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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "EN 110-15"
COURSE NAME: "Advanced Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2022
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
James Teasdale
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 4:30-5:45 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:
by appointment - either ask after class or by email
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course prepares students to read, think, and write critically. Students will develop their ability to read critically and analyze primary and secondary sources, hone their composition skills through in and out of class essays, and will complete the course by writing and revising a fully-documented and well-reasoned research paper, complemented by an annotated bibliography and literature review. EN110 focuses on the argumentative form, encouraging students to position their work within current critical discourses. The course develops the following skills: source selection and interrogation, identification and contextualization of themes, thesis development and defense, digital literacies, use of library resources, and careful citation in MLA style. 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.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
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.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
With the course content in mind, students are expected to master a number of different skills and processes, all of which are nonetheless interelated and complimentary.
1. Students will be able to deploy essay and research elements effectively, such as thesis statements, topic sentences, support and robust conclusions, especially in ways appropriate to a given topic and rhetorical mode. Moreover, this ability will be accompanied by a critical eye, as students will be able to differentiate between those elements constructed and writeen 'well' and those less so, in turn helping their own writing and self-evaluation.
2. These consistuent elements will have to be found alongside a general coherence and unity of the written text itself. Arugments, therefore, will be logical and well ordered, using the elements mentioned above to produce a written piece which is sophisticated in its execution. The culmination of which will be manifest in the introduction, body paragraphs through to the conclusion.
3. To help the production of this inherent logic, unity and coherence students will have a developed critical thinking and reading, which in turn help produce a noteworthy original product. It is only through critical analysis, questioning and positing that students will be able to produce worthwhile and logical content, therefore the writing itself is accompanied by a much broader exploration of the topic at hand. This is especially important in mastering research and the navigating of primary and secondary sources.
4. The first three points help cumlinate in the ultimate learning objective, which is to provide students with the ability and confidence to produce well thought out and well written research papers. Not only will these papers be noteworth due to their content and execution, but also due to the academical standards expected at this level, in terms of citations, bibliographies, MLA sturcture and so on.
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| In Class Essays | | 20 |
| At Home Essays | | 20 |
| Mid-term | | 15 |
| Research paper | | 35 |
| Final presentation | | 10 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork 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.
BThis 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.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis 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.
FThis 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:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) 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. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. 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. The final exam period runs until ____________
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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.
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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.
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SCHEDULE
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WEEK 1
- Course introduction / Syllabus overview / Academic honesty and etiquette
- Rhetorical modes review / Workshop refresher
WEEK 2
- In-depth argumentative essay review / AT-HOME ESSAY 1
- Structure review / Thesis statements, topic sentences, support, introductions, conclusions
WEEK 3
- AT-HOME ESSAY 1 DUE / Peer orientated assessment and critical analysis
- Coherence and unity / Workshop in-class essay
WEEK 4
- IN-CLASS ESSAY 1
- Primary and secondary sources / Evaluating sources / Annotated bibliography
WEEK 5
- Critical analysis of in-class essay / Pre-writing / Homework - research
- Workshop for at home essay / AT-HOME ESSAY 2
WEEK 6
- Introduction to research papers / Critical analysis
- Library session (research papers) / AT-HOME ESSAY 2 DUE
WEEK 7
- Workshop for mid-term
-Mid-term
WEEK 8
- Research proposal
- Conference and presentation exploration
WEEK 9
- Research paper critical reading
- Research paper structure in depth / Workshop
WEEK 10
- IN-CLASS ESSAY 2
- Research paper outline presentation
WEEK 11
- Peer review
- RESEARCH PAPER SUBMISSION
WEEK 12
- Final presentations
- Final presentations
N.B. THE CONTENT AND SCHEDULE OF THIS COURSE MAY BE ALTERED AT ANY POINT AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PROFESSOR
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