Syllabus Draft and Annotation for English 101

Develop a draft syllabus for the English 101 course you outlined in your course description. For the time being, you do not have to include much of the boilerplate text (policies) contained in the syllabus template. The syllabus should, however,

  • Include your course description
  • Incorporate the Emory’s three programmatic outcomes. You should feel free to add additional composition- or content-related outcomes of your own.
  • Include a list of required texts, including a rhetoric or handbook. You won’t have to stick with your choice for this rhetoric, but for this exercise you need to begin to practice incorporating instructional material into your course.
  • Introduce key terms during the first two weeks and include a writing assignment (can be low-stakes) that calls upon students to apply these terms.
  • Include a brief description for each major assignment or type of assignment (i.e., weekly blog posts) you are planning for the semester.
  • Include weights for each assignment or type of assignment and the standard grading scale.
  • Include a portfolio component and reflection letter, though how you implement assignment, revision, and assessment with the portfolio is up to you. The writing program will be collecting a number of these portfolios for program assessment at the conclusion of each semester.
  • Include a weekly schedule (you don’t have to have plans for each day at this point) that details the reading and writing (including exercises and writing-to-learn activities) students will do.

The audience for your annotation (~500 words) is the Writing Program Assessment Committee, a group composed of English graduate students who have taught Eng 101 and 181 and faculty/staff from English, the Writing Program, and the ESL Program.

Address the following issues in your annotation. Make sure you provide concrete examples.

  • The role student texts play in your course.
  • How the textbook, rhetorical key terms, and readings you’ve selected will contribute to the students’ development as writers.
  • How you plan to include the portfolio in your course and ensure portfolio keeping remains in the foreground throughout the semester.