Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 110-6"
COURSE NAME: "Advanced Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2018

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: David Castronuovo
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Placement via JCU English Composition Placement Exam or completion of either EN 103 or EN 105 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course reinforces the skills needed to write well-organized essays, focusing specifically on argumentative essays. Elements covered include thesis development, critical reading, organizing and outlining, paraphrasing and summarizing, and citation and documentation standards. Techniques of academic research and the use of the library and other research facilities are discussed. In addition to regular in- and out-of-class reading and writing assignments, students are required to write a fully documented research paper. Students must receive a grade of C or above in this course to fulfill the University’s English Composition requirement and to be eligible to take courses in English literature. Individual students in EN 110 may be required to complete additional hours in the English Writing Center as part of their course requirements.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course examines a range of fundamental writing strategies, starting with grammar, critical reading of sources, summarizing, paraphrasing and proper quoting; it continues with the writing of a topic proposal, selection and citation of sources, literature review, and thesis development. Research and use of library resources will also be covered. Students will be required to submit assignments through TurnitinUK

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will leave the course knowing how to question, fruitfully, the accuracy and quality of their own writing and research methods.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
The Elements of Style, FOURTH EDITION	Strunk and White	Pearson	9780205309023		Please be sure to get the correct (4th) edition of this book. Both Amazon.it and Amazon.com sell this edition. There may also be copies available at the 'Almost Corner Bookshop.' A copy of this edition is on reserve in Frohring Library. (Please note: the edition sold as a Kindle book is NOT the correct edition; do not buy the Kindle version of this book.)
They Say / I Say, 3rd. edition	Graff and Birkenstein	WW Norton	ISBN-10: 1469028611 ISBN-13: 978-1469028613		You may use either the 3rd edition, or the 3rd edition "with MLA updates." There are copies of this book available at the 'Almost Corner Bookshop.' It can also be purchased from Amazon.com or Amazon.it (print and Kindle).

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	Library Call Number
Writing Academic English, 4th ed.	Alice Oshima	Pearson Longman	TXT PE1408 .H6644 2006
Writing Academic English, 4th ed.	Alice Oshima	Pearson Longman	AWC PE1408 .H6644 2006
The Elements of Style, FOURTH EDITION	Strunk and White	Pearson	PE1408.S772
They Say / I Say, 3rd. edition	Graff and Birkenstein	WW Norton	PE1431 .G73 2017

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Quizzes (weekly)		5%
Homework		10%
In-class Essays (#1 counts 5%) (#2 counts 10%) (#3 counts 15%)		30%
Annotated Bibliography (AB)		7.5%
Literature Review (LR)		7.5%
Exploratory Essay (EE) (4 pages)		15%
2 Full-sentence Outlines (with Thesis Statement)		Required
First Draft of the Argumentative Academic Research Paper (AARP) (8 pages)		Required
Final Draft of the Argumentative Academic Research Paper (AARP) (8 pages)		20%
Final Exam		5%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
F This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
COURSE RULES (INCLUDING ATTENDANCE):

After the first class meeting, students may not use computers in class.

Cellphones must be put away during class, and may not be used for any reason. Students who use cellphones will be asked to leave the class.

Class members must submit written assignments (on Turnitin/Moodle) in docx form (not PDF).

Class members must adhere to American (USA) standards of spelling and punctuation (not because they are better, but because one must practice adherence to one standard or another).

The student's attendance and participation at every class meeting is required.

After a deadline has passed, homework assignments may not be submitted for any reason

If, due to absence, the student misses a graded, in-class activity (essay or quiz), there is no make-up; the absent student will receive a zero for graded, in-class activites that are missed due to absence.

Absences will affect the student's grade as follows.

- First absence: final grade will be lowered by 1%.

- Second absence: final grade will lowered by an additional 2%.

- Third absence: final grade will be lowered by an additional 3%.

Each subsequent absence will lower the student's final grade by an additional 5%

Students cannot make-up a major exam or assignment without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam.

NOTE THAT THE INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT EXCUSE ANY ABSENCE OR MISSED WORK DUE TO MEDICAL ISSUES, TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, OR PERSONAL SCHEDULING CONFLICTS.

Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.

Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused by the instructor.

The final exam period runs until December 14.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

The Course Theme:

"Rules and Laws": The course's reading and writing assignments will relate generally to a consideration of the fairness and the sociological ramifications of the codes of conduct (rules and laws) that govern individual societies.

Ongoing Topics for Discussion:

The Conventions of Written English

Grammar Review

Active and Passive Voice

Paragraph Structures

Writing Styles and Registers

The Nature of the English Language

Weeks I --> III

Reading:

The Elements of Style

They Say / I Say (part 1)

Discussion:

Critical Reading and Summary

Annotation (informal and formal)

The Exploratory Essay: Topic Selection

Finding and Evaluating Sources:

- peer-reviewed sources (scholarly articles and books, both in print and online)

- informational sources (newspaper articles, popular websites)

Documentation in MLA style: In-Text (parenthetical) citation of sources / the Works Cited

Zotero

Plagiarism and Paraphrasing

Writing:

Paragraphs

In-Class Writing Assignment #1

The Preliminary Bibliography

The Annotated Bibliography

Weeks IV --> VI

Reading:

They Say / I Say (part 2)

Discussion:

Complex Sentences

The Writer's Voice

What is a Literature Review?

Organization of the Exploratory Essay

The Full-Sentence Outline (with Thesis Statement)

Writing:

The Literature Review

The Full-Sentence Outline of the Exploratory Essay

Exploratory Essay (4 pages)

In-Class Writing Assignment #2

Weeks VII --> IX

Reading:

They Say / I Say (part 3)

Discussion:

The Argumentative Academic Research Paper: Refining the Topic

The Argumentative Thesis Statement

Development of Ideas

Organization of the Argument

Reserach / Argument / Opinon: Finding the correct balance

Writing:

In-class Essay #3

The Full-sentence Outline of the Argumentative Academic Research Paper

First Draft of the Argumentative Academic Research Paper

Weeks X --> XII

Reading:

They Say / I Say (part 4)

Discussion:

Drafting and Editing

Adding/Eliminating Sources

Transitions 1 (sentence to sentence)

Transitions 2 (paragraph to paragraph)

Writing:

Revisions of the First Draft of the Argumentative Academic Research Paper

In-class Essay #3

Weeks XIII --> XIV

Writing:

Final Draft of the Argumentative Research Paper (8+ pages)

Week XV

Final Exam