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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Intermediate Writing: Writing About Video Games

ENGL 2010-30I

Course: ENGL 2010-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12101

Course Description

This class is a continuation of ENGL 1010 with an emphasis on finding good academic sources and using strategies in order to make a good written argument. Part of how we learn this is to practice writing. Another way is to read about writing or just read writing that is well-done! So there is a lot of reading and writing in all Engl 2010 classes, as well as a 10-page paper due at the end of the semester. Don't worry; we'll break it all down.
This particular class focuses on arguments surrounding the topic of video games. If you don't know much about gaming, that's okay! I'll teach you. If you do know a lot, awesome! I've been a gamer my entire life and know a lot about the topic, too.
The skills you learn in this class will help you in all your other classes and in many real-life situations, as well.
There are 2 identical sections of this class in the same Canvas shell. Make sure you just put your section number on your assignments.
Catalog Description
ENGL 2010 Intermediate Writing - 3 Credits
The second of the GE writing courses emphasizes the development of an effective academic style in argumentative essays that makes use of traditional rhetorical pa#erns, 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.
General Education Category: Written Communication
All ENGL 2010 classes have minimum requirements from the English Dept. If you have an interest, you can see that list here. (I.E., it's not me trying to give you a lot of work; it's a requirement of all 2010's.)

Required Texts

I provide required articles and links for you through Canvas modules and your assignments. There are no books for you to buy.
You need to use Word for this class. You have free access to this: On MySUU, go to Resources, then Office 356 Log In. Do not use Google Docs; it messes up the formatting and doesn't always work with Canvas.
You need access to Canvas and the SUU Library website.

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

Assignments Outline
While you can technically miss some assignments and not hurt your grade, sometimes one assignment is the only time a concept is talked about, so you won't know how to do it on the next assignments or major essays.
• Also note that because I want to teach you to use the best academic sources, we will only be using the SUU library databases' peer-reviewed academic articles and they can only be 10 years old or less.**
Major Essays
The bulk of your grade in ENGL 2010 will come from these interconnected assignments which culminate in a substantial, 10+ page Persuasive Argument Essay. The other two major essays prepare you for the final one.
All smaller assignments help you craft parts of the final essay, so you need each assignment to do well on that final essay.
Discussions
Discussions are completion-based assignments that allow you to explore course ideas and readings in depth.
Workshops
Workshops are low-stakes activities designed to help you practice skills and explore ideas (easy points that will help your other assignments, too)--they also let me check in on how your research is developing. They are designed to help with your major wri!ng assignments, so feel free to reuse and recycle the wri!ng you do for them when appropriate!
Quizzes
These are open-book quizzes just to make sure you have some basic informa!on under your belt.
Grade Scheme
The following grading standards will be used in this class:
ENGL 2010 Course Assessments | Percentage
Discussions | 10%
Workshops | 10%
Quizzes | 10%
Major Assignment 1: Rhetorical Analysis | 20%
Major Assignment 2: Topic Proposal | 20%
Major Assignment 3: Persuasive Argument Essay | 30%
Total | 100%
A minimum grade of D- in the class is mandatory to meet the SUU core Integrated Learning General Educa!on requirement.
A | 100% to 94%
A- | < 94% to 90%
B+ | < 90% to 87%
B | < 87% to 84%
B- | < 84% to 80%
C+ | < 80% to 77 %
C | < 77% to 74%
C- | < 74% to 70%
D+ | < 70% to 67%
D | < 67% to 64%
D- | < 64% to 60%
F | < 60 % to 0 %
Complete/Incomplete assignments
Smaller grades are considered Complete or Incomplete. If you get an incomplete, it means you didn't do enough of what was being asked to be considered proficient in that assignment. It is expected that you will make corrections and resubmit in order to get full points. If you get a complete but not full points, you may also correct what's missing and resubmit.
Neat trick! Hypothetical grades: You can plug in hypothetical grades into assignments in the Grades section of Canvas to see how this would affect your overall grade. I can't do it on my end but you can do it for yourself.
Please remember:
  1. You have to learn the skill to get the grade. Even if you "work really hard" as some students tell me in anger, if you don't fulfill the assignment, I can't give you full credit. I worked hard to understand algebra the first time through, but it didn't click with me. The second !me it did. It sucks when effort doesn't yield the results we want, but sometimes that happens. Your work has to show understanding of the concepts being taught in the assignment.
  2. Accomplishing the bare minimum of what the assignment requires is necessary if you want any credit.
  3. The minor assignments are the lessons for the class. Every concept is the founda!on for the next thing taught. If you skip one assignment, it may not affect your grade initially, but you will not have learned a necessary skill that will be required later to learn another skill. This will likely con!nue all semester, and it will suddenly snowball rapidly the last couple of weeks. I do everything I can to warn you and help you, but once it gets to that point, there's usually nothing either one of us can do to remedy the problem. Trust me; I've been doing this a long !me and have seen the pattern dozens of times! I've literally had students do almost no work, think they can wing a 10-page paper without any lessons, and then get pissed when that predictably doesn't work out for them.
  4. C is average. If you do work that is fulfilling the assignment but just hits that bare minimum, that is totally fine, but it doesn't make it A work (many students think an A should be given if they turn anything in at all). "A" means excellent work has been done. I am actually very forgiving in my grading even if it doesn't seem like it. If I can justify raising your grade, I do it every !me. So if you did poorly, know that was after I was doing everything I could on my end to help you get the best grade I could; but my hands are tied by the requirements of the course and assignments. However, I'm happy to help you improve that grade if it's before rewrite deadlines.
  5. You earn grades; I write them down. Students don't get to decide what they've earned, because they don't know much of anything about academic wri!ng yet, hence the need for the class. To come to me and tell me what you deserve is 1. grossly misunderstanding the purpose of a university class, and 2. going to be based on the emotion of the grade you want- which is kind of the opposite of what I'm trying to teach you in the class to begin with! Likewise, telling me the Writing Center said it was an A paper is first, a lie; they won't do that. Second, not relevant as they are helping but are not composition professors.
  6. I can care if you'll be on probation, not be able to play for your team, lose your scholarship, have to go to your home country, etc. (all things students have told me would be on me if I didn't pass them (remember, it's not me; it's you who does the work or not), but not be able to do anything about it. I worry about all of you all the time, but I ethically can't give you grades you don't earn, add extra assignments for your personal benefit, or bend the rules just for you.

Course Outline

  • Sun Jan 10, 2027 — FERPA Consent Waiver (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 10, 2027 — MLA Template 1 (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 10, 2027 — Syllabus Quiz (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 17, 2027 — Discussion: What Exactly Is a Game? (abt. 1 hr) Reply to Topic (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 17, 2027 — Quick Quiz: What Makes a Source Academic? (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Jan 18, 2027 — Discussion: What Exactly Is a Game? (abt. 1 hr) Required Replies (2) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 24, 2027 — Discussion: "Shitty First Drafts" (abt. 30 min) Reply to Topic (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 24, 2027 — Discussion: Go Play a Game! #1 (abt 3 hrs) Reply to Topic (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 24, 2027 — Quick Quiz: MLA Writing Style (abt. 30 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Jan 25, 2027 — Discussion: "Shitty First Drafts" (abt. 30 min) Required Replies (2) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Jan 25, 2027 — Discussion: Go Play a Game! #1 (abt 3 hrs) Required Replies (2) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Jan 25, 2027 — MLA Template 2 (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 31, 2027 — Quick Quiz: Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 31, 2027 — Workshop: How to Read Like a Writer (abt. 1 hr) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Jan 31, 2027 — Discussion: Go Play a Game! #2 (abt. 3 hrs) Reply to Topic (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Feb 7, 2027 — Workshop: Incorporating Sources into Writing (abt. 20 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Feb 8, 2027 — Discussion: Go Play a Game! #2 (abt. 3 hrs) Required Replies (2) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Feb 14, 2027 — Major Assignment 1: First Draft of the Rhetorical Analysis (abt. 3 hrs) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Feb 21, 2027 — Major Assignment 1: Final Draft of the Rhetorical Analysis (abt. 1 hr to revise if your first dra$ is in decent shape) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Feb 28, 2027 — Discussion: Rhetorical "Moves" (abt 30 min) Reply to Topic (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Feb 28, 2027 — Quick Quiz: Choosing Quotes (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Mon Mar 1, 2027 — Discussion: Rhetorical "Moves" (abt 30 min) Required Replies (2) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Mar 7, 2027 — Major Assignment 2: First Draft of the Topic Proposal (abt. 3 hrs) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Mar 14, 2027 — Major Assignment 2: Final Draft of the Topic Proposal (abt. 1 hr to revise if your first dra$ is in decent shape) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Mar 21, 2027 — Quick Quiz: Odds and Ends (abt. 15 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Mar 21, 2027 — Thesis Statement (abt. 30 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Mar 21, 2027 — Workshop: Introductions (abt. 20 min) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Apr 4, 2027 — Major Assignment 3: First Draft of the Persuasive Argument Essay (abt. 8-12 hrs depending on the time you spent on assignments working up to this one) (due by 11:59pm)
  • Sun Apr 18, 2027 — Major Assignment 3: Final Draft of the Persuasive Argument Essay (abt. 2 hrs to revise if your first draft is in decent shape) (due by 11:59pm)

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

You can turn work in late for full points! But late work won't get notes from me, which can inadvertently affect your grade. (You can s!ll get any ques!ons answered if you come in for office hours, however).
You can do rewrites for full points, too! In writing, it is very common to have to revise! That's what the wri!ng process is! It's not a failing on your part if you need to revise. I want you to learn, so if you miss the point of an assignment or you don't like your grade, come see me so we can see what needs to be done for your next attempt.
There are exceptions to late work and rewrites being allowed:
  • Discussions- because other students depend on your !mely response, cannot be late.
  • Feb 15 and Mar 29 are hard deadlines. No work or rewrites from Weeks 1-5 can be turned in after Feb 15. No work or rewrites from Weeks 6-12 can be turned in after Mar 29. There are no exceptions.
  • Your final draft of your final essay cannot be turned in late. There are no exceptions.
• Please, contact me asap if you need extra time or are struggling in some other way! I can't help you after the fact.**

Attendance Policy

As this is an asynchronous online class, there is no attendance requirement. However, please note that the course discussions (which replicate the in-class discussion portion of a face- to-face class) are mandatory, due weekly, and cannot be made up if missed.

Course Modality, Feedback, and Submission Policies; Resources

Why English 2010 Online is Harder than Face-to-Face Classes
There's a myth that online classes are easy (or at least easier). Unfortunately, that is NOT true for English composi!on. Because of the detailed nature of what you're learning, you have to be highly self-motivated to do the readings and look over assignments mul!ple times until you completely understand the concepts without the benefit of me being with you to clarify all concepts as would happen in a classroom. I am available to help, though!
If you have an overloaded schedule this semester at school or work, consider taking this class later when you have !me. Research and writing are time-consuming tasks. Even if you got A's in high school by writing essays the night before, that will not work in this class. The final essay, for example, should take a minimum of 12 hours. If you take your time on all the smaller assignments leading up to the final essay, it will make the task infinitely easier, though!
Instructors' Response Time & Feedback
My goal is to:
  • Respond to student messages within 2 business days
  • Provide grades and feedback within 3 days from the due date for small assignments and 6 days for major wri!ng assignments
Keep in mind that if I spend 20 minutes making notes per essay draft, it's 8.5 hours per assignment just for this class, and I have 4-5 classes per semester, and that is just one small (albeit important!) part of my job. So try to be patient.
Grading and Commen!ng:
I only comment in detail on first drafts of major assignments and only if they are turned in on time. I just use a rubric on final drafts, since most students only really want the notes on the first draft to help them do better on the final draft. You are always welcome to make an appointment if you want more clarifica!on on any assignment.
On minor assignments, I may or may not make a note. If I say, "This looks good!" I mean that sincerely and it's fine the way it is. Please realize that anything I write as a note students often read as "I hate you and your writing sucks"; What I might have actually written may be, "I'm not sure what you are arguing. Can you explain?" and I'm literally just asking for clarifica!on. Without voice cues, we sometimes assume the worst. I try to be as straightforward and honest with you as possible, which may sound blunt in writing, so try to imagine my voice being as supportive as possible when you read my notes. I'm just trying to help you!
So conversely, if I say something needs to be corrected, it really does and will lose you points if you don't. I give you a rubric ahead of time so you see how I will grade your work; if I tell you something is missing, I'm basing it on how I will be grading you using the given rubric.
However, I won't mark every error for you. I'm not an editor. :) I have to pick a few important things for you to focus on learning at a time. But I do allow rewrites for full points, so if you don't like a grade, come see me so we can go over what else you can do to get the concepts downs for your next try.
IT IS NORMAL to have to rewrite (fix parts of) assignments in writing classes. It is not a failing on your part. It just takes a bit to get it right. That's how the writing process works.
Notes of Importance
  • For all 2010 classes, it is expected that you already know what you learned in ENGL 1010 before taking this class. I do review some of the 1010 concepts but not all of them.
  • Everything for this class is done in MLA formatting with the excep!on of the discussions. Everything else should have a heading, header, correct font and spacing, proper in-text cita!ons when applicable, etc.
  • Documents that cannot be opened will be considered missing. Please submit as a .doc or .docx or .pdf to ensure compa!bility with Canvas’ commen!ng func!on. Do not send a link to a Google Doc. Also, scan over all assignments periodically to make sure I've graded them and let me know if something got skipped.
  • Due dates and !mes are based on Mountain Standard Time.
  • My personal opinions on your topics do not affect your grade. As long as you make a decent argument and back it up, that's all I care about. Some topics won't work well, and I will let you know that to save you time and stress.
  • I am always happy to discuss a paper in detail during office hours regardless of when it is submitted. That said, students who are panicking and trying to get me to accept or fix assignment grades from all semester long are going to be disappointed. There is LOTS of time to work with me. The last week is not that time.
Technology and Access
Best Way to View the Course: Through a laptop or PC. If you only use your phone, you will miss information for which you are responsible- I don't know why the app misses stuff, but it does. At least once a week, I suggest you go to a computer lab or public library to go over this class site if you do not have your own computer. If you do have a laptop or computer, I suggest only accessing the class from there.
Student Resources: The SUU Writing Center
The Undergraduate Writing Center is a free service dedicated to supporting student writing in any undergraduate class at SUU. The staff of undergraduate writing tutors is trained to assist SUU writers with all aspects of the writing process. We welcome student writers at every skill and confidence level and at every stage of the writing process because every writer needs a reader. https://www.suu.edu/writingcenter
Note: Bring your assignment instructions and the rubric when you go, so they know what parameters you are trying to fulfill.

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.