Instructor’s Website: http://faculty.mu.edu.sa/nalfayez/
Email (best way to reach me): n.alfayez@mu.edu.sa
Office Phone: 016 404 5924
Office Address: Majmaah University, College of Education – Majma’ah Ladies
Campus, Building D, 3 rd Floor – Room No. 041-03-D01
Office Hours: SUN 9-9:50, 12-1:40 || MON 9-9:50 || WED 10-10:50 || THU 9-9:50
Required Textbooks (available in AlBuraik Bookstore)
Effective Academic Writing 2 –The Short Essay, Alice Savage and Patricia Mayer.
Oxford University Press, NY. 2005.
Course Description
This course aims at developing the students' paragraph writing skills to short essay, of three to five paragraphs, writing skills preparing them for future writing activities in academic writing like writing "term papers" and short "research papers"; and in professional life writing like preparing "CVs", "case reports" and so on.
After a quick review of "paragraph writing" activities, the course moves on to the definition and qualities of a good essay comparing its different parts with those of a paragraph: the topic-the topic, the topic sentence-introductory paragraph, supporting sentences-body paragraphs and concluding sentence – concluding paragraph. The students are introduced with the different steps of essay writing – stimulating ideas, brainstorming and outlining, developing ideas, making the first draft and finally editing.
The students then move on to writing short essays (guided, semi-guided and free) to express their views on different topics. The course focuses on writing "descriptive essays, narrative essays, opinion essays, comparison essays and cause and effect essays.
Special consideration will be paid to the processes of gathering information (data), organizing and analyzing it so as to provide the informal, initial background for more serious research (academic) writing at higher levels.
Grade Breakdown
10% First Midterm Examination
10% Second Midterm Examination
10% Student’s portfolio (5 Essays)
10% Participation / Quizzes / D2L Reading Response Journal
60% Final Examination

Important Dates
SUN 27 th
of Thu AlHijja = Descriptive Essay Deadline
THU 1 st of Muharram = First Midterm Examination (Units included are: 1,2 and 3)
SUN 11 th
of Muharram = Narrative Essay Deadline
SUN 25 th
of Muharram = Opinion Essay Deadline
THU 6 th of Safar = Second Midterm Examination (Units included are 4 and 5)
SUN 9 th
of Safar = Comparison and Contrast Essay Deadline
SUN 23 rd
of Safar = Cause and Effect Essay Deadline
THU 27 th
of Safar = Midterms Makeup Examination
Portfolio Grades
It is required that you turn in all five assignments. Failure to do so will most likely result in losing your marks. Late assignments will be marked down 1 grade per day late (i.e. A B+ will be change to a B, then to a B-, then to a C+, etc.) In case of a medical/ family emergency please contact me by email before the assignment is due so I can consider granting an extension.
A+ =10 B+ =7
A = 9 B =6
A- = 8 B- =5
C+ =4 D =1
C =3
C- =2
F= 0
Attendance
As many of our writing assignments and editing sessions will take place in class, class attendance is a requirement! University attendance rules apply. Starting from week 1, attendance is mandatory. When a student is absent, an acceptable excuse should be provided to the instructor within one week of the day of the lecture, otherwise it will be considered as an excuseless absence. A student who reaches 25% will be automatically denied to take the final examination.
Techniques like Blended Learning and Flipped Classroom may be applied in this course and some classes may be held online (i.e. distance learning). Attending such classes is mandatory and skipping them may result in losing participation marks.
Part of your participation grade includes taking part in class activities and contributing to group discussion. Please recognize that it take courage to speak up in front of a large group and treat your fellow students with respect. This includes not dominating conversation or interrupting others. This means that classmates of different races, class backgrounds, political or religious affiliations, ages and abilities should be treated with respect, as should those topics in any of the literature we encounter. I am also subject to these rules. If you are ever concerned, confused, or offended by anything I say or do in class, please let me know.
Course D2L Site
This Writing 2 class will have its own D2L site ( http://el.mu.edu.sa/d2l/home )
You will need to login before the second class using your University ID as a username and your National ID as a password. Please check the D2L site often
(at least twice a week or before each class) as assignments, resources, readings and important information will be posted on the site. In addition, 10% of your grade will be partly based on your D2L Reading Response Journal, which should

consist of one paragraph responses to each group of assigned reading, to be posted by midnight before class. This on-line journal is an opportunity for you to voice questions or express reactions that you either don’t feel comfortable mentioning in class or that we don’t have time to address. The journal entries are private and will be viewed only by me. However, the News Forum is public and should be used as a second, virtual classroom.
Grammar Sunday
You are responsible for giving one 15-20 minute presentation with a group of 2 other students. In this presentation, you are responsible for teaching your fellow classmates about a grammar rule. Your presentation must include class involvement and some sort of visual aid. Use the Hacker book as a reference and be as creative as possible. Sign up with me ahead of time. Your group must come to office hours before you present to go over your lesson plan.
Notice to Students With Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability and would like to discuss special accommodations, please contact me (during office hours, after class, in whatever way would be best for you to talk with me privately).
Revision Policy
For the 1 st and 2 nd assignments I will accept one revision on the final paper if you received lower than a C. If you revise, the new grade will replace the old one.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is academic theft. It refers to the use of another’s ideas or words without proper attribution or credit. An author’s work is his/her property and should be respected by documentation. Credit must be given:
1.
For every direct quotation.
2.
When a work is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in your own words.
3.
For information which is not common knowledge. (It appears in several sources about the subject.)
All cases of plagiarism will be automatically marked F for that assignment. *F=0
Feedback
Make use of my office hours! I am here to alleviate confusion and to help you become better writers. Feel free to contact me by email if you want to set up an extra meeting time. In addition, I am aware that college life is complicated and that it involves a lot more than your course work. If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties, PLEASE SEEK HELP. There are people out there to help you through these problems. Ask me who to contact if you have concerns about sexual assault, eating disorders, drug or alcohol abuse, depression, or anything else that might be preventing you and your peers from thriving both as individuals and as students. Assault, abuse and harassment are never acceptable and should always be reported. I am not a counselor, but I can point you to resources.