Recommendations for LIT 2010/2030/2040/2076 Courses
By the
Subcommittee on LIT 2010/2030/2040/2076 Courses
Revised Version 6.0

Adopted by the Writing Committee on 9/15/11
Revisions made by Subcommittee, Taylor Hagood, Johnnie Stover, Quentin Youngberg,
Lisa Swanstrom
Based on reviews of current syllabi for the LIT 2XXX-couses (Introduction to Fiction /
Poetry / Drama / Creative Nonfiction) by tenure-track faculty and instructors, and
consideration of vital elements meeting both WAC guidelines and English Department
policies, the subcommittee recommends the following requirements and policies for LIT
2010, LIT 2030, LIT 2040, and LIT 2076 courses to be included in all future syllabi and
pursued in teaching practices.
Course Objectives
These courses should take an integrated approach to teaching writing skills specific to
interpretation of literary texts within the genres of fiction, poetry, or drama. “Integrated”
here refers to the various approaches that can be taken regarding critical thinking and
analytical writing as they apply to the interpretation of literary works.
Course Policies

All LIT 2010, LIT 2030, LIT 2040, and LIT 2076 courses must be based on
substantive out of class writing assignments, according to WAC requirements,
which are as follows (along with requirements for the syllabus):
1. inform students of the writing-intensive nature of the course and explain that
WAC courses at FAU fulfill the state mandated Gordon Rule requirements if
the course is passed with a C or better2
2. include writing assignments that engage students in intellectual activities
central to the course objectives
3. include at least two graded writing assignments completed out of class, one of
which must be an individually or collaboratively written, substantial, thesisdriven paper (a revision is a substantial reworking of a draft as distinct from
editing and correction of surface errors)
4. count writing assignments for at least 50% of the course grade
5. provide a short, clear, written description of each writing assignment and its
evaluation criteria
6. provide a schedule for writing assignments that allocates class time for
discussing strategies to improve student writing
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7. require students to make substantial revision(s) of at least one graded, thesisdriven, out-of-class writing assignment
8. include an explanation of how students will receive substantive written
feedback on graded assignments and drafts that students are required to revise
9. require each student to write a target of 5,000 words (+/- 1,000)
10. include the following language informing students about the University wide
WAC Assessment project:
If this class is selected to participate in the university-wide WAC assessment
program, you will be required to access the online assessment server,
complete the consent form and survey, and submit electronically a first and
final draft of a near-end-of-term-paper.

All assignments that involve student activities such as presentations, poem
recitations, and scene dramatizations must be accompanied by a required
writing assignment (of at least one to two pages) relating to the students’
presentations. These writing assignments should not simply ask students to
reproduce poems, fictional texts, or scenes in writing but instead specifically ask for
the students’ rationale in choosing the selected pieces and/or their preparation and
presentation strategies.

Research papers (or term papers incorporating secondary sources) are not
required in the LIT 2000 courses. It is the instructor’s decision to include
documented term papers based on library research. It is suggested, however, to
introduce students to FAU’s library sources and to instruct them in effectively
integrating and documenting sources (including primary sources and other required
course readings) into their papers.

All syllabi should include a course description. The course description should
address fundamental genre-specific elements as one of the learning objectives of
the course. For instance, course descriptions of fiction courses can contain elements
such as narrative voice, plot, imagery, character, and so on; those for poetry should
include terminology such prosody, poetic form, figurative language, voice, and
speaker, for example; descriptions of drama courses should highlight such basics as
plot, action, setting and stage design, theme, characterization, diction, and other
fundamentals of drama; descriptions of creative nonfiction courses should include
plot, authentication, and narrative personae.

Course syllabi should reflect cultural and gender diversity in the design of
course reading assignments.
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
All LIT 2000’s syllabi should follow a coherent policy about absences:
More than two weeks’ worth of unexcused absences may result in an F unless you
successfully apply for a grade of W.
Our collective experience as teachers of writing suggests that students who miss more
than two weeks’ worth of class are unable to produce passing work and ultimately fail
the class. That fact reflects both the rigorous pace of this course and the fact that
what students learn in this class they learn in the classroom through group work,
discussion, and writing activities (work that cannot be made up).

All course syllabi should specify and follow the same grading scale (with the
same cut-off lines between plus and minus grades) and clearly state the
distribution of grade percentages per assignment. The suggested grading scale
could be:
100-94: A
74-76: C
90-93: A73-70: C-
87-89: B+
67-69: D+
84-86: B
66-64: D
80-83: B- 77-79: C+
63-60: D- Below 60: F

The grade for class participation must not exceed 15 per cent of the final grade.
The participation grade may include quizzes and brief in-class writings. If included
into the overall participation grade, it is up to the instructor’s discretion to decide how
much impromptu quizzes and written in-class responses count towards the in-class
participation grade.

All syllabi should contain information about policies regarding tardiness,
general class etiquette, and late papers. It is up to instructor’s discretion to either
exclude or penalize late papers and to decide on the specific policies regarding
tardiness. In any case, information about the consequences of cutting class and
turning in assignments late should be included. Stating that tardiness and late papers
may result in lowering (final or individual assignment) grades a third or half of a
letter grade (or more) may serve to make students aware of the possible consequences
of cutting class and falling behind in class work.
A checklist is available to help you make sure that your syllabus conforms to all
university, department, and course requirements. Please see the Writing Program
Community site on Blackboard for a copy of this checklist.
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