Eng 101

SYLLABUS

Course Number: ENGL101

Course Name: Proficiency in Writing

Credit Hours: 3

Course Length: 8 weeks

Prerequisite(s): None

Course Description

ENGL101 Proficiency in Writing provides instruction in the writing process with a focus on self-expressive and expository essays, and includes practice in the conventions of standard written English, responding to readings, and incorporating sources into essays with appropriate documentation.

Course Scope

This course gives students practice in the conventions of Standard Written English, responding to readings, and incorporating sources into essays with appropriate documentation. Thus the course prepares students for writing effectively in all undergraduate courses by sharpening the writing skills necessary to answer essay examinations, dialogue with reading assignments, and write term papers.

Course Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Recognize and formulate the kind of writing required to respond properly to college-level assignments, examinations, and projects.

2. Use a process of writing from pre-writing ideas to polishing a final draft.

3. Demonstrate writing techniques explained in this class through finished writing projects that are clear, concise and convincing.

4. Draw conclusions and present ideas from a variety of texts.

5. Decipher texts for meaning.

6. Demonstrate proper documentation for researched writing assignments and proper MLA format for all assignments.

Course Materials

Required Textbooks

Russell, Karin L. Write Now: Read. Think. Research. Communicate. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012.

This VitalSource e-book is provided via the APUS bookstore.

Required Lessons

Weekly Lessons are accessed through the APUS Lessons app:

For iPad® or iPhone®, download from the Apple App Store.

For Android™ tablets or smartphones, download from Google play.

For desktop access, download from the APUS webstore.

Once you install the APUS Lessons app, you can access your lessons directly on your mobile device or through the separate APUS Mobile app.

Additional Resources

Additional supplemental readings and relevant websites are found in the classroom where applicable.

Citation and Reference Style

Use MLA format for all written work, citations, and references.

Evaluation Procedures

Students write three essays as well as numerous short writing activities and forum posts. Each essay requires the student to work through a designated process of planning, composing, revising, and polishing. See the student handbook for the University’s grading scale .

Individual assignments are graded according to rubrics that represent the expectations for student work. See each forum and assignment for details, instructions, and associated rubrics.

Assessment	Percent of Final Grade
Essay 1	10%
Essay 2	25%
Essay 3	25%
After Action Assessments (2)	10%
Forum Posts	30%
Total	100%

Writing Expectations

College level writing requires complete, grammatical sentences and orderly paragraphs, without using slang, jargon, or texting conventions that abbreviate or misspell.

College level writing involves learning to do college level research. This course requires using the university online library for all research. The library hosts helpful tutorials, style references, and links to tutoring. Open web sources like Wikipedia, ask.com, and answers.com are not appropriate for college level research.

Late Assignments

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to the published class schedule. Instructors may take late point deductions. Contact the course instructor if additional time is needed to complete an assignment. Cognitive learning is accomplished by receiving consistent and incremental feedback that creates a positive change in performance (Ultanir, 2012). Feedback is structured so students increase their cognitive learning and skill sets. Thus, submitting bulk-loaded late work (more than one assignment at a time) is highly discouraged and may even result in assignment(s) being returned for revision, if the instructor determines that feedback from any submission would have improved the student’s assessment of any assignment. Building feedback is essential to your success.

Policies

The Student Handbook is the official resource for admission, registration, extension, grading, and all other policies that may impact students. The Handbook includes General Course Requirements for what you need to know before your course begins.

Course Outline

Week	Topics	Readings	Assignments
1	The Writing Process The Definition Essay	Lesson App: Lesson One Russell: Chapters 1 & 2 Sample student MLA paper pp. 355-359 Student Handbook: Academic Dishonesty	Forum: Introductions and Definitions
2	Sentence Structure, Plagiarism, Research, MLA Format	Lesson App: Lesson Two Russell: Chapters 3 & 5 Editing Guide A, pp. 396-401 Editing Guide D, pp. 415-417 Plagiarism, pp. 339-341 “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, pp. 97-100 or “Androgynous Man” by Noel Perrin, pp. 243-244	Forum: Sentence Structure, In-Text References Essay #1: Definition
3	Writing to Inform, Thesis Statements, MLA Citations	Lesson App: Lesson Three Russell: Chapters 6 & 13 MLA, pp. 339-359	Forum: Prewriting and Thesis Statements
4	Paragraphing, Evaluating Sources, Works Cited Pages	Lesson App: Lesson Four Russell: Chapters 6 & 14 Writing a Paragraph, pp. 50-53 Evaluating Research Sources, pp. 327-330 MLA Works Cited, pp. 345-359 Developing a Works Cited Page, p. 380 Editing Guide C, pp. 406-408	Forum: Structuring Essay #2 After Action Assessment: Essay 1
5	Peer Reviews, Effective Transitions	Lesson App: Lesson Five Russell: Chapters 4 & 11 Transitions, pp. 51-53 Evaluating Research Sources, pp. 327-328	Forum: Essay 2 Peer Review Essay #2: Writing to Inform
6	Persuasive Writing	Lesson App: Lesson Six Russell: Chapters 9 & 10 Editing Guide B, pp. 399-405	Forum: Cause and Effect Essay Topic Selection
7	Revising and Proofreading	Lesson App: Lesson Seven Russell: Chapters 7, 8, & 12 Revising pp. 27-28 Proofreading pp. 28-30	Forum: Structuring Essay #3 Forum: What’s Next After Action Assessment: Essay 2
8	Self-Reflection: Writing Proficiency	Lesson App: Lesson Eight Russell: Chapters 2 & 10	Forum: Essay 3 Peer Review Essay #3: Writing to Show Cause and Effect

Disclaimer

Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

References

Ultanir, E. (2012). An epistemological glance at the constructivist approach: Constructivist learning in Dewey, Piaget, and Montessori. Online Submission.