Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 110-17"
COURSE NAME: "Advanced Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2023

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tara Keenan
EMAIL: tkeenan@john cabot.edu
HOURS: MW 10:00-11:15 AM
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

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.

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 learn to write a well-organized and error-free argumentative research paper. By the end of the course students will be able to:

Grammar
Write sophisticated as well as grammatically and idiomatically correct English prose

Reading
Read to comprehend increasingly complex material
Read and think critically

Vocabulary
Expand vocabulary through reading and writing
Develop subject specific terminology through reading and writing

Rhetoric
             Write well-organized essays, focusing specifically on argumentative essays
             Write a strong and developed thesis statement with supporting arguments
             Think, read, write critically for an academic audience
              Write a developed outline
              Paraphrase and summarize
             Cite and write using documentation
             Write a fully documented research paper

Research and sourcing (can be covered by a librarian in one or more workshops in the library)
                Be familiar with research and information literacy skills including
                        - A reinforcement of searching skills: catalog, database, and web sourcing
                         - Source evaluation
                         - Subject searching
                         - Utilize MLA style for all aspects of a research paper
                         - Understand how to avoid plagiarism

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
They Say, I Say, 5th edition	Birkenstein and Graff	Norton	ISBN-13 978-0393538700		This book may be obtained at the Almost Corner Bookshop on Via del Moro	Hard Copy	Almost Corner Bookshop

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Each assignment handed in late will be capped at 75%. It is the student's responsibility to approach the instructor to schedule a makeup for any missed in-class work within one week of the missed work.
Reading, Short Assignments, and Quizzes		20
Writing assignments (4)		30
Midterm		20
Final Exam		30

-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. (90-92 = A-; 93-100 = A)
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 evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments. (80-82 = B-; 83-86 = B; 87-89 = B+)
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. (70-72 = C-; 73-76 = C; 77-79 = C+)
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. (60-62 = D-; 63-66 = D; 67-69 = D+)
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. (<60) Each assignment handed in late will be capped at 75%. It is the student's responsibility to approach the instructor to schedule a makeup for any missed in-class work within one week of the missed work.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS, DEADLINES, AND EXAMINATION POLICY

You cannot make up a midterm or final without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Associate Dean’s office should not be involved in correspondence regarding any other type of routine absence. This means that if you need to return home for a funeral, if you need to go to the dentist, if you have a fingerprinting appointment, if you are ill, or for any other reason that I have not listed, you simply do not come to class that day and you contact a colleague to find out what went on in class. Do not create extra work for the Dean’s office by reaching out to them on these, rather routine, issues. Let us all agree that if you need to be absent, I believe you and I trust that you will find out what you missed from a colleague. Let’s create a world in which we believe each other and trust that we would be in class every session if we could. Let’s refuse to participate in bureaucratic processes that deskill us in terms of independent decision-making, taking personal responsibility, and direct student-professor communication. Absences should be rare. Suffice to say that your grade will go down with frequent absences. At the 5th absence, you will be asked to withdraw from the course.

There are always one or two obvious common sense extreme exceptions to this aspiration, but generally it is best to avoid triggering institutional responses for routine short-term absences. The bottom line is that every student, including you, is a treasured resource for each class. We need you as much as you need us. Without you, it's just not the same.

One category of the Class Engagement Rubric is attendance. The Class Engagement Rubric will be posted to Moodle on the first day of class and students will be evaluated and receive feedback on attendance twice per semester using this rubric.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

The very point of why we are all here is that we want to develop ourselves into a well-rounded life-long learner. Cutting corners with paper-writing services and Chatbots, or recycling older papers cheapens everyone’s experience of the course and professors tend to take it personally. A good rule is that if you have to ask, “Is this okay to do?”, it probably is not.

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

Each assignment handed in late will be capped at 75%. It is the student's responsibility to approach the instructor to schedule a makeup for any missed in-class work within one week of the missed work.

MOODLE PAGE MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTS PROGRESS OF THE COURSE. PLEASE CHECK THERE.

Week 1:

Class 1 - Welcome, Syllabus, class topic, Writing Center

Class 2 - Writing formal letters

Week 2 -

Class 1 - They Say, I Say Intro, Ch. 1, 2
Class 2 - Heirloom workshop

Week 3 -

Class 1 - Zotero, MLA, Writing 1 Due
Class 2 - Wikipedia research project - Lit Review

Week 4 -

Class 1 -Library session on searching for journalistic and academic resources
Class 2 -They Say, I Say, Chs. 3, 4, 5

Narrowing down the literature review

Week 5 -

Class 1 - More on the literature review
Class 2 - Workshop

Week 6

Class 1 -They Say, I Say
Class 2 - Topic selection, Research question

Week 7 -

Class 1 Writing 2 Due, literature review
Class 2 - Review for Midterm
Class 3 - Midterm exam

Week 8

Class 1 - Body of the paper, academic article: arpilleras
Class 2 - Analysis of paper: content

Week 9

Class 1 - Analysis of paper: writer's craft
Class 2 - No class, holiday

Week 10

Class 1 - Analysis of paper: style and structure
Class 2 -The body section, research check in, reading check in

Week 11

Class 1 -The body section
Class 2 -Writing 3 Due

Week 12

Class 1 -The conclusion

Class 2 -Writing 4 due

Week 13

Class 1 -TBA
Class 2 -TBA

Week 14

Class 1 - TBA
Class 2 -Review for Final exam

Finals week
Our final exam could be any day during finals week. Make your plans accordingly.