Overview

WAC in Gen Ed is comprised of two courses: Critical Reading & Writing II, and Studies in the Arts and Humanities. Each of these courses has distinct goals and learning outcomes for student writing, but they are designed to overlap and reinforce one another. The overarching writing guidelines for these three courses are:

1. The course will emphasize the process of writing, including prewriting and revision.
2. Faculty will provide students with multiple writing assignments.
3. Students will be encouraged to revise their writing in multiple draft forms after receiving feedback from the instructor.
4. Students will be expected to write at least 10 pages over the course of the semester.

Critical Reading & Writing II

(4 credits/Gen Ed requirement)

Critical Reading & Writing II is organized as a course for students who demonstrate a level of proficiency as determined by successful course work in Critical Reading & Writing I, or by an Accuplacer score of 6 or higher. The course is focused on sophisticated argument and research strategies and the crafting of academic papers. Specific to writing, students focus on rhetorical knowledge (purpose, audience, tone); critical writing (evaluating, analyzing, synthesizing); writing process (drafting, editing, revising); and knowledge of conventions (syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling). For more information about Critical Reading & Writing II, visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/hgs/critical-reading-and-writing/

Studies in the Arts and Humanities

(4 credits/Gen Ed requirement)

Studies in the Arts and Humanities is an interdisciplinary liberal arts course.  It provides students with an introduction to key texts, concepts, and artifacts from different fields in the humanities.  (These could include, for instance history, literature, philosophy, music, art history, and others.)  Each section of the course covers a range of different cultures, and at least four different periods in human history, which can range from the ancient world to contemporary works.  ! ;The course is designated Writing Intensive, and will require students to complete at least two different types of writing assignments. https://www.ramapo.edu/hgs/readings/

Overview

Each school or convening group will develop its own guidelines regarding Writing Intensive (WI) courses. These guidelines are approved by the faculty of the respective schools or convening groups as well as the WAC committee. The school representatives to WAC are charged with steering this process and facilitating the WAC committee’s review process and recommendations.

Each major or program in the schools will determine the writing objectives and learning outcomes for their major and designate at least three courses covering multiple course levels. Schools can utilize school core courses for these designations where appropriate. In addition to a coherent design of multi-level courses, the WAC committee recommends that courses included in the WAC in the Schools program follow these guidelines:

1. The course will emphasize the process of writing, including prewriting and revision.
2. Faculty will provide students with multiple writing assignments.
3. Students will be encouraged to revise their writing in multiple draft forms after receiving feedback from the instructor.

WAC in the Schools: WI Guidelines and Policies

• Anisfield School of Business (ASB) (Word)
• School of Contemporary Arts (CA) (PDF)
• School of Humanities and Global Studies (HGS) (PDF)
• School of Social Science and Human Services (SSHS) (PDF)
• School of Theoretical and Applied Science (TAS) (PDF)

Overview

Writing Intensive courses (WIs) are at the core of the WAC program. WIs are courses that are designed to use student writing as a pathway to content knowledge and understanding. These courses treat writing as a process, and they focus on writing as a component of critical thinking and analysis. The WAC committee recommends a cap of 25 students for WI courses.

All courses seeking WI designation must meet the school curriculum guidelines, WAC in the Schools guidelines, as well as the WAC committee guidelines. The WAC committee reviews all requests for WI status and confers with unit representatives and faculty if greater clarification, recommendations or resources are needed in order to determine WI status prior to forwarding the course proposal to ARC.

Recommended Syllabus Language

The WAC committee recommends that the following language be included in WI course syllabi. This language is also included in the ARC manual:

Writing will be integrated into the life of this course. You will receive comments, direction, and support as you work on strengthening your writing skills. Your writing will be evaluated and returned in a timely fashion, allowing you to incorporate my comments into your future work. For help outside the classroom, please see me during my office hours and/or work with a writing consultant in The Center for Reading and Writing, located in the Learning Commons, Room 420, x7557, crw@ramapo.edu. The professional staff offices are within the Center for Reading and Writing (Rooms 423, 424, 425).

See the course schedule of assignments for when drafts and revisions are due.

(Include these dates in the course schedule.)

The grading policy for drafts and revisions is as follows:

(Describe whether drafts will be graded, and how those grades will be factored into the grade for the assignment or weighted for the course.)

Sample Writing Assignments

These are some sample writing assignments from Ramapo faculty members:

Reflections on Readings

Each Monday you will hand in a 1-2 page reflection about your responses to at least one piece of writing from your readings in the New York Times. You should be reflecting specifically on how the piece dealt with issues we have addressed in class or our other readings.

Qualitative Analysis

Develop a series of interview questions, and interview at least 5 people about their schooling and educational experiences, specifically related to diversity. The interviewees should represent people born in the 1960s (or earlier), 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Some potential interview questions are:

• What was the racial/gender composition of the students in your school? What was the racial/gender composition of the teachers?
• In what ways did teachers make use of diversity in the classroom? In what ways did they shy away from it?
• What materials did you use to learn in school? How did those materials represent different cultures and backgrounds?
• In what ways did students from different backgrounds mix in and out of the classroom? In what ways did students from different backgrounds stay apart? How did the school foster acceptance and working together?
• Did diversity play a part in bullying—did some students pick on others because they were different? What did the school do to combat this?

Now use your interview data, class readings, lectures, personal experiences, and research sources to either write a 10-12 page paper (including references) that synthesizes what you learned in light of the social contexts of education. What themes and trends emerged in the interviews related to diversity? How has diversity in schooling changed over the decades, and how has it remained the same? What supports the arguments that we’ve made in class related to diversity, and what seems to contradict those arguments? How will diversity impact the future of American education, based on what you’ve seen and learned so far?

Sample Writing Assessments

One excellent resource for rubric development is http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

These are some sample rubrics for evaluating written work:

• Sample Rubric 1
• Sample Rubric 2
• Sample Rubric 3

On-Campus Resources

Center for Reading & Writing

The Center for Reading & Writing offers one-on-one, face-to-face tutoring in writing, reading, and study skills. The Center encourages ALL students to drop in or make an appointment. Well-trained writing consultants guide students through the writing process and help them become independent writers over time. The Center also works to pair peer consultants with Writing-Intensive courses. For more information, visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/crw/

Faculty Resource Center

The FRC is a place dedicated to promoting teaching excellence. To that end, FRC offers extensive faculty workshops, including several writing-related professional development opportunities. FRC helps faculty to share best practices with course-level writing assignments and assessments. FRC also supports faculty who are working on their own writing through writing circles and peer review sessions. For more information, visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/frc/

George T. Potter Library

The College Library collaborates with faculty to provide student workshops on informational literacy, including the important writing skills of finding, analyzing, and citing proper sources. The Library also hosts a comprehensive set of materials for faculty to design assignments and assessments, including a Competencies and Progression Rubric. Librarians are also available to consult with faculty on how to best utilize the many tools offered by the Library. For more information, visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/library/

Faculty Writing Institute

The Faculty Writing Institute is a collaboration between WAC, Faculty Resource Center, Center for Reading & Writing, and Potter Library. This day-long, faculty-led institute provides a series of workshops dedicated to sharing best practices on topics including: writing assignments, writing assessments, providing student feedback, texts to support writing, technological tools for writing, and much more. Click here for a PDF document about past Faculty Writing Institutes.

Off-Campus Resources

The following resources were collected and annotated by the Center for Reading and Writing;

Strategies and Tasks in Developing an Argument and Working Thesis

The Portland State University Online Writing Center provides a comprehensive guided tour to writing papers. Below are steps of the writing process:

• Step 1: Understanding an Assignment
• Step 2: Finding a Topic
• Step 3: Developing a Working Thesis
• Step 4: Researching
• Step 5: Creating an Organizational Plan
• Step 6: Writing a First Draft
• Step 7: Expanding and Improving Ideas
• Step 8: Improving and Refining Organization
• Step 9: Checking Your Use of Research
• Step 10: Checking Final Details

Explore steps 1 through 10 when you go to http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/index.php
The Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides thorough, easy-to-understand directions in helping writers develop an argument and thesis statement. Under “Writing the Paper,” click on “Argument” and/or “Thesis Statements” when you go to www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html

Colorado State University’s online writing resources provide an example of a student’s argumentative essay entitled “Landscaping that Makes Sense for the West.” The “virtual tour” of the student’s essay begins with an analysis of the student’s claim, reasoning, evidence, and counter-argument. The tour ends with an assessment of the student’s effectiveness in making the argument and urges the reader to arrive at a claim based on the student’s argument. The essay can be used as a demonstration of argumentative writing which in turn provides a greater understanding of thesis paper writing. Go to http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/reading/toulmin/pop2f.cfm.

Pre-writing Strategies and Tasks

Prewriting tasks are an immediate and effective way to relax, engage, and re-inform the writer about what the writer already knows in order to pursue the writing assignment. Pre-writing strategies serve the following purposes:

• Function as ice-breakers and help the writer overcome writer’s block.
• Immediately engage the writer and further motivate the writer to pursue the assignment.
• Enable the writer to explore and discover perspectives or convictions that may be used in pursuing the assignment.

The University of Kansas Online Writing Center describes the following prewriting strategies and activities:

• Brainstorming
• Clustering
• Freewriting
• Looping
• Questioning techniques

Go to http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/prewriting.shtml

After prewriting, the writer can develop an organizational plan and tentative outline.

The Portland State University Online Writing Center provides suggestions on creating an organizational plan and outline. Go to http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step05.php.

The University of Kansas Online Writing Center provides directions on basic outlining of a thesis with topic sentences. Go to http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/outlines.shtml.

Troy University’s Writing Center offers directions on outlining of a thesis, with topic sentences as well as primary and secondary support . Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/EssayOutlineForm.doc.

Troy University’s Writing Center also offers directions on outlining a body paragraph with a topic sentence as well as primary and secondary support . Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/BodyParagraphOutline.doc.

Drafting Strategies and Tasks

Colorado State University has an online writing guide, “Planning, Drafting, and Organizing,” which can be used to assist a writer in starting a draft. The guide suggests the followingstrategies that writers can use to develop a draft:

• Defining terms and concepts
• Analyzing statements, ideas, and concepts
• Amplifying, clarifying, and explaining ideas
• Citing authority
• Citing common assumptions
• Qualifying assertions
• Providing contexts or associations for ideas and examples
• Using analogy
• Appealing to emotion

Go to http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/develop/.

The Portland State University Online Writing Center provides strategies on writing introductions. Go to http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step07.php#detail1.

Troy University’s Online Writing Center provides strategies on writing conclusions. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/WritingConclusions.doc.

Strategies in Using Direct / Indirect Quotations and Avoiding Plagiarism

The following skills are necessary in writing a thesis paper:

• Emphasizing and explaining how a direct or indirect quote supports the main idea of a paragraph
• Citing and documenting correctly
• Detecting and avoiding plagiarism

The University of Kansas Online Writing Center provides basic directions on incorporating references and citing quotes. Go to http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/references.shtml.

Portland State University’s Online Writing Center provides a comprehensive overview on incorporating research and using citations and documentation correctly. Go to http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step09.php.

The University of Kansas Online Writing Center provides directions on writing the paraphrase, summary, or précis. Go to http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/paraphrase.shtml.

Troy University’s Online Writing Center suggests signal phrases to highlight the use of direct and indirect quotes. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/CitingQuotations.doc.

Troy University’s Online Writing Center also suggests transitional words and phrases to highlight the use of direct and indirect quotes. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/IncorporatingSourcesIntoYourPaper.doc.

Troy University’s Online Writing Center suggests ways to detect and avoid plagiarism. Click on “Plagiarism” OR “Plagiarism—Making Sure You Are Safe” when you go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html,

Responding to a Draft and Planning Revision Strategies

Revision and the intricacies of re-reading and re-thinking are challenging skills even for knowledgeable and experienced writers.

An overview of revision strategies can be found at the Harvard College Online Writing Center. Go to http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Revising.html.

Troy University’s Online Writing Center provides another overview of revision strategies. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/ProofreadAndRevise.doc.

These overviews can be simplified into manageable initial strategies for revision. For example, the student can revise by reading the draft and completing the following directions:

• Re-state topic sentences to support the thesis
• Re-state the thesis in alignment with topic sentences
• Examine the relevance of supporting examples
• Emphasize and explain how direct or indirect quotes support the main ideas of the body paragraphs
• Add, delete, or clarify ideas and sentences in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Substitute weak words with more precise words. The Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides a guide on word-choice. Go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/word_choice.html
• Eliminate wordiness and ensure conciseness. Troy University’s Online Writing Center provides a guide on eliminating wordiness. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/Conciseness.doc. The Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides another online guide on eliminating wordiness. Go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/concise.html

The Portland State University Online Writing Center provides comprehensive revision strategies. The writer can click on the following steps of the writing process and learn more about revision strategies:

• Step 7: Expanding and Improving Ideas
• Step 8: Improving and Refining Organization
• Step 9: Checking Your Use of Research
• Step 10: Checking Final Details

Click on steps 7 through 10 when you go to http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/index.php.

To develop probing questioning techniques to assist an experienced writer with higher-level revision, the writer can consult Toledo’s journal article on developing probing questioning techniques. To find Toledo’s article, “’Does Your Dog Bite?’ Creating Good Questions for Online Discussions,” go to http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE85.pdf.

Proofreading and Editing Strategies

The Center for Reading and Writing at SUNY Adirondack offers an online Proofreading Handbook that provides proofreading tips in assisting writers with low-level editing problems. These problems include fragments, run-ons, shifts in tense, shifts in point-of-view, plurals and possessives, subject/verb agreement, pronoun usage, punctuation, capitalization, and homonyms. Click on each of the two Proofreading Handbooks when you go to libguides.sunyacc.edu/content.php?pid=47858&sid=1008451

A comprehensive online overview of higher-level proofreading and editing strategies can be found at the Harvard College Writing Center website. Click on “Editing the Essay, Part 1”OR “Editing the Essay, Part 2” when you go to http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k33202&pageid=icb.page143936

Documentation, Style Manuals, and Writer’s Resources

To find MLA, APA, and Chicago online guidelines for documentation, the writer can google “Diana Hacker’s Research and Documentation Online.”

The Turabian or Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide on the Chicago Manual of Style Online can be accessed at chicagomanualofstyle.org

The Center for Reading and Writing at SUNY Adirondack offers two easy-to-use online style manuals: Using MLA to Document Your Sources and Using APA to Document Your Sources. These online handbooks provide tips in assisting writers with documentation. Go to libguides.sunyacc.edu/content.php?pid=47858&sid=1008451

Troy University’s Writing Center provides online Turabian or Chicago Style Guides. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/ChicagoHandout.doc.

LINKS TO INTERNET REFERENCES, SUCH AS DICTIONARIES, STYLE MANUALS, GRAMMAR HANDBOOKS, AND EDITING RESOURCES

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides links to valuable writing references.
Go to owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/738/01/ Under “Internet References,” Click on any resource, such as “Dictionaries and Manuals.”

Guides to Writing in the Disciplines

Troy University’s Writing Center offers an online practical guide to answering essay questions. Go to http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/handouts/AnsweringEssayQuestions.doc.

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides an onlinecomprehensive guide to answering essay exams. Go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/essay-exams.html.

DePaul University’s Online Center for Writing-based Learning provides an overview of research-based writing, such as directions for writing an annotated bibliography. Click on “Annotated Bibliography” or other types of research-based writing when you go to http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/writers/types.html,

The Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides a guide to writing abstracts. Go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html.

The University of Kansas Online Writing Center has links to resources in evaluating websites. Go to “Evaluating Web-Sites.”

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides subject specific resources for writing in the disciplines:

• Technical Writing
• Literature
• Social Sciences
• Engineering
• Creative Writing
• Medical Writing
• Journalism
• Nursing

Explore links to writing in various disciplines when you go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/4/

The Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides guides and resources for writing in the disciplines.

• Anthropology
• Art History
• Communication Studies
• Drama
• History
• Literature (Fiction)
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Religious Studies
• Sciences
• Sociology

Under “Writing for Specific Fields,” click on a discipline when you go to http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html,

List of Instructional Resources

“Abstracts,” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html

“Answering Essay Questions.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/special.html.

“Argument.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/argument.html

“Body Paragraph Outline.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/process.html.

“Chicago (Turabian) Documentation.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html.

“Citing Quotations.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html.

“Editing the Essay, Part 1” The Writing Center. Harvard College Writing Program, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/edit1.html.

“Editing the Essay, Part 2.” The Writing Center. Harvard College Writing Program, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/edit2.html.

“Essay Exams.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/essay-exams.html

“Essay Outline.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/process.html.

“Evaluating Web-Sites.” KU Writing Center. University of Kansas, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/evaluate.shtml.

“Getting Ready for a Tutoring Session.” Writing Resource Center. Bemidjii State University, 2011. Web. 18 Jan 2011. http://bemidjistate.edu/students/wrc/tutoring_session/.

Hacker, Diana and Barbara Fister. “Research and Documentation.” hackerhandbooks.com, 2011. Web 20 Jan 2011. http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/

“Incorporating References.” KU Writing Center. University of Kansas, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/references.shtml.

“Internet References.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University, 2011. Web. 20 Jan 2011. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/738/01/

“Just Check My Grammar.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/esl/wc.html.

“Outlines.” KU Writing Center. University of Kansas, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/outlines.shtml.

“Paraphrase, Summary, and Precis.” KU Writing Center. University of Kansas, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/paraphrase.shtml.

“Plagiarism.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html.

“Plagiarism—Making Sure You Are Safe.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html.

“Prewriting Strategies.” KU Writing Center. University of Kansas, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/prewriting.shtml.

“Proofread & Revise.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011. troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/process.html.

“Research-based Writing.” The University Center for Research-based Learning. DePaul University, 2011. Web. 20 Jan 2011. http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/writers/types.html.

“Resources for Tutors.” College of Wooster – Writing Center. College of Wooster, 2008. Web. 18 Jan 2011. http://www3.wooster.edu/writing_center/resources for tutors.html.

“Revising the Draft.” The Writing Center. Harvard College Writing Program, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Revising.html.

“Step Eight: Improving and Refining Organization.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step08.php.

“Step Five: Creating an Organizational Plan.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step05.php.

“Step Nine: Checking Your Use of Research.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step09.php.

“Step Seven: Expanding and Improving Ideas.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step07.php.

“Step Ten: Checking Final Details.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/guide/step10.php.

“Subject Specific Resources.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University, 2011. Web. 20 Jan 2011. owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/4/.

The University of Chicago. The Chicago Manual of Style Online, 2010.. Web. 20 Jan 2011. www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.

“Thesis Statements.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html.

“SUNY Adirondack CRW Guides and Handbooks.” The Center for Reading and Writing. SUNY Adirondack, 2011. Web. 20 Jan 2011. http://libguides.sunyacc.edu/content.php?pid=47858&sid=1008451

“Ten Tips for ESL Tutorials.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/esl/wc.html.

Toledo, Cheri. “’Does Your Dog Bite?’ Creating Good Questions for Online Discussions.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 18.2 (2006) n.pag. Web 20 Jan 2011. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/.

“Toulmin Demonstration.” Writing@CSU. Colorado State University, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. writing.colostate.edu/guides/reading/toulmin/pop2f.cfm

“Word Choice.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/word_choice.html.

“Writing Concisely.” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/concise.html

“Writing Conclusions.” Writing Center. Troy University, 2010. Web. 19 Jan 2011.http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/process.html.

“Writing for Specific Fields,” The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html

“Writing Guide: Development.” Writing@CSU. Colorado State University, 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2011. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/develop/

“Writing Resources Guided Tour.” The Writing Center. Portland State University, 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2011. http://writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/index.php.

“Writing Self Assessment” Writing Center. University of Washington Bothell. 2010. Web 19 Jan 2011. http://www.uwb.edu/writingcenter/assessment.

Reading and Study Skills

The Center for Reading and Writing provides collaborative workshops, consultation and resources to support the Ramapo College teaching community. Faculty who would like to discover new ideas for engaging students in active reading and study strategies are encouraged to participate. Please check out the resources below. Reading Support recommendations are welcome. Feel free to email me at ibucchin@ramapo.edu

“Helping Students Read Difficult Texts”
In chapter 8 of John Bean’s Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom Bean provides reasons for students’ difficulty with text, offers strategies to help students read actively, and makes suggestions for assignments that require students to interact with text.
http://www.case.edu/writing/pedsem/Bean_ReadingDifficultTexts.pdf
Helping Students Read Difficult Text (PDF)

Critical Reading and Thinking
Check out these ideas, handouts and worksheets from SUNY Empire State College to help students read thoughtfully and critically. You will find strategies to help students before, during and after reading. Topics include: taking notes, close reading, summary, interpretation and evaluation as well as ideas for reading literature.
http://www.esc.edu/academicreadingexercises

Teaching Critical Reading at the College Level
The University of Wyoming has some quick ideas for guided practice in critical reading at the college level.
http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/lrn/learningnotes/LeaRNing%20Notes%201.pdf

Critical/Analytical Reading
Combined critical/analytical reading ideas and the questions you might ask your students about text. Outline includes critical dialogue, intratextual, authorial, historical, allusive, generic, philosophical and subjective context.
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng301/critread.htm

Critical Reading of an Essay’s Argument
This link from Carson-Newman College discusses the basics of critical reading, contrasts the act of reading to extract information with reading critically and outlines a five-step process for critical reading. Wheeler’s process includes pre-reading, interpretive reading, critical reading, synoptic reading and post-reading.
https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/reading_basic.html

Reading Circle Activities
Take a look at these hands-on ideas for active reading circles. You may be able to modify the activities for your class.
Reading Circle Activities (PDF)
Reading Circle Ideas

Engaged Listening and Reading to Write
Instructional handouts from Texas A&M University on how to help students “read to write” and listen actively. The bottom instructional link offers quick support for “Teaching Critical Thinking”.
http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/teaching-writing/instruction/
http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/teaching-writing/instruction/teaching-critical-thinking/

Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty
Elizabeth Barkley “is a comprehensive resource that offers college teachers a dynamic model for engaging students and includes over one hundred tips, strategies, and techniques that have been proven to help teachers from a wide variety of disciplines and institutions motivate and connect with their students.” This text was recommended for RC faculty development “Teaching Circles” by Lysandra Perez-Strumbolo. Click here

Reader-Response Criticism
The Owl at Purdue presents reader response criticism theory and its role in determining the meaning of text, “A critic deploying reader-response theory can use a psychoanalytic lens, a feminist lens, or even a structuralist lens. What these different lenses have in common when using a reader response approach is they maintain “…that what a text is cannot be separated from what it does” (Tyson 154).
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/06/

Loewen, James. Lies My Teacher Told Me (e-book and website)
http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteachertoldme.php Loewen’s Website

Enhanced Learning
Learning to Learn, Marcia Heimen, Ph.D. “Learning to Learn ®(LTL) is a system of learning and reasoning strategies with a long history of research and development. The LTL system is based on research conducted at the University of Michigan on the thinking skills of successful learners. High-achieving students were asked to verbalize their thinking when they did academic work.”
http://www.learningtolearn.com/college/collegewhat.html

Choices of Successful Students (Responsibility, Motivation, Self-Management, Emotional Intelligence and more…)
Oncourse, Skip Downing: “Synthesizing the best wisdom from innovators in psychology, education, business, sports, and personal effectiveness, the On Course Success Principles represent eight of the essential “things” that good learners believe and do. Founded on these timeless principles, the On Course text and the On Course Workshops give students and instructors alike a collection of practical success tools.”
http://www.oncourseworkshop.com/Student%20Success%20Strategies.htm