Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

IW: Writing abt Fans/Fandoms (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2010-H20

Course: ENGL 2010-H20
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12090

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

This section of English 2010 focuses on arguments about fans and fandoms, what it means to be a fan, how fan and fan participation change our culture. We will answer questions about how and why fans behave the way they do and what that means for both the fans and the objects of their interests. 

Required Texts

All Readings are provided as OER material (Writing Spaces and Library Resources)

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

Participation (50 points each/100 points total)
Students will complete in class participation activities and keep class notes in a composition notebook (no spirals, please). These will be submitted for grading at midterm and before final exams. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric. 

Source Analysis and Annotations (10 points each x 5/ 50 points)
You will practice MLA citations – both in text and end of text while summarizing and responding to sources you select for your final research paper. You will do this in relation to research that you are also concurrently doing for your research paper. These Source Annotations will be a substantial part of your Annotated Bibliography assignment.  More details will be provided on Canvas and in class. 

Critical Papers (100 points each/ 200 points)
You will write two short (3-5 pages) critical papers. Paper 1 is a short position paper where you integrate at least two critical sources as you answer the question “How do I define “fan” or “fandom” and how does that match my experience as fan?  Paper 2 is a preparation paper for your research paper and should provide an analysis of a fan group or fandom you have selected for your final research paper. More complete instructions are available in class. Formal requirements and the rubric will be posted to Canvas. 

Seminar (50 points)
Students will work together in small groups (3-5) to prepare questions for an assigned reading and lead the class in a seminar discussion about the reading. The grade will be determined by preperation and performance on the day of the seminar. More complete instructions are available in class and formal requirements and the rubric will be posted on Canvas. 

Fangroup Investigation (HONORS) (75 points)
You will prepared and document an investigation of a particular fan group that you are evaluating for Paper 2 (and potentially for your final research paper). This investigation will include preparation, first person research, and a presentation and interpretation of the data. More complete instructions are available in class and formal requirements and the rubric will be posted on Canvas.

Research Portfolio (525 points):
In response to an approved list of topics, the student will write:
  • A topic proposal (25 points)
  • Annotated Bibliography (25 points)
  • Detailed Outline (25 points)
  • Rough Draft (8 pages) and Conference (50)
  • Peer Review of Final Draft (50 points)
  • Multi-Modal Research Revision (50 points) Infographic or Podcast
  • A 10-12-page researched paper (300 points) that includes:
·       A coherent argument relevant to the content of the class
·       An overview of context – necessary background information, explanation of relevant context, definition of important terms
·       An analysis of source material and how it supports and enhances the argument
·       A clear and purposeful integration of 8-10 secondary sources including direct quote and paraphrase (see details for source requirements)

Course Outline

 | Date | Read Before Class | Class Activity and Assignments Due
| Week 1
| Jan 7 | Read the Syllabus | Welcome to Class Assign Seminars
| Jan 9 | What is Academic Writing?   | Assign Seminar Groups What is Academic Writing? How can you make an argument about fans? TED Talk
| Week 2
| Jan 12 | READ: “Bachies, Bardies, Trekkies, and Sherlockians” by Roberta Pearson | Assign Paper 1: Fan Definition and Narrative 
| Jan 14 | READ: “Fandom before ‘Fan’” by Daniel Cavicchi | Assign Research Papers 
| Jan 16 | READ: Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources | Writing Workshop: Annotating an Academic Source
| Week 3
| Jan 19 | MLK Day  | No Classes
| Jan 21 | All seminar reading selections due by today. | Seminar Prep Day – Group Work 
| Jan 23 | Student Selected Reading   | Seminar 1 Due (Sports) 
| Week 4
| Jan 26 | Resource Link: Purdue OWL MLA | Writing Workshop: Introduction to MLA
| Jan. 28 | Finish draft and print it for class | Peer Review – Bring Paper Drafts
| Jan 30 | Student Selected Reading  | Paper 1 Due Seminar 2 Due (Music)
| Week 5
| Feb 2 | Sample Essay A and Sample Essay B | Assign Paper 2: Fan Ethnography (Informative) Assign Fan Investigation Project Discuss Sample Essays 
| Feb 4 | READ: Annoying Ways People Use Sources | Source Analysis and Annotation 1: Class Reading Due (Complete in Class) 
| Feb 6 | Student Selected Reading | Seminar 3 (Film and Television) 
| Week 6
| Feb 9 | Student Selected Reading | Seminar 4 (Fan Performance) Fan Investigation Preparation Due   
| Feb 11 | Student Selected Reading   | Seminar 5 (Fan Misbehavior)
| Feb 13 | Fan Investigation Workday: Bring Materials | Source Analysis and Annotation 2: Scholarly Database Article Due Assign Annotated Bibliography Assign Proposal 
| Week 7
| Feb 16 | President’s Day  | No Classes
| Feb 18 | Bring source materials to class | Source Analysis and Annotation 3: Book or Book Chapter Due Fan Investigation Research Due Writing Workshop: Source Evaluation
| Feb 20 | Post Paper 2 Draft to Canvas | Paper 2 Peer Review  
 | Week 8
| Feb 23 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Fan Investigation Presentation and Interpretation Due Paper 2 Due Assign Outline Writing Workshop: Organize Your Thoughts and Your Workflow
| Feb 25 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Source Analysis and Annotation 4: Credible Website Due Writing Workshop: Integrating Source Material 
| Feb 27 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Source Analysis and Annotation 5: Student Choice Due Proposal Due Writing Workshop: Timed Writing 
| Week 9
| Mar 2 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Writing Workshop: Integrating Source Material (in-text citations refresher)
| Mar 4 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Writing Workshop: Topic Sentences
| Mar 6 | Bring all source material to class | Annotated Bibliography Due Work Day
| Spring Break March 9-13 No Classes
| Week 10
| Mar 16 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Writing Workshop: Paragraph Development
| Mar 18 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Writing Workshop: Introducing Source Material (Signal Phrases)
| Mar 20 | Bring Research Paper draft and sources | Outline Due Work Day
| Week 11
| Mar 23 | Meet in Prof. Strosser’s Office for Conferences – Use Class Time to Complete Rough Draft | Conference: Research Paper Rough Draft
| Mar 25 | Meet in Prof. Strosser’s Office for Conferences – Use Class Time to Complete Rough Draft | Conference: Research Paper Rough Draft
| Mar 27 | Meet in Prof. Strosser’s Office for Conferences – Use Class Time to Complete Rough Draft | Conference: Research Paper Rough Draft
| Week 12
| Mar 30 | Bring a single-sided printed draft to class, no highlighting.  | Writing Workshop: Organization
| Apr 1 | Bring completed draft of the research paper to class (print or electronic) | Writing Workshop: Source Check
| Apr 3 | Upload a completed draft of your research paper to the Canvas assignment before class.  | Peer Review: Content and Organization Peer Review Reflection 1 Due
| Week 13
| Apr 6 | Upload a completed draft of your research paper to the Canvas assignment before class. Be sure source highlighting is completed.  | Peer Review: MLA Documentation and Grammar Peer Review Reflection 2 Due
| Apr 8 | Bring Draft to Class | In-Class Work Day: Final Revisions
| Apr 10 | Come to class for Multi-modal instructions | FINAL DRAFT RESEARCH PAPER DUE Assign Multi-modal Revision Assignment
| Week 14
| Apr 13 | Bring research paper materials and devices | In-class Workday
| Apr 15 | Bring research paper materials and devices | In-class Workday
| Apr 17 |   | In-class Workday
| Final Exams: Date and Time TBA: Final Multi-Modal Projects Due

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

  • No late participation grades will be accepted. If you will not be able to submit a major assignment on time, you may request a 48-hour extension if the request is placed at least 24 hours before the due date and time. You will need to provide a reason for requesting the extension. 
  • Work is due at the beginning of class for hard copies and the Canvas due date/time for Canvas assignments. Make sure that you submit your work to Canvas by the scheduled time.  Even if you are not present in class, your work should be. 
  • It is the student’s responsibility to make sure all Canvas assignment submissions go through. You may set the program to send you a notification.  Computer error is not a legitimate excuse for late work, so submit earlier and double-check submissions.
  • No late work or extra credit will be accepted during finals week. 

Attendance Policy

SUU defines excused absences as university-sanctioned travel per policy 6.3 with formal documentation given to the instructor before the travel takes place. Note, however, that all other absences—including illness, family emergency, etc.—are not covered by the official SUU absence policy. Therefore, you should communicate with me about your absences as much as possible. 
 
Generally, your grade will benefit from frequent and engaged attendance. You have up to two weeks of discretionary absences. These absences are discretionary, but please use them responsibly and be mindful that absence from class is not an excuse for missed work. Please be aware of any required class readings and deadlines during your absence. 
 
If you are missing class because of an excused absence or disability accommodation, you should email the professor before class if possible, but no later than midnight on the day you miss class to clarify the status of the absence. If you do not notify the professor that an accommodation is being used, the absence will be counted against the discretionary absences allotted for the class. 
 
If you miss more than the two weeks of class due to unexcused absences, a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade. For each additional week of class that is missed, an additional letter grade will be deducted.  

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.