TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY
Course Syllabus
ENGLISH 101: INTRODUCTION TO WRITING
Summer 2012
Online Version: April 30 to June 22, 2012
Instructor: Melinda Dewsbury
Office: Upper SNC
Contact: MelindaD@twu.ca OR 604-513-2121 ext 3882
Office Hours: by email or by appointment
Course Description:
This course is designed to lead students through writing tasks of the university classroom. The primary goal of the course
is to develop in the student the desire, the confidence, and the ability to write coherent English prose in a variety of
academic genres, including the research paper, and to employ textual analysis in order to develop awareness of logical
patterns. In the context of these tasks, students expand critical thinking skills, acquire effective academic vocabulary, and
focus on academic writing skills.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will show improvement in the following areas:
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understanding how genre affects university writing assignments
understanding the expectations for writing in various disciplines
employing diverse research skills in the library and online
using a critical approach to research
choosing and focusing a topic
creating an effective thesis
supporting and expanding argument
employing logical patterns
integrating research
engaging with their written work and the work of others
refining vocabulary for university level
refining sentence structure
refining grammar
developing an individual voice that celebrates God’s design
Textbooks:
Dewsbury, M. (2011). Cracking the Code: ENGL 101 Coursepack. Langley, BC: Trinity Western
University.
Dewsbury, M. (2005). Supplements for Academic Growth: A Video Lecture Series. Langley, BC: Global
Learning Connections, Trinity Western University.
*Both materials are provided on the Course Website. No purchases are required.
Evaluation:
APA and documentation project
Annotated Bibliography
Article Review
Integration Paper
Online Participation (includes forums and drafts)
Final Research Essay
10%
15%
15%
15%
15%
30%
Course Requirements:
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Communicate regularly with the instructor. Email questions as they arise.
Forum participation is required. Students must complete all assigned postings and interact with classmates
online.
Students must complete a project that focuses on the study of documentation, plagiarism, and correct use of
APA.
One annotated bibliography is required. Students must prepare five annotations of approximately 150 words
each. References must follow proper APA documentation. The topic for this assignment is the research paper
topic. The instructor will provide online lectures for writing this genre.
One article review is required. This assignment should be 3-4 pages, with 1/3 summary and 2/3 critical
evaluation. The instructor will provide online lectures on how to write an article review.
One integration paper is required. This assignment should be 3-4 pages. The student must apply a theory to
the analysis of a case study. The instructor will provide lectures on how to write an integration paper.
One final research essay is required. This paper must be at least 8 pages in length, typed, 12 point Times New
Roman, double spaced, following proper APA style. It must use at least 6 different sources, and the sources must
be credible. The student must get approval of the topic prior to beginning the research process. The instructor will
provide online lectures on how to write a research paper.
Policies:
1. In ENGL 101, I will be very strict about plagiarism and citation of all your sources. Here is the university policy
statement:
Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism at TWU
As Christian scholars pursuing higher education, academic integrity is a core value of the entire TWU community.
Students are invited into this scholarly culture and required to abide by the principles of sound academic scholarship at
TWU. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding all forms of plagiarism and cheating in scholarly work. TWU has a strict
policy on plagiarism (see academic calendar). Learning what constitutes plagiarism and avoiding it is the student's
responsibility. An excellent resource describing plagiarism and how to avoid it has been prepared by TWU Librarian
William Badke and is freely available for download (PPT file) or used as flash (self running) tutorials of varying lengths
from:
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/plagiarism.ppt
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/Plagiarism.swf (14 minute flash tutorial)
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/Plagiarism_Short.swf (8 minute flash tutorial)
2. Late assignments are recorded. A single late assignment will not be penalized. More than one late assignment
suggests a pattern and, at the end of the semester, your final grade will be reduced by 1/3 letter grade per
late assignment. NOTE: The instructor will not accept ANY assignments (late or revisions) after the final
day of class (Jun 22).
3. Support from a tutor is a very good idea. A recommended tutor list is posted on our website. Do NOT ask
friends and roommates to “edit” or correct your written work for you. Furthermore, do NOT use any online writing
service or internet tutor unless supplied by Trinity Western University. If you use email with a tutor, request
that the tutor use “track changes” and that the tutor give you suggestions and feedback rather than corrections.
Finally, please keep all evidence of your work in progress: all notes, drafts, and revisions. Do NOT delete these
until you receive your grade. Finding a tutor or booking a writing centre appointment is the student’s responsibility.
Book well in advance. Waiting for a tutor is not an excuse for an extension.
4. Students may rewrite ONE assignment during the semester. The maximum grade for a revision is B.
5. Save all of your drafts and essays in more than one location. Emailing your essay to yourself is an excellent
option as it allows you to access the document from any computer. Lost files are not an excuse for an
extension.
Proposed Course Outline
Week
1
Unit
Day 1-2
Day 3-6
2
Days 1-2
LESSON
READING
and VIDEO
ASSIGNMENTS
DUE
Topic selection
and
development;
Library skills,
search skills,
evaluating
resources
Video: Effective
Searching
Choose a research
topic. Post your
ideas and thoughts
on the topic. Reply
to all of your
classmates.
Documentation,
plagiarism
Annotated
Bibliography
Melinda’s APA
Guide
Find sources on the
topic.
Post APA questions
on the forum.
OWL Purdue for
details on
documentation
Complete the APA
and Documentation
Project. Due May 7
Video: Writing
Annotated
Bibliographies
Post the
bibliographies for
each source you
found. Suggest the
genre and
credibility rating for
each source.
(Forum posts)
Day 3-6
Draft and
revise your
assignment
3
Days 1-2
Article Review
Video: Writing a
Summary
Days 3-6
Draft and
revise your
assignment
4
Days 1-2
Read: Your
chosen article
Integration
Paper
Week 5
Week 6
Video: Writing
the Integration
Paper
View your
movie
Days 3-6
Draft and
revise your
assignment
5-7
Video: Writing a
Review
Research
Essay:
Overview; A=B
Thesis
development
Research
Essay:
Integrating
Read The
Universal
Declaration of
Human Rights
Video: Writing
with Research
Video: Logic:
The
Mathematics of
Good Writing
Video: Working
with Evidence
Annotated
Bibliography due
May 16
Post the strengths
and weaknesses
you see in your
article (forums)
Post a thesis
statement (forums)
Article Review
May 25
Watch your chosen
movie. Write down
important quotes.
Match quotes to
important Articles
from the UDHR.
Post your
worksheet. (forums)
Integration Paper
June 4
Post your logical
argument and your
thesis. Give
classmates
feedback. (forums)
Plan the kinds of
evidence you need
for each section of
research, using
evidence
Week 7
Research
Essay:
Specific details;
Cause and
effect
Video: Using
Examples
Video: Working
with Cause and
Effect
Video: Cause
and Effect
Vocabulary
8
Revision
Week
your essay. Begin
searching for more
research to provide
this evidence. Post
your “Evidence
Plan” on the forum.
What kinds of
cause and effect
relationships do
you see in your
argument? Post
your thoughts on
this to the forum.
Discuss with
classmates.
Spend this week drafting and revising. Add research
where it is missing. Finalize documentation and
formatting. Post a draft for feedback by June 18.
Research Paper due June 22.
Standard University Grading Scale:
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Percentage
90-100
85-89
80-84
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
57-59
53-56
50-52
Below 50
Grade Point
4.3
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.7
0