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Writing the Essay Spr i ng, 2011

Pr of essor Pat C. Hoy I I Of f i ce Hour s
411 Laf ayet t e St r eet , 407 By Apt M- Th
Of f i ce ( 998- 8868)
ph3@nyu. edu
Required Texts:
Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay. Ed. Rober t Di Yanni
and Pat C. Hoy I I .
Mercer Street. Ed. Di r ect or s, Exposi t or y Wr i t i ng Pr ogr am.
The Little, Brown Essential Handbook for Writers. 6
th
ed. J ane E.
Aar on
Oxford English Dictionary. Online t hr ough Bobst Li br ar y Li nk.
Fr ee.
Texts Recommended (as needed):
Reading and Writing Essays: The Imaginative Tasks. Pat C. Hoy I I
The Scribner Handbook for Writers. 4ed. Rober t Di Yanni and Pat C.
Hoy I I .
Writing Well and Inventing the Truth ( avai l abl e i n paper ) ,
Wi l l i amZi nsser .
Revising Prose. Ri char d Lanham.
Course Objectives:
1. To l ear n t hat wr i t i ng i s pl easur abl e, har d wor k.
2. To l ear n t o wr i t e a number of di f f er ent ki nds of essays.
3. To devel op an i nt er est i ng and ar r est i ng wr i t i ng st yl e.
Conferences:
I wi l l meet wi t h you when you t hi nk you need t o see me. I
may al so ask you t o meet wi t h me i f I t hi nk you need addi t i onal
hel p. You and I wi l l schedul e t hr ee r equi r ed conf er ences dur i ng
t he semest er and one af t er cl asses end.
Standards:
Al l f i nal essays must - -
* expl or e and devel op an idea i n a coher ent , i nt er est i ng
way;
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* have a t hought f ul begi nni ng, mi ddl e, and end;
* be gr ammat i cal l y cor r ect ; and
* have a t one appr opr i at e f or t he i nt ended audi ence.
Grades:
A wor k gi ves t he r eader a posi t i ve i mpr essi on of excel l ence
i n al l l i st ed st andar ds.
B wor k gi ves t he r eader a posi t i ve i mpr essi on of gener al
super i or i t y i n al l l i st ed st andar ds.
C wor k i s aver age i n each st andar d.
D or F wor k i s ser i ousl y def i ci ent i n one or mor e of t he
l i st ed st andar ds.
Major Writing Requirements:
Thr oughout t he cour se I wi l l hel p you l ear n t o wr i t e
ef f ect i vel y; you can al so expect a gr eat deal of hel p f r omyour
cl assmat es. We wi l l of t en have wor kshops i n cl ass. You can
expect t o wr i t e f or ever y cl ass- - ei t her i nf or mal l y or f or mal l y,
ei t her i n your j our nal or i n manuscr i pt f or m.
Major course writing requirements are as follows:
1. J our nal wr i t i ng amount i ng t o per haps 20 pages.
2. Ni ne t o t wel ve peer - and- i nst r uct or eval uat ed wr i t i ng
exer ci ses. Lengt h wi l l be speci f i ed on each assi gnment sheet .
3. Thr ee peer - eval uat ed/ i nst r uct or - gr aded essays. Lengt h wi l l
be speci f i ed on each assi gnment sheet .
Other Requirements:
You wi l l r ead near l y ever y day, of t en wr i t i ng about what you
r ead. When you come t o cl ass, pl ease be pr epar ed t o di scuss
r eadi ng assi gnment s.
Syllabus:
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Come t o cl ass pr epar ed. Tur n i n assi gnment s on t he day t hey
ar e due, dur i ng t he cl ass per i od, not at t he end of t he day.
Pl an ahead. See me in advance about problems. You will likely
lose a letter grade a day for late papers.
Attendance:
I t goes wi t hout sayi ng t hat a cl ass based on wor k- shoppi ng
and wr i t i ng r equi r es your at t endance. Mor e t han t wo un- excused
absences wi l l l ower your cour se gr ade. You may wel l f ai l t he
cour se i f you have 4 un- excused absences. Document ed medi cal
condi t i ons and t he obser vance of r el i gi ous hol i days ar e
l egi t i mat e excuses f or an absence. See me about each absence.

A Few Words About Format and Housekeeping:
Dr af t s of your essays must be t ypewr i t t en ( near l et t er
qual i t y) - - doubl e- spaced wi t h 1 1/ 2 i nch mar gi ns on t he l ef t , 1
i nch mar gi ns el sewher e, st apl ed or paper - cl i pped. Use st andar d
pi ca or el i t e t ype ( 11 or 12) . Avoi d f ancy f ont s; t hey usual l y
dr aw at t ent i on away f r omyour good i deas.
You wi l l of t en need t o pr ovi de xer oxed copi es ( somet i mes 2)
of your wor k f or your cl assmat es. Revi si ons of essays t hat you
t ur n i n must al so be t ypewr i t t en.
Keep extra printed copies of your work.
" The cour se i s based on sever al assumpt i ons: t hat t he
onl y way one l ear ns t o wr i t e i s by wr i t i ng, and t hat a
cour se i n Fr eshman Composi t i on, t her ef or e, ought t o be
a cour se i n wr i t i ng, not i n somet hi ng el se; t hat
wr i t i ng i s an ar t and deser ves t o be t r eat ed as an ar t ,
by t eacher and st udent al i ke; t hat i t i s a wr i t er ' s
r esponsi bi l i t y t o i mpr ove hi s [ or her ] wr i t i ng because
no one el se can do i t . . . . Above al l , t he cour se
ai ms at shat t er i ng t he i l l usi on t hat l ear ni ng about
wr i t i ng i s Easy, or Meni al , or Dul l . "
Wi l l i amE. Col es, J r .
" The Teachi ng of Wr i t i ng
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Essay 1. The Deepening Progression.

WE #1 (Paragraph)
WE #2 (Letter)

WE #3 (Scene)

WE #4 (Paragraphs)
WE #5 (Letter)
ESSAY
St udent s ar e asked t o borrow an idea f r omone of si x assi gned
essays ( wr i t t en by pr of essi onal essayi st s) and t o deepen t hei r
r eader s under st andi ng of t hat i dea by usi ng at l east t wo ot her
essays and sel ect ed moment s f r omexper i ence. Thei r i nt el l ect ual
wor k must enl ar ge t hei r r eader s sense of t hat i dea.
St udent s wi l l , over t he cour se of t he pr ogr essi on, anal yze t he
bor r owed idea i n l i ght of t hese quest i ons:
What ar e t he l ar ger i mpl i cat i ons of t he i dea?
How do ot her essays you have r ead i n t he cour se, or
i n ot her cour ses change t he way you t hi nk about t he
i dea?
How does your own exper i ence i nf l uence your
t hi nki ng?
The essay wi l l not , of cour se, t ake up t hese quest i ons one at a
t i me and pr ovi de answer s t o each i n t ur n. I nst ead, st udent s shoul d
use t hese quest i ons t o hel p t hemsel ves under st and t he pr ocess by
whi ch t hey can deepen their own understanding of t he bor r owed i dea
( and our s) . They do so by act i ve r eadi ng, r i gor ous anal yzi ng,
ast ut e connect i ng, and t hought f ul r ef l ect i ng ( bot h i n t hei r mi nds
and on t he page) .

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First Progression Deepening an Idea Analysis
Seei ng i s of cour se ver y much a mat t er of ver bal i zat i on.
- - Anni e Di l l ar d- -
Lsn Date Subject Assignment
1 25 J an The Essay Cour se I nt r oduct i on.
On Vi si bi l i t y ( Handout ) .
Cr i t i ci sm, 557f f .
2 27 J an Readi ng Writing Exercise 1 due. Read:
The St one Hor se, 405f f ; The
Myt h of t he Lat i n Woman, 167f f ;
Comi ng Home Agai n; 263f f .
3 1 Feb Pr obi ng
Let t er
Writing Exercise 2 due. Read:
Tr ansf i gur at i on, 398f f ;
Spr i ng, 391f f ; I nt o t he
El ect r oni c Mi l l enni um 469f f .
4 3 Feb Exper i ent i al
Evi dence
Scene Wor k
Writing Exercise 3 due. Read:
But t er f l y Gi f t s, and Li vi ng
Li ke Wei sel , bot h at :
www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp. ( Pl ease
schedul e a conf er ence bet ween
Lsns 5 & 8. Si gn- up sheet on
desk. )
5 8 Feb Consi der i ng
For m&
Deepeni ng
I deas
Writing Exercise 4 due. Read:
Madcap Hoar der s 1f f MS.
6 10 Feb Deepeni ng
I deas
Writing Exercise 5 due.
Peer / Gr oup di scussi on i n cl ass.
Read: InshAllah 13f f MS.
7 15 Feb Col l abor at i on Bring first draft of Essay 1.
Peer / Gr oup di scussi on.
8 17 Feb St udent
Readi ngs
Bring second draft of Essay 1.
Peer / Gr oup di scussi on.
9 22 Feb St udent
Readi ngs
Essay 1 due, in class.
Peer / Gr oup di scussi on.
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Essay 2. The Reckoning Progression
Thi s pr ogr essi on consi st s of f i ve wr i t i ng exer ci ses and t wo or t hr ee
dr af t s bef or e t he f i nal essay i s due.
WE #1 (Dialectic)

WE #2 (Exhilaration)
WE #3 (Assessment)
WE #4 (Scene Making)
WE #5 (Letter)

Essay
Thi s pr ogr essi on i s desi gned t o hel p st udent s l ear n t he f ol l owi ng ski l l s and
t echni ques:
Anal yzi ng a t ext s r het or i c
Devel opi ng an assessment of a t ext s per suasi veness
Anal yzi ng a t ext s st r at egi es i n l i ght of ot her , t hemat i cal l y
r el at ed t ext s
Devel opi ng a wr i t t en conver sat i on among a gr oup of t hemat i cal l y
r el at ed wr i t t en t ext s
Pr act i ci ng t he ar t of i ncor por at i on: pl aci ng a r ange of wr i t t en
t ext s wi t hi n t he cont ext of an over ar chi ng and uni f yi ng i dea
Under st andi ng how t o br i ng a var i et y of t ext s t oget her t o
subst ant i at e and cl ar i f y an i dea whi l e r espect i ng and
acknowl edgi ng ( t hr ough t he wr i t i ng i t sel f ) t he const r ai nt s of an
essay s f or m
Wr i t i ng an essay t hat f ocuses on a t ext - whi l e al so br anchi ng of f
f r omi t - and assesses t he t ext s val ue i n an i nt er est i ng,
cr eat i ve way t hat does not j ust r ehear se t he t ext s poi nt s i n
or der of t hei r pr esent at i on. That assessment and t hat t ext
pr ovi de t he f oundat i on f or a mor e sweepi ng essay about an idea
that grows out of and moves beyond the foundational, or chosen
text.
Locus: The r el at i onshi p bet ween a t ext s i dea, i t s r het or i c, and i t s
evi dence- al l measur ed agai nst l ogi cal and pr act i cal st andar ds of per suasi on
and i nf or med by a r i gor ous r eadi ng of t hat t ext i n t he cont ext of ot her
r el at ed t ext s.
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disinterestedness- [ . . . ] a f r ee pl ay of t he mi nd . . .--M. Ar nol d
Lsn Date Subject Assignment
10 24 Feb The Funct i on of
Cr i t i ci sm
Read: Cr i t i ci sm, 557f f .
El bow on Chaucer s
Di al ect i c. Di al ect i c,
Lanham( Handout s) .
11 1 Mar Readi ng &
Quest i oni ng
Writing Exercise 1 due.
Read: Or anges, 226f f ;
St eps Towar d, 106f f ;
Cr i cket s, Bat s, 490f f ; A
Shar k, 480f f ; The Bi r d of
Par adi se, 459f f .
12 3 Mar Tr aci ng Text ual
Det ai l s:
A For mof Readi ng
Writing Exercise 2 due.
Read: Your chosen essay,
agai n.
13 8 Mar Connect i ng
Moment s:
Anot her For m
of Readi ng
Under st andi ng t he
I dea
Writing Exercise 3 due. Re-
Read: Your chosen essay and
Bur l s, 692f f ; or
Pi ct ur es, 706f f ; or
Cr eat ur e, 751f f ; or Seei ng
Engl and, 720f f ; or
Sci ent i f i c Reasoni ng,
443f f .
14 10 Mar Gr oundi ng &
Roundi ng
Writing Exercise 4 due. Read:
Bi t s and Pi eces, MS, 17f f .
Schedul e a conf er ence bet ween
l essons 16 & 18. Si gn- up at
desk.
15 22 Mar Epi st ol ar y Wor k
Conver sat i onal
Excur si ons
Writing Exercise 5 due.
Read: Pi nbal l Wi zar dr y,
33f f ; and Li vi ng Room, MS,
27f f . http://www.nyu.edu/cas/e
wp/nommensenpinball08.pdf
http://www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp/ho
usesleeping11.pdf
16 24 Mar J udgment s & I deas 1
st
Draft, Essay 2, due. Read:
Sevent h Gr ade, EWP Websi t e:
ht t p: / / www. nyu. edu/ cas/ ewp/ ch
at el l i er sevent h05. pdf
17 29 Mar J udgment s & I deas Second Draft due.
18 31 Mar Ref i nement s Essay 2 Due.

Second Progression Reckoning Analysis
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Essay 3. The Secret-Is-in-the-Texts Progression
The third progression s f or mshoul d pr esent no sur pr i ses f or st udent s; t her e
wi l l be si x exer ci ses and a number of dr af t i ng and r evi si ng sessi ons.

WE #1 (Signs and Clues)

WE #2 (Signs and Clues Repeated)

WE #3 (Style and Idea)
WE #4 (Conceptual Patterns)

WE #5 (Connections)
WE #6 (Letter)

Essay
Thi s pr ogr essi on asks st udent s t o devel op an i dea about a par t i cul ar
wr i t er s wor k ( st udent - sel ect ed) . The pr i mar y t ask t hr oughout t he
pr ogr essi on wi l l be get t i ng t o know t he wr i t er s mind so t hat st udent s can
make an interpretive claim about t he wor k i t sel f . The cl ai mai ms t o capt ur e
somet hi ng essent i al about t he way t he sel ect ed wr i t er t hi nks and what t hat
way of t hi nki ng act ual l y conveys t o us- somet hi ng i n addi t i on t o what t he
wr i t er says st r ai ght out .
The essay must r eveal what t he st udent wr i t er bel i eves t o be central t o
our under st andi ng of t he wr i t er s mi nd, t he way t hat mi nd wor ks, and what
t her e i s about t hat mi nd t hat i s i di osyncr at i c- even t hough t he wor k i t sel f
t r anscends t he i di osyncr at i c. Knowi ng t hese t hi ngs we can come t o under st and
t he wr i t er s wor k, cat chi ng gl i mpses of hi s or her i magi nat i on at wor k
t hr oughout al l of t he essays.
The f i nal st udent essay wi l l have t o i ncl ude ci t at i ons f r omat l east
f i ve of t he wr i t er s essays, al ong wi t h i nt er pr et i ve anal ysi s and r ef l ect i ons
about t hose ci t ed t ext s. But mer e r ei t er at i on of t he t ext and compi l at i on of
evi dence wi l l not suf f i ce. The st udent s i nt el l ect ual wor k must r esul t i n an
i dea t hat ar i ses f r omt he r eadi ng- an i dea t hat poi nt s beyond t he si gns or
cl ues i n t he t ext and beyond t he pr of essi onal wr i t er s pr eoccupat i ons
t hemsel ves t o t hei r si gni f i cance.
As r eader s f i ni sh r eadi ng t hese t hi r d- pr ogr essi on essays, t hey wi l l
happi l y excl ai mt o t hemsel ves t hat , f i nal l y, t hey under st and t he wr i t er ; t hey
wi l l do so because t hey wi l l sense t hat t he st udent wr i t er has i n f act
capt ur ed t he ver y essence of t he pr of essi onal wr i t er s wor k and r eveal ed a
deep under st andi ng of i t .

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I have di f f i cul t y wi t h t he i dea t hat I , or f or t hat mat t er you,
can be under st ood as mer el y t he pr oduct of pr act i ces we have no
cont r ol over and no di r ect knowl edge of .
- Ker mode
Lsn Date Subject Assignment
19 5 Apr Readi ng f or
Text ual Si gns or
Cl ues
Writing Exercise in Class. Read:
Cr i cket s, 490f f . Assign signs
work for teacher-selected writer.
21 7 Apr Enact ment s
wi t h
Evi dence
Writing Exercise 1 due. Read:
The Kni f e ( Handout ) pl us 1 essay
by your chosen wr i t er . Re-assign
signs work for student-selected
writer.
22 12 Apr Mor e Enact ment s Writing Exercise 2 due. Read: 2
mor e essays by your chosen wr i t er .
Assign additional signs work and
the stylistic exercise.
23 14 Apr St yl i st i c
Revel at i ons
Writing Exercise 3 due. Read:
Pr et ender , MS, 33f f ; Cyni c,
MS 25f f ; and Wher e Do You Get
Your I deas Fr om? 536f f . Assign
conceptual work.
24 19 Apr Concept ual i zi ng Writing Exercise 4 due. Read:
t hr ee addi t i onal essays by your
sel ect ed wr i t er . Assign
connecting work.
25 21 Apr I nf or mi ng
Connect i ons
Writing Exercise 5 due. Read:
Car di nal Di r ect i ons, MS online
( 2008) ; and El i zabet h s I s,
MS online ( 2009) .
Assign letter.
26 26 Apr An Epi st ol ar y
Exchange
Exercise 6 due. Organizing
Exercise in Class. Readi ng
Out war d, MS online ( 2007) .
27 28 Apr Dr af t i ng &
Or gani zi ng
2d Draft of Essay 3 due. Re- Read
What i s Cr eat i vi t y?, MS Online
( 2007) Schedule a Conference.
28 3 May St udent Readi ngs 3d Draft of Essay 3 due.
Por t f ol i o Assembl ed f or Cl ass.
29 5 May Last Cl ass Essay 3 due, NLT 1130, 11 May, My
Office. No Exceptions.
Third Progression * The Writers Vision * Formal Argument
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