English Composition 101 Syllabus
DATE: January 6, 2014 (Winter Quarter)
COURSE TITLE: English Composition: Exposition and Argumentation 101, 5 credits

COURSE MEETING HOURS: Mon-Fri 9:00-9:50 am. Patterson Hall Rm. TBA
COURSE WEB ADDRESS: http://canvas.ewu.edu

Instructor: Mike Kiernan
Office Location: Robert Reid Lab, RM: 140G
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday (10:00-12:00)
Phone: 509-301-7191
Email Address: http://mkiernan@ewu.edu
UNIVERSITY POLICY: Students who are enrolled in English 100 must complete the course with a grade of “Pass” before continuing on to English 101. Students who are enrolled in English 101 must complete the course with a grade of 2.0 or better before continuing on to English 201. Students who are enrolled in English 201 must complete the course with a grade of 2.0 or better in order to graduate from Eastern Washington University.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Joining the Conversation: Writing in College and Beyond (Mike Palmquist) and The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook (Elaine P. Maimon, Janice H. Peritz and Kathleen Blake Yancey)
MATERIALS: Three manila folders for three writing assignments, 2 ½” x 2 ½” post-it notes, and a notebook. No laptops unless assigned.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS:
Writing is not only an important part of your college experience but greatly contributes to your life as a thinking individual. This class will allow you to explore and debate contemporary issues in writing and to use your own experience as a springboard to examine larger issues. It should help you express yourself clearly and therefore think clearly about the world around you so that you can participate in your community and in the culture at large. Your input is important, and your voice is necessary.
The aim of English 101 is to teach basic commonalities among all types of writing. These commonalities include but are not limited to the following: choosing fruitful and well focused topics that may serve either a particular purpose and audience or lead to universal insight into the human experience selecting specific and convincing support and details, whether this is through narrative details, information previously known by the author, interviews, or research choosing appropriate language for the purpose at hand: this involves an intimate knowledge of grammar and the ways in which it contributes to clarity and nuances of meaning rewriting, rethinking, revising, and editing essays—understanding that 90% of writing is rewriting (consider this a workshop course) confidence These goals require both critical thinking (selecting details and a focus from a myriad of choices based on a set of flexible criteria) and analysis (making sense of a source—whether that source is a written or visual text, yourself or another person). Careful and analytical reading skills are integral to these goals.
To pass this class, students must be able to write essays that show competence in the above criteria. The essays should be able to stand alone; they should do more than merely fulfill the assignment. Since writing is dependent on confidence, all students should aim at writing at least one essay that they can be proud of.
Required writing assignments, including the final writing portfolio:
Portfolio: 60%
Reflective essay portfolio requirements (20%)
Assignment sheet which contains essay requirements (print out from canvas)
Minimum two drafts, and a final revision (three total drafts)
3-5 pages
Persuasive/argumentative essay portfolio requirements (25%)
Assignment sheet which contains essay requirements (print out from canvas)
Minimum of two drafts, and a final revision (three total drafts)
Required outline or other method of summarizing points
Annotated bibliography
5-7 pages
Autobiography essay portfolio requirements (15%)
Assignment sheet which contains essay requirements (print out from canvas)
Minimum one draft and a final revision (two total drafts)
3-5 pages
Essay Exam (10%)
Homework assignments and quizzes