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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "EN 110-7"
COURSE NAME: "Advanced Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
William Schutt
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:
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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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 |
| They Say,I Say (6th edition) | Graff and Birkenstein | Norton | 978 -1-324- 07011-5 | | | Ebook | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| In-class Writing Assignments | In-class timed writing assignments given throughout the semester | 25 |
| Reading Annotations | Students will be expected to read, discuss and comment in writing on short essays and craft materials on a weekly basis | 10 |
| Style and Grammar Quizzes | Students will be given short quizzes covering elements of style and grammar over the course of the semester | 10 |
| Final ResearchPaper | Students will be expected to complete a 2000-word research paper on a topic of their choice. A portion of their grade will be based on an annotated bibliography and literature review to be handed in prior to the final paper. | 25 |
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| Midterm exam | | 15 |
| Participation | All students are expected to keep up with the material and complete the assignments on a weekly basis. Your participation grade evaluates quality, punctuality and consistency in turning in assignments, attending class and contributing to class discussion. Students are allowed three unexcused absences in this course. After that, students will automatically lose a letter grade for every three absences. Students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and three late arrivals are counted as one absence. | 15 |
-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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Date
Class Topics
Readings Due
Assignments Due
Skills Focus
Week 1
Mon 9/1
Welcome; syllabus; Writing Center; “Why I Write” activity
Didion, “Why I Write” (in-class)
Bring laptop, buy TSIS
Course overview; narrative beginnings
Wed 9/3
Syllabus quiz; peer review “Why I Write”; intro to annotation
TSIS Intro & Ch. 1
Revised “Why I Write” post
Annotation; voice
Week 2
Mon 9/8
Audience & voice in narrative writing; topic sentences;
Passive v. active
TSIS Ch. 2; Zadie Smith Speaking in Tongues
Topic sentences; transitions
Wed 9/10
Summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting; punctuating quotations
TSIS Ch. 3
1.5-page response to Smith
Quoting & citation mechanics
Week 3
Mon 9/15
Workshop Smith responses; complex vs. compound sentences
Draft Narrative Essay #1; quiz TSIS Ch 1-3
Sentence structure
Wed 9/17
Peer review Narrative Essay; revision strategies; concision
TSIS Ch. 4
Revising for clarity
Week 4
Mon 9/22
TSIS Ch. 5; intro to exposition
TSIS Ch. 5
Narrative Essay Due
Expository structure
Wed 9/24
Discuss Gawande; semicolons, colons, run-ons; MLA basics
Atul Gawande, “Slow Ideas”
Prep for Library Session #1
Grammar & MLA intro
Week 5
Mon 9/29
Library Session #1 – catalogs, databases, AI in research
Find 1 credible article
Research basics
Wed 10/1
Counterarguments & “naysayer” technique; quiz TSIS Ch 4-6
TSIS Ch. 6; Rebecca Solnit “When the Hero Is the Problem”
Outline for Essay #2 intro
Counterargument
Week 6
Mon 10/6
Outline workshop; parallelism & modifiers
TSIS Ch. 7
Grammar & argument links
Wed 10/8
Discuss Coates; MLA in-text citations; self-assessment
Ta-Nehisi Coates, “I’m Not Black I’m Kanye”
Prep for in-class writing #1
Citation integration
Week 7
Mon 10/13
**In-class timed writing #1**
Timed argument writing
Wed 10/15
**No Class**
Week 8
Mon 10/20
Research questions; Didion, “On Keeping a Notebook”
Didion
Post research question
Research focus & scope
Wed 10/22
Library Session #2 – Zotero; AI-assisted annotation
Find 3 sources
Citation tools
Week 9
Mon 10/27
Pinker, “The Moral Instinct”; defining terms
Pinker
Key term definition
Wed 10/29
Compare Pinker & Didion; literature review structure
Complete Checkology module
Synthesizing sources
Week 10
Mon 11/3
Fact-checking; misinformation; source evaluation
Submit annotated bibliography
Digital literacy
Wed 11/5
**In-class timed writing #2**
Analytical writing under pressure
Week 11
Mon 11/10
Paper outlines; MLA Works Cited; Zotero
TSIS Ch. 8
Draft literature review
Structural cohesion
Wed 11/12
Workshop lit reviews; connecting the parts
Transitions
Week 12
Mon 11/17
Body paragraph cohesion;
Metacommentary
TSIS Ch. 10
Paragraph unity
Metacommentary
Wed 11/19
Writing conclusions; peer review body paragraphs
Endings & rhetorical impact
Week 13
Mon 11/24
Revision strategies; style & concision
Polishing prose
Wed 11/26
**Final Research Paper due**; final presentations begin
Final paper
Public speaking
Week 14
Mon 12/1
Final presentations (10 min each)
Presentation skills
Wed 12/3
Self-assessment; course evaluations; final exam review
Self-assessment
Week 15
TBD
**Final Exam**
Comprehensive mastery
Date of Final Exam is still TBD so please do NOT make travel plans this week
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