Advanced Composition And Style

Curriculum guideline

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Course
ENGL 1200
Discontinued
No
Course code
ENGL 1200
Descriptive
Advanced Composition And Style
Department
English
Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
25
Contact hours
4 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

Some or all of the following methods will be used:

  1. Lecture/discussion;
  2. Group work;
  3. Peer review of draft papers;
  4. Workshopping of finished papers;
  5. Revision of graded papers from this or other courses;
  6. Instructor feedback on students’ written work; and
  7. Individual consultation.
Course description
This course provides instruction and practice in expository and argumentative writing to further develop non-fiction prose-writing ability. Through reading selected essays and studying their own writing, students examine stylistic choices and rhetorical techniques while developing their own prose style. The course may be run as a writing workshop.
Course content
  1. An assigned body of reading, including material on composition theory and practice;
  2. Instruction and practice in the rhetorical and stylistic analysis of non-fiction prose;
  3. Instruction and practice in the critiquing of peer papers;
  4. Instruction and practice in the substantial revision of one’s own writing;
  5. Stylistic and/or grammatical exercises; and
  6. A minimum of four writing assignments and twoadditional evaluations.
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of English 1200, the successful student should be able to

  1. read receptively and reflectively, with sensitivity to the subtleties of language, and with understanding of other writers’ rhetorical strategies and stylistic choices;
  2. recognize and effectively employ in their own non-fiction prose writing a skilful interaction of ideas, words and sentences;
  3. recognize and effectively employ in their own non-fiction prose writing a range of stylistic devices, particularly in sentence construction, tone, diction and metaphor;
  4. make effective choices on each writing occasion to craft their own prose in accordance with the demands of content, context, and audience;
  5. recognize and effectively employ in their own non-fiction prose writing appropriate emphasis, momentum and rhetorical strategies;
  6. practice writing as a process involving pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing; and
  7. give and receive constructive criticism on student-generated writing.
Means of assessment
  1. A minimum of four academic essays, ranging from 750 - 2000 words, accounting for a minimum of 80% of the course grade (combined total). 
  2. One of the four required essays, worth at least 15% of the course grade, will be completed in-class.
  3. A minimum of two other evaluations, accounting for a maximum of 20% of the course grade (combined total).  These evaluations may involve additional writing assignments or any combination of non-writing-intensive evaluations, such as informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests), oral reports / presentations, or participation / attendance grades.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Sample reading list:

  • an assigned body of reading, either a text or portions of text and/or reproduced  material, including peer work, in both draft and final form;
  • a style handbook, a grammar, a rhetoric, a dictionary.
Prerequisites

B- standing in one college-level English literature or writing course.

Which prerequisite

In combination with an 1100-level English or CRWR course (as per College calendar requirements), this course may serve as a prerequisite for any 2300-level English course.