Nick Mullins
instuctor, De Anza College
e-mail: mullins@nijomu.com


Summer 2009

EWRT1A section 62C
EWRT1A-62C syllabus (pdf)


readings
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, chapter 2

information about Paulo Freire

assignments
essay 1 (pdf)

helpful handouts
critical reading (pdf)


Spring 2009

EWRT1A section 63
EWRT1A-63 syllabus (pdf)


readings
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, chapter 2

information about Paulo Freire
Malcolm X, “Learning to Read”
Betty Friedan, chapter 1 of The Feminine Mystique
Aaron Devor, "How Many Sexes? How Many Genders? When Two Are Not Enough"
Michael S. Kimmel, "Masculinity as Homophobia" (.pdf)

Steven Rhoads, "The Case Against Androgynous Marriage"

assignments
essay 1 (pdf)
essay 2 (pdf)



Winter 2009

EWRT211 section 62
EWRT211-62 syllabus (pdf)

course decription on the De Anza site

assignments
essay 1 (pdf)
reading response 1

subject-verb agreement (pdf)
verb tense (pdf)
fragments (pdf)
run-ons (pdf)
reading response 4
pronouns (pdf)
essay 3 (pdf)
reading response 5

apostrophe use (pdf)
shifts (pdf)
mixed constructions (pdf)
portfolio guidelines and reflective essay prompt (pdf)

helpful handouts
active reading (pdf)
essay basics (pdf)
paragraph basics (pdf)

how to quote effectively (pdf)
introductions (pdf)


Fall 2008

EWRT1A section 68
EWRT1A-68 syllabus (pdf)

course decription on the De Anza site

assignments
what is a reading response?
reading response 1

essay 1 (pdf)
reading response 3

reading response 4
essay 2 (pdf)
reading response 7
essay 3 (pdf)

readings
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, chapter 2

information about Paulo Freire

helpful handouts
essay grading rubric (pdf)
active reading (pdf)
essay basics (pdf)
thesis statements: the basics (pdf)

thesis statements: common problems (pdf)
thesis statements: going deeper (pdf)
paragraph basics (pdf)
body paragraph development: rhetorical modes (pdf)
appeals: logos, pathos, ethos (pdf)

logical fallacies (pdf)
introductions (pdf)

flow (pdf)

helpful links


all handouts
active reading- general (pdf)
active reading- literature (pdf)

essay grading rubric (pdf)
essay basics (pdf)
paragraph basics (pdf)

body paragraph development: rhetorical modes (pdf)
appeals: logos, pathos, ethos (pdf)

logical fallacies (pdf)
thesis statements: the basics (pdf)

thesis statements: common problems (pdf)
thesis statements: going deeper (pdf)
introductions (pdf)
flow (pdf)
how to quote effectively (pdf)

quoting- guidelines for lit papers (pdf)
MLA citation- lit papers (pdf)
MLA citation- research paper (pdf)

De Anza Links
De Anza Writing and Reading Center
De Anza Student Success Center

De Anza Academic Skills Center
Skills Center classes:
reading
writing
grammar
spelling
vocabulary

other useful links

writing
The Bedford Handbook online
More help with grammar, MLA style, doing research, etc.

ClichéSite.com
A complete list of clichés and euphemisms. Use it to learn what a saying actually means or use it to avoid clichés in your own writing.

Dictionary.com
An on-line dictionary. Pretty complete and free to use.

ESL Websites
Julie Madigan, an instructor at De Anza, compiled this list of websites that are geared towards ESL students.

Fallacy Files
A very complete collection of various logical fallacies with many real-life examples.

Indiana University writing tutorials
There is a lot of helpful advice here, such as how to write a good thesis statement and tips on taking an essay exam.

MLA: The Modern Language Association
The inventors of the MLA style.

UCSC Resource Guide- What to Expect in College
This was written for students at UCSC, but the advice on this page applies to any college student. Lots of great tips on how to get organized and be successful.


miscellaneous
Adobe Acrobat Reader
In case you can't read .pdf files (which I use a lot here), you can download a free viewer through Adobe.

This American Life
The NPR radio show about lives in the US. There're a lot of great shows here and you can listen to all of them on-line.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed, chapter 2
Chapter 2 of Paulo Freire's groundbreaking book about education and its relation to freedom.
information about Paulo Freire



What is a reading response?

A reading response is a written analysis of a text. A text can be an essay, a poem, a short story, a novel, a documentary, a movie, etc. A reading response is not simply a summary of what you have read. Everyone in the class has read the text; what we want to know is what you think. That doesn’t mean that you just talk about yourself, though. The goal of a reading response always is to come to a deeper understanding of the text. You can do this in three ways.

  • Analysis: take apart the pieces of the text and show how they work. For instance, you might explore how the examples in a text do or do not support the main idea. Or you might look at how the descriptive details create the mood.
  • Synthesis: combine different ideas to arrive at a new conclusion. Here you combine ideas of the text you have read with ideas from other texts and show what they have in common or show differences of opinion. You could also relate the ideas in the text to events in the world, past or present. You may also explore how your own experience relates to the ideas discussed in the text.
  • Evaluation: judge the ideas brought up in a text. Here you state whether or not you agree with the ideas in a text. Be specific about what you are agreeing or disagreeing with, and be sure to clearly state why you agree or disagree. A good evaluation requires good analysis.

Most often, I will give you a prompt for the reading response. The prompt is a statement or series of questions for you to respond to. Make sure you cover the entire prompt in your reading response. The more specific details you can include in your response, the better.

Reading responses are 10 points each. They are graded on how completely you answer the prompt, the organization of your ideas, the amount of specific detail given to support your response, and the overall depth of analysis. I grade reading responses with a check system:

√+            10 points

√            8.5 points

√-            7 points

–             5 points

In this class, reading responses should always be one page long, typed, and double-spaced. Don’t forget a title.


EWRT1A-68 Reading Response 1
Briefly explain the two categories of education that Freire describes. What is the effect of each style on the students, according to Freire? Do you agree with the effects he describes? I encourage you to use your own experiences as illustrations in your response.


EWRT1A-68 Reading Response 3
Respond to either question 4 or 5 on page 238.


EWRT1A-68 Reading Response 4
Respond to either question 5 on page 380 or question 6 on page 392. If you have the sixth edition, respond to question 7 on page 433.


EWRT1A-68 Reading Response 7


What other reasons besides love does the narrator hint at for her aunt's love affair? What point is the narrator trying to make?

-or-

Why does the narrator finally decide to tell this forbidden tale? What does this say about her? About her connection to her family?




this site was prepared for his students by Nick Mullins, if using this material please provide proper credit