Sample Course Syllabus

COMPOSITION IN THE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES (Sample Syllabus)

Faculty Information Instructor Office Phone Office Address Office Hours E-mail Course Information Credits Course Location Meeting Times 3 116G 025 Deike Building T& R 6:00-7:15 pm xxx 814-863-0031 312 Sparks Building

3:00-4 :00pm & by appointment

xxxx

Required Text
Swales, J.M. and Feak, C.B. (2009). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. (Required. Available at the bookstore) ISBN: 0472088564 Raimes, Ann (2013). Pocket Keys for Writers (4th ed.). New York: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. (Required. Available at the bookstore) ISBN: 9781111833015

Suggested Text Swales, J.M. and Feak, C.B. (2009). Commentary for Academic Writing for Graduate Students (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. (Optional) A style guide for the formatting system used in your field (the number system, CSE, IEEE etc.). Useful link: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/matbytype/citationstyles.html

Course Description

Sample Course Syllabus

This course is designed for upper-intermediate and advanced level international graduate students. Its aim is to help you develop the skills and strategies to become better academic writers and readers and members of your chosen discourse communities. Through reading and writing selected rhetorical models of academic disclosure, you will be able to analyze and use the organizational structure of various models of academic texts. You will engage in contextualized language activities, which will enable you to match appropriate English linguistic forms to specific rhetorical purposes. You will be expected to gather appropriate sources, organize information, and compose descriptive, expository, argumentative, and evaluative texts in which your position yourself, i.e. academic essays and research papers. By the end of the course, and through rhetorical and language awareness activities, you will be able to translate your research activities into written reports that conform to the expectations of your discipline and the English-speaking academic community, use vocabulary and grammar in pragmatically appropriate ways to become independent writers in your field. Course Objectives By the end of the semester, you will be able to: analyze the organizational and linguistic features in research articles in your field and become aware of how ideologies are embedded in the language and structure of academic writing. develop language awareness to examine and question how writers use language to achieve particular goals, i.e., using dense noun phrases to pack in information; turning verb phrases into nouns to thematize information; using conditionals as a way to express critique of research extend their vocabulary by learning new words; collocations, or how specific words are often used with other specific words; and evaluative connotations of vocabulary interrogate the concept of plagiarism and its implications for scholarly writing collate various academic sources and expand your understanding of the need to paraphrase, summarize, and critique compose and complete various sections of research articles analyze, revise, and discuss your own writing through such practices as multiple drafting, careful editing, conferencing with me, and peer collaboration NOTE: Although you are encouraged to focus on reading and creating texts for your field of research, you may occasionally be asked to read and even write on subjects not related to your discipline in an attempt to co-construct knowledge with others. This will provide you with an opportunity to recognize the common features of American academic writing and to appreciate the unique discourse features of your own field. Tentative List of Topics: How form is a servant of meaning: discussions of sentence structure, punctuation, and other methods of controlling information The importance of sentence variety Coordination and subordination and their role in determining the priority of information Citing sources fairly and avoiding plagiarism Effective argumentation, paraphrasing, summarizing, and critiquing. Appropriate language and tone Grammar, including subject-verb agreement; verb tenses and their differing meanings; use of definite and indefinite articles

Sample Course Syllabus

Writing a review of the literature and a research article The conventions of writing in your field The writers individual voice Other issues raised by members of the class

Course Requirements
Regular Attendance and Participation: 10% Homework and In-Class Activities: 15% Formal Essays: 75% first essay = 10% second essay = 15% third essay = 15% (+ 5% for in-class presentation) fourth essay = 25% (+ 5% for in-class presentation) 1) REGULAR ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION (10%) Each activity in class attempts to build on previously discussed concepts and develop students as text analysts and writers. Therefore, you will gain the most from this course by attending every class session, asking and answering questions, participating in discussions, and completing all related classroom activities. Your participation grade will be based on the quality of contributions demonstrated in all class activities. Absences and/or tardiness will negatively affect your participation grade. In addition, unexcused absences over the 3 absence limit will result in an automatic 5% deduction from the final course grade. This includes absences for illnesses, personal reasons, religious observance etc. Per the policies of our department, after three absences, 1/3 of a letter grade will be taken off of your final course grade for every absence thereafter. You are responsible for making up any material missed. Please check on the acceptability of excuses over the three absence limit with me. Ideally this should be done a week before the class session that will be missed. It should not be assumed that all excuses for absences over the limit will be accepted. Tardiness (being late to class) will not be tolerated. Tardiness of more than 15 minutes will be recorded by me and three tardy marks will count as one unexcused absence, so please come to class on time. Assignments Submission: All the assignments should be turned in via turnitin by due date stipulated (unless otherwise mentioned). Late assignments will be penalized half of a letter grade for every day past the due date (1 day late max.) that they are turned in unless there are extenuating circumstances (severe illness, a death in the family, etc.) or an extension has been granted by me prior to the due date of the assignment. If you think you will need an extension, talk to me as early as possible! 2) HOMEWORK AND IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES (15%) You will frequently be required to do reading on your own or to do shorter writing assignments at home. These will help you write your larger formal papers. Therefore, it is essential to complete all assignments on time. No assignments will be accepted for full credit after the first ten minutes of class on the due date unless there is a very compelling reason or if you have spoken to the instructor at least the day before class and the late delivery of the assignment has been approved. In general unexcused late homework assignments will be accepted for half credit up until the next class after it was due.

Sample Course Syllabus

You will also be doing a number of activities and writing projects in class, both individually and in groups. The homework all of these activities will help build towards your formal writing projects, so it is very important that you take advantage of this time to work in class to the fullest. If you are absent or late, you will miss assignments and may not be able to complete them for full credit. 3) FORMAL ESSAYS (DRAFTS AND FINAL) (75%) You will write four formal articles/papers this semester. The first essay (10% of semester grade) is a Summary Essay: You will need to find a scholarly article in your discipline from the library and summarize the text. The second essay (15%) is a Critique Essay: Find another scholarly article in your discipline from the library and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses in the argument. The third essay (15%) is a Literature Review: Find a scholarly article from the library preferably one related to the summary and critique previously completed and write about the similarities and differences in the arguments of the two articles. This assignment will be completed in collaboration with at least one other student in the class as peer reviewer. The results of your review will be presented to the full class (5%). The fourth and final essay (25%) is a Workshop Essay: Bring in your working drafts of your written work that you are completing in your discipline (e.g., chapters of a thesis or dissertation, grant proposal, personal statement/letter, course papers or lab reports, etc.) for feedback from me and your peers. You are encouraged to select topics and assignments that they are already working on for other classes this semester (assignments from past semesters are not acceptable). If the instructor of the other class agrees and discusses the assignment with me the final paper can be accepted in both classes. The results of your research will be presented to the full class (5%). You will be writing at least one draft of each essay before submitting a final draft, and you will receive feedback from the instructor and your peers during the drafting process. The final assignment grade will be based on both the final essay and your work during drafting. Papers that miss the assignment deadline will lose approximately half of a letter grade (5%) off the final assignment mark for each day (not class day) past the deadline. In other words, a paper due at 8pm will be counted late after 8pm. The student will lose 5% at this point and has until 8pm the following day to submit the paper without further penalty. Excuses for late work will not be accepted unless you have a compelling reason or have obtained my permission, at least one day before, to hand the paper in late. Computer problems will generally not be excused, so please make sure to back up all the documents you are working on (I recommend emailing yourself copies of your work at various points to avoid computer crashes or disk failures). NOTE: Although this is a graduate course, you should not automatically assume that you will receive an A for the semester. A genuine effort and engagement with the course as well as the timely completion of all assignments is required. This course is designed to help you improve your writing through the assignments provided in class. While some of you

Sample Course Syllabus

may be involved in writing dissertations or thesis papers, I will generally not be available to work on these larger projects with you. If you would like help with issues not related to class assignments, please visit me during office hours or a scheduled appointment. Please remember that you are more than welcome to make an appointment with me to request help at any stage during the semester. Grading Policy The Pennsylvania State University operates on a 4-point scale. Grades are calculated as follows: A = 95-100% A- = 90 94.9% B+ = 87.9-89.9% B = 83.33-87.8% B- = 80-83.32% C+ = 75-79.9% C = 70-74.9% D = 60-69.9% F = 0-59.9% Academic Integrity Policy The Pennsylvania State University defines academic dishonesty as including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information, or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who engage in academic dishonesty will be penalized and may risk failure of this course and possible dismissal from the university. Each college at the university has its own policy on plagiarism, and you will be asked to investigate and familiarize yourself with your college's policy during the course of the semester. A key component of this course will involve classes and activities designed to familiarize you on what constitutes plagiarism as well as how to avoid it in your own work. While the instructor will be available to answer any questions or concerns you may have on this topic, it is ultimately your responsibility as an academic to learn what plagiarism is and avoid it at all costs. If you would like someone to read your drafts and help you with your thoughts, you will want to make an appointment with a tutor in The Graduate Writing Center at 8658021, 111-H Kern Graduate Commons building http://www.psu.edu/dept/cew/GWC.shtml Online Resources: In addition to the resources used in class we will also use ANGEL a service provided through Penn State and will have readings and other course materials posted there. You can access it at http://cms.psu.edu and logon with your PSU username and password. If you have any questions about how to cite your sources, please review the materials available at http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/cyberplag/cyberplagstudent.html or http://istudy.psu.edu/modules.html#Integrity. Students are responsible for ensuring

Sample Course Syllabus

that their work is consistent with Penn State's expectations about academic integrity. Examination Policy You will not have a final exam. Your final grade will be calculated taking into account all the work you have done throughout the semester. Disability Access Statement Note to students with disabilities: Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for modifications or reasonable accommodations in this course, contact the Office for Disability Services, ODS, located at 116 Boucke Building at 1-814-863-1807(V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS please visit their web site at http://www.lions.psu.edu/ods/. Please notify me as early in the semester as possible regarding the need for modification or reasonable accommodations. The Penn State Office of Disability Services offers additional information on how to approach accommodating students with disabilities. Library Visit A mandatory library visit will be scheduled as part of your first assignment so that you can familiarize yourself with library research basics. The date and place will be announced shortly in class.

Tentative

Weekly Schedule
Introduction to the Course; Writing as a Process Collaborative Syllabus Design, Reading Strategies

Week One 1/10 T 1/12 R

Week Two 1/17 T Note Taking, Paraphrasing, & Quoting 1/19 R Unit 1: Features of Academic Writing (Swales & Feak) Week Three 1/24 T Unit 5: Writing Summaries (Swales & Feak) 1/26 R Writing Summaries, cont. (Swales & Feak) Week Four 1/31 T Unit 5: Writing Summaries, cont. (Swales & Feak) 2/2 R Unit 5: Writing an abstract/prcis Summary Essay Due (1st Draft) (Peer Review) Week Five 2/7 T Unit 2: Writing General-to-Specific Texts (Swales & Feak) 2/9 R Library Visit (to be confirmed) Summary Essay Due (Final) 6

Sample Course Syllabus

Week Six 2/14 T Unit 6: Writing Critiques (Swales & Feak) 2/16 R Unit 6: Hedging, Evaluative Language Week Seven 2/ 21 2/23 R Unit 3: Problem, Process, Solution (Swales & Feak) Critique Essay Due (1st Draft) (Peer Review) Week Eight 2/28 T Unit 3: Problem, Process, Solution, cont. (Swales & Feak) 3/1 R Unit 3: Problem, Process, Solution, cont. (Swales & Feak) Critique Essay Due (2nd Draft) Week Nine: Spring Break 3/6 T 3/8 R

Week Ten 3/13 T Unit 7: Constructing a Research Paper I, (Swales & Feak) 3/15 R Documentation (Raimes) Week Eleven 3/20 T Unit 8: Constructing a Research Paper I cont. (Swales & Feak) 3/22 R Unit 8: Constructing a Research Paper II, (Swales & Feak) Literature Review Due (1st Draft) (Peer Review) Week Twelve 3/ 27 T To be Announced 3/29 R To be Announced Week Thirteen 4/3 T Unit 8: Constructing a Research Paper II, cont. (Swales & Feak) Literature Review Due (2nd Draft) 4/5 R Unit 8: Constructing a Research Paper II, cont. (Swales & Feak) Week Fourteen 4/10 T WRITING WORKSHOP (Draft of Final Papers) 4/12 R WRITING WORKSHOP (Draft of Final Papers) Week Fifteen 4/17 T No Class-Individual Conferences 4/19 R No Class-Individual Conferences 7

Sample Course Syllabus

Week Sixteen: Class Presentations 4/24 T Class Presentations 4/26 R Class Presentations Final Papers Due