Marshall University
Syllabus Template
Course Title/Number
Semester/Year
Days/Time
Location
Instructor
Office
Phone
E-Mail
Office/Hours
University Policies
English Composition Plus/ENG 101P
Fall/2014
Monday/Wednesday 1pm-2:40pm
Corbly Hall 304
Catherine Staley
Corbly Hall 405A
304-696-6790
staley@marshall.edu
M/W 11am-12pm and 3-4pm; T/Th 4pm-5pm
By enrolling in this course, you agree to the University Policies listed below. Please
read the full text of each policy be going to www.marshall.edu/academic-affairs and
clicking on “Marshall University Policies.” Or, you can access the policies directly by
going to http://www.marshall.edu/academic-affairs/?page_id=802
Academic Dishonesty/ Excused Absence Policy for Undergraduates/ Computing
Services Acceptable Use/ Inclement Weather/ Dead Week/ Students with Disabilities/
Academic Forgiveness/ Academic Probation and Suspension/ Academic Rights and
Responsibilities of Students/ Affirmative Action/ Sexual Harassment
Course Description: From Catalog
Introduction to academic writing with emphasis on writing as a multi-stage process, critical thinking, and
fundamental research strategies and skills. Additional attention on reading, paragraph development, and
sentence-level writing skills. PR: ACT Verbal below 18 (or SAT Verbal equivalent). Students completing the
course with C or better will receive credit for ENG 099 and ENG 101.
The table below shows the following relationships: How each student learning outcomes will be
practiced and assessed in the course.
Course Student Learning
How students will practice each outcome
How student achievement of
Outcomes
in this Course
each outcome will be
assessed in this Course
Students will demonstrate
Each week, students will usually be
The Annotated Bibliography
comprehension of literary and
assigned to read, annotate, summarize, and is designed to assess
informational texts,
respond to a variety of texts focused on
summary and reading
demonstrated through
higher education issues (athletics,
comprehension skills. The
summarizing, paraphrasing, and
academics, campus-life, etc). In class, small Position Paper focuses on
responding to course material,
student groups will workshop writing and
responding to texts. Minor
including the work of peers.
discuss readings.
assignments will assess small
portions, such as summaries
and introductions, of those
larger assignments. All
assignments will be assessed
1
Students will demonstrate
application of rhetorical
concepts, including audience
considerations, genre, and logical
appeals.
Students will submit low stakes
assignments for a variety of audiences and
in various genres, including academic and
popular ones. A large portion of the class
will be dedicated to identifying logical
appeals in essays and modeling those
appeals in short writing assignments.
Students will demonstrate the
ability to acknowledge and
evaluate larger social,
intellectual, and cultural
contexts as relevant to their
particular writing tasks.
Weekly reading and writing assignments
will require students to understand and
respond to a variety of issues related to
higher education, and their relation to that
institution
Students will demonstrate the
ability to write a focused,
cohesive text that demonstrates
adequate development of ideas.
Students will engage in drafting and
revision activities, read and assess sample
student work, and submit short paragraphs
for extensive feedback
Students will demonstrate the
ability to present ideas logically
and in an organization pattern
appropriate for an assignment’s
purpose.
Students will engage in drafting and
revision activities, read and assess sample
student work, and submit short paragraphs
for extensive feedback
Students will demonstrate the
application of Standard English
usage and the ability to
proofread for surface features
such as syntax, grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and textual
formatting.
Students will demonstrate the
application of ethical citation
Students will engage in in-class grammar
and mechanical activities, plus individual
assessments of common errors. Students
will also occasionally edit peers’ papers
Students will participate in MLA citation
workshops, with particular attention to
2
according to a formal rubric.
The Position Paper,
Annotated Bibliography, and
Rhetorical Analysis are
written for academic
audiences. The Radical
Revision is written for an
audience of the student’s
choice. Minor assignments
will be written for a variety of
audiences. Those will be
assessed according to formal
rubrics.
In the Position Paper,
students will formally argue
to an academic audience.
Then, students will identify
another audience relevant to
their topic to argue to in the
Radical Revision. Those will
all be assessed according to
formal rubrics.
Students will organize and
sustain a 4-page argument
for the Position Paper,
Radical Revision, and
Rhetorical Analysis. Those
will all be assessed according
to formal rubrics.
Students will organize and
sustain a 4-page argument
for the Position Paper,
Radical Revision, and
Rhetorical Analysis. Those
will all be assessed according
to formal rubrics.
Rubrics for all major
assignments include
assessment of
grammatical/mechanical
errors and clarity
All major and minor
assignments require students
practices
formatting in-text citations and Works
Cited pages
Students will demonstrate ability
to identify and solve individual
writing and reading difficulties
and comprehensively implement
peer and instructor feedback
Students will demonstrate the
ability to generate knowledge as
a member of the class
community as a whole and in
small peer groups.
Students will frequently reflect on their
difficulties and progress in their individual
journals, plus participate in individual
conferences with me to strategize
overcoming their personal obstacles
Students will participate in group work
daily, plus participate in whole class
discussions focused on responding to a
text. Students will frequently exchange
writing
to correctly format in-text
citations and submit a Works
Cited page
The Radical Revision and
Minor Assignment revisions
will assess implementation of
feedback according to a
formal rubric
Formal peer revision sessions
will be assessed according to
a rubric
Required Texts, Additional Reading, and Other Materials
1. A Writer’s Reference for Multimodal Projects, 7th Edition by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers; ISBN:
978-1-4576-1778-2
2. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 2nd Ed WITHOUT READINGS by Gerald
Graff and Cathy Birkenstein; ISBN: 978-0-393-93361-1
3. 25-30 index cards, any size, for weekly in-class activities
Course Requirements / Due Dates
1. (10% total) Writing Journals – low stakes: Students will keep a private writing journal using the
MUOnline journal feature. These journals will be a space for completing homework, free writing,
and other low-stakes assignments. Some of that work will be in-class and some will be out of class
(homework). I’ll specify if entries should be completed in the submission box or written as a Word
file and uploaded as an entry. Each Friday, I’ll assess journal entries for the previous week according
to completeness and thoughtfulness. They’ll be graded on a 5 point scale, with 5 = full credit. That
score will be averaged at the end of the semester.
2. (15% total) Minor Assignments – medium stakes: Multiple times over the course of the semester,
I’ll assign minor assignments of small portions of larger assignments for practice. Students will have
the opportunity to revise 3 for a new grade. I’ll distribute assignment sheets, rubrics, and revision
instructions throughout the semester. Due dates: Feb 3 (#1), Feb 26 (#2), April 2 (#3)
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3. (20%) Annotated Bibliography – high stakes: Students will develop a research question related to
education and annotate 4 sources (1 academic, 1 popular, 1 book, and 1 website) that provide
insight into that question; Due Date: Monday, February 17 start of class
4. (30%) Position Paper – high stakes: Students will develop a position on an educational topic of their
choice and argue that position, in 4-5pgs, to an academic audience using scholarly and popular
sources. Ideally, this assignment will be a continuation of the annotated bibliography; Due Date:
Monday, March 24 by class time
5. (10%) Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text – medium stakes: Students will analyze a visual text
related to education (advertisement, PSA, etc) and argue, in 3-4 pgs., the effectiveness of the text
according to its purpose and intended audience; Due Date: Wednesday, April 28 by class time
6. (15%) Radical Revision (final) – high stakes: Students will radically revise their position paper to
make it appropriate for a relevant audience of their choice; Due Date to MuOnline: Monday, May 5
by 2:45pm (official exam time for our class)
Grading Policy
All assignments and the final course grade will adhere to the following scale:
100%-90% : A
89%-80%: B
79%-70%: C
69%- 60%: D
59%- 0%: F
Attendance Policy
Students who submit excused absences through Student Affairs can make-up all work with no late penalty.
Students with unexcused absences cannot make-up in-class writing or homework, but can turn in all Major
and Minor Assignments for -5 pts./per day late.
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Course Schedule
January
13 Introduction to course and review of
MuOnline features
15 Syllabus review and writing assessment
20 No Class – MLK Day
22 Introduction to the “rhetorical situation”;
reading strategies; summary writing; assign
Annotated Bibliography
27 Library Instruction in Drinko and Writing
Center tour
29 using outlines for summaries; quote
integration/signal verbs; introduction to peer
review ; assign Minor Assignment 1:
Summary of an Academic Article
February
3 Minor Assignment #1 due; locating
popular sources and websites; evaluating
sources for usefulness and credibility ; inclass research time
5 Draft of one annotation due; individual and
peer summary revising activities; review of
run-on sentences and sentence fragments
10 Individual conferences: Draft of one
annotation due for workshop with instructor
[Class cancelled]
12 Introduction to ethics of writing and MLA
citation workshop; individual
grammar/mechanical assessment
17 Annotated Bibliography due; reflection
on writing process and time management
strategies; introduction to responding to
texts (agreeing, disagreeing, both)
19 Assign Position Paper; revising research
questions into thesis statements – the “I
Say”; developing the “They Say” in
argumentative papers and paragraph
development
24 thesis statement revision workshop;
identify the naysayers and developing the “I
Say”; continue working on paragraph
development; assign Minor Assignment #2:
two complete “They Say” paragraphs
26 Minor Assignment #2 due; continuing to
draft the “I Say” and in-class writing day with
instructor
March
3 Writing introductions and conclusions;
commas workshop
5 Partial draft of Position Paper due;
individual in-class revision and peer
workshops with overnight peer review;
individual grammar/mechanics self5
assessment
10 In-class revision activities: glossing, hotspotting; peer editing
12 Full draft of Position Paper due at
individual conferences [no class]
17 Spring Break – no class
19 Spring break – no class
24 Position Paper due; reflection on writing
process and time management; introduction
to rhetorical analysis of a visual text
26 Introduction to ethos, pathos, logos in
visual texts; choosing a visual text; writing a
thesis statement for analysis
31 continue discussion of logos, ethos,
pathos; continue working on analysis
paragraphs; assign Minor Assignment #3:
three complete analysis paragraphs for a
visual text
April
2 Minor Assignment #3 due; continue
working on analysis paragraphs
7 in-class drafting day in computer lab with
instructor
9 Complete Rhetorical Analysis draft due for
peer workshopping and overnight peer
review
16 Complete draft due for individual
conference with instructor (no class)
14 Editing workshops: commas, run-ons and
fragments; developing complex sentences
23 drafting Radical Revisions
28 Minor Assignment revisions due; drafting
radical revisions; review of editing strategies
21 Rhetorical Analysis due; introduction to
Radical Revision; informal audience profiles;
reviewing Minor Assignment revisions
30 Complete draft due for individual
conferences with instructor
May : Monday, May 5 by 2:45pm (official exam time for our class): Radical Revision due
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ENG 101P Bibliography
Ackley, Katherine Anne. Perspectives on Contemporary Issues. 6th ed. Cengage Learning, 2011.
Print.
Armstrong, Sonya, Norman A. Stahl, and Hunter R. Boylan, eds. Teaching Developmental
Reading: Historical, Theoretical, and Practical Background Readings. 2nd ed. New York:
Bedford St. Martin’s, 2014. Print.
Enos, Theresa, ed. A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987.
Print.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic
Writing. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference with Exercises. 7th ed. Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2010. Print.
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard, and Charles Paine. Writing Today. 2nd ed. Longman, 2012. Print.
Miller, David. “Developmental Writing: Trust, Challenge, and Critical Thinking.” Journal of Basic
Writing 21.2 (2002): 92-105. Print.
Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. New York: Penguin, 1990. Print.
Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, eds. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
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