Course Description:
Expressive writing emphasizes the writer’s feelings/reactions to people, objects, events, or ideas. Expository writing focuses more on objects, events, or ideas than on the writer’s feelings about them. When you report, explain, clarify, or assess, you are practicing exposition.
Students in 1010 write 4 essays, each of which goes through multiple drafts and at least two of which demonstrate the student’s ability to support a thesis and properly integrate and cite primary source material. Some sections of 1010 focus on an issue or theme; all sections have a substantial reading component. Instructors use the workshop method to teach the writing process as well as build community.
Learning Outcomes (Objectives):
 Students will improve their ability to generate a writing plan with informed writing objectives.
 Students will draw writing content from experience, imagination, and outside resources (e.g., printed materials, interviews, films).
 Students will be introduced to strategies for synthesizing and analyzing different types of text and material.
 Students will gain a greater sense of the process of writing: prewriting, drafting, rewriting, and editing.
1

2
 Students will write out-of-class essays that illustrate their knowledge of the writing process and at least one in-class essay that illustrates their on-demand writing ability.
 Students will write at least four essays of 1000 words each.
 Students will be able to analyze their writing strengths and weaknesses.
 Students will improve their ability to develop a thesis clearly with a variety of supporting evidence (e.g., definition, illustration, description, comparison and contrast, casual analysis).
 Students will learn to adapt their writing to audience and purpose.
 Students will learn to integrate and document primary sources accurately.
 Students will develop the ability to vary the structure and length of sentences and paragraphs.
 Students will learn to write with grammatical competence and use conventional punctuation and spelling.
Course Text:
The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, 9 th edition. Rise B. Axelrod and Charles
R. Cooper
Evaluation:
60% Essays (1000 words each)
20% Tests and Outlines of Reading Assignments
10% Daily Work and Class Participation
10% Final Portfolio and Reflective Essay
Grading Scale:
90—100 = A
80—89 = B
70—79 = C
60—69 = D
Below 60 = F
According to department guidelines, students must earn a final class grade of C (70%) or above to pass this course and earn three credit hours.
However, if a first-time 1010 student fulfills all course requirements
(completes all assignments, complies with the attendance policy, etc.) and

earns a final grades below 70, the student may receive an N instead of an F, which will permit a retake without affecting overall GPA.
Assignments:
You will write 4 essays over the course of the semester. Each essay will consist of 15% of your grade. You will write at least 2 drafts of each essay
(3 – 4 pages each). You will learn that effective writing is a matter of rewriting. First your peers will respond to your writing with suggestions for revisions. These suggestions will ask you to rethink and reshape content and organization (not just to correct errors in grammar and mechanics). Then you will have an opportunity to revise before you submit the essay to me for feedback and grading.
You will outline selected chapters in The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing and take tests over the material. For each test grade, the actual test will count
50% of the grade and the outline the other 50%. You are allowed to use
your outlines when taking tests.
Daily work will be checked on the day that it is listed due on the syllabus. I will check to make sure that the assignment is completed and engages in the assignment. (In general, homework will not be graded for grammar or mechanics.) Completion of in-class assignments and class participation are also measured.
You will choose one of your previously written essays to revise for your final portfolio, which will contain the following:
 Invention or brainstorming strategies
 First draft of essay with peers’ remarks
 Any peer review notes
 Any other drafts or notes pertaining to the essay
 Graded draft with teacher comments
 Revised essay
You will also write a reflective essay before you turn in the final revised essay. You will write in-class about your experiences as a writer throughout the semester as well as your reason for your choice of submission.
3

4
Attendance Policy:
You are expected to attend each class meeting and be on time. Do not attend class if you will be more than 45 minutes late. If you miss more than
2 classes, you may fail the class. Three late arrivals equal an absence. In the event that you know you are going to miss class or have already missed class, notify your instructor and your absence may be excused.
Written Paper Requirements:
Drafts of papers will be typed using MLA Style, double-spaced, and have one inch margins with a font size of 12.
Late Paper Policy:
For each day the paper is late, a half letter grade will be deducted.
Make-up Policy:
Missed work can be made up only if the absence is excused.
Disruptive Behavior, including the use of Cell Phones:
Cell phone use is strictly prohibited during class. (This includes text
messaging!!!) Turn off all cell phones and beepers at the beginning of the class period.
In addition, students should abstain from other disrespectful behaviors, such as talking while another student or the teacher is talking and packing up materials before class has ended.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is when a student steals another source’s words without proper documentation. The most flagrant instances of plagiarism are (1) submitting work copied in sum or parts from another source (such as the Internet or a fellow student), (2) having someone dictate what should be written (such as having a friend, parent, or tutor rewrite a paper substituting his or her own language in place of the student’s), and (3) using sources without sufficient documentation. Plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment, notification to the Lower Division English Office, and filing of a complaint to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The result is usually failure of the course and consequential action taken by Judicial Affairs.

5
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs:
If a student needs special accommodations due to a disability, please provide a letter from Disabled Student Services (898-2783) to your instructor at the beginning of the semester.
University Writing Center:
The UWC will assist students with writing essays at any stage of the writing process. Tutors will not simply edit student papers; they will help the student brainstorm, strengthen the essay, discuss problem areas, and provide valuable writing resources. For more information, visit the UWC website ( www.mstu.edu/~uwcenter ), and to schedule a 25 or 50 minute appointment, visit or call Peck Hall 325 (904-8237) or Ezell Hall 119 (494-
8616).
Scholarships and Students Loans:
Students are responsible to know and adhere to the terms and conditions of whatever means of financial support from which they benefit. In no instance can the instructor be held responsible for any neglect of the student’s duties. This applies in part to the HOPE scholarships that are lottery funded. Students receiving the lottery scholarships must earn a 2.75 GPA after attempting 24 credit hours and maintain the 2.75 GPA until they have attempted 72 credit hours. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA while attempting 72 through 120 credit hours when scholarship eligibility expires.
If a student drops below a 3.0 between 72 and 120 hours, he/she will regain eligibility if the 3.0 is reached again.
Students who drop below full-time status (12 hours) during the first 14 days of the semester will have their awards adjusted and will owe money to the
University. Students who drop after the 14 th day of class will have their future lottery scholarships suspended unless the drop was approved in advance by the Office of Financial Aid. Students may appeal the suspension if the drop is due to documented personal illness, illness or death of immediate family member, extreme financial hardship, military service, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. The lottery appeal form may be obtained at http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11447/Forms/TELSAppealForm.pdf.
Failure to attend classes may also result in the loss of lottery scholarship eligibility. Scholarship recipients must continue to attend classes through the end of the semester to maintain his or her enrollment status.

For more lottery information please see http://www.collegepaystn.com/mon_college/lottery_scholars.htm
.
You can also find up to date information at http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11447/telsprogram.htm
>.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments:
Please Note: Reading and writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day for which they are listed. I will provide detailed daily assignments and may make changes to the syllabus to meet the class’s educational goals more effectively. Please keep yourself informed of these changes by recording all revisions below. If you miss class, you are still responsible for any changes I announce in class, so consult a peer for what you missed.
Week 1 August 30
IN-CLASS:
(1) Introductions
(2) Distribution and discussion of syllabus
(3) Diagnostic in-class essay (sample writing)
Week 2 September 6
NO CLASS: LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
Week 3 September 13
DUE:
(1) Read carefully the first part of Chapter 2, “Remembering an
Event” (pg. 14-37).
(2) Write a list of the basic features of the remembered event essay genre. (Refer to page 17.)
(3) Read the “Guide to Writing” (pg. 42-47) and write lists, descriptions, and sketches as instructed. Be sure to write for the recommended time limits. You should have several pages of
invention writing to submit for homework credit.
IN-CLASS:
(1) Discussion of text (St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, 9 th ed.)
(2) Discuss the assignment for Essay 1: Remembering an Event (pg.
40)
(3) Discuss sample essays
(4) Discuss prewriting (invention writing), Chapter 11, pg. 562-574
6

7
(5) Read “A Writer at Work” (pg. 57-61). This assignment shows you how a student completed Essay 1: Remembering an Event.
You should model this writer’s thorough preparation for writing
Essay 1. The more time you devote to the initial stages of writing, the better the final product is likely to be.
(6) Discuss concepts of thesis, audience, and purpose
(7) Begin planning Essay 1. Determine concepts (thesis, purpose, audience), pg. 18
(8) Desk check of homework assignments: list of basic features and invention writing
Week 4 September 20
DUE:
(1) Follow the guidelines for planning and drafting your first draft of Essay 1 (pg. 47-52)
(2) Draft 1 of Essay 1 (typed)
IN-CLASS:
(1) Peers meet to respond to draft 1 of Essay 1 using the “Critical
Reading Guide,” pg. 52-53
(2) Review the suggestions of your peers for improving your Essay
1. Refer to pages 53-54.
(3) Create a revision list in preparation for draft 2. There should be global changes from draft 1 to draft 2.
(4) Short discussion on outlining, pg. 564-568
(5) Begin outline for Test 1.
(6) Student/teacher conferencing
Week 5 September 27
DUE:
(1) Omitting all exercises, read and outline Chapter 14, “Narrating”
(pg. 615-627). A multiple choice test over the main ideas in this chapter will be given for which you will be able to use your outline of the chapter.
Outline pointers:
For this and all future outlines and tests, you should highlight or underline main points in the book first and then go back through the text and outline for submission only the most important points and definitions.

8
Though outlines of the chapters do not have to be written in complete sentences, you must give enough information to define terms and to identity main ideas.
Outlines should follow the conventional format for indention
and use of Roman numerals (pg. 564-568).
(2) Essay 1
IN-CLASS:
(1) Some time to answer students’ questions about the reading material before the test.
(2) Test 1 over Chapter 14
(3) Mini-lessons on editing for misspelled works, typos, sentence fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences
(4) Final proofreading of Essay 1 before submission
(5) Submit Essay 1
(6) In-class writing, “Thinking Critically About What You Have
Learned” (pg. 62-63)
Week 6 October 4
DUE:
(1) Read carefully the first part of Chapter 3, “Writing Profiles”
(pg. 64-98)
(2) Write a list of the basic features of the essay genre. Refer to pages 67-68.
(3) Read the “Guide to Writing” (pg. 101-108) and write lists, descriptions and sketches as instructed. Be sure to write for the recommended time limits. You should have several pages of
invention writing to submit for homework credit.
IN-CLASS:
(1) Discuss the assignment for Essay 2: Profile (pg. 99)
(2) Discuss sample essays
(3) Read “A Writer at Work” (pg. 120-124). This assignment shows you how a student completed Essay 2: Profile. You should model this writer’s thorough preparation for writing Essay 2. The more time you devote to the initial stages of writing, the better the final product is likely to be.
(4) Begin planning Essay 2: determine concepts (thesis, purpose, audience), pg.68-69
(5) Discuss techniques for gathering information, Chapter 22,
“Field Research,” pg. 716-727

(6) Desk check of homework assignment: list of basic features and invention writing
Week 7 October 11
DUE:
(1) Read and follow the guidelines for planning and drafting your first draft of Essay 2 (pg. 109-111)
(2) Draft 1 of Essay 2 (typed)
(3) Read Chapter 19, “Arguing” (pg. 659-672)
IN-CLASS:
(1) Peers meet to respond to draft 1 of Essay 2 using the “Critical
Reading Guide,” pg. 114-115
(2) Review the suggestions of your peers for improving your Essay
1. Refer to pages 115-117
(3) Create a revision list in preparation for draft 2. There should
be global changes from draft 1 to draft 2.
(4) Discuss Chapter 19 (possible pop quiz)
(5) Discussion of the distinction between edition and revising
(6) In-class student/teacher conferencing
Week 8 October 18
NO CLASS: FALL BREAK
Week 9 October 25
DUE:
(1) Omitting all exercises, read and outline Chapter 15,
“Describing” (pg. 628-638)
(2) Essay 2
(3) Read carefully the first part of Chapter 6, “Arguing a Position”
(pg. 264-291)
(4) Write a list of the basic features of the essay genre. Refer to pages 267-268.
(5) Read the “Guide to Writing” (pg. 295-302) and write lists, descriptions, and sketches as instructed. Be sure to write for the recommended time limits. You should have several pages of
invention writing to submit for homework credit.
IN-CLASS:
(1) Some time to answer students’ questions about the reading material before the test.
(2) Test 2
(3) Discuss Chapter 15
9

10
(5) Final proofreading of Essay 2 before submission
(6) Submit Essay 2
(7) In-class writing, “Thinking Critically about What You Have
Learned” (317-319)
(9) Discuss the assignment for Essay 3: Arguing a Position (pg. 293)
(10) Discuss sample essays
(11) Read “A Writer at Work” (pg. 315-317). This assignment shows you how a student completed Essay 3: Arguing a Position. You should model this writer’s thorough preparation for writing
Essay 3. The more time you devote to the initial stages of writing, the better the final product is likely to be.
(6) Begin planning Essay 3: TAP (pg. 269)
(5) Desk check of homework assignments: list of basic features and invention writing
Week 10 November 1
DUE:
(1) Omitting all exercises, read and outline Chapter 13, “Cueing the
Reader” (pg. 600-614)
(2) Read and follow the guidelines for planning and drafting your first draft of Essay 3 (pg. 366-371)
(3) Draft 1 of Essay 3
IN-CLASS:
(1) Some time to answer students’ questions about the reading material before the test.
(2) Test 3
(3) Discuss Chapter 13
(4) Peers meet to respond to draft 1 of Essay 3 using the “Critical
Reading Guide,” pg. 373-374
(5) Review the suggestions of your peers for improving your Essay
3 and create a revision list in preparation for draft 2. Refer to pages 374-375.
(6) In-class student/teacher conferencing
Week 11 November 8
DUE:
(1) Essay 3
IN-CLASS:
(1) Mini-lessons on pronouns (pg. 231), verb tense shifts, and review of comma rules

11
(2) Final proofreading
(3) Submit Essay 3
(4) In-class writing, “Thinking Critically about What you Have
Learned” (pg. 381-383)
Week 12 November 15
DUE:
(1) Read carefully the first part of Chapter 8, “Justifying an
Evaluation” (pg. 384-418)
(2) Write a list of the basic feature of the essay genre. Refer to pages 387-388.
(4) Read the “Guide to Writing” (pg. 421-428) and write lists, descriptions, and sketches as instructed. Be sure to write for the recommended time limits. You should have several pages of
invention writing to submit for homework credit.
IN-CLASS:
(1) Discuss the assignment for Essay 4: Justifying an Evaluation, pg. 419
(2) Discuss sample essays
(3) Read “A Writer at Work” (pg. 443-445). This assignment shows you how a student completed Essay 4: Justifying an Evaluation.
You should model this writer’s thorough preparation for writing
Essay 4. The more time you devote to the initial stages of writing, the better the final product is likely to be.
(4) Begin planning Essay 3: TAP, pg. 388-389
(5) Desk check of homework assignments
Week 13 November 22
DUE:
(1) Read and follow the guidelines for planning and drafting your first draft of Essay 4 (pg. 429-434)
(2) Draft 1 of Essay 4
(3) Omitting all exercises, read and outline Chapters 17,
“Classifying” (pg.647-652) and 18, “Comparing and Contrasting”
(pg. 653-658)
IN-CLASS:
(1) Some time to answer students’ questions about the reading material before the test.
(2) Test 4
(3) Discuss Chapters 17 and 18

12
(4) Peers meet to respond to draft 1 of Essay 4 using the “Critical
Review Guide,” pg. 436-437
(5) Review the suggestions of your peers for improving your Essay
3 and create a revision list in preparation for draft 2. Refer to pages 437-439.
(6) In-class student/teacher conferencing
Week 14 November 29
DUE:
(1) Essay 4
(2) Read Chapter 23, “Library and Internet Research” (pg. 728-
754)
IN-CLASS:
(1) Final proofreading
(2) Submit Essay 4
(3) Discuss Chapters 23 (possible pop quiz)
(4) In-class writing, “Thinking Critically about What you Have
Learned” (pg. 444-445)
Week 15 December 6 (last day of class)
DUE:
(1) Read Chapter 24, “Using and Acknowledging Sources,” pg. 755-
794
IN-CLASS:
(1) Discuss Chapter 24 (possible pop quiz)
(2) Discuss Chapter 27, “Writing Portfolios,” pg. 832-836
(3) Discuss final portfolio requirements (Essay 4 will be returned so that it may be considered for the final portfolio)
Week 16 (Exam Week)
WRITE YOUR EXAM TIME HERE: ___________________________
DUE:
(1) Final portfolio
IN-CLASS:
(1) Write in-class reflective essay
(2) Submit final portfolio

13