Bruce 301, pg.

Syllabus for English 301: Advanced College Writing

Fall 2015, Course Number 15250
Dr. Leslie Bruce
Class Data:
Instructors Office
Office Hours
Email
Meetings

UH 435
M/W 12:30-1 and Th 2:00-4
lbruce@fullerton.edu
MW 1-2:15 in H-526

Catalog Description:
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. Writing expository prose for non-English majors.
Precision in rhetoric and development of individual style by concentration on
matters of diction, audience, emphasis and persuasion. Meets upper-division
writing requirement for approved majors.
Course Description:
As a Writing in the Disciplines* course, English 301 provides students with
opportunities to refine their skills as college writers and to expand their
knowledge of academic and professional writing conventions. The course
centers on academic reading and writing strategies for both general and
specialized audiences within individual majors/disciplines. Therefore, students
will read and write in multiple disciplines and toward a variety of rhetorical
contexts. Honing their research and argumentation skills, students will shape
material for specific audiences and polish final drafts individually and
collaboratively. Students will practice critical thinking using their disciplines
modes of proof and learn to find, evaluate, and ethically cite relevant sources.
Students will also study their fields social contexts, conventions, and values in
order to communicate effectively.
Earning a C (2.0) or higher grade in English 301 will satisfy the Universitys
undergraduate, upper-division writing requirement.
Required Texts:
o
Mike Palmquists Joining the Conversation, 1st ed, 2010. Available online
as e-book for half price, or buy hardcopy at Little Professor Bookstore on
Placentia.
o
Our class Titanium site. If you do not have a personal computer, be sure
to visit a computer lab on campus to access your CSUF email account and
our Titanium site. Besides posting many of our shared readings here, I will
use Titanium to post grades, to make announcements, and to communicate
with students. You will use Titanium to collaborate with other students.

Bruce 301, pg. 2

Student Learning Objectives:

1. Rhetorical Focus: Write formally and informally, in-class and out-of-class,
for a variety of audiences and purposes.
2. Ethical Research: Using the appropriate majors customary citation style,
ethically cite and communicate information from a variety of disciplineappropriate sources.
3. Persuasive Arguments: Compare, evaluate, synthesize, and
communicate carefully, objectively, and persuasively the relative merits of
alternative or opposing arguments, assumptions, and cultural values.
Integrate this evaluative work into a persuasive argument.
4. Organization and Focus: Organize, focus, and communicate ones
thoughts clearly and effectively to address a rhetorical situation.
5. Academic Language and Design: Recognize, evaluate, and employ the
features and contexts of language and design that express and influence
meaning and that demonstrate sensitivity to gender and cultural
differences.
6. Collaboration: Improve ones own and others writing skills through the
assessment and critique of written works.

Grading Standards and Criteria:

All assignments are submitted to our Titanium page. You will receive a detailed
rubric from me for each assignment: these sheets will tell you what youve
done well, and where you should focus your energies in future tasks. The
assignments are described briefly below. Full descriptions, guidelines, and
requirements are posted on our Titanium site. The assignments and
requirements carry the following weights:
Assignment/Requirement
Date(s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Two conferences with instructor

Group Profile of a person, place, or event
Profile Presentation
Editorial
Outcomes Portfolio
e-Writers Notebook & Participation

Weight
5%
20%
10%
25%
30%
10%

Due
Weeks 5 & 15
7 Oct 2015
Oct 7 & 12 2015
18 Nov 2015
10 Dec 2015
2x/semester TBA

This course will be graded on a +/- scale. Grades will be assigned according to the
following rough scale: A = 100-90%; B = 89-80%; C = 79-70%; D = 69-60%; F = 59%
and below.
1) Two Conferences with Instructor

(total 5%)

Bruce 301, pg. 3

After submitting your first major assignment and before submitting your portfolio, you will
chat with me about your progress as a writer. The first conference will focus on prewriting
and research activities, while the second will center on your revision and self-evaluation
skills. You will receive a conference sheet to complete before each meeting.

Bruce 301, pg. 4

2) Profile of a person, place, or event

(20%)
You and a team will submit a four- to five-page, double-spaced profile of a person, group,
place, trend, or event important to your academic discipline and related to our class topic
water. For example, you could research and profile a particular hydroelectric dam, the
passage of a specific clean water act, or a founder of water therapy methods.
3) Group Presentation of Profile
(10%)
Your team will present the subject of its profile to the class in a 12-15 minute presentation
using Power Point, Prezi, or other software.
4) Editorial
(25%)
You will submit a five- to six-page, double-spaced editorial that works to persuade your
readers of a particular viewpoint regarding a water issue related to your field. For example,
you could write to persuade readers that water births are healthier than hospital births (or
vice versa), that desalination is or isnt the most effective way to serve a communitys water
needs, or that farmers water rights should trump those claimed by salmon fishermen (or
vice versa). In preparation for this assignment, you will prepare an annotated bibliography.
5) Outcomes Portfolio
(30%)
On the last day of class, youll submit an outcomes portfolio that will allow you to reflect
upon, assess, and polish a few pieces of your work into a collection you think best reflects
your competence as an academic writer in your discipline. This portfolio will contain a
cover letter and work selected by you as representing your achievement of the outcomes
listed on page one of this syllabus. Periodically, we will write reflective pieces and discuss
different organizational patterns for our portfolios.
6) e-Writers Notebook & Participation
(10%)
Keeping a writers notebook containing all of your reflective and process writing
throughout the semester will help you record, guide, and improve your writing and
learning in this class. Youll scan and submit your Writers Notebook to our Titanium page
twice during the semester. Peer reviews and in-class participation points are included in
this category.

Important Class Policies

Late Work
Late work will be penalized. If you know you will be absent, turn in your assignment to
Titanium before the due date. Papers lose one grade level per day, including weekends (A,
A-, B+, B, etc.). I DO NOT ACCEPT PAPERS VIA EMAIL. All papers are submitted to
Titanium.
Participation and Attendance
o I allow three freebie absences (no excuse necessary). Each additional unexcused
absence (up to eight) will reduce your total semester grade by 1%.

Bruce 301, pg. 5

o If you miss more than 25% of the class (four or more unexcused absences), I drop your
semester grade a full grade.
o If you miss more than 30% of the class, I reserve the right to fail you.
o If you are absent, visit our Titanium site, where I will upload major assignments and
lesson plans. It is your responsibility to read these documents.
o If you arrive significantly late or leave significantly early, you will be marked absent for
half of the class meeting.
Classroom Management
Phones may not be used in class. If you disrupt the classs ability to learn or work, I will ask you to
leave for the day.
Assignment Format
All assignments should follow whatever citation style is conventional in your academic discipline
(APA, MLA, CSE, IEEE, etc.). You must also provide a Works Cited list that conforms to that same
citation style with every written assignment. Include the name of your citation style in your
papers heading.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty involves plagiarism (using someone
elses work as your own or without acknowledgement) and cheating; we will discuss both in class.
Depending upon the severity of the incident, the student will receive a failing grade on the
assignment or for the entire course. Students who violate university standards of academic integrity
will be reported to Sandra Rhoten, Associate Dean, Dean of Students Office, Judicial Affairs and are
subject to disciplinary sanctions, including failure in the course and suspension from the university.
According to CSUFs Student Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism, plagiarism is:

The submission of material authored by another person but represented as the students own
work, whether that material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near-verbatim form.

The submission of material subjected to editorial revision by another person that results in
substantive changes in content or major alteration of writing style and

Improper acknowledgment of sources in essays, papers, or presentations.

You can read more about plagiarism and writing a research paper at:
http://fdc.fullerton.edu/learning/Academic%20Integrity/student_guide_to_avoiding_plagia.htm
Extra Credit
If an extra credit assignment is distributed, the student can choose to complete or not complete the
assignment. If the assignment is distributed during the class period, students must be present to take
advantage it.
Administrative Policies
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: I am happy to discuss accommodations you
need to succeed in this class. If you have a disability or special need for which you are or
may be requesting an accommodation, please inform me and contact the Disabled Student

Bruce 301, pg. 6

Services Office, located in University Hall 101, as early as possible in the term. For more
information, the Office of Disability Support Services can be reached by calling (657) 2783117 or emailing dsservices@fullerton.edu.
Withdrawals and Incompletes: be certain to check CSUFs guidelines and deadlines for
withdrawals. Incompletes can only be given to students who arrange a timeline to complete
their coursework with the instructor BEFORE the grading period is over.

Extra Help
1. Email Me
Email is the best method for contacting me. You can ask me questions or set up office hour
meetings with email, but do not send me papers or rough drafts via email. I require that
assignments be submitted to Titanium on the assignment due date (see Late Work). Also,
please be informed that I do not respond to email on weekends.
2. Office Hours
Take advantage of office hours to talk to me about ideas for your papers or assignments. I am
happy to answer questions that pertain to everyone during class, but please do not ask me
questions about your individual paper at the end of class. I often have to run to my next class, a
meeting, office hours, and so on. Bring those questions to office hours.
3. The Writing Center
The Writing Center provides tutoring and workshops for students. If you feel you need help
with your writing, make an appointment with themtheyre there to help you! Writing Center
appointments can be made at http://fullerton.mywconline.com
Recommended Online Resources
Oxford English Dictionary online (OED): Youre required to use this authoritative online
dictionary for your definition assignment. On CSUFs homepage, log on to the portal
with your password, click on Library, then A-Z Databases, then scroll down to Oxford
English Dictionary. This is the authoritative source for definitions, etymologies, and
spellings.
Purdues OWL (Online Writing Lab). Resources for general and technical writing, as
well as exercises for writing more effective sentences. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

www.chompchomp.com. Includes a diagnostic quiz to help you identify weak

areas in your writing and exercises to address those weaknesses. A must visit.

Emergency Procedures
In the event of an emergency on campus, students should follow the procedures detailed at
http://www.fullerton.edu/emergencypreparedness/ep_students.html.
Faculty Obligation to Meet Classes: In the event of an emergency (such as an earthquake) that
disrupts normal campus operations or causes the University to close for a prolonged period of time,
we will do our best to continue the class via Titanium, if it is available. Therefore, check the class
Titanium site and your CSUF email for messages and instructions as soon as possible after such as

Bruce 301, pg. 7

event, and at least once a day. You can obtain emergency information about campus operations on
the CSUF web site, via the Fullerton Campus Operation & Emergency Closure Line (657-2784444) or the Irvine Campus Operation & Emergency Closure Line (657-278-8676).
*Writing in the Disciplines: Description and Rationale
Writing in the Disciplines (WID) is a pedagogical approach to writing that
teaches the shared qualities of academic writing while also attending to the
discipline-specific elements of style, format, and content. WID practices
address effectively the academically heterogeneous audience of English 301 by
initiating students into the professional discourse of their particular fields. All
academic fields have developed specialized forms of communicationcalled
genrestailored to serve specific social functions. For example, an institution
like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) might write a request for proposals
(RFP), to which a group of scientists might respond with a proposal. The
scientists who win the NIH grant will need to compose progress reports and
publish the results of their research. We might define the social function of
such an exchange as funding scientific research to improve health in the
United States. WID courses empower students to engage in this type of
critical conversation in their fields. To introduce students to the conventions of
their disciplines, English 301 both offers generalized writing instruction (such as
introduction to rhetorical principles, writing as process, and revision
techniques) and provides students with opportunities to research and write
about issues within their particular majors. To familiarize students with the
diversity of academic and professional forms of writing, English 301 also
requires students to employ a variety of expert genres, which might include
analyses, reviews of the research, profiles, proposals, evaluations, definitions,
case studies, and statements of purpose.