ENGL 1112 - Writing and Composition
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code ENGL 1112 Course Writing and Composition Coordinating Unit English, Creative Writing, and Film Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assessment Online Quizzes, Writing Portfolio (1200 words), Short Essays (1200 words) Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Benjamin Madden
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Develop a foundational understanding of English grammar, syntax, rhetoric and style as they pertain to both academic and non-academic modes of formal writing.
2. Develop the ability to shape information into persuasive, elegant, and disciplinarily appropriate arguments using up-to-date digital tools of research and composition.
3. Build an historically-informed understanding of English prose style, with the ability to identify salient characteristics of different historical periods, and their implications for contemporary best practice.
4. Learn to reflect critically one's own writing and that of others, and to give effective criticism that will improve the standard of written communication, while understanding the diversity of linguistic practices in contemporary, global English.
5. Understand the vital role of clear and effective writing and communication in our social and political, as well as our professional, lives.
6. Demonstrate communication skills appropriate to career readiness, including use of online learning technologies, skills of collaboration, and sensitivity to the intercultural and ethical contexts of a diverse learning environment.University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1, 3, 4 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1, 2, 3, 4 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
2, 4, 6 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
2, 4, 5, 6 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
4, 5, 6 Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency
Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.
5, 6 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
2, 6 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
All required readings will be supplied by the Barr Smith Library and available through MyUni.
Most readings for this course are brief, and chosen to exemplify one or another facet of form, style, genre or rhetoric. They are exemplars for you to bounce your own writing off of, not just objects for literary analysis.Online Learning
Supplementary materials such as instructional and interactive videos, as well as links to important external resources, will be available through MyUni. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
There will be two lectures per week. One of these will give a a critical and historical introduction to the topic at hand, including analysis of the readings, and the other will focus on practical writing advice. Lectures will also be recorded.
The weekly tutorials will provide a space for reflection on the concepts introduced in the lecture, and more importantly, discussing and workshopping students' own writing. Online modes for participation will also be available.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
1 x 2-hour lecture per week 24 hours per semester 1 x 1-hour seminar (or equivalent) per week 12 hours per semester 6 hours reading per week 72 hours per semester 2 hours research per week 24 hours per semester 2 hours assignment preparation per week 24 hours per semester
TOTAL WORKLOAD 156 hours per semesterLearning Activities Summary
Week One
‘What is an Essay?’
The basics of essayistic writing in broad outline. What is an essay supposed to do; how does it work; whom is it for; why was it written? The enduring norms of scholarly expression. Formality, address, diction, thought, critique, exploration, the hazard of expression.
Week Two
‘Nuts and bolts: working with sentences I’
Grammar: the laws of our English parts of speech; words, phrases, clauses, and how they are built (phonemes; verbs, subjects, objects, modifiers, etc.). Sound and sense. Agreement. Pronouns and prepositions. Tense, mood, case. Punctuation.
Week Three
‘Nuts and bolts: working with sentences II’
Syntax: the advantages of changing the order of things; identifying repetitive periods and rhythms; creating unexpected breaks and divagations; in short, the sentence as a bearer of style. Dependency: parataxis and hypotaxis. Auxiliaries and modals; branching and binding.
Week Four
‘Argumetation I’
Bold openings. Paragraphs. Organising your thoughts. Logical forms and fallacies. Knowing your audience.
Week Five
‘Argumetation II’
Structure. Claims. Evidence. Counterargument. Working towards a conclusion. The sense of an argument as an active intervention, seizing the moment, making a difference.
Week Six
‘Being a scholar’
Writing to and from a community of peers. Against ‘expression’ and opinion. The norms of a discipline. Rules and regulations. Citation. Quotation. Paraphrase. What is plagiarism?
Week Seven
‘Being a writer’
Research. Note-taking. Organization of material.
Week Eight
‘Rhetoric I’
What is it, over and above evidence and the logic of an argument, that moves an essay forward? How and why does an argument become personal? How do you engage ‘the enemy’, the people who feel differently and who present opposing kinds of evidence? What is the art of persuasion?
Week Nine
‘Rhetoric II’
Figures of speech. Why use them? What purpose do they serve? Flowery expression? A bag of tricks…
Week Ten
‘Elements of a style I’
Using grammar, syntax, argument, and rhetoric to forge a consistent, recognisable manner of expression. The return of expression; expression as a form of persuasion.
Week Eleven
‘Elements of a style II’
Style as an ethical dimension of language: the place where the subject stands forth in the midst of convention, regulations, and norms. The place of the “I,” even without the I.
Week Twelve
‘Revision, revision, revision’
Writing is rewriting. A first draft is a ladder to be kicked away. Style arrives as the ‘subsumption’ of the earlier draftwork in a crystallizing revision.
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
A typical academic writing course might aim to train you in writing the kind of essay expected of you in other university courses. The aims of this course differ: we want to provide you with the fundamental tools for good prose such that, not only will your writing for other courses improve, but your writing in general will improve as well.
As such, assessment in this course is highly directed towards skill acquisition, and will comprise of some quizzes on basic concepts of grammar and syntax, a portfolio of writing produced across the semester exemplifying your engagement with different writing techniques, and two short essays that put these techniques together.
We wll offer promts for each of your written assignments, but these will be starting points only: what you write about will ultimately be up to you. Our aim is for you to get better at writing about the things you are passionate about, not just the things the university expects you to write about.Assessment Detail
Students will write a personal essay and an argumentative essay, and then revise those essays using the feedback they were given. Students will be assessed on how well and how creatively they apply that feedback to improve their writing.
Because English grammar is such a foundational component of this course, it will be directly assessed via a series of quizzes. The first quiz will be formative, and assess where students' understandings sit at the beginning of the course. The next two will assess learning during the opening weeks of the course, which focus on grammar. The final quiz will take place online during the exam period, and will recap grammatical learning from across the course.
Submission
Submission of written work will be via MyUni, and using online tools to assist in giving iterative feedback and detailed advice on the grammar, syntax, style and rhetoric of students' prose.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
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