ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Course: English 250, Section 1, Booneville
Instructor: Dr. Alice Myatt
Contact information: If you have questions or concerns, please come see me during office hours or
contact me via email. Office: 101 Somerville; Email: amyatt1@olemiss.edu.
Phone: 662-436-7682 (cell) or 662-915-7678
Office hours: Online weeks: Monday and Wednesday 5-6 p.m.
Additional hours by appointment
Class meetings and location: Booneville Section 1, Mon/Wed 4:30-5:45 pm and online
Last Day to Withdraw: 3/02/12!
Course texts: You must have a copy of the following books for your own use for this course.
Oliu, and Alred, G. J. (2009). Writing that Works. 10th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
DeVoss, Nicole and Troy Hicks (2010). Because Digital Writing Matters. New York: NCTE.
Other Required Materials
1. Access to an Internet-capable computer.
2. Comp Class (required): I use an online composition tool developed by Bedford/St.
Martin's called Comp Class. It will allow you to submit certain assignments
electronically, participate in a workshop group online, post discussion forum
comments on readings, and receive my comments on your writing. It has a grade
book and an e-mail system, and an e-version of A Writer’s Reference, the handbook I
use in teaching. Additionally, it gives you access numerous other online resources for
writers in all disciplines.
During our first class, we will complete the following tasks:
• Visit the website http://www.yourcompclass.com
• Click "REGISTER an Activation Code" and follow the on-screen directions
• Use the activation code that I give you in class
• Use the online form to create a user ID and password (use your Ole Miss email
account only)
Problems with CompClass? Call Bedford/St. Martin’s Help Desk at 1-800-936-6899.
3. Access to your Ole Miss E-mail account – I send regular and frequent e-mails.
Plan on checking your student e-mail account often.
4. On the computer you use for your study, a copy of Adobe Reader to read online
handouts, which you can download free from Adobe's web site.
5. This syllabus. You should review it often; check the online schedule for our class
meeting information – homework, in-class topics and work, and due dates for
projects.
6. During our class, we will access a variety of web sites. In order to keep things
organized, I will post all web links on our class web site; you may access it at
ajmyatt.com/writ250.
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Course Overview:
ENGL 250 builds on the lessons of first-year composition courses to expand research and writing skills,
especially within writing situations and tasks used in workplace and organizational settings. Course
assignments and activities emphasize the role of professional writing and the importance of developing
professional writing skills. Students learn how people typically read and use work documents by
analyzing the functions, structure, and language of professional writing. The course also teaches the
importance of information technology by introducing research skills of value in the workplace and in
students’ upper-level courses and majors.
Course description: This course will provide students opportunities to advance in research skills,
methods, and projects; deepen their awareness of audience-specific and rhetorical conventions and
mechanics; focus on critical thinking skills in all parts of the composing process; use effective rhetorical
strategies to effectively analyze lengthier, complex readings and synthesize external sources and ideas
into logically sound arguments, and develop a style suitable for specific academic purposes and
audiences. Students enrolled in the course will be asked to think about the core outcomes in terms of
digital composition and the Internet. Attention is given to the principles of effective professional
communication, with special emphasis on effective communication in academic settings.
Course description specific to this seminar: This material covered in this class is beneficial to
anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the theories and practices of effective professional
communication. In this course, each of you will research the ways in which writing in both hard copy and
digital formats takes place in classroom or workplace settings, and you will write about that use in a series
of assignments, culminating in a final research portfolio. In maintaining our focus on writing
communities, your subculture must fit within one of two categories. Either you may choose to study a
particular writing community with a particular focus on researching the ways that that community uses
writing or composition and interacts with its audience, or you may choose to study a community made up
of teachers of writing or elementary education students. Some of the work in this class is team-based,
giving you experience with group dynamics.
We will borrow methods from other disciplines to explore how user communities adapt and challenge the
affordances of communication. We will discuss how to choose an appropriate focus in class.
Course objectives: Our goal in this course is to strengthen the research skills introduced in first-year
composition classes so that you can conduct well organized and designed research tailored to answer a
research question that you identify. In this process, you will document sources, maintain a research
portfolio, and write up your results. In addition, you will examine a community of writing teachers or
writers in order to strengthen your awareness of effective principles for professional communication.
Students successfully completing ENGL 250 will have the ability to:
1. Determine the appropriate content, format, and style for creating effective documents.
2. Adapt writing to different situations, audiences, and purposes.
3. Organize documents clearly and effectively for the intended audience.
4. Develop teamwork skills and collaborate effectively in teams.
5. Develop good research questions and strategies.
6. Gather, evaluate, interpret, and apply information accurately, logically, and ethically.
7. Produce accessible, well-designed documents.
8. Develop a clear, concise writing style.
Participation: You are expected to speak up in class and participate actively in groups. As this is a
hybrid class, when we work online, I expect you to participate in discussion board forums.
Active participant:
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of the
discussion would be diminished significantly.
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Adequate participant:
Unsatisfactory participant:
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of the
discussion would be diminished materially.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of the
discussion would be unaffected.
Teaching Methods: This course will be taught using both lecture and workshop formats. I will present
information on each type of writing; we will then discuss examples and frequently practice developing a
sample. You will be asked to submit or bring in rough drafts of your major writing assignments, which
you will discuss in small groups with other students. We will also discuss readings, both as models and
for their relevant content. Because this is a workshop and discussion based course, attendance (logging in
when online) and participation are particularly important, especially during weeks when we meet online.
Policy on Late Work: Deadlines are important both in the university setting and in the workplace.
ENGL 250 is a fast-paced course, and success is very difficult without staying up-to-date with the
assignments. During online meeting weeks, all work will be due on Friday by 5 pm: this gives me time to
respond to you by the first of the following week.
Late Assignments Policy:
Students are strongly encouraged to submit work promptly and by the due dates, including having rough
drafts done on assigned dates. A great deal of the learning takes place during peer review sessions on
these drafts, and student work suffers without this review. If a student is unable to complete the final
draft by the due date, students must request an extension in advance, either verbally or by email, before
the evening that it is due. Extensions will be granted in most cases, as long as the request is made in a
timely fashion. Late papers will be accepted but penalized by three points each class day that they are late,
unless an extension has been requested and granted. If all work is not completed before the end of the
course, and a student has not requested and received approval for an extension or an “Incomplete,” then
you will receive a course grade of F.
In order to be fair to all students, the guidelines below will regulate acceptance of assignments:
Do not miss class because you don’t have an assignment ready; that practice will make you fall even
further behind.
KEEP ALL DRAFTS, PROCESS NOTES, AND IN-CLASS WRITING! Your final grade for an
assignment will be based on your overall process. Final drafts will be graded only if all process work is
completed.
You may not submit the next assignment on the syllabus if you have not submitted the preceding one.
You may not join a team for the Team Project if you have not submitted the previously assigned projects
and your preliminary proposal.
Projects missing required components may receive a failing grade.
No late drafts will be accepted for feedback during the last two weeks of the semester.
Assignments and grade allocation: For each assignment, you will find a detailed description of
what is required posted on our online course space. Your grade will be based on the percentages as
indicated below. Note: you must complete all assignments in order to receive a passing grade.
Assignment
Journal Writing, Online Discussion Boards, and Quizzes
Correspondence Portfolio (exercises from Writing that Works)
Handbook Terms Presentation
Inventing the University Essay
% of Course Grade
10%
10%
5%
10%
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Documentary Analysis Essay
Ethics in the Field Project
Mini Research Project
ePortfolio and Reflection (in lieu of final exam)
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
10%
20%
15%
20%
All written assignments should be word-processed, except for those done in class. Late assignments will be
accepted, but will be downgraded unless you receive an extension in advance.
Class participation is required, and superior or inferior class participation will affect your final grade.
Format for assignments: All papers submitted (except those done by hand during class and texts for
which hand editing is required) must be in proper APA format (refer to the APA entries in your
handbook). Please review the assignment to make sure that you are submitting all the documents required.
Major Assignments:
All assignments are due Friday by 5pm, uploaded to CompClass, unless otherwise noted.
Inventing the University Essay (10%): In order to write successfully in college and, eventually, in
the workplace, you must develop an intuitive understanding of discourse communities. After
reading David Bartholomae’s “Inventing the University” essay, you will explore the discourse
community unique to your field, and write a developed expository essay about disciplinary
culture, expectations, and assumptions.
Documentary Analysis Essay (10%): You will choose a documentary film related to your career
interests or academic field. Your analysis should associate the content of the documentary with
the exposition of discourse communities you constructed in the first essay. This essay should
thus avoid summary exposition and focus primarily on analysis and synthesis.
Mini Research Project (15%): You will propose a hypothetical research project related to your
field. Though you will not actually compose the research paper for this course, this project will
allow you to become acquainted with the expectations of academic or professional writing in
your field (this project builds upon the Inventing the University Essay). The first component of
this project is a comprehensive proposal, or prospectus. The second part of the project asks you
to compose an annotated bibliography of 8 sources in hypertext format. This component
requires you not only to learn about research, but to learn about writing for the web. You will be
evaluated on the hyper-textual effectiveness of the bibliography, including the variety of media
included, in addition to the rigor and precision of your research.
Correspondence Portfolio/Career Search Project (10%): This project consists of several
components designed to help you prepare for the job search and interview process. Each
component is weighed equally in the project’s final grade.
Final Project: Ethics in the Field Issue: (20%) The capstone assignment for this course is a
group project. Each of you will give a 2-3 minute talk on the disciplinary issue you find most
pressing. As a class, you will vote on the best/most important/most well-prepared presentations,
and each group will work with one of the top issues. You will execute field research, compile
data, write a literature review and formal reports, and give a final presentation to the class. This
project expects considerable outside-of-class work, and you should expect to devote as much
time to it as you would to a major revenue-dependent project in your career.
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Handbook Terms Presentations (5%): You will each select one term from the AWRef textbook
(with my approval) and make a 5-10 minute presentation to the class explaining the term and
providing examples. Obviously, you will want to pick a term that is interesting enough to warrant
a presentation (I would suggest against “comma,” for example). Your presentation must include
a visual element (Powerpoint, Prezi, or equivalent). You will be evaluated on content and
delivery.
Final e-Portfolio and Reflection (15%): You will assemble all completed assignments for this
course and compose a reflective memo detailing your growth as an academic writer since the
beginning of the term. This portfolio will be housed in an electronic medium. This portfolio serves
as your final examination.
Resources for Writers




Ole Miss Writing Center: http://www.olemiss.edu/cwr/wcenters.html
Purdue's Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Ole Miss Career Center: http://www.career.olemiss.edu/
APA style documentation: A Writer’s Reference, pp. 131, 139-144
Attendance policy: Students are expected to attend all class meetings; improving writing skills takes
time and is a process unlike learning content alone. In acknowledgment of the fact that students may
experience some circumstances which prevent complete attendance, the following policy is in effect:
T/TH and M/W Courses
4 days missed: final course grade lowered by one letter grade
5 days missed: final course grade lowered by two letter grades
6 days missed: final course grade lowered by three letter grades
7 days missed: failure
Important note: The Center for Writing and Rhetoric does not use "excused" or "unexcused" categories;
all absences are recorded as absences.
Attendance for students on scholarship: If a student is attending UM with a scholarship requiring
course absences (e.g, athletics, band), the following exception applies: students will not be penalized for
required absences alone, as long as the student presents to the instructor by the end of the course drop/add
period an official letter from the scholarship-issuing program declaring the required absences for the
entire semester. If a scholarship student accrues absences beyond those designated by the letter, he or she
will incur the penalty listed above. (For example: A scholarship student who documents a requirement to
miss 5 T/Th course meetings for a scholarship and is absent 5 times will suffer no penalty; a student who
documents a requirement to miss 5 T/Th course meetings for a scholarship and is absent 6 times will have
the final course grade lowered by three letter grades). Students who miss 8 MWF or 7 T/Th classes for
any reason will fail the course regardless of scholarships, and students who plan to miss 10% of the
course should enroll in the course during another semester. Students whose scholarship-issuing programs
cannot produce such a letter, or determine a schedule in advance, should take the course during another
semester. Letters cannot be amended.
Disability services: If you have a documented disability as described by the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (P.L. 933-112 Section 504) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and would like to request
academic and/or physical accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at 234 Martindale
Center, 662-915-7128. Course requirements will not be waived but reasonable accommodations may be
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
provided as appropriate. Please consult http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/sds/ for more information on
student disability services.
Plagiarism policy: All work that you submit under your name for credit at UM is assumed to be your
original work. While teachers hope and expect for you to incorporate the thinking of others in your work,
you must credit others’ work when you rely upon it. In your written assignments, there are only three
methods for properly importing the work of others: quotation, paraphrase, and summary.
Policies Subject to Change
All information in this syllabus is subject to change at any time, especially during the first weeks of the
semester. I will announce changes to our schedule during class time and also via CompClass. You are
responsible for changes to the schedule as they arise, regardless of whether or not you attend class.
University Writing Center
Make contact with a Writing Center tutor as soon as possible. Aside from one-on-one meetings with me
during office hours, the best way to improve your writing is to work with writing tutors, either in person
or online. We have writing centers in Tupelo, Oxford, and Southaven, and any Ole Miss student can work
with a tutor online. Many successful students begin working with a writing center tutor with the first
writing assignment and continue working with various tutors over the course of a semester, making
appointments with tutors for each essay they write. The goal of the Writing Center is to help students
become better, independent writers, so the tutors don't "proofread" or merely "correct" errors. They will
help you to brainstorm, talk about research and explore resources, and yes, they will answer your
grammar questions. To learn more about Writing Center hours, scheduling and services, go to
http://www.olemiss.edu/cwr/wcenters.html.
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Changes: All information in this schedule is subject to change at any time, especially during the first weeks of the
semester. I will announce changes to our schedule during class time and also via CompClass. You are responsible
for changes to the schedule as they arise, regardless of whether or not you attend class.
Note: for pacing, I have kept the two-day/week format for class work. However, during weeks when we
meet online, all work must be posted by 5 pm Friday, which gives you more flexibility in posting work.
Date
Preparation
Class
1/23
Introductions, in class writing; taking a hybrid course
and learning about the online course space
1/25
Read NCTE Position Statement on
Post to online discussion board; respond to the prompt
Literacy (posted in CompClass Course
I post to start the discussion
Materials tab); Read “Skimming the
Surface” (posted in CompClass Course
Materials tab)
1/30
Read DeVoss ch. 1
Thinking critically about literacy and writing
Post your bio to Introduction Discussion Board
2/01
Watch Writing Across Borders
Online: discussion board postings due by Friday 5 pm
2/06
Read DeVoss ch. 2
Due: Inventing the University essay by Friday 5 pm
Post to online discussion board
2/08
2/13
Read DeVoss ch. 3
2/15
2/20
2/22
Chapter 1: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Read DeVoss ch. 4
Chapters 2 &14: Writing that Works
(read and take the online quiz)
Online: discussion board
Online discussion board topic: Thinking critically
about writing with technology
Complete Research Project 1, page 24, WTW, post to
the Ch. 1 Discussion Board in CompClass
Due: Documentary Analysis Essay by Friday 5 pm
Complete Research Project 4, page 63 WTW, post to
the Ch. 2 Discussion Board in CompClass
In class: Handbook Terms Presentations
LIBRARY DAY – Guest Ruth Mirtz, research librarian
Online: discussion board postings due by Friday 5 pm
2/27
Read DeVoss ch. 5
2/29
Chapters 3 & 13: Writing that Works
(read and take the online quiz)
Begin working on your mini-research project by
responding to Research Project 2 on page 92, WTW,
but adjust your response to follow the Mini-Research
assignment guidelines posted in CompClass
3/05
Read DeVoss ch. 6
3/07
3/12
Chapter 4: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
SPRING BREAK
Respond to online discussion board by Friday 5 pm
Due today (3/05) by end of day: the Prospectus part of
your mini-research project
Complete the Exercises section on pp 121-123. Submit
your responses via the Writing Tab in CompClass.
SPRING BREAK
3/14
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
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ENGL 250 Spring 2012 Syllabus
Center for Writing and Rhetoric
3/19
Chapter 5: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
What’s a lit review?
Workshop writing lit review
3/21
Chapter 15: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Chapter 6: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Due: Mini-Research Project by Friday 5 pm
Review and discuss the Ethics Project Assignment
Activity to be announced
3/26
3/28
4/02
Introduction to the Correspondence Portfolio
Chapter 7: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Activity to be announced
Chapter 8: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Chapters 9 & 16: Writing that Works
(read and take the online quiz)
Chapter 10: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Activity to be announced
Chapter 12: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Chapter 15: Writing that Works (read
and take the online quiz)
Due: Correspondence Portfolio
4/04
4/09
4/11
4/16
4/18
4/23
Activity to be announced
Activity to be announced
Due: Ethics Project (if you want feedback from Dr.
Myatt)
Work on final reflections and portfolio preparation
4/25
4/30
5/02
Due: Ethics Project by Friday 5 pm
Complete e-Portfolio and write reflective essay
Due: e-Portfolio and Reflection
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