Paper and Class Discussion Guide, History 210A                        Home      Honors 210A Syllabus

Paper                                                                       

Content:

Questions to pose to secondary source readings.

Ø What is the main theme or thesis of this reading?

Ø Who wrote it, and what is it about? How does it seem to relate to other readings for the week, or the topic?

Ø What is its significance for the themes of our class?

Questions to pose to primary source readings.

Who wrote this reading? When, where, and for what reason?

What was their purpose for writing it?

What can we learn from it about the themes we are pursuing in this class?

Style and Grammar:

In theory, you have studied English grammar and style before you came to Cal. State Fullerton. Below are a few reminders. If you are worried about your English or your writing ability, remember that the University Learning Center (Lower Level of McCarthy hall, Room 33) can help you. They have drop-in hours, Monday through Thursday, 8:30-7:00, and Fridays 8:30-noon. Also, try reading Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.

1. All sentences must have a subject and a predicate, which usually means a noun and a verb. Sentences that lack one of these elements are incomplete, and called sentence fragments.

2. Independent and dependent clauses containing a subject and a predicate should not be attached in the same sentence unless they are linked by words such as and, or, because, but, therefore, although, thus, or therefore. Long sentences containing many clauses run together are called run on sentences and should be broken up.

3. All paragraphs must contain a topic sentence. Every sentence in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence. Sentences that do not relate to the topic sentence belong in separate paragraphs. As a rule, one or two sentences are not enough for a complete paragraph. Conversely, paragraphs that run the length of a page or more are probably too long and ought to be broken up.

4. Your papers should be typed, doublespaced and contain 1" margins on all sides.

5. Indent five spaces at the beginning of each paragraph. Do not put more space between paragraphs than you have between lines. That purpose (to tell you that a new paragraph is beginning) is served by the indentation.

6. Make sure your verb tenses are consistent. Do not change from simple past to present or conditional (would, would have done) or future from line to line.

7. Avoid writing in the passive (or indirect). A good indicator of whether or not you are using the passive is when you have the word by in your sentence (as in the book was written by the author). Almost all of the time, thoughts can be better expressed using active phrasing (the author wrote the book).

8. Vary your sentence structure from time to time. Begin sentences with dependent clauses on occasion ("Because the author needed to earn a large royalty in order to pay the rent, he wrote the book quickly" instead of "The author needed to earn a large royalty. He needed to pay the rent. So he wrote the book."). 

9. Make sure that the objects of your pronouns are crystal clear. When in doubt, restate the original noun or reorganize the sentence. Example: The vicious monsters struggled with the soldiers. They used their armor to win the battle. To whom does "they" in the second sentence refer?

Proofread!  Proofread!  Proofread!

 

Leading Class Discussion:

Remember, class discussion means just that. You want to encourage your classmates to discuss the material, rather than lecture the entire time, although you may need to lecture some to "grease the wheels’ so to speak.

You may work together, and divide up the readings for that day, as you wish.

You may use any kind of audio-visual tools and/or handouts you think might be helpful. Please let me know ahead of time if you want to use anything more sophisticated than the overhead projector, so that I can have time to make sure the equipment is set up properly.

You may meet with me to discuss how you want to handle leading the class discussion on your assigned day. If you wish to see me outside of your office hours, please give me at least 24 hours to set up an appointment.

Discussion leaders, and the rest of the class, should be courteous, thoughtful, and patient. (Think of it as practice for teaching.) While the atmosphere should be as relaxed as possible, class members should avoid baiting or embarrassing discussion leaders. Questions are encouraged, and I will help discussion leaders field them if necessary.