This book is everything… this book is for all who are breathing and for all who are no longer here. This book is for you."
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
"Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged.
When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.
In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other."
The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage
"Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB."