Elements covered on the EN 110 Advanced Composition course include:
 
-thesis development;
-critical reading;
-organizing and outlining;
-paraphrasing and summarizing;
-citation and documentation standards.
-library use and other research facilities/resources.

In addition to regular in-and out-of-class reading and writing assignments,  course participants are required to write a fully documented research paper.

Prerequisite: Placement via JCU English Composition Placement Exam OR completion of EN 103 with a grade of C or above OR completion of EN 105 with a grade of C- or above.

Students must receive a grade C- or above in the EN110 Advanced Composition course to fulfill the University’s English Composition requirement and to be eligible to take courses in English literature.

Who am I?  Who am I writing for? What do I want to achieve?

Course participants will build on their ability to write well-organized argumentative research papers through improved academic research.

During EN 110 Advanced Composition we will work on four main aspects:

1. Focus on organization.
This includes paragraph unity and development, logical progression of ideas, and the effectiveness of the introduction and conclusion. If necessary, a review of the writing process  (pre-writing, planning, writing, editing and proof reading) will be covered. 

2. Evaluation of content.   
This includes the further development of clarity and coherence of their paper's thesis.  The strength and appropriateness of supporting details, and the depth of the student’s insight into the topic.

3. Consistant Style
This is communicted through tone and word choice, as well as varied sentence structures and vocabulary to maintain interest. Clarity of diction and syntax is essential. The tone should be consistent and appropriate.

4.  Attention to mechanics
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and correct application of appropriate conventions are all fundamental.

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Outstanding Grade A/A-: This is outstanding writing which reflects a perceptive and thoughtful response to the assignment. It is well organized with excellent development of ideas and reflects the writer's command of appropriate rhetorical strategies. The prose is vigorous and fresh, and the writer is clearly in control of the standard conventions of English prose. There are no errors in the mechanics of writing.

Very Good Grade B/B-: This is very good writing that fulfills the assignment and shows evidence of clear thought and good planning. It is well organized with good supporting details. The writing is fluent, and there are only minor errors in the mechanics of writing which do not detract from the overall essay.

Satisfactory Grade C/C-: This is satisfactory writing that fulfills the assignment and is adequately developed. The writing is clear and coherent with relatively few errors in usage and mechanics, but the writer fails to demonstrate any particular strength that would mark this writing above average.

Below Average Grade D/D-: This is below-average writing which fulfills the assignment but exhibits major problems in writing. It may have difficulty with the presentation of ideas (e.g., lack of clear thesis, weak organization, poor development of ideas, or incoherence), or it may reflect poor control of the conventions of standard English prose (e.g., poor use of idiom, inappropriate diction, poor spelling) or be marred by enough errors in the mechanics of writing to seriously distract the reader.

Unsatisfactory Grade F: This is writing that relates to the topic but fails to fulfill the assignment either because of poor organization and lack of clarity or because the writing reflects a lack of control over the basic conventions of standard English usage. There may be sentence boundary problems, poor use of idiom, inappropriate diction (words used incorrectly), agreement errors, or verb tense problems.

The grades in letters are equivalent to the following numbers:
A 4
A- 3.67
A-/B+ or B+/A- 3.5
B+ 3.33
B 3
B- 2.67
B-/C+ or C+/B- 2.5
C+ 2.33
C 2
C- 1.67
C-/D+ or D+/C- 1.5
D+ 1.33
D 1
D- 0.67
F 0

Citation of secondary sources in essays must conform to the standards of the MLA Handbook.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings and to participate in all classroom activities. In addition to this weighting of attendance, students are allowed only two absences (no questions asked, no excuse needed). However, each additional absence beyond the two allowed will result in the reduction in the final grade for the course by at least 5%. Students with more than five absences, beyond the two allowed, will automatically fail the course (receive a grade of F).  Students arriving to class after attendance has been taken will be counted as absent. Students arriving to class after the beginning of class, but before attendance has been taken, will be counted as late.  Two late arrivals will count as an absence. Please refer to the JCU catalog for the attendance and absence policies.