Instructor: Fatimata Wunpini Mohammed
Office Location: Walker 146
Telephone: 7-0977
E-mail:
Office Hours: Mondays 12:00-1:00pm/2:00-3:00pm or by appointment
Course Identification
Course Number:UN 1015
Course Name: Composition
Course Location: Walker 134
Class Times:MWF 1:05pm – 1:55pm
Course Description & Overview
In this class, you’ll examine and interpret communication practices and apply what you
learn to your own written, spoken, and visual compositions. Class projects will ask you to
communicate in a variety of modes and to attend to audience, purpose, and context.
This semester, you will produce texts over a series of drafts in order to hone your skills as a
thoughtful multimodal communicator. While writing is the core focus of our class, you will
also practice composing in other modes, as well.
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
● recognize and use several strategies for producing and interpreting
persuasive texts that are appropriate for a particular context, audience, and
purpose;
● know how to develop an organized text in written, aural, and/or visual
modes and demonstrate a basic understanding of the conventions of a
genre or discipline;
● develop carefully crafted arguments informed by research, critical
reasoning, and persuasive techniques
This course is designed to meet two of Michigan Technological University’s
Student Learning Goals: Communication (Goal 5) and Information Literacy (Goal
6). To learn more about these two learning goals, please see the rubrics posted at
Required Readings & Other Materials
Textbook
Alfano, Christine L. and Alyssa J. O’Brien.Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments.Longman Publishing. Fourth Edition. Or rent a digital (Required course text)
Assignments & Grading
Grades will be based on the following:
Homework / 100Digital Portfolio / 100
Individual Project / 250
Group Project / 150
ClassAssignments/Quizzes / 300
ClassAttendance/Participation / 100
Total Points / 1000
Assignments will include:
● [Participation / Drafts / Informal Writing / Other Assignments]
● Research Process Evaluation
● Researched Argument Essay
● Multimodal Project
● Persuasive Writing Assignment]
Grading Scale
Letter Grade Percentage Grading Scheme
Letter Grade / Percentage / RatingA / 93-100 / Excellent
AB / 87 – 92 / Verygood
B / 82 – 86 / Good
BC / 76 – 81 / Aboveaverage
C / 70 – 75 / Average
CD / 65 – 69 / Belowaverage
D / 60 – 64 / Inferior
F / 59 and below / Failure
Attendance Policy
Uninterrupted attendance at class meetings and in conferences with the instructor are
mandatory. More than 6 absences isgrounds for failing the course. If you have extenuating circumstances that will interfere withconsistent attendance in class, please communicate your concerns with me and/or the
Dean of Students at 9064872212 or .
Late or Missing Work
Students must turn in complete, final drafts of ALL major assignments in order to receive a
passing grade in this course.
Collaborative Work
For all collaborative work, members will elect a group leader who will coordinate group activities. All members are expected to contribute (equally) to the assignment. Members who adopt a lax attitude towards group activity will lose half the points for the assignment. Failure to contribute to any work will result in a student earning no (zero) points for said assignment.
University Policies
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, which Michigan Tech defines as “knowingly copying another's work or ideas
and calling them one's own or not giving proper credit or citation,” is a violation of the
academic integrity policy: <
In thisclass, we will discuss the practical and ethical aspects of source attribution so you can
learn how and why to avoid plagiarism in your academic work. It is crucial that you take
care to acknowledge the sources of your written, audio, or visual material in this and other
classes. Instances of plagiarized work will be handled according to university procedures,
which includes a reporting of the incident to the Office of Student Affairs.
Assessment: Student work products (exams, essays, projects, etc.) may be used
for the purposes of university, program, or course assessment. All work used for
assessment purposes will not include any individual student identification.
Disability Services:
If you have a disability that could affect your performance in any class or that
requires an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please
contact your instructor or Disability Services at 4871494 as soon as possible so
that appropriate arrangements can be made.
The Office of Institutional Equity:
Equal Opportunity, Discrimination, or Harassment Statement:
Course Schedule
Week / Date / Topics / Activity / Assignments1-Wednesday / 09/03/2014 / Introduction
Syllabus
Friday / 09/05/2014 / ExpositoryWriting
Practice of Expository Writing Techniques. / K-Day
(Classes Dismissed at 12PM)
2—Monday / 09/08/2014 / Practice of Expository Writing Techniques. / Read pdf in Files on Canvas.
Group
Activity / In-classwriting
Wednesday / 09/10/2014 / What is rhetoric?
How do you analyze texts rhetorically? / Read
chapter 1 ofAlfano and O’Brien / Identify how rhetoric is used in everyday life.
Friday / 09/12/2014 / Brainstorming Parts of an Essay
Writing Thesis Statements / Read
chapter 1 ofAlfano and O’Brien / In-class Writing
3—Monday / 09/15/2014 / How do you persuade using rhetoric?
Understanding the Rhetorical Appeals / Read chapter 2 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 09/17/2014 / How do you plan and develop research topics?
ResearchPaper / Chapter 4 of Alfano and O’Brien
Group Project:
Group will plan and develop a research topic. / Brainstorm on how to plan and develop research topics
Friday / 09/19/2014 / Drafting a ResearchProposal / Chapter 4 of Alfano and O’Brien / Homecoming Week
(Classes Dismissed at 3PM)
4—Monday / 09/22/2014 / Drafting a ResearchProposal
What are the canons of rhetoric? / Chapter 4 of Alfano and O’Brien
Read chapter 3 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 09/24/2014 / Style in Argument / Read chapter 3 of Alfano and O’Brien / Submission of ResearchTopics
Friday / 09/26/2014 / Watchfour videos beforethesession. / Library Session
5—Monday / 09/29/2014 / What are best research practices?
How do you locate research sources? / Read chapters 4 and 5 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 10/01/2014 / How do you evaluate research sources?
ReportWriting / Read chapter 5 of Alfano and O’Brien / Share writingexperience.
Friday / 10/03/2014 / Watch Movie: Sarafina (Darrell Roodt:1992) on YouTube / Submission of Research Proposals
NO CLASS
6—Monday / 10/06/2014 / ReflectiononMovie / Rhetorical Discussion of movie in class.
Quiz
Wednesday / 10/08/2014 / How do you write research arguments rhetorically and academically? / Read chapter 6 of Alfano and O’Brien
Friday / 10/10/2014 / Expressivist Style of Writing
Personal Narrative / Submission of Annotated Bibliography.
7-Monday / 10/13/2014 / Read chapter 7 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 10/15/2014 / Designing arguments: Design of Academic Papers, Composing an Abstract / Read chapter 8 of Alfano and O’Brien
Friday / 10/17/2014 / Combining Visual and Verbal Design Elements / Read chapter 8 of Alfano and O’Brien
8-Monday / 10/20/2014 / Read chapter 8 of Alfano and O’Brien / Comparative Rhetorical Analysis of Text and Image
Wednesday / 10/22/2014 / Style in Writing and Presentation / GroupActivity
Friday / 10/24/2014 / Effective Multimodal Presentation / Submission of First Drafts of Research Papers
Peer Review
9-Monday / 10/27/2014 / Writing a Position Paper / Read chapters 3 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 10/29/2014 / MLA Style & Citation / Read chapter 7 of Alfano and O’Brien / Submission of Second Drafts of Research Papers
Friday / 10/31/2014 / Designing Visual
Arguments / Read chapter 8 of Alfano and O’Brien / Visual Project:
Creating Photo Essays
Due: Friday, November 7
10-Monday / 11/03/2014 / FormattingWritingforAudience and Purpose / Read chapter 8 of Alfano and O’Brien / First Draft: Shaping your own bio (as an authority in your field of study)
Peer Review
Wednesday / 11/05/2014 / Business Letters / In-ClassWriting
Friday / 11/07/2014 / Business Letters / In-ClassWriting
Submission of Photo Essay
11-Monday / 11/10/2014 / Delivering Presentations: Understanding the Branches of Oratory / Read chapter 9 of Alfano and O’Brien / GroupActivity
Wednesday / 11/12/2014 / Memory and Delivery / In-ClassActivity
Friday / 11/14/2014 / Audience, Purpose and Persona
Transforming Research into a Presentation / Read chapter 9 of Alfano and O’Brien
12-Monday / 11/17/2014 / Using Visual Rhetorically / Read chapter 9 of Alfano and O’Brien
Wednesday / 11/19/2014 / RhetoricalAnalysis (in groups) / In-ClassAssignment
Friday / 11/21/2014 / Submission of Final Draft of Research Paper
13-Monday / 11/24/2014 / THANKSGIVING BREAK
Wednesday / 11/26/2014 / THANKSGIVING BREAK
Friday / 11/28/2014 / THANKSGIVING BREAK
14-Monday / 12/01/2014 / GroupPresentations
Wednesday / 12/03/2014 / GroupPresentations
Friday / 12/05/2014 / Individual Presentations of ResearchPapers
15-Monday / 12/08/2014
Wednesday / 12/10/2014
Friday / 12/12/2014