English 1010 Introduction to Academic Writing emphasizes rhetorical skills and strategies for becoming successful academic writers. Students learn to read and write critically, to generate and develop ideas, and to work through multiple drafts. The course introduces students to the meaningful use of scholarly resources in their writing, provides a venue for students to further develop their critical thinking and research skills, and facilitates the transfer of these skills beyond their first year.

This is a writing course. I will give you several opportunities to submit and then revise your writings. In this class, you will try your hand (literally) at various kinds of academic writing. In the spirit of a community of writers, we will be posting our work to a class wiki, found at pbworks.com. I look forward to working with you.

Text and Required Material

• None required
• Assigned Essays (posted online)

Student Outcomes for English 1010

Written Communication

• Construct arguments that demonstrate awareness of purpose, audience, and context and a clear focus on assigned tasks
• Use appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to explore ideas within the context of the discipline and shape the whole work
• Demonstrate consistent use of important conventions particular to writing tasks, including organization, content, presentation, and stylistic choices
• Use straightforward and relatively error free language that generally conveys meaning to readers.

Critical Thinking

• Develop an analytic approach to evaluating and interpreting source materials and readings.
• Analyze assumptions about evidence and argument in conjunction with the context of the rhetorical situation (i.e. audience, purpose, scope, etc).
• Compose arguments that demonstrate a clear reliance on logic and the ability to evaluate and prioritize evidence.

Information Literacy

• Identify credible and appropriate information for a specific purpose.
• Evaluate sources and attribute them according to a writing style.
• Synthesize academic writing appropriately and ethically.

• = Failure to complete the Project Analysis Paragraph is an automatic letter grade reduction to Essay grade.

• = No late work is accepted. Writing Assignments are graded on a check/check minus/check plus basis. You should keep ALL returned assignments. I will collect the portfolio on the date indicated on the schedule.

Essays

You will complete a number of essays in this class. Each essay has specific instructions that are provided in the learning modules posted on our class wiki. Essays handed in late will be penalized by one letter grade for each class period that it is late. I will not accept essays that are more than one week late. I reserve the right NOT to return graded essays that are turned in late. I may not grade late essays until the end of the semester. Please hand your work in on time. You make a successful appeal to ethos by meeting deadlines appropriately.

Peer Reviews

It takes a village to write. We will engage in peer reviews for all of the major writing assignments. You should keep a document that contains ALL of the peer reviews you GIVE to other writers. All combined the peer reviews are worth ten points. I will grade your peer reviews based on the helpfulness of the review you offer, as well as tone, and other aspects of good writing. Remember to give the type of review that you would like to receive. Hard copies of the peer reviews are due when you hand in the final drafts of the essays.

Writing Assignments

Writing assignments are due nearly every class period for the first half of the semester. The Writing Assignments are graded on a complete/incomplete basis. After all ten assignments are completed, I will assign a holistic numerical grade. Writing Assignments may be revised prior to the numerical grade assignment. One grade will be dropped.

Class Participation

This is an online class. Your work will be posted on a class wiki, and you should interact with classmates on the wiki and other appropriate online venues. Your wiki needs to be kept up to date. Participation grade will be influenced by your wiki page activity and by student meetings and interactions with me and your fellow students.

Calculating Grades

Grades will be determined on a percentage basis. Major assignments will be graded on the standard letter-grade scale with plusses and minuses. Your overall grade and project grades are based on the following percentages:

This calendar is subject to change

Late Work (read carefully)

• No late work is accepted for the Writing Assignments.
• If you submit a major project without a Project Analysis Paragraph, I will return the project to you, and you may submit it late (see above for deductions for late work)
• I will probably NOT return late projects. I will probably not grade them until the end of the semester. Late projects receive a deduction of one letter grade for each class period they are late. If they are more than one week late, I will not accept them.
• I respond to student drafts that are submitted by the due dates. I do not grade the drafts, but I will respond by matching your efforts. If you give me a thoughtful, polished draft, I will give you a careful and thorough response. I will not accept late drafts.

Projects that do not have a project analysis paragraph, when a project analysis paragraph is requested, will be considered incomplete and will be returned. You may resubmit the projects for a late grade, along with the project analysis paragraph. Assignments marked with * require a project analysis paragraph.

Rude and Disruptive Behavior

Southern Utah University students are governed by the Student Responsibilities and Rights section of University Policy (5.46). All students are expected to demonstrate “conduct that respects the rights and interest of others in common endeavor...Students who violate expected standards of conduct will be subject to disciplinary action.” Inappropriate use of electronic devices during class time constitutes rude and disruptive behavior.

Class Participation

This is an online class. Your work will be posted on a class wiki, and you should interact with classmates on the wiki and other appropriate online venues. Your wiki needs to be kept up to date. Participation grade will be influenced by your wiki page activity and by student meetings and interactions with me and your fellow students.

Every writer needs a reader. The writing center provides peer tutors who will work with you on your writing assignments. They are trained in peer tutoring. Just visit the center or sign up for an appointment at writingcenter@suu.edu. Appointments can be for 30 minute or full hour appointments. They can be zoom or face to face. We accommodate walk-in appointments when our schedule board is not filled.