Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

IW: Writing abt the Sciences (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2010-22

Course: ENGL 2010-22
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12092

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

The focus of this course is Writing in the Sciences, which means our course writing and reading will be geared towards helping you write more fluently in scientific disciplines. We’ll be exploring what it means to write about science—what constitutes science as a distinct discourse community? What counts as evidence? In particular, we’ll be focusing on qualities of good writing (many of which are applicable across disciplines). 

Required Texts

Greene, Anne E. Writing Science in Plain English. U of Chicago P, 2013. ISBN 978-0-226-02637-4

Montgomery, Scott L. The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science, 2nd ed. U of Chicago P, 2017. ISBN 9780226144504

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

This course requires the following assignments (more detailed descriptions of these assignments and rubrics will be provided in Canvas):
  1. Formal Writing (discourse analysis, research proposal, final paper) (40%) 
  2. Research Process work (weekly goals/Source Evaluation/Synthesis Matrix/Research Proposal) (10%)
  3. Writing Process work (drafts, peer reviews, Letter to Reader reflections) (25%)
  4. Presentation of Findings (Final) (10%)
  5. Participation work (in-class work, journals) (15%)


Course Outline

 
Week One
Introduction : What is science?
Course introductions
Beginning of the semester survey

Week Two
Using rhetoric in science, rhetorical appeals
Introduction to Discourse Community Analysis

Week Three
Writing for an audience; Getting started
Analysis and models: What counts as evidence?

Week Four
Peer Review: Discourse Community Analysis
Revision
Introduce Research Unit: Proposal/synthesis matrix
Discuss possible research topics

Week Five
Finding Sources—Library Day
Research Scavenger Hunt
Reading and Evaluating Sources
Discourse Analysis due

Week Six
Logical Fallacies
Intro to synthesis matrix and APA in-text citations (summary, paraphrase, quotation, citations)

Week Seven
APA Works cited citations
Plagiarism and ethics

Week Eight
Writing a proposal
Synthesis matrix
Entering the Conversation: Writing a literature review

Week Nine
Proposal conferences

SPRING BREAK 3/9-3/13
 
Week Ten
Finding an internship
Resume and Cover letter

Week Eleven
Getting Started: Arrangement (IMRaD, standard)
Drafting: sections, headings, paragraphs

Week Twelve
Festival of Excellence, No class
Intro and Conclusion,conciseness workshop

Week Thirteen
Peer Review #3, gerunds and possessives, pronoun and antecedent
Style workshop; flow and tricolon
Week Fourteen
Citation peer review (#4) 
Oral and visual presentations

Final Exam: April 21, 9-10:50 am

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

Deadlines are designed to help you manage the workload for the class. In general, I expect assignments to be submitted when they are due. That said, I’ve built some flexibility into the class to accommodate for unexpected crises, learning differences, etc.

Soft deadlines:
Most assignments for this class have “soft” deadlines–that means there is a one-week grace period for late assignments. After one week, assignments lose 25% of their value (unless you made prior arrangements with me). I will not give feedback to work submitted more than one week late.

Major papers will have a one-week submission period as well. The day the paper is submitted will not affect the grade of the paper, but it will determine how much feedback you receive. Days 1-2 receive marginal notes, end comment, and rubric score. Days 3-5 receive an end comment and rubric score. Days 6-7 receive the rubric score only.

Hard deadlines:
A few assignments for this course cannot be submitted late: 

  1. Rough Drafts and Peer Reviews. Because peer reviews depend on you and fellow students turning in drafts at the same time, you should make every effort to get rough drafts submitted on time. If a rough draft is late, you will not be able to participate in the class peer review, and will need to make two appointments with the writing center and submit a 250 word description of each visit to make up those assignments. (Though you still have one week's grace period before any other penalty applies).
  2. Finals week. You will not be able to make up our in-class final presentation outside without making prior arrangements (I will make exceptions for illness). I will not accept late work after the end of finals week. 

Attendance Policy

I expect that you will come to class prepared, having done the required reading and/or writing. Participation is an important part of this course, and it’s difficult to participate if you’re not prepared. In addition, I expect that you will be present for peer reviews and give thoughtful, respectful feedback to one another. In-class work cannot be made up outside of class except in the case of excused absences or illness (where I was notified in advance).

If you miss more than three weeks of class (six class periods), you will be required to meet with me to get caught up and set a plan for moving forward in the class. (I will not accept missing assignments until you do).

Course Fees

None

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.