English Composition I Syllabus and Course Policies

Except where otherwise noted, Writing Rhetorically: Framing First Year Writing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Kirk Fontenot, Shelly Rodrigue, William Rogers, and Wanda Waller.

Course Number and Title:

CENL 1013: English Composition I

Course Brief Description:

Introduces students to the critical thinking, reading, writing, and rhetorical skills required in the college/university and beyond, including citation and documentation, writing as a process, audience awareness, and writing effective essays. Four major writing assignments focus on developing mastery of a variety of rhetorical methods (narrative, description, definition, exemplification, comparison/contrast, evaluation, cause and effect, and argumentation). 3 credit hours.

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Students should be comfortable with writing complex sentences and paragraphs as part of a longer, multipage composition. They should have a strong grasp of spelling and basic grammatical rules. Students will also need to be comfortable with reading, analyzing, and discussing others’ writing. Experience with conducting research and integrating and documenting external sources is not necessary.

Course Goals:

There are six student learning objectives (SLOs) for this course.

SLO 1: Writing as a process

Students will adopt a multi-step, recursive writing process that includes prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading.

SLO 2: Purpose, audience, voice, tone, and style

Students will apply appropriate language and tone for an intended audience and rhetorical situation.

SLO 3: Organization, structure, and format of essay

Students will write academic essays in logically sequenced paragraphs including an introduction, supportive body, and conclusion.

SLO 4: Persuasion, rhetorical tactics/situation, thesis development

Students will use persuasive strategies and rhetorical patterns in written original arguments.

SLO 5: Handling and gathering evidence/support

Students will demonstrate effective support of assertions with rhetorically appropriate strategies to evaluate, represent, and respond to the ideas and research of others.

SLO 6: Grammar

Students will apply rules and conventions of grammar, word choice, punctuation, and spelling in a variety of sentence structures.

Course Materials:

Course Moodle site

Writing Rhetorically: Framing First-Year Writing textbook; adaptation by Kirk Fontenot, Shelly Rodrigue, Will Rogers, and Wanda Waller

Instructor Contact Information:

Instructor Name:

• Email:
• Phone:
• Office:
• Office Hours:
• Communication Policy: Instructor will reply to emails within 24 hours or, if on a weekend, by the end of the next business day. Holidays and university breaks may impact response times.

Course Schedule:

Module	Topics and Concepts	Corresponding Course Materials
1	Introductions and writing diagnostic	Complete: Writing Diagnostic (in class)
2	Narration Point of view Transitional words Narrative examples Paper 1: Personal Narrative Essay Assignment Sheet and Worksheet	Read: Chapter 5 in textbook Complete (in textbook): Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc
3	Description Objective vs. subjective Organization Connotations vs. denotations Description examples	Read: Chapter 6 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc Rough draft of paper 1 DUE end of week
4	How to begin the writing process Methods of prewriting Specific details vs. general ideas Moving from prewriting to drafting	Read: Chapter 1 in textbook Complete: Apply Your Turn exercise to your rough draft
5	Writing definitions Denotation and connotation Elements and structure of the definition essay Paper 2: Definition and Example Essay Assignment and Worksheet	Final draft of paper 1 DUE beg. of week Read: Chapter 7 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc
6	Writing illustrations and examples Specific details vs. general statements Transitional phrases and phrases of illustration	Read: Chapter 8 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc Rough draft of paper 2 DUE end of week
7	Arrangement Understanding parts of essays Techniques of introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions	Read: Chapter 2 in textbook Complete: Apply Your Turn exercise to your rough draft
8	Evaluation Discussion of opinions and review judgment/thesis Criteria for review Paper 3: Compare and Evaluate Essay Assignment and Worksheet	Final draft of paper 2 DUE beg. of week Read: Chapter 9 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc
9	Compare and contrast Purpose of compare and contrast Discussion of similarities/differences Structure of compare-and-contrast essays	Read: Chapter 10 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc
10	Different drafting methods What kind of writer are you? Revision methods (reverse outline, read aloud, peer review and response)	Read: Chapter 3 in textbook Complete: 75-minute draft activity; reverse outline Rough draft of paper 3 DUE end of week
11	Open Week (fall/spring break or other discretionary activities)
12	Structure of a cause-and-effect essay Paper 4: Cause/Effect and Argument Essay Assignment Sheet and Student Worksheet	Final draft of paper 3 DUE beg. of week Read: Chapter 11 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc
13	Structure of the argument essay	Read: Chapter 12 in textbook Complete: Discussion Questions – Professional Example Discussion Questions – Student Example Your Turn Exercise Submit all 3 responses to Moodle in 1 doc Rough draft of paper 4 DUE end of week
14	Revising English 101 essays Content editing Line editing Copy editing Proofreading	Read: Chapter 4 in textbook Complete: Apply Your Turn exercise to your rough draft
15	Final Week – Open for peer review, catchup, etc.	Final draft of paper 4 DUE end of semester

Course Policies:

Technology Requirements

• Students must have access to a computer that can connect reliably to broadband internet, as well as the ability to navigate the school’s LMS (Learning Management System). For synchronous online courses, students must have web cameras, microphones, Zoom, and a reliable high-speed internet connection. Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are recommended web browsers to use for accessing the school’s LMS and submitting materials online.

Computer Skills

• Students must have at least basic proficiency in word processing applications (MS Word, Google Docs, etc.) and be able to submit files to an online system. Word processing files should be saved with the .docx extension.
• Regardless of the course’s modality (online or f2f), students must be prepared to check the LMS and receive announcement emails on a daily basis during the week in order to keep up with the class.

Evaluation

• Discussion questions and Your Turn activities provide low-stakes formative assessments for students.
• H5P exercises are for self-evaluation to check comprehension only and are not graded.
• Four major papers, each with a preliminary rough draft due at least a week before the final draft, will provide high-stakes, summative assessments for students.
  • Instructors will provide feedback for rough drafts of major papers prior to the weekend before the paper is due.

Grading Policy

The students’ grades for the course will be made up of their scores on discussion questions and Your Turn activities, four major writing assignments, and attendance.

Paper 1 = 20%
Paper 2 = 20%
Paper 3 = 20%
Paper 4 = 20%
Discussion questions and YT exercises = 15%
Attendance = 5%

• [Grading scale and late work policy, if applicable.]

University Policies and Support:

• Code of Conduct
• Online Etiquette
• Academic Integrity
• Diversity Statement
• Accessibility and Disability Services
• Technology Support
• Academic Support Services