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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "EN 110-6"
COURSE NAME: "Advanced Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2024
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Conor Deane
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 10:00 AM 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:
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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:
The course is intended to infuse confidence by showing that effective essay writing is an eminently learnable skill. The course will not only consider the general architecture of an academic paper, but will also focus on endowing students with practical skills such as, in particular, a richer vocabulary, stylistic competence and knowledge of the principles of organization. Students are expected to learn and adopt useful constructions and phrases that they will be expected to use and re-use in all their writing until they become second nature. The emphasis is very much on the consolidation of good writing and the elimination of bad habits. By the end of the course, students should know precisely what they need to do to continue improving their writing skills for the rest of their academic career.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Rules for Writers 10th edition | Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers | Bedford St Martins | :9781319244255 | | | Hard Copy | Almost Corner Bookshop | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Graded Quiz 1 | | 5 |
| Graded Quiz 2 | | 5 |
| Graded Quiz 3 | | 5 |
| Midterm essay | | 15 |
| Final Essay | | 25 |
| Assignment 1 | | 5 |
| Assignment 2 | | 5 |
| Assignment 3 | | 5 |
| Assignment 4 | | 5 |
| Attendance, participation, effort (includes assessment through quizzes) | | 15 |
| Final Exam | | 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:
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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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:Roots and basic ideas
- Introduction to course
- The roots of English, Anglo-Saxon v. Latin, French. How vocabulary affects tone and style
- Summarizing and tone analysis
Week 2: Comprehension and synthesis
- Dealing with quotations in your text: stock phrases
- Summary writing
- Verbs of change of state (includes quiz)
Week 3: Presenting "They Say" -
- Academic vocabulary and more on verbs of reporting
- Sentence flow and consistency
- Verbs of reporting and concept of distance. How to express opinion through reporting verbs
- Thesis development
- Logos, ethos, pathos and narrowing the argument
- First short essay
Week 4:The concept of research
- Research and Zotero
- Identifying legitimate sources
- Annotation
- Annotated Bibliography Due
Week 5: Planning a paper
- Engagement with Models & Templates
- Revisiting the Thesis
- Brainstorming & Outlining
- Film/Essay to be used as catalysts or basis for second essay (Up in the Air, 2009 dir. J Reitman)
Week 6: The structure of an essay
- The first paragraph
- Progression of paragraphs
- The conclusion
Week 7: Sharing Your Research
- Enlarging the scope of your essay
- How to be interesting.
- How to raise the big questions. Stepping outside the specific subject.
- Using incidents, articles, ideas as catalysts for essay.
- Second short essay
Week 8: Grammar, style and syntax issues
- Fixing your syntax. Parallelism
- Understanding style - The conflicting demands of parallelism and parsimony; repetition and elegant variation
- Testing your grammar
- Testing your academic vocabulary
Week 9: Reworking a Piece
- Checklist of typical errors
- Revising
- Sounding authoritative
- Strategies
Week 10: Review of essays to date
- Workshop on final essay
- Review of principles of summarizing
Week 11: Preparing for final essay
- Outlines and defences of your final essay thesis
Week 12: Where to go for research
- Zotero bibliography building
Week 13: Interim check in final essay
- Submission of first 2 pages, outline and conclusion
Week 14: Catch Up
Week 15: Reflecting on the Experience
They Say, I Say: Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein
2014 3rd edition
Norton NY London
ISBN 978-0-393-93584-4
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Assignment
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Weight
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Essay 1 (Practice)
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10%
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Essay 2 (Midterm)
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15%
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Essay 3 (Final)
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25%
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Mini-exercises, peer-reviews, annotated bibliography, summaries, literature reviews
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25% (5x5%)
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Attendance, participation, effort (includes assessment through online quizzes)
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25%
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