1
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
SYLLABUS
ENC 1101
Writing and Rhetoric
Instructor:
Unit: U02A (523777)
Vera Beloshitzkaya
Office:
SIPA 213 (2nd floor, ring the bell)
Email:
vbelo002@fiu.edu
Office Hours:
Monday 11:00-11:45 am & Tuesday 13:30 -14:30 pm
& by appointment
Course Description
ENC 1101, the first of FIU's two-course writing sequence, introduces students to the
writing, reading, and critical thinking skills required for college writing. Course
materials and writing projects introduce rhetorical concepts and invite students to
consider themselves as writers inside and outside the classroom. Students will read and
analyze professional nonfiction texts to understand how experienced writers develop
and present ideas through writing. They will complete four major writing projects for a
variety of audiences and purposes.
General Course Outcomes
Students will be able to:

Respond in writing to various rhetorical purposes and address the needs of
various audiences;

Develop their ideas through a recursive process of writing, revision, and editing;

Display appropriate format, structure and stylistic choices to meet audience
needs and to satisfy their rhetorical purpose;
2

Develop an effective thesis and support it with reasons and evidence;

Interact with complex texts, explore alternative perspectives, and articulate and
support their own perspective in response;

Incorporate sourced materials into their own work through effective use of
quotation, summary, paraphrase and citation using MLA or other appropriate
style manual;

Exhibit appropriate syntax, punctuation, and spelling;
Develop a rhetorical vocabulary for understanding and talking about writing.

Unit Outcomes & Corresponding Assignments
Unit 2. Strong Response
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:






Demonstrate familiarity with/understanding of rhetorical concepts including
rhetorical situation, rhetorical purpose/aim, audience, rhetorical appeals, genre,
angle of vision; reading against the grain;
Recognize the rhetorical strategies and stylistic choices made by experienced
communicators;
Read and summarize another writer's argument succinctly;
Articulate a clear perspective on the way the assigned text works rhetorically;
Purposefully incorporate quotations, summary, and paraphrase using attributive
tags, quotation marks, and appropriate citation style;
Employ revision and editing strategies appropriate to the audience and purpose.
Assignment: Rhetorical Critique.
Unit 3. Literacy Narrative.
At the end of the unit, students should

Produce a final written project that indicates a clear rhetorical purpose and that
is appropriate for a diverse audience of peers;
3

Use conventions of open-form prose;

Show engagement with issues of language, literacy, rhetoric, or cultures;

Apply knowledge of the following persuasive appeals and rhetorical concepts:
ethos, pathos, logos, angle of vision;

Use specific language (descriptive, figurative, with attention paid to word choice);

Produce a final draft that shows evidence of a thoughtful writing process,
including invention, revision, and proof-reading;

Use syntax, punctuation, and spelling effectively in service of rhetorical purpose.
Assignment: Reflective Response.
Unit 4. Analyzing and Synthesizing Ideas (capstone)
At the end of the unit, students should

Interact with a group of texts, explore alternative perspectives, and present a new
perspective of their own;

Summarize multiple complex texts indicating understanding of the authors’
arguments and rhetorical strategies;

Develop a focused thesis that indicates their analysis and synthesis of assigned
readings to arrive at their own perspective;

Use textual evidence effectively to support claims;

Cite sources appropriately using MLA guidelines;

Use syntax, punctuation, and spelling effectively in service of rhetorical purpose.
Assignment: Synthesizing Ideas.
Unit 5. Essay Exams/Writing Under Pressure.
4
At the end of the unit, students should

Demonstrate their ability to adapt their writing processes to an abbreviated time
frame;

Analyze an essay exam question to understand what the question is looking for by
recognizing cues and by interpreting and responding to key terms;

Produce a written document, written under time constraint, that responds
effectively to the prompt and that exhibits a clear thesis, coherent organization,
and content appropriate to the question.
Assignment: Timed Essay (Final Exam).
Required Course Materials

Ramage, John, John Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to
Writing: Customized for Florida International University, 5th New York:
Pearson Custom Publishing, 2013. Customized for Florida International
University.

Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer: Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, Customized for Florida International University.

Access to reliable Internet connection, a computer, a printer, and a binder.
Be sure to bring your Allyn & Bacon textbook with you to class.
Overview of Graded Course Work
Attendance: Attendance is expected and excessive absences affect your grade. Starting
the first day of class I will be taking attendance every class period. Please understand
this is not a course where others can "fill you in.” Your participation in
class discussions is essential to both your own learning and the quality of
the course we will be creating together. Since any composition course is
necessarily an active - learning environment, more than five absences are grounds
for failure. Students are more than 5 minutes late will be considered tardy. Three
tardies is equivalent to one absence.
5
During the time class is scheduled, you are expected to be present in the classroom in
body and mind. This is more than just attendance, but active participation in the
classroom. This requires an avoidance of all distractions. It should go without
saying that sleeping, texting, and web browsing during class time is
unacceptable.
Class Participation: Tasks, such as in-class assignments, homework, conferences,
and quizzes are counted separately as participation assignments and will be assigned
regularly in order to keep the process of composing each writing project
manageable. You will organize them in a portfolio (binder) which I will grade
four times during the semester
Your portfolio should be organized in the chronological order. Be sure to include
the date and topic of your in-class assignments. Number and date your homework
assignments. The information on each homework assignment can be found on
student calendar available at verabel.wordpress.com
Language journal could be composed electronically or in a notebook. It should
reflect your work on grammar and style issues. Work with your papers and
Everyday Writer to improve your style and grammar.
Peer Review: The single most important participation activity will be your work with
other students’ writing. I believe strongly that good writers grow from being good
readers. To that end, we will peer review all major papers this semester. I expect your
peer review work to be thoughtful, thorough, and meaningful. I will offer
further guidance on peer review in class. You will only receive full credit for peer review
if you submit your own complete draft to review as well as appropriately and helpfully
respond to all papers assigned to you for the peer review.
Drafts are required for Peer Review and Conference days, and will be part of your
Participation Assignments grade. On days drafts are checked, make sure to bring
a printed copy of your essay. Handwritten drafts are unacceptable and will not be
counted for a grade. Electronic drafts on a laptop also will not be counted. Only typed,
printed drafts will receive a grade.
Writing Projects: The core of this course will be four major writing projects,
each will have a separate assignment sheet and will require a process
6
approach to writing—you will work on each project through multiple drafts,
reviews, revisions, and editing sessions before turning it in to me for a final
grade.
All essays are to follow MLA, be typed in Times New Roman (12 point), and be doublespaced. We will discuss each writing project extensively in class.
Paper Submission: Students will submit essays to my e-mail at vbelo002@fiu.edu.
Students can expect a graded paper with my comments returned to them before the next
assignment is due.
Paper Revisions: You will be able to revise and resubmit one of your first two papers.
You will need to include a reflective memo, stating which revisions you made and why.
Papers without reflective memos will not be graded. Revisions will be due June 12, 2015.
Final Exam (Timed Writing): Your fourth writing project will be a timed exam
during the final exam period of this course. The exam will be designed to help test your
ability to write extemporaneously. It will be based on course readings and we will spend
class time preparing you for this kind of writing. I will discuss the timed writing exam in
class before giving it. If you have any questions about this exam please see me. Please
bring a blue book and your portfolio for the final exam.
Other Course Policies
Plagiarism: Please review FIU’s web page about plagiarism (representing another’s
work, ideas, expressions, or materials as your
own), http://www2.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/5beaconlettertoallstudents.htm,
and here http://www2.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm to make
yourself aware of the disciplinary sanctions resulting from academic misconduct. Print
and sign the last page of the course syllabus and return to me during the first week of
classes.
Special Needs: Students having special needs as defined by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact FIU Disability Center (http://drc.fiu.edu/) so
that reasonable and appropriate accommodations can be implemented.
7
Late Work: A paper received after the deadline on the due date is considered late. For
major essay assignments that miss the deadline, I deduct 5% from the essay’s score for
each day the work is late. After 5 days, late essays are NOT ACCEPTED. According to
Writing Program policy, you must turn in all major papers to pass the class. An essay
submitted late will be ineligible for revision.
Labeling Work: To avoid confusion, please label all of your work carefully. Include
your name, the course prefix and number, the date of submission, the assignment label,
and a descriptive title. For instance:
Horatio Hamletson
ENC 1101
October 3, 2014
Rhetorical Analysis
Dove’s Real Beauty: Clever Marketing Cleans Up with Substance
Your text begins here….
Getting Help
The Center for Excellence in Writing
During any stage of the writing process, the writing consultants at the writing center are
available to help you set clear goals, bring focus to your ideas, and encourage creative
and critical thinking. At Modesto A. Maidique Campus, the Center can be found on the
first floor of the Library (GL-120).
Communication: Don’t hesitate to visit me during office hours for additional help or
just stop by to say hello. If you plan to revise your essay for a better grade, it’s a good
idea to meet with me sometime before the last week of classes (don’t put it off!) to get
extra help.
Grading
8
All major writing assignments must be completed in order to pass. All work
must be original for this class. You must earn a grade of C or higher to pass ENC
1101. A “C-“ or lower will result in having to repeat ENC 1101.
Final Grade Distribution
Paper 1: Rhetorical Critique 20%
Paper 2: Reflective Response 20%
Paper 3: Synthesizing Ideas 25%
Paper 4: Timed Essay 15%
Participation Assignments 15% (2 unexcused absences are permitted)
Language Journal 5%
Grading Scale:
A94100
A-9093
B+87-89 B-81-83 C74-76 D+67-70 D-61-63
B84-86 C+77-80 C-71-73 D64-66 F< 61
**If at any point in the semester you have any questions or concerns about your grade or
your standing in the class, please come see me. Addressing your questions and
concerns is part of my job. If after speaking with me you still have concerns, you
may also contact Robert Saba at the English Department.
Changes to the Syllabus
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus. This syllabus is for
informational purposes only and may be changed at the discretion of the instructor in
order to provide a more effective learning experience for students; students are
responsible for all announced changes. A new syllabus will be e-mailed to each student.