Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

IW: Writing abt Existentialism (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2010-17

Course: ENGL 2010-17
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: ENGL
CRN: 32242

Course Description

The second of the GE writing courses emphasizes the development of an effective academic style in argumentative essays that makes use of traditional rhetorical patterns, culminating in a major research paper. Subtopics will vary. Students with ACT English scores below 29 must take ENGL 1010 or ENGL 1010E before enrolling in 2010. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1010 or ENGL 1010E or ACT English Subscore - Prerequisite Min. Grade: D- Prerequisite Test (Min. Score): ACT English Subscore (29) General Education Category: Written Communication

Required Texts

  • Endo, Shusaku. Silence. Trans. William Johnston. Picador, 2016. (ISBN  978-1250082244)
  • Kaufmann, Walter, editor. Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. Penguin, 1975. (ISBN 0-452-00939-8)
  • Palmquist, Mike, and Barabara Wallraff, editors. In Conversation. 3rd ed., Bedford St. Martins, 2023. (ISBN 978-1-319-33204-4)

Learning Outcomes

ENGL 2010 CORE CURRICULUM ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Sources and Evidence: Locate, evaluate, and integrate credible and relevant sources to achieve various writing purposes.
2. Genre Awareness: Demonstrate critical and conceptual awareness of genre in reading and writing—including organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices.
3. Context and Purpose: Analyze rhetorical situations and adapt to the audience, purpose, modalities, and the circumstances surrounding a range of reading and writing tasks.
4. Language Awareness and Usage: Recognize and make intentional, critical, and contextually-informed language choices across a range of rhetorical contexts/situations.
5. Recursive Writing Processes: Develop flexible, iterative, and reflective processes for invention, drafting, workshopping, and revision.

Course Requirements

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & OBJECTIVES
  • Quizzes:  10% of final grade  
(quizzes based on the readings and lectures will assess timely readings, engagement with course material, and understanding of terms/concepts/figures crucial to the course content)
  • Journal Quote & Question [JQQ]:  15% of final grade 
(students will write brief, approx., 100-word responses to the readings, excl., the quotation; the JQQ will be framed as a thoughtful question and will train students to identify and quote significant passages from the texts, to deploy close reading by analyzing these quotes, and to use critical thinking skills to formulate a thoughtful question grounded in the texts; the task is designed to stimulate reflective questioning that can later be the basis for developing essay topics and participating in class discussions; paraphrasing and commenting on these quotes will also train students to incorporate quotes effectively into larger essay assignments.)
  • Mini Research Essay* (5-6pp, excluding abstract, outline, works cited pg., ann. bib.) 15% of course grade 
(essay focusing on issues raised by the texts so far will assess skills of critical thinking, questioning, reading, and writing; students will also use this essay as a venue to develop earlier JQQs into an argument based on research of external, scholarly sources, incorporating self-evaluation & peer review; students will also practice formulating an abstract, outline, and annotated bibliography)
  • Critical Research Essay* (10-12pp, excluding abstract, outline, works cited pg., bib.) 25% of course grade 
(in lieu of a final exam, students will compose a critical, research-based essay; students will select at least one text read before Week 9 and at least one text read after Week 9 to formulate their own research project, incorporating external, scholarly sources to support their argument; essay will assess students ability to present a strong, well-supported argument; final drafts of the abstract, outline, and works cited page will also be included in the grade)
  • Formal Annotated Bibliography for Critical Research Essay (with a minimum of seven appropriate sources) 10% of course grade
  • Participation (regular attendance & active engagement in class):  20% of final grade
(students will be required to participate in class discussions and Canvas discussions by contributing thoughtful questions and comments and informal sharing of written work; these are designed to train students to demonstrate their engagement with the course material and classmates' ideas; the JQQ assignment is designed to assist students with this requirement; peer reviews and in-class presentations of the Critical Research Essay will be included in participation) 
  • Question for Class:  5% of final grade 
(students will sign up for a day to share a thoughtful quote & question grounded in the text for the day)   

*Specific guidelines for each essay will be distributed in class throughout the semester.

Course Outline

  • Week 1: Course Introduction
  • Week 2: Reading "Critically and Actively"; Formulating Research Questions 
  • Week 3: Writing Thesis Statements, Abstracts, and Formal MLA Outlines [SUU Writing Center Introduction & Visit]
  • Week 4: Being Attentive to Rhetoric & Audience for Your Argument; Finding Appropriate Sources [SUU Library Visit, incl., librarian's introduction on research databases & library resources]
  • Week 5: Using Strong Logic for Arguments; Compiling Annotated Bibliographies  
  • Week 6: Refining Argument Structure; Polishing Mini-Research Essay [peer review] 
  • Week 7: Incorporating Inspiration from a Variety of Sources [Mini-Research Essay due]
  • Week 8: Working With Different Forms of Communication; Formulating (or Revising Existing) Research Questions
  • Week 9: Revisiting Thesis, Abstract, Argument Structure, and Formal MLA Outline
  • Week 10: Expanding & Solidifying Research [SUU Library Visit]
  • Week 11: Questioning & Writing Authentically
  • Week 12: Writing Against the Grain
  • Week 13: Solidifying Your Critical Research Essay & Annotated Bibliography
  • Week 14: Celebrating Your Work-in-Progress on the Critical Research Essay [in-class presentations & peer review]
  • Finals Week: Critical Research Essay and supporting documents due (in lieu of an in-class "Final Exam")

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

In the interests of fairness to all students, timely submission of assignments is expected. Any excused late work accepted will be subject to point deductions. Exceptions will be made for health, family, or technological emergencies, so please feel free to contact me. 

Attendance Policy

  • Attendance & Participation:  Required—in the interests of the students’ learning and performance.  Do not hesitate to let me know if there is illness or an emergency.  
  • Simply to be fair to everyone, the following will be counted as absences:  
    • being excessively tardy
    • leaving excessively early
    • engaging in distracted or disruptive activities (i.e., unrelated to class work at hand)
  • Since our course meets only twice a week: 
    • any student with more than six (6) absences will be ineligible to pass the course 
    • any student with more than two (2) consecutive absences without any communication will need to contact the instructor before written assignments are accepted and graded in Canvas 
  • In the first two weeks of class, SUU athletes and other official SUU organization members will need to submit written documentation signed by their coach/supervisor, noting specific activity dates that may conflict with class days. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.