ENG 3010 Sample Syllabus

BC Prerequisite for ENG 3010
To enroll in ENG 3010, students must have completed their WSU Basic Composition (BC) requirement (ENG 1020 or equiv.) with a grade of C or better. Students who have not completed this requirement will be asked to drop the course.

With a grade of C or better, ENG 3010 fulfills the General Education IC (Intermediate Composition) graduation requirement.  Successful completion of an IC course with a grade of C or better is a prerequisite to enrolling in courses that fulfill the General Education WI graduation requirement (Writing Intensive Course in the Major).

More information on the General Education requirements is available from the Undergraduate Programs office: http://advising.wayne.edu/curr/gnd1.php

Learning Outcomes
By the end of ENG 3010, students will be able to

Read: Analyze genres from the student’s discipline or profession, including their associated discourse community, audience(s), rhetorical situations, purposes, and strategies. 
Write: Use a flexible writing process and varied technologies to produce texts that address the expectations of the student’s disciplinary or professional discourse community in terms of claims, evidence, organization, format, style, rhetorical situation, strategies, and effects by drawing on an explicit understanding of the genre(s) being composed. 
Research: Write research genres, use research methods, and conduct primary and secondary research to produce an extended research project relevant to the student's discipline or profession.
Reflection: Use reflective writing to describe developing knowledge about writing (especially writing in one’s discipline or profession) and about oneself as a writer (including one’s ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate one’s writing process and texts).

English Department Course Description
Building on students’ diverse skills, ENG 3010 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in the disciplines and professions, particularly for Writing Intensive courses in the majors. To do so, it asks students to consider how research and writing are fundamentally shaped by the disciplinary and professional communities using them. Students analyze the kinds of texts, evidence, and writing conventions used in their own disciplinary or professional communities and consider how these items differ across communities. Thus students achieve key course objectives: 1.) learn how the goals and expectations of specific communities shape texts and their functions; 2.) learn how writing constructs knowledge in the disciplines and professions; and 3.) develop a sustained research project that analyzes or undertakes writing in a discipline or profession.

To achieve these goals, the course places considerable emphasis on analytical and critical reading and writing and the development of research skills. It typically requires genres like the research proposal, literature review, research presentation, and researched argument and the use of varied technologies for research and writing.

Background
Writing across the university takes place in broad disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts.  The traditional definition of a discipline includes its object of study; its theoretical and methodological frameworks; its forms of claims, evidence, and argumentation; its genres and means of dissemination; its applications; and the world view and values of its community of practitioners, both novice (students) and experts (researchers and professionals).  Similarly, the broad disciplinary areas of the university are often described in these terms:

·         The natural sciences are said to take the physical world as their object of study, with deductive theories (that is, theories that make specific predictions) and hypothesis-driven methodologies (the scientific method).  The central genre of the sciences is the IMRD research article (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion).  Scientific disciplines include biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, earth sciences, and environmental sciences. 
·         The social sciences are said to take the human world as their object of study, with theoretical frameworks that can be deductive (predictive) and/or inductive (data-driven), and methodological frameworks that can be empirical/quantitative, interpretive/ qualitative, and/or, increasingly, multi-modal/mixed methods.  The central genres of the social sciences include both research articles and books.  Social science disciplines are as varied as anthropology, economics, linguistics, psychology, political science, and sociology.
·         The humanities are said to take the development of a critical perspective on the world as their object of study, with the articulation of theoretical frameworks seen as a central task of interpretive methods.  Research in the humanities often places information, ideas, texts, and cultural practices in a variety of interactional, intellectual, historical, and socio-cultural contexts, and traditional questions in the humanities often concern human nature and human values.  The central genres of the humanities include articles, essays, and scholarly monographs.  Humanistic disciplines include rhetoric, classics, philosophy, literature, languages, and the arts.
·         The professions are said to stand in applied and/or technological relationships to the sciences, social sciences, and humanities:  science and engineering, and science and health professions, for example, or social sciences and business.  Professions often have specific technical genres as key parts of their work.  Professions are as varied as agronomy, architecture, medicine, law, nursing, social work, and education.

Disciplines are not static entities; they constantly change and evolve, and disciplinary boundaries are more porous than not:  history, for instance, can be considered part of the social sciences and/or the humanities.  Increasingly, writing across the university also takes place in interdisciplinary collaborations, and many new disciplines and professions emerge out of interdisciplinary work, such as cultural studies, biochemistry, genetics, gender studies, American studies, and educational philosophy.  In interdisciplinary work, disciplines come into theoretical, methodological, and applied conversations with one another, sometimes overlapping and sometimes colliding.

When looked at in terms of the connections between the construction and dissemination of knowledge, disciplines – broad disciplines like the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and professions, and specific disciplines like physics, sociology, cultural studies, and engineering -- can be seen to be discourse communities, with shared language, conventions, argumentation, and genres.  It is this richness and variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and writing in the university that students will explore in ENG 3010.

Required and Recommended Textbooks for ENG 3010

Required Text:

Devitt, et al. The Wayne Writer. Custom ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print, eText available. ISBN: 1269416456.

Books for this section are available at Barnes & Noble.
In addition to the required textbook, several required readings will be posted on Blackboard throughout the semester.

Additional Recommended Supplies
·         jump drive
·         a recent dictionary
·         small notebook for in-class writing
·         a folder dedicated to this class
·         pens & highlighters
·         money set aside for printing and photocopies

Course Requirements:
Students are required to write 32 or more pages in ENG 3010.  All assignments must be research-based.

Course grades are awarded on a 1000-point scale:
·         Assignment #1                        Journal Presentation                2 pages                        50 points
·         Assignment #2                        Discourse Analysis                  4-6 pages         50 points
·         Assignment #3                        Research proposal                   3-5 pages         100 points
·         Assignment #4                        Literature Review                    4-6 pages         100 points
·         Assignment #5                        Research presentation             12+ slides        100 points
·         Assignment #6                        Researched argument              10-15 pages     300 points
·         Assignment #7                        Portfolio                                  6-8 pages*       200 points
·         Participation                Peer Revision                                                 50 points
·         Participation                Reflection Journals                  5 pages                        50 points
                                   
*page requirements may change based on department requirements
Your final grade will be tabulated based upon the points you accumulate from the above work, minus any attendance deductions.  Your final grade will be determined based upon this scale:

A                     930-1000 points
A-                    900-920 points
B+                   870-890 points
B                      830-860 points
B-                    800-820 points
C+                   770-790 points
C                      730-760 points                        A grade of C or better fulfills the Gen Ed IC
graduation requirement and the prerequisite for Gen Ed WI courses.
C-                    700-720 points
D+                  670-690 points
D                     630-660 points
D-                    600-620 points
F                      <590 points
    • Per WSU policy, the grade of WN is given to a student who did not attend any classes and/or did not complete any assignments by the withdrawal date.  If a student withdraws after having received a grade for any component of a course, then W grades must be either WP (withdrawal with a passing grade earned to date) or WF (withdrawal with a failing grade earned to date).
    • If a student stops attending and fails complete the course work but does not withdraw from the course by 3-23, that student will earn an “F” as a final grade.
·         Incompletes:  A grade of Incomplete will be issued only if the student has attended nearly all of the class sessions, submitted an Incomplete Contract (using the English Department’s recommended form) sign, and obtained the instructor’s signature on it.

Assignments
This course is designed to familiarize you with the various conventions and rhetorical genres you will find throughout the university.  In order to do that, you will research the style of writing in your chosen field, share your findings in a presentation, and write a multiple stage research project in your field of study.
·         Journal Presentation: Working in a small group, you will identify a journal that is important in your shared fields of study.  Your presentation for the class will identify the important features of the journal including what types of articles they’ve published in the last two years, what topics are of interest in the field, what type of writing is appropriate in the field, and what work will be expected of them in that field.
·         Discourse Analysis:  Using the material from your group presentation as a starting point, you will write an individual paper analyzing the discourse within your field of study.  You will need to engage with more journals than the one you used for your presentation.  The focus of this paper should be on the types of writing produced in your field and the subjects of study.
·         Research Proposal:  Your research proposal outlines the topic you intend to research for your argument assignment.  It should be written as a paper and the audience for the assignment is both your instructor and your classmates.  In it, you need to provide the information listed on page 51 of the Wadsworth Guide to Research:
§  an overview of what the issue is that you are interested in;
§  a focused research question;
§  a discussion of how and why the topic is controversial;
§  a reflection on what your specific experience(s) is/are with the issue (be specific, include concrete details);
§  your purpose in researching and writing the issue;
§  your perspective and/or opinion on the issue right now;
§  who your audience will be for your final research results (the answer to your research question); and
§  a research plan and timeline.
You will be required to submit a draft of the proposal for peer revision.
·         Literature Review:  This assignment is written as a paper.  Your goal is to discover and explain the relationships among the sources you have read for your paper so far.  You may need to include basic summaries of the sources; this is often done at the beginning of the literature review.  Due to the depth of detail required by this assignment, you will need to actually read the sources.  The abstract will not provide sufficient detail. 
·         Research Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will present your research project to the class in an 8-10 minute presentation.  You will need to use presentation software (either PowerPoint or Prezi in most situations).
·         Researched Argument:  This is the culminating assignment of the course.  It should be an argument paper on a topic in your field of study.  Many of the sources from your literature review should be used in the paper.  You will be required to submit a draft of this assignment for peer revision. 
·         Drafts:  Several assignments have a required draft.  The length requirement for the draft will vary based upon the assignment due.  Your draft should always include a Works Cited page.  It is in your best interest to turn in a good, solid, and reasonably polished draft.  Each paper should be revised extensively between the draft and final stages.  After the final paper is turned in, it may not be re-submitted for a higher grade.  The draft, while required, is not graded as it is a work-in-progress.  You will receive responses to the drafts in order to assist with revision.  The draft grade is calculated as a part of the peer revision grade.  In addition, failure to submit a draft will result in a reduction of the final assignment’s grade.
·         Peer Revision:  Each time that a draft is due, we will also have a peer revision day in class.  On those days, it is your responsibility to bring in two paper copies and one electronic copy of your assignments for your classmates to read & respond to.  You will also need a reflective statement for your peers explaining what areas of the paper you think best accomplish the assignment goals and which need the most work.  As a reviewer, you will need to fill out a rubric explaining your thoughts about the project and evaluating the writer’s reflection on it.  The rubrics and evaluations are to be written for the student writer as the primary audience.  When I collect the finals, I will collect copies of the completed rubrics.  Your peer revision grade will be based upon your draft and the revision suggestions you provide for others.
·         Reflective Journals: This category encompasses two types of assignment you will be completing throughout the semester.  In the first, you will post reflections on your progress as a writer to a private journal space on Blackboard.  Only you and your instructor will be able to see these journals.  In the second, you will provide a reflective statement with each draft assignment to help your peer revisers better understand your goals in the assignment and where you feel you need more work.  This reflective statement will be submitted with the draft online and with the final.
·         Portfolio:  To pass this course, students must complete a final portfolio and reflective argument assignment required by the WSU Composition Program. This assignment is designed to prepare students to transfer knowledge and skills from ENG 3010 to subsequent courses and other writing contexts. It is based in research in psychology and writing studies. This research shows that metacognition, or analysis of one’s own thinking processes, is key to helping people transfer knowledge and skills from the context where they were initially learned to future contexts. To help students prepare to draft the Reflective Argument, this course includes reflective assignments designed to promote metacognition.
·         Revision: Students will submit drafts and receive comments from the instructor, and peers, before submitting a final draft. Students may revise one paper or project after students have submitted a “final” draft and received a grade. To earn an improved grade, students should demonstrate substantial revision including the use of Word’s Track Changes and Comment features to mark and narrate revisions and a WRT Zone conference or conference with instructor. Students must submit a reflective letter explaining how they used these methods to reflect on their draft and make changes.  Students might discuss their planning process, how they monitored their writing process, and/or how they evaluated their current draft.
Course Policies
  • Adds:  I will not add students in excess of the cap established for this course.
  • Drops/Withdrawals:
    • Please note these dates:
      • 1-18:  Last day to add a Winter semester course without departmental approval
      • 1-19:  Last day for tuition cancellation for a dropped course
      • 2-9 to 3-29:  Instructor approval required to drop a course; you can ask for approval through the self-service menu in Pipeline.  You cannot withdraw after that date.
·         Attendance:  Attendance is taken at the start of each class through a sign-in notebook.  Failure to sign in will be considered an absence.  Leaving class early will also count as an absence.  More than 20 minutes late will count as an absence.  Final grades drop by half a mark for each absence after three, and students will fail the course after five absences.
·         Class Size/English Department Attendance Policy/Adding ENG 3010:  Enrollment in ENG 3010 is capped at 24 students. Students must attend one of the first two class days to stay enrolled in the course. Students who do not attend of the first two class meetings may be asked to drop to avoid a failing grade.
·         Email:  In order to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), I will only be able to communicate by email with your Wayne State University email account.  If you contact me through another account (such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail), I will not be able to reply.
·         Late WorkStudents must contact the instructor in advance if work cannot be submitted by the due date. No comments will be provided for late work.  The instructor will determine specific grade reductions based on timely prior notification, whether revised deadlines are met, and similar factors.  Late work will be accepted and graded only if a new deadline is arranged with the instructor in advance.
  • Expectations for Assignments:  I will grade your papers according to the attached rubric.  In addition, each assignment will be issued with an individualized rubric to establish the requirements of that project.  All projects will be collected electronically through Blackboard’s Safe Assign tool and in a physical copy turned in during class on the due date.
  • Format:  All assignments will be typed, in Times New Roman font, size 12.  They will be double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around.  MLA formatting and documentation conventions will be followed closely.  Unless otherwise stated in the assignment sheet, each assignment must have an MLA-formatted Works Cited page attached.  The Works Cited page is not counted toward the page-limit requirements.  As the papers will be collected electronically, they must be saved in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf format.
  • Technology: Cell phones and other personal technology (including portable music players, iPads, tablets, laptops, cameras, and other recording equipment) are not welcome in class unless being used for a classroom appropriate activity.  In most situations, social media websites are forbidden.  Cell phones may be stored in a pocket so long as their ringers are set to vibrate rather than ring aloud.

Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is the act of copying work from books, articles, and websites without citing and documenting the source.  Plagiarism includes copying language, texts, and visuals without citation (e.g., cutting and pasting from websites).  Plagiarism also includes submitting papers that were written by another student or downloaded from the internet.  Plagiarism is a serious academic offense:  the minimum penalty for plagiarism is an F for the assignment; the full penalty for plagiarism may result in an F for the course.  All cases of plagiarism in ENG 3010 will be reported to the Department of English.  Information about plagiarism procedures is available in the Department of English. 

Major assignments in ENG 3010 will be submitted to SafeAssign on Blackboard.  SafeAssign includes in its data base papers previously written by WSU students, as well as papers from other institutions and from print or internet sources.  All papers submitted to SafeAssign become part of the WSU database.

The Undergraduate Library’s reSearch program includes a module on avoiding plagiarism: http://www.lib.wayne.edu/services/instruction/searchpath/mod6/04-plagiarism.html


The WRT Zone
The WRT Zone (2nd floor, UGL) provides individual tutoring consultations free of charge for graduate and undergraduate students at WSU. Formerly known as the Writing Center, the new name reflects the fact that they assist students with writing, research, and technology.


Students can make writing appointments online, and each of their functions has a different phone number:
Writing: (313) 577-2544
Research: (313) 577-5083 
Technology: (313) 577-6109
In addition to calling, for research and technology appointments, students can email stscoordinator@wayne.edu

Student Disabilities Services
Students who may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs.  Additionally, the Student Disabilities Services Office coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.  The office is located in 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library, phone:  313-577-1851/577-3335 (TTD).  http://studentdisability.wayne.edu

WSU Resources for Students





Schedule

All assignments are due to be completed on—or even before (!)—the date given below.  Additional readings may be added to the schedule at any time.  Journal assignments will be added during class.  It is your responsibility to maintain an accurate schedule of assignments.

Week 1:
·         1-15: Introductions, the syllabus, writing in the disciplines
Week 2:
·         1-22: The Wayne Writer, xxi-xviii, xxiv-xxx, 3-14, and 253-66. Bring syllabi from your other courses to class. Journal Presentation assigned, First reflection journal due
Week 3:
·         1-29: The Wayne Writer, 23-27, 48-66, and 285-294
Week 4:
·         2-5: The Wayne Writer, 70-74, 121-9, Scott, Foresman Writer (on Blackboard), 122-129,  The Wadsworth Guide to Research (on Blackboard), 141-53, in-class work on presentations, discourse analysis paper assigned
Week 5:
·         2-12:  Journal Presentations
Week 6:
·         2-19: The Wayne Writer, 216-229, Peer Revision, discourse analysis draft due
Week 7:
·         2-26:  Discourse analysis due, Researched argument (including proposal) assigned, The Wayne Writer, 133-45, and The Wadsworth Guide to Research, 49-59
Week 8:
·         3-5:  Proposal Draft due, Peer Revision, The Wayne Writer, 297-311 and 337-52
Week 9:
·         3-12:  Proposal due, Lit Review assigned, The Wadsworth Guide to Research, 155-67
Week 10:
·         3-19: No class, Spring Break
Week 11:
·         3-26:  Lit Review due, The Wayne Writer, 352-67, The Wadsworth Guide to Research, 206-23
Week 12:
·         4-2:  Presentations assigned, Researched argument draft due, Peer Revision, in class work on argument paper
Week 13:
·         4-9:  Presentations
Week 14:
·         4-16: Researched argument final due, portfolio assigned, in class work on portfolios
Week 15:
4-23: Last day, Portfolios due

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