Writing
AD 092 Basic Writing II – (3 credits)
Course Description
AD 092 is the second course in the Academic Development sequence designed to prepare students for all academic writing. Students are recommended to take this course by an instructor or advised to enroll based on a writing sample given as part of placement testing. This course will focus on:
- Writing multiple drafts
- Reading and writing critically
- Researching and/or gathering information on topics to use in a paper
- Developing persuasive and argumentative essays
- Eliminating structural and grammatical errors
This course carries institutional credit only, which means that the credits are not calculated in the number of hours earned toward graduation. However, they do count toward full-time student status and for financial aid requirements.
Goals and Objectives
The goal is to develop college level writing skills so that students can enter the freshman writing program and successfully meet writing requirements in college-level courses.
Students should be able to consistently write essays of about 450-600 words in length with a clearly developed introduction and thesis, details developed and organized to effectively support the thesis, and college level sentence skills. These essays should meet the freshman writing program's requirements for a C paper, minimum standards (see Grading Standards/Outcomes). Students should evidence an ability to understand and synthesize information from readings, integrate sources in writing assignments, and write a logical, coherent paper that exhibits familiarity with essay structure and methods of development, sentence structure, and standard English usage and mechanics.
Required Materials
Readings for Writers, McCuen-Metherell, Winkler, 2014
Steps to Writing Well-With Additional Readings, Jean Wyrick, Thomson-Wadsworth, 2011
The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, Kirszner & Mandell, 2011
Course Content
Individual instructors set the specific course outline, but in general Basic Writing II includes the following:
- Assignment
- Evaluation and analysis of materials on diverse and current issues
- Summary and journal writing to help understand and apply ideas from various sources on a topic or issue
- Multiple-paragraph essays that incorporate information from various sources and display familiarity with rhetorical modes
- Academic writing assignments that focus on critical thinking and persuasive and argumentative techniques
- Revision and editing assignments to aid in developing college level sentence skills
- Writing Center self-tutorial grammar and rhetoric modules
Testing
- Midterm and final grammar tests
- Midterm and final essays
- Reading and Vocabulary Quizzes
Grades and Recommendations
Students will receive a grade and a recommendation for course placement (Eng. 101 or AD 092). Students who show satisfactory writing progress and evidence an ability to write consistently a clearly developed, multi-paragraph essay that meets the course's goals and objectives will receive a grade of A, B, or C and a recommendation for ENG 101. Students who have not made satisfactory writing progress and/or met course goals and objectives will be advised to retake AD 092.
Attendance
Attending class is essential in a writing course because the classroom experience provides information and instruction that cannot be made up. If an absence occurs, the student is responsible for obtaining assignments and handouts. Students who miss more than FOUR hours of class time (about a week) could fail the course. WARNING: Students might be dropped by instructors due to poor attendance.
Academic Support
Part of Learning Support Services’ mission is providing student support; AD 092 provides students with additional help outside of class:
- Instructors provide scheduled and walk-in office hours and include individual conferences with students as part of the course curriculum
- Tutors are available by appointment in the Writing Center (Student Success Center - 1254)
- The Writing Center provides self-tutorial computer modules on grammar and rhetoric
ACCESS
Students needing accommodations because of medical diagnosis or major life impairment will need to register with Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) and complete an intake process before accommodations will be given. The ACCESS office is located in the Student Success Center, Room 1270. You can also reach the office by e-mail at myaccess@siue.edu or by calling 618-650-3726. For more information on policies, procedures, or necessary forms, please visit the ACCESS website at www.siue.edu/access.
Grading Standards/Course Outcomes
Although what constitutes A, B, C, D, or F on written work is governed by many factors that vary from assignment to assignment, student writing is evaluated according to the following four categories:
- Purpose – topic, focus or thesis, audience
- Development – support of purpose/thesis
- Order – essay, paragraph, and sentence organization; logic and clarity
- Language – conciseness, usage, sentence construction
Academic Integrity
SIUE will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, cheating, or plagiarism. Failure to follow these rules may result in a zero on a paper or test, a failing grade for a course, or even expulsion from the university. Students may refer to the SIUE handbook, “Student Conduct and Student Grievances: Rights and Responsibilities” if they have questions about the policy.
