1. Syllabus - English 1311 - Fall 2007
Expository English Composition
Christie Daniels
CRN – 12255/ TR 12:00 P.M. – 1:20 P.M. / 200 Miners Hall
Office: 103 Vowell Hall
Office Hours: MW 1:30-4:00 PM and by appointment
Telephone: 747-6242
E-mail: cldaniels@miners.utep.edu
Required Texts:
Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond, Faigley (Pearson Education, 2007.)
A Guide to First-Year Composition, Tenth Edition (UTEP)
Optional Texts:
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition, (2003)
Major Assignments and Grades:
Unit 1 Test 100 points
Project #1 200 points
Project #2 200 points
Project #3 250 points
Project #4 250 points
Reflective Essay 100 points
Observation Essay 100 points
Analysis assignment 100 points
Blog 100 points
Final Exam 200 points
In-Class essays and activities, homework assignments, quizzes, and participation will also be graded and
will be figured into your final point total for the course.
Course grades are as follows:
100% - 90% of course total points A
89% - 80% of course total points B
79% - 70% of course total points C
69% - 60% of course total points D
0% - 59% of course total points F

2. Attendance:
Regular attendance is required, and roll will be taken. Students will automatically be dropped from the
class if they miss 4 class meetings. A late arrival or early departure equals half an absence, unless cleared
with the instructor ahead of time. Missed in-class work may not be made up. Attendance on Peer Review
days is mandatory. Peer review day will be graded and constitutes 20% of the final grade on the paper.
Students arriving to class on Peer Review Day without their three copies of their rough drafts (for group
work) will be considered nonparticipatory and will receive a 0 for their peer review grade and be
required to complete an in-class essay in order to not be marked absent for the day.
Grading:
Course work is graded according to criteria outlined on the Assignment Sheets distributed at the
beginning of each project. All papers and assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date.
Any late paper will automatically lose 10 points off the grade per day (not class period) that it is late. Late
homeworks will receive no more than half credit automatically. Papers more than three days late and
homeworks more than two days late will automatically receive a 0.
If you are ill and cannot come to class on the day a paper is due, contact the instructor and your finished
paper should be emailed to the instructor via WEBCT prior to the class time or given to a classmate to
turn in for you.
Students must take the Final Exam, and ALL assignments must be turned in to receive a passing grade for
the course. Do not come to the instructor at the end of the course and ask for extensions on missing work.
Course Goals:
ENG 1311 prepares students to be successful college writers. The Guide to First-Year Composition details
the specific skills that students will acquire and develop in ENG 1311, in preparation for ENG 1312 or
ENG 1313. By the end of this course, students will be able to explain ideas; analyze and synthesize
academic texts; formulate, explain, and defend their own positions; and respond to typical college
assignments (essay exams, documented papers, etc.) in acceptable English with a minimum of
grammatical and composition errors. Additionally, students will understand and be able to utilize many
concepts in the field of Rhetoric and Writing Studies. The skills and knowledge gained in this course will
make students more cognizant and aware of the world around them and be skillful consumers and
producers of discourse in a variety of contexts.

3. Course Assignments:
Project #1 – Question paper. Students will brainstorm a set of questions related to a rhetorical issue.
Students will then be required to narrow this list of questions down to a few questions or a single
question of inquiry which will guide the students’ major projects for the semester. Students must detail
how and why questions were eliminated and defend their choices of their question(s) of inquiry.
Length: 2-4 pages.
Project #2 – Position paper. Students will be required to produce a traditional academic research
paper on the student’s topic which investigates the interaction of power and rhetoric. Students must
demonstrate the ability to synthesize the ideas and concepts in the second unit of the course which is
entitled, “Power, hierarchy, and discourse,” to their particular question(s) of inquiry. Additionally,
students must demonstrate proper use of academic discourse and style. Length: 3-5 pages.
Project #3 – Designing an Interface. Students will be required to design and program a basic video
game, construct a business plan for a product they have created, or craft a graphic novella. In doing so,
they are essentially required to create an interface for a user and are required to make choices and
decisions which are rhetorically appropriate for the aims of their particular project. In addition, students
must furnish a report detailing the procedures undertaken to complete the project, any difficulties and
challenges overcome in completing the project, and the aims of the project and how they believe their
project achieves those aims.
Length of report: 4-5 pages.
Project #4 – e-Portfolio. Students will be required to complete a digital project requiring students to
integrate all of the previous projects as well as tackle issues such as design, presentation, and
organization.
Reflective Essay – Students will be required to reflect on a topic given by the instructor.
Observation Essay – Students will be required to observe a visual and write an essay detailing what they
have seen.
Analysis Assignment – Students will be required to analyze a text.
In-Class Graded Writing - In preparation for essay exams in other classes, Eng 1311 provides students
the opportunity to practice extensive in-class writing. These short, impromptu essays will be evaluated
and graded, with specific feedback regarding suggestions for writing improvement.

4. Blog - All students will be required to keep a blog and write in it frequently. While not graded per se, blog
entries should be no shorter than a complete paragraph. Effort, originality and thorough blog entries will
be rewarded.
Final Exam - The Final Exam will cover all material introduced throughout the course.
PLAGIARISM:
Stealing someone’s ideas or writing will not be tolerated. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be reported
to the Dean of Students. All outside sources utilized must be cited properly. If you need help doing this,
please come see me. In addition, you may not utilize assignments created in other classes for this class
without the permission of the instructor. Again, come see me if you have any questions. Plagiarism is a
serious issue with very serious consequences including expulsion from the university.
Feel free to contact me anytime via e-mail (cldaniels@miners.utep.edu) or come by my office during
posted office hours. Welcome to the class.

5. Course Schedule - English 1311 - Fall 2007
Expository English Composition
Instructor: Christie Daniels Office: 103 Vowell Hall
Office Hours: MW 1:30-4:00 PM and by appointment
Office Telephone: 747-6242
E-mail: cldaniels@miners.utep.edu
UNIT 1: The Basics
Week 1 Tues. Aug. 28 Course introduction; WEBCT/UTEP Email; Blog assignment; Departmental
Diagnostic (writing sample);
Thurs. Aug. 30 Definitions of rhetoric, language and discourse; In-class essay #1
Week 2 Tues., Sept. 4 Introduction to Project #1; Rhetoric as epistemic
Thurs., Sept. 6 Further discussion of Rhetoric as epistemic; In-class essay #2
Week 3 Tues., Sept. 11 Inquiry and invention
Thurs., Sept. 13 Inquiry and invention in-class activity; Project #1 Rough Drafts Due for Peer
Reviews (Bring 3 copies of RD and Guide)
UNIT 2: Power, Hierarchy, and Discourse
Week 4 Tues., Sept. 18 Project #1 Due; Unit 1 Test; Introduction to Rhetoric as a social act
Thurs., Sept. 20 Introduction to Project #2; Rhetoric as a social act cont.; in-class essay #3
Week 5 Tues., Sept. 25 CONFERENCING
Thurs., Sept. 27 CONFERENCING
Week 6 Tues., Oct. 2 Hierarchy (hegemony) and power; Project #2- Rough Drafts Due for Peer
Reviews (Bring 3 Copies of RD and Guide)
Thurs., Oct 4 Hierarchy and power cont.; In class essay #4
Week 7 Tues., Oct. 9 Project #2 Due; Othering and the invisible default
Thurs., Oct. 11 Being othered and the consequences of being othered; In class activity
Week 8 Tues., Oct. 16 Introduction to Reflection; in class activity;
Thurs., Oct. 18 introduction to Project #3; Review of Chapter 7; reflection assignment
Week 9 Tues., Oct. 23 The Writer as Designer (review chapters 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)

6. Thurs., Oct. 25 Reflection paper due; introduction to Observation; observation assignment
Week 10 Tues., Oct. 30 Project #3- Drafts Due - Peer Reviews (Bring 3 copies of RD and
Guide) Review Chapter 8; in class activity
Thurs., Nov. 1 Observation assignment due; introduction to Informing
Week 11 Tues., Nov. 6 Paper #3 Due; Introduction to Project #4; Review Chapter 9
Thurs., Nov. 8 Introduction to Analyzing Texts; Analysis assignment
Week 12 Tues., Nov. 13 Review Chapter 10
Thurs., Nov. 15 Project #4 – Workshop day (in lieu of rough drafts); introduction to
Evaluation
Week 13 Tues., Nov. 20 - Analysis assignment due; review Chapter 12; Introduction to Arguing a
position
Thurs., Nov. 22 - NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING
Week 14 Tues., Nov. 27 - Project #4 Due; Review Chapter 13; Introduction to research
Thurs., Nov. 29 - Research continued; Review Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18
Week 15 Tues., Dec. 4 - Research continued; Review Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22
Thurs., Dec. 6 - Last day of class; Final exam review; evaluations; complete blog entries for
grading by 11:00 PM