EN103 End of Course Learning Outcomes (same as EN105)      

Students who successfully complete EN103 (with a grade of C or higher) will demonstrate familiarity and skills in Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary, Writing, and Research. Specifics include:

 Grammar – Students must be able to identify and use the following appropriately:

·      parts of speech;

·      active/passive voice;

·      syntax;

·      dangling/misplaced modifiers;

·      independent clauses/dependent clauses (complete sentences, fragments);

·      appropriate punctuation placement; and

·      transition signals.

Reading – Students must know how to:

·      approach and work with various texts: journalism, academic writing, visual sources, essays; and

·      annotate a text (understand how a writer advances main points, how to ask questions of a text, how to respond to a text, etc.).

Vocabulary - Students must know how to:

·      expand their vocabulary through reading and writing use of the Oxford English Dictionary database; and

·      use appropriate rhetoric and composition terminology to inform their own writing process.

 Writing – Students must know how to:

·      write effective paragraphs and essays in a “timed writing” environment;

·      quote, summarize and paraphrase;

·      understand how to recognize and utilize rhetorical modes (compare/contrast, extended definition, cause/effect, argumentative writing);

·      construct detailed outlines;

·      understand the introduction-body-conclusion structure;

·      write a strong thesis statement;

·      construct topic sentences and supporting points;

·      utilize transition signals to form an essay that demonstrates unity and coherence and rhetorical strategy (tone and rhythm); and

·      write critically for an academic audience.

Research and referencing - Students must know how to:

·      understand library resources (JCU Discovery and research guides) and evaluate sources;

·      utilize MLA style to format documents and cite sources (finer points of MLA can be covered in a library-sponsored MLA workshop that students can be required to attend outside of class);

·      understand how to avoid plagiarism and ethics around transparency and AI use; and

·      differentiate between primary and secondary sources.

Absences: Students are allowed 3 no questions asked absences. Upon the 4th, and for every subsequent absence, the overall grade will reduce by 5%. Students must attend 70% of the course or they fail.

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. 

Homework: There is homework in nearly every class so if you are absent, you are still responsible for whatever material was covered in class. Do not email the instructor asking what the homework is or what we covered in class: contact a classmate instead and of course, check Moodle. Homework due on the day of the absence is to be turned in via Moodle the day it is due.

Late work: Late work will not be accepted. Read that again if you have to. This means that assignments are due the day they are due. If you turn in an assignment to Moodle 5 days late, it will receive a zero.

Academic Honesty: Passing off work that is not your own as if it were, is theft, and it's sad for the professor to have to chase you for it. Academic dishonesty includes cut and paste plagiarism, improper quoting and paraphrasing, reusing old papers, and the unethical use of AI to write your assignments for you.  But there is good news! The research you will have done ought to be showcased. You will have ensconced yourself in the sources and will have incurred new insights and expanded knowledge. Show off your battle scars by citing sources correctly. Some assignments will make use of AI tools and others will not. Pay attention to instructions. A good rule is that if you have to ask, “Is this okay to do?”, it probably is not. If you are unsure, it can't hurt to ask.

Exams: Scheduled in-class exams may not be made up unless arrangements are made with the professor before the day of the absence. If a major scheduled grading event (major assignment due, in-class composition exam, presentation) is scheduled for any class period, and you don’t show up and don’t have a university-sanctioned excuse, then you will receive a zero for that activity.

Midterms and finals may not be made up without the intervention 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. 

The final exam period runs until the end of the week after the last day of class. Plan to be here during all of finals week.

Class engagement: Please also note that the Participation 10% of your final grade will reflect your timeliness, your work ethic, your attentiveness, your grit and perseverance, your inquisitiveness and creativity, and your respect for your colleagues. If you are dwindling in these areas, you will be given an opportunity at the mid-term conference to improve your conduct after which point, should you not improve, you grade will be thusly affected.

Writing Center: I encourage you all to visit the Writing Center as good practice for excellent composition. As such, I may take into consideration your Writing Center attendance in calculating your final grade if: 1) at the end of the semester your grade is on the cusp i.e., a 79.9% and 2) your writing has demonstrably improved as a result of your having put into practice what you have learned at the Writing Center.

Tentative Course Schedule

Please note that Moodle more accurately reflects the course schedule. Please check there. Also, the course schedule will change depending on course progress. There will be in and out of class readings assigned throughout the semester related to the topic that week. Homework will be assigned daily. 

Week 1:  Orientation-Introductions, Syllabus, Writing Program, Texts, Academic Honesty, Turnitin.uk, Writing Center, Expectations, the Paragraph, Descriptive Essay

Week 2:  From Paragraph to Essay-Three parts of an essay-Introduction, Body and Conclusion; Thesis

Week 3: The Essay- The Definition Essay; Unity and Coherence; Outlining; Supporting Details and Quotations

Week 4:  The Essay-The Definition Essay  

Week 5:  The Essay-Definition essay

Week 6:  The Essay- The Compare and Contrast Essay; Primary and Secondary Sources

Week 7: The Essay-The Compare and Contrast Essay

Week 8:  The Essay-The Cause and Effect Essay

Week 9:  Research- Conducting Research and Plagiarism; Quotations; MLA, Formatting, Works Cited and Parenthetical Citation; and Library Visits

Week 10:  The Essay-Cause and Effect Essay cont.

Week 11: Argument-Summary and Paraphrase; The Thesis Statement, Introduction to Argument

Week 12:  Argument-Elements of Argument, Defining Rhetoric; Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Week 13: Argument-Classical Rhetorical Strategies; Cicero’s Model of Argument Arrangement, Inductive and Deductive Reasoning; Logical Fallacies

Week 14: Final Exam Preparation