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Below is the common syllabus, mandated by the VCAA Office, for ENGL 10100. Please use this syllabus for
each section of ENGL 10200 that you are conducting this semester.
You will still need to fill in a few areas below (section number, your name, etc.). You will also need to decide
on the relative weight of all assignments. We have made some suggestions, but you can decide the weight of
assignment. Then, delete these four italicized paragraphs of instruction.
You are also welcome, but not required, to create a separate document that adds additional information for
your students. Please be certain that nothing in this document supersedes the guidelines in the syllabus,
though. We have provided a rubric for evaluation of portfolios on page 6; however, that is suggestive only.
What we would like to do, with your assistance, is develop a better instrument over the course of the semester—
especially one that fits our current Learning Outcomes a bit better.
When you have completed your syllabus, please upload it to the I-Drive and the Blackboard site for each
section. Don’t worry about length because we strongly urge you to treat this as an electronic document and not
a print document. While you may print out a set for your students, it would be best if you have students print
their own copies. They will always have access to the online version. If you are uncomfortable with that, then
print a truncated version. In addition, you are required to upload any document meant to add to the syllabus
(see above) and at least a general course schedule for the semester. We have posted a basic structure to make
that easy for you. Be sure to check the University Calendar at http://www.pnc.edu/schedule/future.html as you
prepare your schedule.
ENGL 10200 – English Composition II On-Campus and CEP
Common Syllabus
Spring 2015
Class: TR 11:00-12:15
Phone: 219-508-7190 (cell)
Office hours: via email
Instructor: Julie Brinson
PNC Email: jfbrinso@pnc.edu
English Office: Tech 353, 785-5202
Course Description
The primary goal of ENGL10200 is to exercise your abilities to engage the communities you inhabit through writing. To engage with
those academic, professional, and civic communities effectively, writing is essential: writing informs, shapes, and guides perceptions
of ourselves and our world. As a scholar, citizen, and professional who is learning to negotiate a world of words, your present and
future accomplishments will be enhanced by this course.
This semester you will devote most of your time to inventing, researching, drafting, and revising an extended argument. The process
involved will challenge you to hone your skills in analyzing and addressing a variety of audiences, purposes, and media. In addition
to discovering how to evaluate sources, provide critiques of verbal and visual texts, weigh competing values, and produce effective
discourse, you will also:
• identify appropriate and valuable research questions
• use primary and secondary research to support original ideas
• construct arguments appropriate for a specific audience
• select and conduct the most appropriate field research methods
• read and provide constructive criticism of classmates’ works
• produce 20-25 pages of polished prose this semester
• summarize and synthesize research
• negotiate alternative perspectives
• evaluate source material for credibility, relevance, and currency
• document sources (MLA unless approved otherwise by instructor)
• proofread your own work for effective usage, syntax, and mechanics
In exercising your rhetorical skills throughout the semester, you will become a more confident, sophisticated participant in both
academic and public discourse. This class will challenge you to examine your own values—to be discerning, bold, and creative. Your
active participation, curiosity, and good-faith effort will be required.
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Typical Course Assignments
• Topic proposals
• Literature review
• Final project
• Journal work
• Impromptu and supplemental essays assignments
• Field research
• Participation, homework, tests
Course Material
• Lunsford. Everyone’s An Author. 1st ed. W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
• Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. 5th ed. with 2009 MLA update. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. (Optional)
• The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary. Rev ed. New York, Merriam-Webster, 2004. (Optional)
Internet Resources
• Blackboard: http://blackboard.purdue.edu
• PNC Writing Center: http://www.pnc.edu/ll/writing
• PNC Library: http://www.pnc.edu/depts/ls/
• Purdue’s OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• MLA Guidelines (2009 update): http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/writesite/MLA_updates.pdf
• H- and I- Drive Access: https://home.pnc.edu/NetStorage
Special Accommodations
If you have a disability that will require accommodation over the course of the semester, please notify the instructor as soon as
possible so that your needs can be discussed. If you have not done so already, please also provide appropriate documentation and
request accommodations with the Disability Services Coordinator, SWRZ 38, 219-785-5374.
Plagiarism
Explanations of plagiarism may be found at http://www.pnc.edu/engl/plagiarism.html Also, please see
http://www.pnc.edu/engl/plagiarismstate.html for this university’s statements regarding the consequences for plagiarism. The PNC
Writing Center has a very useful handout on-line entitled “Avoiding Plagiarism” at http://www.pnc.edu/engl/writingcenter/plag.html
Attendance
Students are expected to be present for every meeting of the class. Individual instructors determine whether absences may be excused
for illness, death in the family, or official university functions, but they are not required to excuse such absences. Federal regulations
require that faculty report all students who miss more than two successive class sessions to the Office of the Dean of Students for
appropriate action.
A student who finds that he or she is unable to attend the class faithfully should consult with an advisor about withdrawing from the
course. When a student misses a class, it is his or her responsibility to get class notes and assignments from other students, and consult
with the instructor about making up any missed work. Work that is not submitted on the due dates because of absence from class will
be penalized, unless students have made satisfactory arrangements with their professors prior to the due date. Absence is no excuse
for late or missing work.
Your attendance may affect your final grade as follows:
Classes that meet three times a week
Classes that meet twice a week
3 absences = reduction of 1 letter grade
2 absences = reduction of 1 letter grade
4-6 absences = reduction of 2 letter grades 3-4 absences = reduction of 2 letter grades
5 or more absences = failure in course
Classes that meet once a week
1 absence = reduction of 1 letter grade
2 absences = reduction of 2 letter grades
3 or more absences = failure in course
*****If the PNC website is not available for more than twelve hours (power outage in Westville, server is down), you can find
information about your class at the PNC English Department Facebook site.
Evaluation Rubrics for ENGL 10200 Essays
1. Each paper follows the written assignment.
2. Each paper has a clearly defined thesis that
 is the writer’s own position on the subject
 is clearly connected to purpose and audience
 is supported with an appropriate organizational strategy
 is supported with a balance of generalization and detail
 is narrow enough to be successfully supported in the essay’s required length
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
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
is supported by effectively synthesizing the writer’s own ideas with outside sources, expressed coherently in the author’s own
words
Each paper’s organization contributes to the understanding of the thesis through
 an engaging title and introduction and a conclusion that offers closure
 effective organization that includes logical and clear arrangement of ideas; unity and coherence of paragraphs; and effective
use of transitions
Each paper demonstrates critical thinking by
 using reflective thinking, thoughtful inquiry, and assessment of sources
 addressing a significant topic and present a rationale for field and library research
 synthesizing outside sources with the writers own argument and ideas
 ethically representing the ideas of others (avoids plagiarism)
Students demonstrate an understanding of the research process through
 bibliography and works cited pages that use of a variety of print and electronic sources
 a field research process that
o successfully constructs a mechanism to gather data using case study, survey, interview, or direct observation
o successfully cods and analyzes data
o successfully negotiates contact with sources
o observes ethical guidelines for human subject research consistent with Purdue North Central’s IRB policies
Each paper demonstrates a clear understanding of argumentation through
 a clearly defined argumentative thesis
 the use of evidence subordinated to the student’s own argument
 the use of argumentative methods that
o are standard
o avoid fallacies
o use appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) appropriate for specific audiences
o represent and address alternative perspectives
 revisions to improve use of argumentative methods (see above
Papers demonstrate an understanding of voice by
 using original language and vocabulary to convey ideas and make connections
 addressing a specific discourse community
Papers demonstrate an understanding of the nuances of language by
 using appropriate level of formality
 using a consistent style and tone
 avoiding redundancy and wordiness
 using precise language, avoiding misused words, unidiomatic expressions, jargon, and clichés
 using language and style appropriate to rhetorical situation, including Standard Written English
NOTE: Instructors will use these rubrics in evaluating student writing. How well each piece of work meets these standards will be
determined according to a scale set by individual instructors: i.e. A through F, 1 through 6, 100-0, etc.
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ENGL 10200—English Composition II
Inquiry & Argumentation
Curriculum Requirements
Since ENGL 10200 focuses on argumentation, students are expected to heighten their audience awareness and
to tailor their writing to meet audience needs. Students will also read critically to refine their awareness of the
critical perspectives of published writers and to recognize the unstated assumptions, claims, and use of evidence
in arguments. In addition, students will integrate research with their own thinking. Some work on writing style,
including writing for concision and clarity, and proofreading is expected.
Essay assignments (approx. 70% of semester grade)
• 6,000-8,000 words of polished prose (typically, this would be the total number of words in final drafts)
• At least one writing project will integrate multiple outside sources into an argumentative essay, and these
sources must be documented according to an appropriate documentation system (e.g., MLA, APA,
Chicago Style)
• By the end of the semester, all assignments should have completed the required learning outcomes for
ENGL 10200
• Types of projects:
Rhetorical Analysis of a visual
Literature/Media Review
Summary/Response
Annotated Bibliographies
Research Proposals
Multiple Source Essay
Weblogs
Public Writing
Group Argumentative Project
Research Argumentative Paper
Cultural Analysis
Literary Analysis
Photo documentary Essay
Visual Rhetoric
Feature Article
Reflection
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Process assignments (aprox. 30% of semester grade)—work that enhances implementation of rhetorical skills
and writing to multiple audiences
Evaluation Individual instructors will evaluate student work and assign appropriate grades (new faculty must
attend a calibration workshop at the start of their first semester).
Possible Breakdown:
60% Papers/essays
20% In-class Writing, group work, hand outs, quizzes and other in-class activities
10% Journal Writing
10% Final Presentation
ENGL 10100 and 10200 Portfolio Rubric
This rubric is a set of guidelines which your instructor will use to evaluate your writing. It describes the
qualities your instructor will look for in five important areas: Purpose/Audience, Topic/Thesis,
Organization, Prose, and Process. In each column, you will find a general description of what an “A,”
“B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” portfolio will look like in terms of one of those five aspects. These descriptions are
not meant to be read as items on a checklist but as indications of what a typical A, B, C, D, or F portfolio
should look like. It is likely that your own writing has problems in some areas which are partially
balanced out by successes in other areas; your instructor will use these descriptions to guide his or her
evaluation of the quality of the portfolio as a whole.
Criteria
A
Purpose/ Essays
Audience  fulfill the
assignments in a
fresh and mature
manner
 establish the
writer's stance with
attention and
sensitivity to
audience, purpose,
and context
 when appropriate to
the assignments,
demonstrate
expertise in
employing appeals
to ethos, logos, and
pathos
B
Essays
 follow and fulfill
assignments
 establish the writer's
stance
 demonstrate a clear
sense of audience,
purpose, and context
C
Essays
 follow the
assignments
 demonstrate some
sense of audience and
purpose
D
F
Essays
Essays
 attempt to follow
 are inappropriate in
the assignments
terms of the
purposes of the
 demonstrate little
assignments and
awareness of
their rhetorical
rhetorical situation
situations
 may over- or
under-estimate (or  show no clear
purpose or direction
ignore) the
audience's prior
knowledge,
assumptions, or
beliefs
 may show little
sense of purpose
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Topic/ Essays
Essays
Essays
Thesis  have clearly defined  have fairly well
 have only generally
and focused topics
defined and focused
defined topics
topics
 have clear theses
 have only general
that are supported
 have thesis
thesis statements
with specific (and
statements which are  make responsible use
appropriate)
adequate but could be
of supporting
evidence, examples,
sharpened
evidence which may
and details
 present thorough and
be obvious and easily
 use outside sources
more than adequate
accessible
carefully and cite
reasoning and
 demonstrate little
appropriately
support
awareness of the
 demonstrate valid
 demonstrate a
topics’ complexities
reasoning, good
thoughtful awareness
or other points of
judgment, and an
of complexity and
view
awareness of the
other points of view
 need better
topic's complexities
development,
organization, and
reasoning
Criteria
A
B
Organ- Essays
Essays
ization  use organizing
 have an effective
strategies
introduction and
appropriate to
conclusion
purpose and subject  present information
 use introduction to
in a logical order
establish context,
 use well-chosen
purpose, and
transitions and topic
audience
sentences
 use strong,
 divide paragraphs
engaging topic
logically
sentences
 provides support for
 present well
thesis, but may need
developed
to do so in more
paragraphs which
detail, more
progress logically
consistently, and/or
from what precedes
more precisely
them
 present conclusions
which go beyond
mere restatement of
the introduction
C
Essays
 may have no thesis
statements (or, at
best, flawed ones)
 fail to give obvious
evidence
 may present
irrelevant evidence
 inadequately
interpret evidence
 demonstrate
insufficient
understanding of
the rhetorical
situation
 may rely too
heavily on
evidence from
published sources
or lectures without
adding original
analysis
Essays
 fall seriously short
of the minimum
length requirements
 are insufficiently
developed
 do not go beyond
the obvious
D
F
Essays
Essays
Essays
 are organized in a
 exhibit deficient
 are plagued by more
fairly clear way
organization
than one of the
organizational
 could be outlined by a  introductions or
deficiencies of a D
reader, despite
conclusions are
essay: i.e.,
occasional lack of
not clearly marked
introductions or
topic sentences
or functional
conclusions are not
 have adequately
 paragraphs are
clearly marked or
developed and
neither coherently
functional;
appropriately divided
developed nor
paragraphs are
paragraphs
arranged
neither coherently
 make transitions
 topic sentences are
developed nor
which may be
consistently
arranged; topic
mechanical but foster
missing, murky, or
sentences are
coherence
inappropriate
consistently
 transitions are
missing, murky, or
missing or flawed.
inappropriate;
transitions are
missing or flawed.
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Prose
Essays
Essays
Essays
Essays
 contain clear,
 contain clear and
 exhibit competent
 may have
readable, and
readable prose
expression
numerous and
sometimes
consistent errors
 use sentence
 use relatively simple
memorable prose
in spelling, usage,
structure appropriate
sentence structure ,
and punctuation
 contain few surface
for educated readers,
relying on simple and
that reveal
errors, none of
including appropriate
compound sentences
unfamiliarity with
which seriously
use of subordination,
 are generally free of
Standard Written
undermines the
emphasis, sentence
sentence-level errors
English (or a lack
overall effectiveness
variety, and modifiers  make correct though
of careful
of the paper for
 exhibit few sentencelimited word choices
proofreading)
educated readers
level errors
 contain errors in
 exhibit stylistic
 use precise and
spelling, usage, and
grace and flourishes
appropriate
punctuation revealing
(subordination,
vocabulary
unfamiliarity with
variation of
 contain punctuation,
Standard Written
sentence and
usage, and spelling
English
paragraph lengths,
conforming to
interesting
Standard Written
vocabulary)
English
Process Portfolio as a whole
 demonstrates
creative, flexible,
and effective
revision at both the
global and local
levels
 demonstrates
familiarity with
several methods for
generating material
(e.g., freewriting,
outlining,
clustering, etc.)
 exhibits outstanding
improvement in
writing over time
Essays
 contain numerous
and consistent
errors of spelling,
usage, and
punctuation which
hinder
communication
Portfolio as a whole
Portfolio as a whole
Portfolio as a whole
Portfolio as a whole
 demonstrates
 demonstrates some
 fails to
 fails to demonstrate
effective revision at
effective revision at
demonstrate
any revision
both the global and
the global level
effective revision
 does not
local levels
at any but a
 demonstrates
demonstrate
superficial level
 demonstrates
familiarity with at
familiarity with
familiarity with at
least one method of
 does not
methods of
least two methods for
generating material
demonstrate
generating material
generating material
(e.g., freewriting,
familiarity with
 does not exhibit any
(e.g., freewriting,
outlining, clustering.)
methods of
improvement in
outlining, clustering,  may not exhibit clear
generating
writing over time
etc.)
material
improvement in
 exhibits improvement
writing over time
 does not exhibit
in writing over time
clear improvement
in writing over
time