I have to admit to myself, if I’m honest, that this semester didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped. My book and syllabus were just not very effective for a 104 class (At my university, the fycomp cycle is two semesters long. there is a 103 class which is kind of a “get your feet wet” sort of affair and there is 104 which is centered on the creation of an 8-10 page persuasive research paper.)
The essays in the book I chose, Fifty Great Essays, are very good belletristic essays, but don’t model persuasive writing very well. I should have chosen a book that is already geared toward college students writing persuasive essays. The research papers that have been turned in so far are actually quite good. But I just don’t think the assigned readings had much to do with it.
Next time around I am going to use either Writing With a Thesis or Ancient Rhetorics for Modern Students. If any readers of this blog have had experience with either of those books. I would love to hear what you think.
Posted by cattledog5 
