Course Description from Catalog and Purpose
English 2201 builds on the reading and writing strategies introduced in English 1100 with the goal of preparing you to apply those strategies to writing in upper-level courses and in contexts beyond the university. Through an exploration of various genres and formats of research writing, this course will develop your abilities to
- Recognize and explain the significance of variations in content, style, structure, and format across different writing contexts;
- Formulate significant research questions and craft strong research proposals with feasible work plans and timelines;
- Locate and critically evaluate a variety of sources, including field-based, print, and electronic sources;
- Organize source materials and integrate them into your writing;
- Apply research and use writing to achieve a variety of purposes in a variety of contexts;
- Convey the results of research to a variety of audiences through a variety of genres and formats;
- Use clear, appropriate language and grammar in writing about topics in different disciplinary contexts;
- Understand the purposes of citation practices in different contexts;
- Cite sources accurately and responsibly in order to avoid plagiarism;
- Read critically to analyze the writing strategies of experienced writers; and
- Identify and explain writing strategies in your own work.
Required Texts
Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull Handbook. 2nd ed. NY: London, 2014. Print. ISBN: 978-0-393-93580-6
Smith, Trixie G., Allison D. Smith, and Holly Hamby. Building Bridges through Writing. TX: Fountainhead Press, 2014. Print. ISBN: 978-1-59871-782-2
OTHER COURSE COSTS
You will be required to make photocopies or print-outs of the research sources you use in major writing assignments.
Course Requirements
In addition to writing projects, you are required to complete reading assignments; to complete informal writing; to contribute to class discussions; to participate in peer reviewing of drafts; and to present your writing to the class. All rough drafts must be completed and computer-generated for the appropriate workshop or conference day to be eligible to be handed in on project due date without being penalized. All final drafts must be completed by the due date, attached to all prior drafts, and handed in at the beginning of class in your file folder.
As the semester progresses, keep all of your projects, including all drafts, all peer review comments, and all feedback from me.
Assignments and Grades
Class Citizenship
Class citizenship refers to your efforts to make this a successful course for yourself and fellow students. Students will be expected to actively participate in productive engagement with course material. This refers to actively participating in discussions, asking productive questions, and completing all work on time. All students should come to class having completed the prior class assignment and ready to discuss assigned readings. I will gift 4 absences before your final course grade is affected (save these for emergencies). Each missed class after the initial 4 will result in a deduction of ½ a letter grade (5 points) off your cumulative course total. Two instances of arriving late for class or leaving early will count as 1 absence. The only exception to this rule is a documented University excused absence. Official University absences (https://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/dos/excused_absences.cfm) will be recognized, although I will expect you to hand in work prior to your absence unless we have discussed a different option. If you need to be absent for any reason, it is very important that you make me aware of your absence as soon as possible.
Category 1 Projects
These two analytical and informational projects will help you learn how to read carefully in order to discern central and important features of writing in a discipline of your choosing and to recognize how specialized knowledge gets “translated” for broader audiences.
Category 2 Projects
Assignments that teach foundational skills of composing in and about the disciplines. These assignments provide students with the opportunity to practice writing moves that are common to a variety of fields and to consider how and why writing conventions and expectations differ across disciplinary audiences and purposes.
Grading Scale
| Letter grades | % Distribution | Quality points |
| A | 95-100 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-94 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89 | 3.3 |
| B | 84-86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-83 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79 | 2.3 |
| C | 74-76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-73 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69 | 1.3 |
| D | 64-66 | 1.0 |
| D- | 60-63 | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60 | 0 |
| Assignment | % of Course Grade |
| Category 1 Projects | 20% |
| Category 2 Projects | 40% |
| Final Portfolio | 10% |
| Self-Analytical Writing | 10% |
| Presentation | 5% |
| Class Citizenship/Peer Review | 15% |
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Late Work
Late work is unacceptable. Students are encouraged to start early to avoid last-minute submissions that could be considered late. Saving multiple drafts across clouds, USB drives, and your computer are encouraged to avoid losing your work. Leniency will not be offered, save university excused absences, as we live in the golden age of technology. Save your work.
Plagiarism
The ECU student handbook defines plagiarism as “Copying the language, structure, ideas, and/or thoughts of another and adopting same as one’s own original work.” You may access the student handbook definition at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/policyhub/academic_integrity.cfm.
Be aware that the writing you do for this course must be your work and, primarily, your words. It is acceptable to incorporate the words or ideas of others in support of your ideas, but when you do so, you should be sure to cite the source appropriately. We will talk about citing and avoiding plagiarism during the course.
Penalties for plagiarism are severe—if I become aware of any intentional attempt to plagiarize (e.g. knowingly submitting someone else’s work as your own, downloading a paper from the Internet, etc.), you will be given an “F” for the course and a report will be filed with the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, the office which maintains reports from all university faculty and staff regarding academic integrity violations. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing a second time, in this course or in any other course while you are at ECU, you can be suspended or even expelled from the university. Be sure to see me if you have any questions about plagiarism before you turn in an assignment.
Accommodations
East Carolina University seeks to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodation based on a covered disability must go to the Department for Disability Services, located in Slay 138, to verify the disability before any accommodations can occur. Their telephone number is 252.737.1016, and their email is dssdept@ecu.edu. I am more than willing to help make this class accessible to all students.
Class Policies
Laptops and tablets are welcomed in the classroom for note taking purposes only. Sites and apps that aren’t class related can become a distraction to yourself and those around you. Tablets and e-readers are a welcomed change to traditionally bound books; these are welcomed accommodations for those opposed or unable to acquire the traditional texts. If you are becoming a distraction to a discussion, or students around you, you may be asked to leave class and receive an absence for that meeting. Please silence cell phones and other electronics to avoid becoming said distraction.
I use email as my main form of communication outside of class. If you need to reach me regarding an assignment or class topic, please allow up to 24 hours to receive a reply from me. I do not check my email on the weekends. Students are encouraged to check their ECU email address at least once a day.
Weather/Emergencies
In case of adverse weather, or other campus emergency, critical information will be posted on the campus web site and announced on the campus hotline: 252.328.0062.
During a pandemic or catastrophic event, and after all face-to-face instruction has been suspended, communication for our class will take place through ECU email and Blackboard. In the event of such an emergency, check your ECU email account for instructions.
Continuity of Instruction
During a pandemic or catastrophic event, and after all face-to-face instruction has been suspended, communication for our class will take place through ECU email and Blackboard. In the event of such an emergency, check your ECU email account for instructions.
Course Content Note
As the semester progresses, keep all of your projects, including all drafts, all peer review comments, and all feedback from me. You will need this material to complete the final major assignment in the course. I will not grade your project if you do not turn in drafts and a cover letter. Failure to submit peer review feedback will negatively affect your grade.
Writing Centers
I encourage you to make use of the writing assistance provided by the University Writing Center (UWC), located in Joyner Library 1015. You can visit the UWC during any stage of the writing process. While the UWC does accept walk-ins if a consultant is available at that time, it is a very good idea to make an appointment ahead of time at https://ecu.mywconline.com or call 252.328.2820. Appointments begin on the hour and last about 45 minutes. When you visit the UWC, be prepared to ask and answer questions about your writing. It is also helpful for you to bring a copy of your assignment and any work you’ve done so far.
University Writing Portfolio
In addition to uploading your course material to your Blackboard Portfolio, you will also submit material to a University Writing Portfolio.
University Writing Portfolio Requirement
This course is designated “writing intensive” (WI) because, in addition to providing you with important content to learn, it has been designed to help you improve as a writer. Several years ago, ECU’s University Writing Program instituted the WI graduation requirement (6 hours of WI coursework beyond English 1100 and 1200/2201, at least 3 hours of which must be in the major) with the goal of preparing students to be effective writers. As a university, we want to see how well we are doing in meeting that goal.
To assist with this effort, you will submit one major writing project, along with a description of the assignment for that project and brief responses to four questions about your writing, near the end of this course. These materials will be uploaded to your “University Writing Portfolio,” which you will access and create (if you have not already done so in a previous WI course) through the “student portfolio” link in Pirate Port (https://pirateport.ecu.edu/portal/).
Each year, representatives of ECU’s University Writing Program will randomly select a set of University Writing Portfolios from recently graduated students to assess how effectively ECU’s writing programs meet the needs of ECU students. The assessment work of the University Writing Program has no bearing on your grades: assessments will be done after a student graduates. Moreover, results of University Writing Portfolio assessments will only be used to improve instruction for future students and will never be reported in any way that connects those results to individual students.
Instructions for creating your University Writing Portfolio and uploading your materials are available online (www.ecu.edu/QEP) and in person at the University Writing Center (www.ecu.edu/writing/uwc), located in Joyner Library.
Writing Intensive (WI)
English 2201 is a writing intensive course in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program at East Carolina University. With committee approval, this course contributes to the twelve-hour WI requirements for students at ECU. Additional information is available at the following site: http://www.ecu.edu/writing/wac/.
