English 103 Course Objectives
English 103 introduces students to:

1. The process of planning and writing a college-level research paper in the humanities;
2. The principal literary genres, the study of literature, and the writing of analytical essays on literature;
3. The further development of expository writing skills by writing an argumentative essay. The elements of syntax, grammar, and style will be reviewed as needed by the students. Serious writing deficiencies must be overcome by the students independently and/or at the Writing Center.

Required Texts:

Schilb, John. Making Literature Matter.
Glenn, Cheryl, Robert K. Miller, Suzanne Strobeck Webb, and Loretta Gray. The Writer's Harbrace Handbook (with InfoTrac), 2nd Edition.

Class Requirements:

• Active participation in class activities. Students should be prepared for all classes. Faculty members are encouraged to devise collaborative activities, such as group exercises and peer evaluation.
• Reading of all assigned texts. Readings in support of the argumentative mode should include essays from Patterns, including the student model essays. Other readings should include the principal genres from Making Literature Matter.
• Writing requirements. The grades on the three essays and the research paper should constitute the primary final grade.
  • The 5-7 page research paper. The research paper is the most important aspect of ENG 103, and should be graded accordingly. Faculty members may limit the topics of research. MLA style should be used. The sequence for preparing and writing a research paper must minimally include:
    • Topic selection,
    • Library research methods,
    • Bibliography,
    • Note-taking,
    • Outlining,
    • Drafting/Revising.
  • These sequences should be treated as sequential parts, and given some weight in the final grade of the research paper.
  • One argument and two analyses of literature. A minimum of three graded essays, two composed in class, also must be written in the course. The writing process, learned in ENG 102, should be reinforced in ENG 103; sentence outlines and multiple revision drafts should be treated as sequential components of each assignment. The structure and organization of these essays should be the same as in ENG 102: Essays should include thesis statement, topic sentences, introductions and conclusions. As in ENG 102, students should be allowed to revise some of their essays; revision grades may be incorporated at the faculty member's judgment.

Other Activities:

• Mid-term and final exams. All courses must include a mid-term and a final exam. Quizzes and other exams are encouraged and can be assigned at the faculty member's judgment.
• Library orientation. All ENG 103 sections should be scheduled for a library orientation. Faculty members should call Mr. Wimbish and schedule a visit early in the semester.
• Attendance. The Department adheres strictly to the University policy, which permits three absences ("excused" and otherwise); after which, the final grade will be lowered. Three late arrivals are equal to one absence.
• Minimum grades. In Spring 1990, the Department adopted the following policy: In order to pass the course, students must receive a grade of a C- or better on at least two graded essays in ENG 103. Students must also receive a grade of C- or better on the research paper.
• Oral activities. Faculty members are encouraged to include specified oral activities. These may be graded or ungraded, formal or informal. Oral communication skills should be heavily emphasized in ENG 103.
• Creative activities. In both its literature and research components, ENG 103 emphasizes the students' critical faculties. However, as part of introducing students to literature, it seems desirable to expose them to the creative side of writing as well. Faculty members are encouraged to devise exercises that allow students to exercise their creative abilities in poetry and/or prose. Such exercises should be generated from relevant course readings.

All Composition syllabi should include the Lincoln University statement on plagiarism. Plagiarism is the borrowing or the theft of another person's writing. The presentation of another person's writing as your own is plagiarism. Downloading even parts of sentences, without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in Composition courses, and any case of plagiarism will be treated severely and according to University policy.

When appropriate, students should feel free to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources in their work in Composition courses. However, in all cases, sources must be acknowledged. The use of "unacknowledged sources" constitutes plagiarism.