California State University, Los Angeles
Center for Newly Independent States Studies (CNISS)
offers a Distance Learning course
WRITING THE ESSAY IN ENGLISH
By William Keene
1 9 9 7


Course ID: WEE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an eleven week course providing guided practice in writing the essay in English. It is designed for students who write and read English with some competence: i.e., student writing may be grammatically and mechanically flawed, but it should be comprehensible, and students must be able to read newspapers and magazines in English. More advanced students nearly or fully fluent in English will also benefit from this course. Students in the early stages of learning English should not enroll in this course. The course design and methods are based upon the approach used in UNIV-401, the course alternative to the Writing Proficiency Examination (WPE) at California State University, Los Angeles. (Note: "Writing the Essay in English" is not a CSLA course, and all of its materials were produced independently.) The WPE is a 90 minute timed writing exam which all students must pass in order to graduate from the University. Students who have failed the WPE at least once are eligible to enroll in Univ.401, a course designed to improve essay writing skills. Students who receive credit for Univ. 401 get automatic credit for the WPE, and need not take the exam again. As the student body at CSLA is very diverse, with many students who are not native English speakers, this course provides a valuable opportunity for many students to receive much needed help with their writing skills, while at the same time satisfying a graduation requirement.
OBJECTIVE OF COURSE
This course is designed to improve students ability to write in English, with a focus on the essay. Students will be familiarized with the basic essay format taught in introductory writing courses at American colleges and universities, and given weekly assignments, for which the instructor will provide feedback.
INSTRUCTOR
The instructor for this course is William Keene, a Writing Proficiency Exam Consultant at California State University, Los Angeles. Mr. Keene has taught both Univ. 401, the course alternative to the Writing Proficiency Exam at CSLA, and the Writing Component of the CSLA Summer Bridge Program. For the past two years, he has tutored both native Englishspeaking and ESL students at the University Writing Center, providing feedback on a wide variety of student writing, ranging from freshman composition essays to graduate papers. He has conducted workshops for students preparing for the Writing Proficiency Exam, and provided proofreading/editing services to University faculty. Mr. Keene took his B.A. in English from CSLA, and has completed all postbaccalaureate course requirements for the California Teaching Credential.
COURSE ORGANIZATION
At the beginning of the course, students will receive "Introduction to the Essay in English" (a four page classroom handout written by the instructor, providing a basic guide to proper essay format, a discussion of common writing problems, and some useful writing strategies), along with the first essay topic and reading summary instructions. Each week, students will be responsible for submitting to the instructor:
Feedback will be provided for both the first and second drafts of student essays. The instructor will identify problems (focusing on essay format, rhetorical issues, and other "global" concerns, with a secondary emphasis on errors in grammar, mechanics and usage) and provide suggestions for further drafts. The three weekly article summaries and personal responses must be submitted each week, along with all weekly essays and revisions in order to receive credit for the course. Final course credit will be determined by student submission of a final (third) draft of TWO of the essays written and revised for the course. Students should choose the two essays they believe are their strongest efforts (the instructor will provide some guidance here).
COURSE OUTLINE
All assignments are due by the end of the week assigned. The instructor will return assignments with comments within three (5) days.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

GRADING
Student work will be weighted as follows in determining the final grade:
COURSE ADMINISTRATION
The course involves six major activities: registration, an initial class meeting, course study segments, obtaining and responding to examination questions, an interactive questions/answers, and obtaining a grade and a certificate of completion. Details on each will be supplied with the registration verification.

Registration

Announcements and registration forms can be obtained from participating universities/organizations. Completed registration forms with payment will be returned to the designated course coordinator at the participating university/organization. Confirmation of registration with appropriate course material will then be given to the student.

Initial Class Meeting

Course participants will meet as a group with the course coordinator at each participating university/organization. During the meeting, the Internet material will be distributed and demonstrated; and selfstudy, testing, and grading approaches will be explained.

SelfStudy Sessions

Each of the chapters will be studied and any questions will be sent to the course instructor.

Examination Questions

A course coordinator will request examination questions via e-mail. Students will answer questions and return them for grading to the instructor. The student grades and any instructor comments will be returned to the course coordinator or to a student.

Question/Answer Methodology

Students are encouraged to submit comments and questions to the course instructor.

Grades and Certificates of Completion

Course grades and certificates of completion will be forwarded to the course coordinator who will distribute them to the students.
To apply, please send your e-mail to:

cniss@calstatela.edu

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