Writing for College and Beyond

By James Rovira

Writing for College and Beyond prepares students for their future college classes by covering the strategies common to most college writing. In the process of being prepared for college writing, however, students are also taught chapter by chapter how these writing skills will carry forward into their future professional lives beyond college. One of the least expensive first year writing textbooks on the market, the text isn’t inflated with material that most instructors and students won’t use, and several exercises encourage students to use either provided web or YouTube links as texts supporting their practice for longer assignments. If you're a first year writing instructor and would like to consider this text for your course, email the author at brightfuturespublishing (at) gmail (dot) com for a desk copy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: May 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781483499055

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Rovira

Copyright © 2019 James Rovira.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9904-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9905-5 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Photographer for the cover and glass house images: Rebekah Rovira

Glass house artist: Tom Fruin at www.tomfruin.com

Divider on title page: Designed by Freepik

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/26/2019

WHAT READERS HAVE SAID ABOUT WRITING FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND…

James Rovira presents an accessible introduction to freshman composition that discusses documentation styles and building persuasive arguments alongside in-text readings and assignments. Whether you are new to teaching composition or just looking for something more affordable and practical this text excels.

– Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, SUNY Oswego

"As a writing teacher, I appreciated the careful task scaffolding that James Rovira uses throughout Writing for College and Beyond. All too often, neophyte writers face their first composition course with great trepidation, but Rovira uses engaging and relevant exercises that offer elements of the writing process in small, manageable steps with writing prompts that will inspire students to share their own experiences. The text did a terrific job by affirming and validating students in a way that will empower them to engage in writing tasks. I could clearly ‘hear’ the encouragement extended to students that will surely allay the fears of collegiate writing that so many students struggle to overcome. There also were many examples of clear explanations for skills and behaviors that too many writing teachers take for granted, subsequently failing to recognize students need some basic information and skills to move forward."

– Dr. Teresa Collins, retired, Ph.D. New York University

"Writing for College and Beyond is an important addition to college composition. James Rovira’s emphasis throughout on the ways in which first year college writing develops into writing in various professional capacities connects students’ current and evolving skills to a broader understanding of the essential role of writing in today’s workplaces. The step-by-step approach helps students recognize how skills they may already have integrate with higher-level critical thinking and writing."

– Dr. Kellie Donovan-Condron, Babson College

"As a teacher of many first-generation and non-traditional college students, I can say that James Rovira was very successful at making Writing for College and Beyond a highly approachable textbook. His down to earth voice would reach many of my students, so it is ideal for a variety of audiences. My favorite section is the one on documentation, which is simple but very effective. It made me rethink how I present that material in class."

– Ms. Melissa Mohlére, North Carolina community college system

"This streamlined textbook covers each step in the writing process – from summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing the writing of others to composing one’s own argument – in a clear and engaging manner. Writing for College and Beyond can be easily adapted by instructors for use in a wide range of courses. The writing style is accessible and encouraging. The step-by-step explanations, clearly-defined terms, and useful real-world examples make Writing for College and Beyond a great introduction to college- and university-level writing. It is pitched perfectly to first-year students, including first generation college students. The author not only explains the writing process in a clear and easy to understand way, he explains why the rules are in place and how they can be applied in the students’ other courses and in their future careers. The title says it all: this textbook will help students learn the practical skills they need to succeed in the classroom and in their future studies and professional lives. At every step of the way, students are shown that what they are learning has a wider purpose and is of practical use and value, something that is missing from many college textbooks."

– Dr. Natalie Neill, York University

"James Rovira’s Writing for College and Beyond is a clear, concise guide to academic writing that is historically informed and pragmatically oriented. In conversational prose, it explains the rationale behind academic writing conventions and breaks the writing process into clear, manageable steps while emphasizing the usefulness of critical thinking, research, and writing skills outside the classroom—in the workplace and in life. The text includes exercises of increasing complexity that can accommodate a range of skill levels and help build students’ confidence. It also promotes the development of metacognitive skills by offering reflection prompts that have personal, academic, professional, and civic resonance. All in all, this is a smart, affordable textbook that delivers the information and guidance that students need in a style they can understand and a format they can use."

– Dr. Sherry Truffin, Campbell University

"James Rovira’s Writing for College and Beyond is a practical, affordable, and necessary introduction to the various rhetorical situations and writing strategies that inform university composition. From its careful delineation of Rhet-Comp terminology and research methods to its close, step-by-step textual analyses to its engagement with Athenian demography and Aristotelian device, students and instructors have an approach to college writing that is productive, intellectual, and friendly. Indeed, Writing for College and Beyond is conversational in tone and patient enough in its pacing to engage students with varied educational experiences. Departments can request specific readings and writing assignments as they see fit, so the book changes with each institution and as the discipline of writing grows."

– Dr. Steve Wexler, California State University, Northridge

For my students – JR

PREFACE

For the Instructor

Writing for College and Beyond prepares students for their future college classes by covering the strategies common to most college writing. In the process of being prepared for college writing, however, students are also taught chapter by chapter how these writing skills will carry forward into their future professional lives beyond college. One of the least expensive first year writing textbooks on the market, the text isn’t inflated with material that most instructors and students won’t use, and several exercises encourage students to use either provided web links or YouTube as texts supporting their practice for longer assignments.

This textbook is fully customizable for departmental orders after the standard edition has been used by a department for at least one semester. The author can add assignment instructions, departmental or institutional policies, syllabi, or any other content at your request. Additional chapters might include

• Analyzing Fiction (and/or Poetry)

• Analyzing Visual Rhetoric

• Conducting Research

• Quick Reminders about Grammar

• Writing for the Community: Getting Involved

• Writing for the Professions: Case Studies

• Writing for the Self: Personal Narrative

Special features of this textbook include

• Step by step instruction in documentation style, summary, synthesis, analysis, and argument writing.

• Streamlined instruction for the tasks most common in first year writing courses: price is kept down with minimal readings and the exclusion of unneeded material.

• Student guidance from simple to more complex tasks with built-in support for non-traditional and first generation students.

• Instruction that is related to prior activities in the text, to future college writing, and to students’ future professional writing. Students will understand why they are doing this work.

Writing for College and Beyond is also designed to work like a handbook: discussion questions are placed throughout the text with space provided for students to write answers to leading questions in the textbook. These discussion questions can be used as prompts for classroom discussion of the material, so that students are prepared for discussion when they enter class. However, they can also be used for individual in-class writing assignments, in-class group work, brainstorming sessions, discussion forum questions in your learning management system, and peer-review sessions. Additionally, brief assignment instructions are given for summary, synthesis, analysis, and argument papers.

Instructors are encouraged to view this text as a careful, detailed guide through the most common writing assignments given in first-year writing classes rather than a one week/one chapter book. As you read through it, you will see how students are encouraged to stop and think about all elements of the writing tasks assigned in this book. Most chapters would take more than one week to complete should each individual task be assigned. This text also provides a basic introduction to researching and evaluating sources on the internet in the course of its instruction on summary, synthesis, and argument writing, but detailed instruction in researching and evaluating sources can be made available in future iterations of this text or in future textbooks.

Remember, this text is fully customizable, so if there’s something you want added, ask your department to collect instructor comments and send them to the author. Also ask about having the author design a customized online course shell based on this textbook for your institution.

1

INTRODUCTION

Welcome!

Welcome to college, and welcome to first-year writing. If you’re taking a first-year writing class, you’re probably in your first year of college, or maybe in your first semester back after a long absence. The purpose of this text is to help orient you to college writing. It will also improve your general writing skills, and you will learn chapter by chapter how these writing strategies will help you in your professional life. No matter what your major or your future profession, your success will depend in part on your ability to use language professionally and effectively both in speaking and writing contexts. This text focuses on developing your writing skills, but as you work on your writing skills you’ll find that your speaking ability will improve as well.

9000.png    PREPARING FOR DISCUSSION

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DISCUSSION QUESTION 1

How important has writing been to you in the past? What kind of writing have you had to do in school? Have you done any writing outside of school? Do you already have any work experience with writing? What is it? Write your answers here in your book to be prepared for class discussion. Whenever you see a box like the one below, that’s your space for your thoughts, ideas, and research findings. Feel free to write in the margins and on blank pages when needed.

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Yes, write in this book. Write all over it.

9014.png     REAL WORLD APPLICATION

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THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING IN THE PROFESSIONS

Did you know that employers highly value writing skills? Grammarly conducted a study of LinkedIn profiles and found that in the same 10-year period, professionals who received one to four promotions made 45 percent more grammatical errors than did professionals who were promoted six to nine times (Simonds par. 2). Grammarly’s study is a recent confirmation of a 2004 College Board study of the importance of writing to employers. The College Board surveyed 120 businesses that employed nearly eight million people and found that writing is a ‘threshold skill’ for hiring and promotion among salaried (i.e., professional) employees (Report 3). In other words, applicants who don’t write well usually don’t get hired, and when they do, they aren’t promoted as often. Your writing skills are vital not just for your college classes but for your future professional career. I learned this myself before I started college. I worked as an electrician and then in construction management for sixteen years, and during this time I found myself writing frequently: change orders, job logs, reports, and charges. All this writing was vital to documenting both what happened on the job and the work we performed so my employer could collect contracted payment. Writing skills are important to many different professions, and they may make the difference between getting a job or not, or getting promoted or not.

If you think about it, your first impression on your future employers won’t be during an interview where you might first meet them in person. The first impression you make on any employer is usually through a written document, often in the form of a résumé¹ and cover letter. If an employer asks to interview you, how do you think you might dress? If you were interviewing for a salaried, professional job, one that requires a college degree, would you wear shorts and a t-shirt to the interview or business attire? You might want to think of your writing as the first way you dress yourself – the way you present your professional identity – to make a good first impression on a potential employer. Just like clothing can be sloppy or neat, or professional and unprofessional, so can your writing be sloppy or neat, professional or unprofessional. The writing strategies that