ENGL 5390: Studies in Composition – History and Theory of Composition
Section 061
Online course
Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Odom
Email: sodom@uttyler.edu (preferred method of communication)
Office: BUS 243
Office phone: 903-566-7349
Course website: https://blackboard.uttyler.edu
Office Hours: M and Th 10-11:30 and by appointment; available by phone, chat, or in person
Course Description
This course introduces students to the history and scholarship in composition/writing studies. The field
of composition is both ancient and relatively new; foundational texts include the dialogues of Plato and
Cicero, but the of teaching writing in college English classes began only in the nineteenth century. As
with any historiography, identifying the key events, figures, stakeholders, and the causes and effects of
movements in the field is a topic for debate, and we will see how several historians of the discipline
create narratives about the past and its implications for the present and future. Thus, the topic of the
class could more accurately be called “histories of composition.”
A unique quality that sets the field of composition apart from others is its focus on students. As the
student body in colleges and universities has changed in both quantity and qualities since these origins,
theories about the nature of writing and how to teach it have changed alongside the populations taking
college writing classes. Some composition scholars observe that these theories tend to emphasize
different aspects of the rhetorical situation: the writer, the audience, the text, or context/reality, though
these aspects are interrelated and always manifest with any text.
In addition to histories and theories, we will end the course by looking at some concerns that are
perennial and yet current to compositionists, especially for those considering teaching writing at the
post-secondary level. Students who wish to teach academic writing at the college level are strongly
encouraged to complete English 5369: Composition Practicum as well.
Objectives
Upon completing this course, students will be able to:
 Demonstrate understanding of the following in weekly discussion board exchanges:
o main currents of change in the history of composition and awareness of conflicting
historiographies
o key theories in composition
o contemporary issues in composition
 Synthesize scholarly arguments and account for their similarities and differences
 Conduct research in composition scholarship using sources available online or in hard copy
 Write a bibliographic essay in MLA format
 Revise substantially from feedback
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Required Texts
Your textbooks are available from the bookstore or online sources.
 Norton Book of Composition Studies, Susan Miller, ed. W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. ISBN:
9780393931358
 Rhetorics, Poetics, and Cultures. James Berlin. Parlor Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780972477284
 Selected PDFs to be downloaded from Blackboard
Grading Policy
Papers will receive letter grades on the +/- scale. Discussion board posts will be graded on a 10- and 5point scale, outlined in the discussion board rubric on Blackboard. Final grades will be assigned whole
letter grades.
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 59 and below
Assignment
Weight
Words Due Date
Synthesis Paper
10%
750
M, 1/26
Footnote Trail Exercise
10%
750
M, 2/16
Annotated Bibliography
15%
TBD
W, 3/4
Bibliographic Essay
15%
1500
W, 4/1
Revised Bibliographic Essay
20%
1500
W, 4/22
Discussion Board Posts
25%
250
Ongoing
Reading Questions
15%
varies
Ongoing
Revision
Knowing how to revise based on feedback is essential for any writer, but our weekly schedule makes it
difficult to schedule multiple drafts of writing assignments. You’ll revise your bibliographic essay
according to my feedback but this is the only required revision.
You may submit any other writing assignment (except for discussion board posts and reading questions)
for revision. You must let me know that you plan to revise within 24 hours of receiving the grade and
then I will take up an additional 24 hours to provide you with substantial feedback. You will then have an
additional week to substantially revise the assignment for a new grade. I will devote a lot of time and
thought into giving you comments on how to revise your writing. If you turn in the same assignment
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without substantial revision, you will receive a lower grade on the revised assignment than you did on
the original. The original grade and the revision grade will be averaged and recorded.
Students who provide evidence of collaboration/peer review before the due dates on any assignment
can receive an additional 1/3 letter grade on the paper. This includes visiting the writing center or
having a classmate comment on your draft.
The Writing Center
The UT Tyler Writing Center is a free service available to you for working with a trained writing tutor on
your writing. They can help you one-on-one, in person or online, at any stage of the writing process.
They are located in BUS 202 and you can look up their hours and other information at
http://www.uttyler.edu/writingcenter/.
Late Assignments
All papers will be submitted to me via Blackboard and due at 10:00 a.m. (central time zone) on the date
noted. Each day that an assignment is late, a full letter grade will be detracted.
For example, for papers due at 10:00 a.m. on Monday:
- one letter grade if turned in after 10:00 a.m. on Monday but before 9:59 p.m. on Tuesday
- two letter grades if turned in before 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and so on.
Technology
Requirements:
1. Access to a computer (PC or Mac), personal or campus
2. Internet access with the ability to view and listen to video and audio recordings. (High-speed is
preferred; Blackboard, videos, podcasts and ZOOM may be slow to load on satellite or dial-up.)
3. Microsoft Office is strongly recommended. You may use instead a Word and PowerPointcompatible program such as Apple iWork or Apache Open Office (free) to view handouts and
presentations.
4. A free ZOOM account. Visit the ZOOM.us web site to create an account.
NOTE: The campus IT department has arranged for student discounts on several software packages on
the HiEd website. See Blackboard entry on Composing under “Getting Started” for information about a
free version of Microsoft Office.
For Engl 5390 online, you must be able to:
1. Send and receive email from your UT Tyler patriots email account
 I expect that you will check your Patriots email at least once a day. I will ordinarily respond
to email within 24 hours, more promptly between 10-2 M-F.
2. Access and navigate UT Tyler Blackboard
3. Create, attach, receive, and open Microsoft Word documents
4. Post to discussion board forums on Blackboard
5. Open PDF files
6. Play and view video and audio files
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Plug-ins and Helper Applications:
UT Tyler online courses use Java, JavaScript, browser plug-ins, helper application and cookies. You need
to have these elements installed and enabled in your web browser for optimal viewing of the content
and functions of your online course. Always ensure that you are using the most updated version for the
browser you choose to access the online learning content.
1. Mozilla Firefox is the recommended browser for Blackboard (http://www.mozilla.org/enUS/firefox/new/)
2. Adobe Reader allows you to view, save, and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files
(http://get.adobe.com/reader/)
3. Java Runtime Environment (JRE) allows you to use interactive tools on the web
(http://www.java.com/en/download/)
4. Adobe Flash Player allows you to view content created with Flash such as interactive web
applications and animations (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)
5. QuickTime allows users to play back audio and video files
(http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/)
6. Windows Media Player allows you to view, listen and download streaming video and audio
(http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/windows-media-player)
Help with Technology:
For tutorials on how to use Blackboard, please click on the Help tab located on the upper right hand
corner of this page. If you have issues with logins, connectivity, or with general computer support, email
itsupport@patriots.uttyler.edu or contact the IT Support Hotline at (903) 565-5555.
In Blackboard, I’ll give you more specific information about word processing methods and saving your
work.
Scholastic Honesty
Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major
course penalty, possibly failure of the course. This standard applies to all drafts and assignments, so if
you have any doubts about your use of sources or collaboration, ask me for help before handing in the
assignment. UT Tyler’s policies on scholastic dishonesty can be found here:
http://www.uttyler.edu/judicialaffairs/scholasticdishonesty.php
University Policies:
See http://www.uttyler.edu/academicaffairs/syllabuspolicies.pdf
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Course Schedule
NBCS = Norton Book of Composition Studies
PDF: available for download on Blackboard
DB = Discussion board on Blackboard
All assigned work is due in Blackboard (not by email) at 10:00 a.m. central time on the designated day.
Wk
Date
Topic
1
M,
1/12
W,
1/14
F,
1/16
Introduce Synthesis
Paper assignment
M,
1/19
Early history of
composition as a
discipline
2
3
4
5
W,
1/21
M,
1/26
W,
1/28
M,
2/2
W,
2/4
M,
2/9
Reading Due
M,
2/16
W,
2/18
Paper Returned
DB self-introduction
NBCS
“Introduction”
(xxxv-xlvi)
NBCS: Parker (316), Horner (33-52),
Douglas (74-97)
DB reading post;
Reading questions
DB reading post;
Reading questions
DB response
End of Add/Drop
period; Berlin’s
history of
composition
Rhetorics, Poetics,
and Cultures (xi-82)
Synthesis Paper;
Reading questions
DB response
Berlin’s history of
composition con’t
Rhetorics, Poetics,
and Cultures (82140)
DB reading post;
Reading questions
Synthesis Paper
DB response
Late 20th century
history and
theories; introduce
Footnote Trail
Exercise
PDF: Gold et al;
NCBS Fulkerson
(430-435); Hairston
(439-450)
W,
2/11
6
Assignment Due
Process theory
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
DB reading post;
Reading questions;
Optional revision of
Synthesis Paper
DB response; Optional
revision of Synthesis
Paper
Footnote Trail
Exercise; Reading
questions
DB response
5
7
8
M,
2/23
W,
2/25
M,
3/2
Rhetorical theory;
Introduce
Annotated
Bibliography
assignment
PDF: Graff (ch. from DB reading post
TSIS); Fleming (ch.
from Guide to
Comp Pedg);
Swales
DB response
Expressivist theory
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
W,
3/4
9
10
11
M,
3/9
W,
3/11
M,
3/16
W,
3/18
M,
3/23
W,
3/25
M,
3/30
13
M,
4/6
W,
4/8
M,
4/13
DB reading post;
Annotated
Bibliography; Reading
questions; Optional
revision of Footnote
Trail Exercise
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Empirical research
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
DB reading post;
Reading questions
DB response
Last Day to
Withdraw from
Classes;
Political/critical
theories
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
DB reading post;
Reading questions
Annotated
Bibliography
DB response
TBD
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
W,
4/1
12
Footnote Trail
Exercise
Style/correctness
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
DB reading post;
Reading questions
Bibliographic Essay; DB
response; Optional
revision of Annotated
Bibliographic Essay
DB reading post;
Reading questions
DB response
Technology
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
DB reading post;
Reading questions
Bib Essay
6
14
W,
4/15
M,
4/20
DB response
Labor issues
Selections from
NBCS and PDFs to
be decided
W,
4/22
DB reading post;
Reading questions
Revised Bibliographic
Essay
No final exam.
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