Academic Reading and Writing

            The purpose of this course is to develop student writing skills to a collegiate level while familiarizing them with many important works of literature.  The literature will serve as a basis for writing topics.  We will read excerpts and summaries of the myths.

Current Assignment:  Research Paper

Course Content:

1. Qualities of good writing
   1. organization
   2. clarity
   3. voice
   4. word choice
   5. sentence structure
   6. writing conventions
2. Plagiarism   

            a.  What is it?

            b.  How to avoid it

   3.  Scholarship/Admissions Essay

            a.  Find an appropriate scholarship or admissions essay

            b.  Write at least two pages (maybe more than one essay answer)

   4    Myths

            a.  Beowulf

                1.  Read and discuss Beowulf

                2.  Write a 2--5 page paper analyzing some aspect of Beowulf

            b.  Arthurian Legend

Arthurian Legend

Five Paragraph Essay Assignment

Choose one of the following topics on which to write your five-paragraph essay (1 introductory paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and 1 concluding paragraph).

• Compare/contrast Malory’s treatment of the sword Excalibur in Le Morte D’Arthur with Boorman’s treatment of the the sword in his film Excalibur.

• In what way do Lancelot, Guinevere, and Arthur himself contribute to the breaking up of the round table?

• Merlin plays a major role in Arthurian legend, except at the end.  What is it that he does that is so important, and why is his character imprisoned well before the end of the story?

• The company of the Round Table consists of many noble knights.  Who is/are the greatest of these knights and why?

• How is the sword in the stone and Excalibur (whether it is one sword or they are two different swords) symbolic of Arthur’s kingship?  How does the sword give him power literally and symbolically?

• Morgan Le Fey and Morgause, two of Arthur’s sisters, are portrayed differently in Le Morte D’Arthur than they are in Excalibur where they are combined into one character.  What are the differences and how do those differences impact the story?

        a.  MLA format

        c.  Works Cited page

    4.  Multicultural Poetry

        a.  Cultural origins

        b.  How does place shape who we are?

        c.  How do events shape us?

        d.  3 page paper in 3 sections:  reacting to the poems, describing place of origin and its impact, describing  importance of events in our lives.

Assessment will be based mostly upon student writing.  There will be some quizzes and tests.  Late penalty for papers will be 7% per school day.

Grading scale:  99-100   A+                 87-89   B         74-76   C-

96-98         A                  84-86   B-        71-73   D+

93-95         A-                81-83   C+       68-70   D

90-92     B+                77-80   C         65-69   D-