Study Guide a Must-Have for English composition students
Reviewed by Namir F. Damluji, M.D. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry University of California-San Diego
The most valuable asset this book provides is its accessibility. Susan Ferguson expertly sifts through complicated subject material and presents it in a funny, readable, and enjoyable manner that any person -- student or not -- can approach with ease. The benefits of this book clearly come from Ms. Ferguson's knowledge and expertise; she definitely knows her subject matter and the audience well enough to write an authentic and non-condensing guide book.
"Pass English Comp: The Study Guide for Critical Thinking, Rhetoric, and College Writing" is an essential primer for college students looking to succeed in the competitive world of academia. Reading this book provides a lot of "a-ha!" moments, every page feeling like a cheat sheet to success. For many, going to college can be nerve-racking and means entering a stressful new environment, but this book acts like a compass in the world of academia, making the new terrain always manageable. It is always hard to decide what to bring to college Freshman year, but the task is now a bit simpler with the release of "Pass English Comp: The Study Guide for Critical Thinking, Rhetoric, and College Writing," which above all is a definite must-pack.
Effective Student Guide to College Writing
Reviewed by Liberty A. Usera, Missouri Western State University Adjunct English Instructor
Ferguson's "Pass English Comp" guides students through critical thinking, brief rhetoric, and college writing. Each chapter is not a passive reading activity since the reader has reflective, comprehension, or analytic questions to answer in each chapter.
The 73-page Critical Thinking section, divided into eight chapters, walks the reader through as to why college asks more of its students than high school. At the same time, the section informs the reader about critical thinking and critical reading, the power of critical thinking, and how this applies to college-level learning. The 25-page Rhetoric section, divided into three chapters, is better suited as refresher material than full course material because of its overview of what rhetoric is and how it works. The section provides just the need-to-know information to prepare the reader for the larger section of College Writing. The 63-page College Writing section, divided into ten chapters, is the meat and potatoes of the book and provides the reader with supplemental information that walks the reader through. The best part of all, the reader is never drowning in information.
Ferguson provides annotations in each chapter to facilitate learning. The pacing of each chapter allows the reader to take bite-sized and manageable portions of information to learn from or reflect on. The listed price for Ferguson's "Pass English Comp" is well worth the price just for her first chapter "Making the Transition from Wherever-You-Were to College." Based on the first chapter's title, it is self-explanatory as its purpose. However, the first chapter will go unread by millions of first-year college students unless they are required to read Ferguson's informative book on being successful in any composition setting. That is the tragedy about the book as a whole: unless required to purchase and read, college students will miss the useful information in the book to their own detriment. Perhaps the arrogance of youth influences what the college freshman purchases outside of the required texts for class; college freshmen may believe they don't need a book like "Pass English Comp" because they "did just fine in high school." Regardless, based on the book's accessibility and relevancy I, as an instructor of composition, have made "Pass English Comp" a required text in order to help students succeed instead of just get by in a college composition course. However, the book is not an anchor book, one that is the foundation of a composition class.
It is, as printed on the cover, a study guide, a supplement to a composition course. This guide speaks directly and, thankfully, honestly to the reader as seen in such statements as: "When you accept the school's invitation to attend in order to pursue a degree, you agree to do the work yourself and complete the requirements the school sets out for you. In order to do that, you have to be willing to make a positive transition from Wherever-You-Were to College--the sooner the better." The book gets this message across to the college student: college writing, in general, is a step or two or three from your comfort zone but you can succeed if you are willing to step outside that comfort zone and take responsibility for your learning while making use of resources available to help you succeed.
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