Expository & Persuasive Writing

COURSES

In a series of 3 ten-week  seminar courses, taught on a quarter system (Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing, and  Analytical Writing) students learn the basics of creating research papers: how to craft organized arguments, come up with claims, consider counterarguments, rely on rhetorical appeals to logos, pathos & ethos, avoid logical fallacies, analyze visual media and text, and cite and select sources. Attention is paid to both substance and sentence-level style. Weekly quizzes and informal writing assignments complement three formal essays. My courses rely heavily on small group work, discussion, and peer review

WRITING IN ACTION

In Writing 102 (Persuasive Writing), students work collaboratively on a group project to come up with a solution to a real world problem they identify. They draft a proposal that not only articulates the problem but that provides their solution, and they present it to the class. In one of my sections, a group of students  wrote about high school graduates' lack of preparation for future employment. They suggested that preparedness education be included in public high school curricula to ensure that graduates are fit for work and its daily demands. After creating a strong proposal and with my encouragement, two of the students in the group sent  their proposal and an accompanying cover letter to a Pennsylvania Congressional Representative (then chairman of the Education Committee). They were thrilled to receive a response from the congressman complimenting them on their well-researched project. Watching this unfold was a highlight of my time at Drexel - I couldn't be prouder of these students!