Course Description

This page describes the purpose of the course, the materials needed, grading, and policies.

Syllabus

Syllabus for English 370-01

These courses rely heavily on the syllabus. It will guide you through the semester. Unless otherwise noted during class, the due dates for assignments will remain from the beginning to the end of the semester.

You will send most assignments to ConlinJoseph@gmail.com.

History of English

The complexity and diversity found in English stems from the language's Indo-European roots, heavily influenced by the pre-Eighth Century languages of various Germanic tribes and post-Eleventh Century French.

According to some linguists, humans speak more than 6,900 languages. This map gives you an idea of the number of languages spoken in each country.

Short Guide to Effective Writing

Plain English: In this short write-up, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary (askoxford.com) explain the concept and importance of using plain English when writing. It includes links that could help you overcome hurdles when writing.

At the end of this page, you will see links for free software, templates, dictionaries, and other materials that you might find useful.

Links to Publications That Feature Creative Nonfiction

New Yorker

Narrative Magazine

Paris Review

The Atlantic Monthly (Go to Current Issue Link)

Granta

Utne Reader

Creative Nonfiction

Other publications include Esquire, GQ, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, Outdoors, Vanity Fair, New York, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week.

Links for Software, Dictionaries, and Library Online Material.

OpenOffice, compatible with MSOffice, is available free to anyone: <http://download.openoffice.org/>. It's compatible with all operating systems, Windows, Apple, and Linux. It's excellent. I have used it for more than 10 years.

Ask Oxford-- Dictionary <http://www.askoxford.com/?view=uk>.

Bartley.com-- Dictionary, encyclopedia, other reference works <http://www.bartleby.com/>.

Word Smyth—Dictionary <http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php>

Common Errors in English-- <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/errors.html>.

Grammar and Punctuation Help--<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/>

U.S. Library of Congress: <http://www.loc.gov/>.

Wikipedia-- An open-source encyclopedia, usually excellent but far from being adequate as a source for a scholastic paper. It does provide a starting point: <http://www.wikipedia.org/>.

Ask a Librarian—As Gerard explains, librarians are research experts and they can help direct you effectively: <http://library.ccsu.edu/>