English Composition I Syllabus and Course Policies

CC-BY copyright 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

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Writing Rhetorically: Framing First Year Writing Copyright © 2022 by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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