Writing Program

Coordinator/Contact:  Darcy Gioia

Course Description:
English for Academic Discourse I and II (EAD I & II) serve matriculated non-native English speaking undergraduates. Both EAD I & II were designed specifically to help ESL and bilingual speakers engage with academic texts and write essays in response to the issues brought up in their readings.  They are 4-credit university courses that meet for 4.5 hours a week and count toward the GPA.  EAD I introduces students to critical reading and writing, and EAD II strengthens those skills. Both courses are specifically designed to help students build linguistic competence in English so that their verbal level more accurately reflects their ability to read, conceptualize, and frame complex arguments in English.  Rutgers recognizes how difficult it is to write fluently in a second language at this level of complexity, and for this reason EAD students are awarded 4 credits (per course) for successfully completing EAD I and II.

Read complex texts
Through discussion, rereading, and rewriting papers on similar issues, students become familiar with the points that the authors are making. Initially, they may find that the readings are complex and contain complicated sentence structures and difficult vocabulary, but through familiarity with the readings, they will learn how to unpack the points each author is making and contribute their own ideas.

Write a paper with a point of view
Through multiple revisions of their papers and critical reading of the texts, students will learn how to take part in a conversation and contribute ideas from their own knowledge base.

Course Texts for EAD I (356:155):
Crossing Cultures
Interpreter of Maladies

Course Texts for EAD II (356:156): 
Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle, Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (seventh edition)

Short Reading Packet

Course Requirements:

• Readings : Throughout the course of the semester, students will read and engage in multi-cultural readings in the form of stories, autobiographical essays, and critical essays. They will be required to read approximately 9-11 readings. EAD II will also be required to read a packet of  “Short Readings."

• Four Essays with at least two rough drafts of each essay: Since reading and writing are interactive and recursive, instructors encourage students to formulate opinions that they will explore through the revision process. Typically, students write two and sometimes three rough drafts for each paper. The final draft will focus on grammar. Students also work with techniques in grammar, writing patterns, and vocabulary, all of which are necessary to write an academic essay. Grammar and rhetoric, including modes of discourse, organization of ideas, word formation, and syntax are treated as tools to create “meaning.” Essay One: 4 typed pages; Essay Two: 5 typed pages; Essay Three: 5-6 typed pages; Essay Four: 5-6 typed pages, totaling at least 20 pages (typed, double-spaced) throughout the course of the semester.

• Oral Presentation: Students will be assigned to groups and asked to choose a reading from the text on which they will give an oral presentation to the class. Each person in the group will have a different task, such as summarizing, pointing out key moments in the text, looking up vocabulary words, and pointing out important quotations.

• Journals: As part of becoming independent thinkers and writers, students keep a journal for the following purposes:
  
  • to respond to issues in the text
  • to work with different sentence patterns from the readings
  • to keep a log of new vocabulary terms
  • to list and be responsible for their own patterns of error
  
  
• In class/Out-of-class Assignments: Students work on a variety of assignments at home and in class, such as summarizing essays, paragraphs, or sentences, or working with grammar. They might also copy particular sentences from their text and analyze them grammatically and for meaning.

• Short Readings for EAD II Students: A packet of short readings will be distributed in class, which they will be asked to read for a homework assignment and for in-class assignments.

• Exams
  
  The Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will be a two-part exam given in class over a two day period, preferably in the computer room. This exam will extend a point which was read, discussed, and written about earlier in the semester. Students will receive a pass/fail grade. Students will be asked to purchase a computer disc at the beginning of the semester, which will be used for midterm and final exams, and will be returned at the end of the semester.
  
  The Final Exam: The final exam is also a two-part exam given in class over a two-day period, preferably in the computer room. Again, this exam will be based on previous reading and writing assignments. Students will receive a pass/fail grade.