General Introduction

The English Department and Writing Program recognize and respect the academic freedom of faculty. The Writing Program also recognizes that instructors will meet the goals of writing courses in a variety of ways and encourages creativity and imagination in the development of curriculum. In order to give new faculty direction and support in creating course materials for writing classes, the Writing Program has established basic guidelines, which can be used as a starting point as you develop your course. The guidelines should be treated as suggestions and are by no means intended to restrict course and curriculum development. Instructors typically emphasize one of three approaches in creating syllabi for writing classrooms: the genre approach (which focuses on writing genres), the humanist approach (which includes more explicit reading and discussion of humanist topics), and the information literacy/critical thinking approach. Like theories of writing, these approaches overlap, and most instructors include elements of all approaches in their curriculum. Differences in curriculum often depend on what approach is emphasized in the classroom.

Introduction

As stated in the course description, ENGL 1001 is “a course in reading and writing expository essays. In addition to writing essays, students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to write informative summaries of university-level writing.” The General Education goals that most fit the purpose of ENGL 1001 aim to develop students’ critical thinking skills through the use of writing. This is accomplished through curriculum that both encourages students to be reflective and conscientious participants in their education and requires them to critically examine ideas and points of view—often through examining and using information from multiple sources.

Genres of Writing:

The uses of genre in the writing program varies from instructor to instructor. Typically, instructors teach some combination of narrative, expository, informative, argumentative (with and without sources), and research essays in which students include sources in their writing. Genres can be treated either as individual “types” of writing or can be used as “conventions” (mixed within essays).

Reading Expectations:

How much students can read in a day, of course, depends on the level of difficulty of the reading. Students can usually read ~30-40 pages of moderately difficult texts a week—though that reading will need to be discussed in class to ensure students understand it.

Practices in the classroom:

The Writing Program places an emphasis on getting students to read and write academically. Likewise, we also stress the importance of developing students as rhetorically aware subjects in a larger social environment. Therefore, many classrooms maintain a balance between technical skill (reading and writing) and social, cultural content. Common practices in composition include developing reading strategies (i.e. how to read academic texts, how to draw inferences from texts, how to break down arguments, exploring different sides of arguments, etc.); writing low stakes assignments such as journals that allow students to respond to or explore ideas/readings; revising essays and other assignments to improve writing quality and to better understand the writing process; working in groups with peers to peer-review essays, discuss topics, and work collaboratively to complete course goals; and obviously writing formal, graded essays. 

Total number of formal papers:

Students normally write approximately 12 pages of formal (final) pages of text. This might break down as follows: 4 page narrative, 3 page annotated bibliography, 4 page informative essay, and a 6-7 page research paper (of which ~4 pages come from the original informative paper). Another course might break down the pages as a 4 page exploration of a major/degree program, a 2 page annotated bibliography, 3 page expository essay, and an 5-6 page argumentative paper (of which the elements of the annotated bibliography and expository essay might be included).

Goals and Objectives:

The general stated outcomes of Writing Program courses can be found on the Writing Program website. Below is a list of the goals for ENGL 1001.

Course Goals ENGL 1001:

The high priority goals for ENGL 1001
  • Identify and applying rhetorical strategies
  • Use critical writing for inquiry by integrating student voice with others
  • Effectively integrate outside sources into their own writing
  • Develop revision strategies
  • Develop knowledge of writing conventions
The medium priority goals for ENGL 1001
  • Reading critically
  • Locating and evaluating sources
  • Working collaboratively        
  • Critically reflecting on writing

Example Texts:

In addition to readers, common textbooks used in ENGL 1001 include;

They/Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter by Graff

Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers by Palmquist and Wallraff

Everyone’s and Author by Lunsford et al.

Writing Today by Johnson-Sheehan and Paine

Introduction

As stated in the official course description, “The focus of this course is critical thinking, with emphasis split between receptive (reading/listening) and active (writing) exercises. Students will be expected to analyze arguments of others and to produce defensible arguments of their own, both in analytical summaries and in original argumentative essays. Emphasizes the difference between good and bad arguments, as well as the distinction between significant and trivial positions on issues.” The Writing Program places an emphasis on getting students to read and write academically. The goal of ENGL 2000 is to get students to think critically and rhetorically while doing so. Common topics covered in ENGL 2000 include the study and examination of logical fallacies, inductive and deductive reasoning, and understanding logic in relation to language. Students develop the ability to “distinguish matters of fact from issues of judgement” and develop the ability to “analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas.” Finally, students learn how to research and construct well-supported conclusions (from EO 103).

Genres of Writing:

The uses of genre in the writing program varies from instructor to instructor. Typically, instructors teach a combination of critical responses and expository, argumentative, and research essays in which students include sources. Curriculum in ENGL 2000 often also includes learning how to rhetorically analyze media and public discourse—that is, students learn how to apply logical and rhetorical strategies to analyze and understand the world around them.

Reading Expectations:

How much students can read in a day depends on the level of difficulty of the reading. Students can usually read ~45-60 pages of moderately difficult texts a week. One important difference between reading in ENGL 2000 and composition is that more depth of analysis is expected in ENGL 2000.

Practices in the classroom:

Because ENGL 2000 includes argumentation, analysis, and logic, it is common to include extensive curriculum on how to accurately read and synthesize sources. This includes effective research and argumentative strategies such as how to adequately represent different positions (argument/counterargument for instance), how to critically examine texts by asking questions, and how to write rhetorical synthesis (synthesizing multiple sources together). Other common strategies include discussions of logical fallacies, logical argumentation, and rhetorical devices.

Total number of formal papers:

Students normally write between 12-15 pages of formal (final) pages of text. Students spend much of their time reading and analyzing sources they will eventually use for their own essays, writing preliminary drafts (or sections) of essays, peer-reviewing, and learning how to break down and understand topics and arguments.

Goals and Objectives:

The general stated outcomes for Writing Program courses can be found on the Writing Program website. Below is a list of the goals for ENGL 2000.

Course Goals ENGL 2000:

The high priority goals for ENGL 2000
  • Identifying and applying rhetorical strategies
  • Developing knowledge of conventions
  • Using critical writing for inquiry by developing student’s own voice and integrating it with others
The medium priority goals for ENGL 2000
  • Locating, evaluating, and using outside sources
  • Learning critical reading as a mode of inquiry
  • Developing flexible revision strategies
  • Learning to critically reflect on writing process
Example Texts for ENGL 2000 include:

Writing Analytically, 7th ed. by David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen

From Critical Thinking to Argument: A Portable Guide 5th ed. by Barnet, Dedau, and O’Hara

Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric, 13th ed. by Boardman, Cavender, and Kahane

Everything’s an Argument, 7th ed. with Readings 7th ed. by Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters

Global Issues, Local Arguments, 3rd ed., by Johnson

Updated: August 10, 2023