ENG 202 Syllabus, Fall 2015

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND TRANSLATION ENG 202—COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II FALL 2015-2016 __________________________________________________________________ INSTRUCTOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION INSTRUCTOR: Denise Atallah El Azzi OFFICE: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT—BLOCK A, 5TH FLOOR EMAIL: datallah@aust.edu.lb OFFICE HOURS: Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:15-10:00 COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, students are supposed to learn how arguments are built so that they would engage in debates, critical thinking, substantiation and evaluation of claims, as well as in research, which is essential in this course. In this course, students can also improve their thinking and writing processes and correct their grammatical errors. COURSE OBJECTIVE: This course will improve students’ writing, thinking, and reading. The objective of this course is to make students more confident while writing or expressing their views in debates. They get involved in discussions of different topics, generate solutions and convincing evidence to controversies, and realize that active reading and meticulous analysis make them profounder thinkers. LEARNING OUTCOMES: When the semester ends, students will be able to:  Discuss issues and ask questions related to them.  Analyze the rhetorical context of an argument.  Develop strong claims and valid evidence.  Write summaries of passages and paraphrase certain excerpts from them.  Develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and comparison.  Read essays from a variety of disciplines.  Organize essays coherently.  Write a research paper using a suitable documentation system  Learn how to revise and edit essays. 1 Grading Criteria Attendance (ATT) 5% Class Participation (CP) 5 % Homework (HW) 10 % Class Quizzes (CQ) 10% Class Exams (CE) 30% Exam I (EX I) 15 % Exam II (EX II) 15 % Exam III (EX III) 15 % (The lowest grade among the three exams is dropped.) Final Examination (FIN) 25 % Project/Term Paper (PRJ) 15 % (5 marks are deducted for each absence.) REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS & STORIES Kennedy, Mary Lynch; Kennedy, William J. Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Pearson, 2012. Stories: 1- Mansfield, Catherine. The Garden Party and Other Stories. Oxford University Press, 2008. 2- West, Clare. Far from Madding Crowd. Oxford University Press, 2008. EXPECTATIONS Students are expected to participate in class, give their opinions, ask questions, and seek help whenever they encounter any difficulty. The approach followed in class is not teacher-centered and depends mostly on students who should be ready prior to any lecture when an assignment has been given or when a new chapter is to be explained. They are expected to predict the content and participate while the teacher is presenting the objectives of the lesson. POLICIES  Attendance is mandatory.  Punctuality is a value, and respecting class time is also a must.  Absences should be validly justified in order to be excused by the dean of students.  Students who have three absences (MWF) and two absences (T-TH) sign a first warning. Four absences and above entail signing a final warning.  Students who exceed the number of absences and do not answer phone calls to justify their absences will be given an AW (Academic Withdrawal).  Examination dates should be respected, and examinations should not be missed because no make-up exams are given.  Assignments should be prepared diligently and handed in on time.  Plagiarism is not condoned and results in a failing grade on the assigned work.  Decent attire and appropriate behavior are expected from all students in order to maintain a professional learning atmosphere.  Refreshments are not allowed inside the classroom.  Cellular phones are not to be used in class whatever the reason. 2 Course Outline General Learning Outcomes  analyze argumentative texts critically  write syntheses  identify the main purpose of a specific argumentative context  read and analyze argumentative articles  engage in debates  write argumentative essays and give logical evidence to support viewpoints  employ proofs adequately  analyze articles rhetorically  fine-tune sentences and ameliorate style and diction Week Writing in the Disciplines Assessment Method 1 -Introduction to course -Ch. 3: Critical Analysis (Part I: p. 69-80) Diagnostic writing 2 -Ch. 3: Critical Analysis (Part I: p. 69-80) -Reading: p. 397 Story check: The Garden Party and Other Stories + assignment 3 -Ch. 6: Synthesis (p. 166-170) Story check: The Garden Party and Other Stories + quiz 4 Exam I -Ch. 6: Synthesis (p. 170-177) -Reading: p. 400 Exam I 5 -Ch. 6: Synthesis (Practice) Story check: The Garden Party and Other Stories + practice assignment 6 -Ch. 6: Synthesis (Practice) -Reading: p. 429 Story check: The Garden Party and Other Stories + quiz 7 Exam II -Ch. 7: Argument (p. 207-217) Exam II 8 -Argument: Toulmin Model (Explanation) -Reading: p. 464 Story: Far from Madding Crowd 9 -Argument: Toulmin Model (Practice) Far from Madding Crowd + assignment 10 Exam III -Argument: Toulmin Model (Writing) -Reading: p. 482 Exam III 11 -Ch. 8: Writing Research Papers (p. 235-238) Far from Madding Crowd 12 -Ch. 8: Writing Research Papers (p. 269-273) -Reading: p. 511 Far from Madding Crowd + assignment 13 -Ch. 8: Writing Research Papers (Practice) Term Paper 14 REVIEW 3