The Transition to College Writing

by Keith Hjortshoj

• ISBN13: 9780312149161
• ISBN10: 0312149166
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-01-16
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

An academic survival guide, this brief rhetoric teaches new students the critical reading and writing strategies they need to achieve success across the curriculum.

Author Biography

KEITH HJORTSHOJ is the Director of Writing in the Majors at Cornell University, an interdisciplinary program for writing in advanced courses. He is also a staff member of the Writing Workshop, which offers courses and services for students who encounter difficulty with writing and reading. He has worked extensively with university admissions, faculty development, and teacher training across the curriculum. Currently, Hjortshoj is conducting research on the transition to college in collaboration with high school and college teachers. He has published widely, both in the social sciences and in composition, and is the author of a forthcoming book, Understanding Writing Blocks, from Oxford University Press.

Table of Contents

Preface for Instructors	iii
Introduction: The Turning Point	1	(1)
Are You Prepared for College?	1	(4)
A Brief Overview	5	(2)
How to Use This Book	7	(1)
Mapping Exercises	8	(1)
Freshmen?	8	(2)
Orientation	10	(22)
If It's Tuesday, This Must be Biology	10	(3)
Some Basic Differences between High School and College	13	(4)
Course Designs and Teaching Styles	17	(5)
Language and Learning	22	(2)
A Note on Note Taking	24	(3)
Forms and Functions of a Writing Class	27	(3)
Exercises	30	(2)
Footstools and Furniture	32	(16)
What Is Good Writing?	32	(4)
The Limitations of the ``Footstool Essay''	36	(4)
What Remains True?	40	(5)
Breaking Out of a Rigid Structure	45	(1)
Exercises	46	(2)
How Writing Gets Done	48	(29)
Product and Process	48	(1)
Is the Shortest Distance Always a Straight Line?	48	(3)
A Logical Deception	51	(3)
The Phases of the Writing Process	54	(5)
Prewriting or Planning	55	(1)
Composing	55	(1)
Revising or Rewriting	56	(1)
Editing or Proofreading	56	(1)
Release	56	(3)
The Choices Student Writers Make	59	(5)
Cost/Benefit Analysis	64	(5)
Alternatives	69	(5)
Exercises	74	(3)
What Do College Teachers Expect?	77	(50)
Variations	77	(3)
Some General Expectations	80	(8)
Purpose	81	(1)
Style and Tone	82	(2)
Organization	84	(2)
Interest	86	(1)
Presentation	86	(1)
``Correctness''	87	(1)
``The Writing'' Always Counts	87	(1)
Pay Close Attention to the Assignment!	88	(1)
What Assignments Ask You to Do	89	(35)
Summaries, Voiced and Unvoiced	91	(7)
Comparison, Using Analysis and Interpretation	98	(10)
Critical Reading and Argument	108	(4)
Scientific Reports	112	(9)
Informal Writing	121	(3)
A Brief Summary	124	(1)
Exercises	125	(2)
Reading: How to Stay on Top of It	127	(25)
Amanda's Question	127	(2)
Becoming a Predatory Reader	129	(2)
Reading and Memory	131	(2)
Passive, Linear Reading	133	(1)
Highlighting	134	(6)
Notes, Outlines, and Summaries	140	(5)
Some Other Ways of Reading	145	(2)
Reference	145	(1)
Selective Reading	145	(1)
Analytical Scanning	146	(1)
Close Reading	146	(1)
Overcoming Resistance to Strategic Reading	147	(1)
Answering Amanda	148	(1)
Exercises	149	(3)
Investigative Writing	152	(35)
What Is a Research Paper?	152	(1)
Motives and Methods	153	(4)
Revising Your Strategies	157	(12)
Choose a Topic	157	(2)
Locate Sources of Information on the Topic	159	(2)
Read Sources and Take Notes	161	(3)
Construct an Outline	164	(1)
Write the Paper, Incorporating Source Material	165	(2)
Document References and Add a Bibliography	167	(1)
Check for Errors and Typos, and Turn It In	168	(1)
Documentation Systems	169	(3)
MLA Format	169	(1)
APA Format	170	(1)
Internet Sources	171	(1)
Theft, Fraud, and the Loss of Voice	172	(7)
Theft and Fraud	173	(2)
Unauthorized Assistance or Collaboration	175	(1)
Lazy Citation and Paraphrase	176	(1)
Loss of Voice	177	(2)
Integrating References	179	(3)
Conclusions	182	(2)
Exercises	184	(3)
Rules and Errors	187	(16)
The Secret Book	187	(2)
Two Kinds of Rules and Knowledge	189	(3)
Proofreading by Ear	192	(1)
False Rules	193	(4)
How to Use a Handbook	197	(4)
Exercises	201	(2)
Looking Ahead	203	(10)
The Value of Uncertainty	203	(4)
Versatility	207	(2)
Things Can Get Easier (Even as They Get Harder)	209	(4)
Works Cited	213	(4)
Index	217