English Comp 1

You have completed English Composition I! In as much as reflection is a genre, it is also an action—one of the most

important actions of the writing process. Writing a reflection does not mean that you focus on what you would have changed

or what you may have failed at doing; instead, a reflection should be a holistic assessment of an experience so that you can

apply those lessons to the next experience.

ENG 1301, English Composition
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Course Syllabus
Course Description
Introduces the basic concepts and requirements of college-level writing. This course provides students with the opportunity
to implement effective communication skills via the written word.
Course Textbook(s)
No physical textbook is required; resources are integrated within the course.
Additional Required Course Material(s)
See each Unit Study Guide for additional required course material(s).
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate proper use of Standard Written English and the conventions of APA documentation style.
2. Employ the concepts of audience and perspective when approaching others in the writing situation.
3. Construct different genres of writing.
4. Effectively incorporate relevant academic sources containing both qualitative and quantitative data.
5. Demonstrate critical reading skills that translate to improvement in writing practices, such as the crafting of effective
sentences and paragraphs.
6. Utilize pre-writing and planning strategies for the writing process.
7. Assert argumentative thesis statements that are supported by structured essays that have an introduction, body, and
conclusion.
Prerequisite(s)
No prerequisite courses are required for enrollment in this course.
Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.
ENG 1301, English Composition I
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CSU Online Library
The CSU Library contains resources chosen to support the programs of study at Columbia Southern University. Library
resources can be accessed at any time through the library website. You may be prompted to log in with your CSU account
information to access library content. The library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides, which are
always accessible through the library webpage.
The CSU Library is staffed by professional librarians ready to help during each step of the research process. The three main
avenues of library support are chat, email library@columbiasouthern.edu, and phone (1.877.268.8046). Chat is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Email and phone assistance are available Central Standard Time (CST)
Monday – Thursday from 8 AM to 7 PM and Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM. Students can also request a virtual research
appointment. Live orientation sessions are held every Friday at 2 PM CST and can be requested on-demand. Live
instructional webinars are offered monthly on a variety of research topics. Our current webinar schedule is available so you
can plan to attend a future session.
LibGuides
Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information such
as databases, e-books, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your friendly
library staff.
Click here for the LibGuide for this course.
Unit Assignments
Unit III Essay
Comparative Essay
Write a 500-750 word essay comparing and contrasting two alike but dissimilar things.
Purpose: Throughout Unit III, we have discussed the conventions of the comparative essay. The purpose of this assignment
is to measure your mastery of those conventions by putting your knowledge into practice. In a larger context, the purpose of
writing a comparative essay is to gain the skills of detecting similarities and differences between at least two items and then
using those similarities and differences to create knowledge about either one or both of the items. In this way, the
comparative essay is a tool used for both observation and analysis.
Process: For the comparative essay, you will complete the following steps:
1. Choose a topic related to your career or major field of study. See the suggested list of topics in the “Comparative
Essay Topics Handout” below in the supplemental documents portion of these instructions.
2. Create a list of similarities and differences: See Unit III, Lesson 2, for more instruction about how to create a list.
3. Create a thesis statement based on similarities, differences, or both similarities and differences: See Unit III, Lesson
3, for more information about how to create a thesis statement.
4. Choose whether to organize your essay by point or by subject: For an essay organized by point, see Unit III, Lesson 4,
and the “Comparative Essay Example: Essay Organized by Point” below. For an essay organized by subject, see
Unit III, Lesson 5, and the “Comparative Essay Example: Essay Organized by Subject” below.
5. Consult the “Comparative Essay: Final Self-Check List” below before submission.
Stylistic details: All essays must meet the following requirements:
Write in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Include one-inch margins on all sides.
Use double spacing (top-to-bottom every page, to include above and below titles and centered words).
Include an APA title page (for all essays) and reference list (if sources are used).
Include page numbers (upper-right corner only).
Adhere to APA convention and documentation style.
No sources are required. However, if you do decide to use any sources, they must be cited via in-text and reference
citations.
ENG 1301, English Composition I
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The following documents will assist you in creating this assignment:
Comparative Essay Topics Handout
Comparative Essay Self-check List
Comparative Essay Example: Essay Organized by Subject
Comparative Essay Example: Essay Organized by Point
Unit IV Journal
In Unit II, we discussed that there is a process to writing but that there is no one, specific, start-to-finish process. Instead,
the process is cyclical as we learned throughout the lesson. Additionally, you learned that it is important to understand
yourself as a writer and that you have your own process. In Unit III, you wrote your first paper for this class and should now
have a better idea of your own writing process.
Please respond to this prompt by reflecting upon your own writing process. You may choose to use the guiding
questions/prompts below as a way to begin your reflection; however, you do not have to address all of the questions. The
objective of this reflection is to become better acquainted with the process that you go through when writing.
What was your process of writing the Unit III Compare/Contrast Essay? For example, did you use any pre-writing
activities like free writing, bubble mapping, or outlining? Did you brainstorm? Did you write the essay all in one session, or
did you break it up into multiple writing sessions?
What are your feelings about writing? Have you always had these feelings? Did anything surprise you about writing the
Unit III paper?
Do you always follow the same process every time you write, or does your process seem to change depending upon
what you are writing?
What was your process for writing this reflection? How did this process differ from your process of writing the paper?
Will you alter or develop your writing process going forward?
Remember that this is a piece of reflective writing, and while we tend to consider reflective writing to be about “how far we
have come,” it is not necessary for that to be the case. Looking in the mirror at our reflection is not an act about the passage
of time or about growth; it is about being able to see ourselves where we could not before. Remember to be kind to yourself.
You are a beginning writer, and this is an exercise about discovering who you are as a writer so that we can work together
to build who you will be.
Unit VII Essay
Expository Essay
Write a 750-1000 word Expository Essay about a topic of your choice using one of the three structures described in the unit
(sequential, problem/solution, or cause/effect).
Purpose: Throughout Units VI and VII, we have discussed the conventions of the expository essay. The purpose of this
assignment is to measure your mastery of those conventions by putting your knowledge to practice. As we discussed in
Unit VI, Lesson 1, the expository essay is a general term for an essay that expounds upon or explains a topic. The objective
of the essay is to convey information to the reader; most importantly, an expository essay is an exploration of a topic, and
the tone is explanatory. After choosing your topic, you will need to choose the form that is most appropriate to fit the topic:
cause and effect, problem and solution, or sequential. A thesis statement, which contains the paper’s argument, will be
appropriate to the form you choose.
Process: For the expository essay, you will complete the following steps:
1. Choose a topic: See Unit VI, Lesson 2, for more information about choosing a topic.
2. Create a plan of action: See Unit VI, Lesson 3, for strategies for assessing what you already know and assessing
what you need to know.
3. Research the topic: See Unit V, Lesson 4 and Unit VI, Lesson 4, for instruction on research methods. Make sure to
use both qualitative and quantitative data from relevant academic sources.
4. Choose the organization of your essay: Choose between cause and effect, problem and solution, or sequential
organization types. See Unit VI, Lesson 1, for a list of the three organizational forms, and see Unit VII, Lesson 1, for a
description of thesis statements written according to the organizational form of the essay.
5. Create a thesis statement: See Unit VII, Lesson 1, for a description of thesis statements written according to the
organizational form of the essay.
6. Draft the essay: See Unit VII, Lesson 1, for keeping brainstorming in mind and Unit VII, Lesson 2, for more on the
drafting process and description of each essay section.
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Stylistic details: All essays must meet the following requirements:
Write in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Include one-inch margins on all sides.
Use double spacing (top-to-bottom every page, to include above and below titles and centered words).
Include an APA title page (for all essays) and reference list that includes all of the sources used in the essay.
Include page numbers (upper-right corner only).
You must use at least one academically-credible source from the CSU Library, though you may use more sources if you
choose. All sources must be cited via in-text and reference citations.
Adhere to APA convention and documentation style.
The following document will assist you in creating this assignment:
Expository essay example
Unit VIII Journal
You have completed English Composition I! In as much as reflection is a genre, it is also an action—one of the most
important actions of the writing process. Writing a reflection does not mean that you focus on what you would have changed
or what you may have failed at doing; instead, a reflection should be a holistic assessment of an experience so that you can
apply those lessons to the next experience.
You have written two essays for this course. Please reflect upon your experience in English Composition I by addressing
the following questions. You do not have to address all of them or address them in order.
What was your most successful essay in this course? You may want to judge that based upon your instructor’s
assessment, but it would be more beneficial for you to base this upon what you feel is your best work. What was it that
made this essay so successful for you?
What kinds of elements do you consider when thinking about what makes a successful essay? After listing some of
those attributes, how does your “most successful” essay match up with these elements? In what ways does it fall short?
What would you have done differently when writing the essay you deemed less successful than the other? In thinking
about what you would have changed, did you really have the opportunity to make that change at the time? Why, or why
not?
What have you learned about the writing process? How has the emergence or, at least, definition of that process
changed how you write, if at all?
What was your favorite thing that we did in the course? Why? What was the least appealing thing we did in the course?
Why? What revisions would you suggest for this course to make it more impactful?
Think about Part III of the discussion board in Unit I that asked you to consider your greatest strengths and weaknesses
as a writer and to anticipate the greatest challenges you would face in this course. Now that you have completed the
class, have your answers to these questions changed? If so, how?
APA Guidelines
The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the
primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers
and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading
rubric when available. Students can find The CSU Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and
sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Writing Center.
Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each
rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level
of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to
meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because
these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is
possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have
ENG 1301, English Composition I
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Assessments).
The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit
Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.
Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics
are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the
Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be
submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”
Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your
Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.
Schedule/Grading
The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you
will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.
Unit I
An Introduction to Writing
Read/View:
Unit I Study Guide
Discuss:
Unit I Discussion Board
Unit II
Finding Your Writing Process
Read/View:
Unit II Study Guide
Submit:
Unit II Live Lecture
Unit III
The Comparative Essay
[ Weight: 10% ]
10%
[ Weight: 10% ]
10%
[ Weight: 20% ]
Read/View:
Unit III Study Guide
Submit:
Unit III Essay
20%
Unit IV
Skills for Success
[ Weight: 5% ]
Read/View:
Unit IV Study Guide
Submit:
Unit IV Journal
ENG 1301, English Composition I
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Unit V
The Illustration Essay
Read/View:
Unit V Study Guide
Discuss:
Unit V Discussion Board
Unit VI
The Expository Essay, Part 1: Planning the Essay
Read/View:
Unit VI Study Guide
Submit:
Unit VI Live Lecture
Unit VII
The Expository Essay, Part 2: Writing the Essay
Read/View:
Unit VII Study Guide
Submit:
Unit VII Essay
Unit VIII
The Expository Essay, Part 3: Revising and Editing the Essay
Read/View:
Unit VIII Study Guide
Submit:
Unit VIII Journal
ENG 1301, English Composition I
[ Weight: 10% ]
10%
[ Weight: 10% ]
10%
[ Weight: 30% ]
30%
[ Weight: 5% ]
5%
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