English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

American University of Beirut

Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Department of English

English 102: Enrichment Course in English

3 credits

Fall 2023-24
Section 13, 2-3:15 (Physics 215)
Section 20, 3:30-4:45 (Physics 215)
Section 50, 11-12:15 (Van Dyck 201)

Instructor’s Name: Samira A. Shami

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30-1:45 & by appointment
Office: Reynolds 415
AUB extension: TBA
Email: ss08@aub.edu.lb

Course Description:

English 102 develops critical thinking and oral and written fluency through close reading, analysis, and responses to
academic texts. Special attention is given to identifying arguments and rhetorical devices as well as applying appropriate
conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

1. Analyze strategies, elements of argumentation and rhetorical devices used to communicate an argument in academic
texts.
2. Compose formal essay responses to specific analytical prompts based on argumentative texts
3. Apply a recursive process in writing to improve analytical responses
4. Produce written work and/or oral work collaboratively
5. Reflect on own writing for structure, content, process and learning
6. Apply appropriate conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage to develop fluency and
accuracy of expression
7. Practice using library resources
8. Apply ethical standards in the course work

Required Texts/Materials

Communication Skills Policy on Original Books: The Communication Skills Program requires all students to purchase
original copies of the textbooks for this course. Purchasing a photocopy of course textbooks is not allowed.

Cooley, Thomas. The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition. 9th ed. New York, W.W. Norton, 2018.Kirszner,
1
 English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. (2014). The Wadsworth Handbook. International Edition. (10th ed.). Australia:
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Muller, G. H., & Wiener, H. S. (Eds.). (2013). The Short Prose Reader (13th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Supplementary texts

Assignment Description
I. Reading Comprehension Assignments Percentage CLO
A. Class Activities: Students engage in short activities and assignments that develop their abilities to do active 15% 1, 6, 8
reading and improve their comprehension such as
-annotating a text
- outlining a text
-paraphrasing parts of a text
- summarizing a text
B. Graded Reading Comprehension Check of a Text
C. Graded Summary of a Text
II. Critical Thinking/ Reading Analysis, Reflection, Peer reviews
A. Written Graded Text Analysis & Appeals: This is the main assignment/assessment for this part. In 20% 1,3, 4,
preparation, Students complete short activities and assignments that build towards their readiness to write rhetorical 5,6,7, 8
analysis essay responses. They engage in actively reading and annotating a text, identifying argument, and
answering a series of textual analysis questions about the writer’s rhetorical situation, purpose, audience, tone,
literary devices, etc. They also write paragraphs or short responses in essay form (individually & collaboratively) or
respond orally to the writer’s techniques and/or ideas in an article they obtain from the AUB databases. A recursive
process of writing is emphasized throughout all the writing activities.
B. Reflection on learning and Peer review: Students also engage in critical analysis and peer review their peers’
essays and their own to improve their second drafts. A recursive process of writing is emphasized throughout all the
writing activities.
III. Rhetorical Analysis Essay Responses
Two Written Essay Responses: Students complete longer response essays where they demonstrate their ability to 25% 1, 2, 3,
fully understand a text by introducing the writer and the text, by writing a short summary of the writer’s ideas, and including 6, 8
by analyzing the writer’s rhetorical techniques and persuasive appeals. They produce multiple drafts of each formal the drafts
analysis response. of those ideas written in a formal essay response. A recursive process of writing is emphasized for each
throughout. (10% 1st
response;
15% 2nd
response)
IV. Final Writing Exam:
Analytical Essay Response: 30% 1, 2, 6,
1. During a regular semester, students sit for a final exam which consists of composing a timed analytical 8
response essay.
2. During an irregular semester or in an online context, students are engaged in scaffolded assignments that
may include all or a combination of assignments such as a summary of a text, an outline, a paraphrase,
response essay draft(s), a peer review, and a reflective journal etc.

V. Participation:
 Completing all readings, writing, reflective journals, & responses 10%
 Participating in and completing all informal writing (discussions, forums, blogs, oral activities, etc.) in writing
workshops, peer review sessions & in student-teacher conferences
 Showing evidence of progress, submitting assignments to Moodle and Turnitin, avoiding plagiarism &
attending classes (when F2F)
In all writing and speaking tasks, students should apply the proper conventions of language, usage, and format and follow ethical standards
(CLOs 6 & 8)

2
 English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

Numeric Course Grade to Letter Course Grade

Numeric Grade Corresponding Letter
Late Work: Late work will only be accepted for medical
/100 Grade
reasons with an excuse from the AUB Health Service. <60 F
60 D
COMMUNICATION SKILLS PROGRAM POLICIES 61-62 D+
63-65 C-
Participation Policy: Instructor’s explanation of what 66-68 C
“participation” means in the section. 69-71 C+
72-74 B-
The Communication Skills program defines participation in the 75-78 B
writing process as: completing all assignments; participating in all 79-82 B+
activities (including completion of free-writing assignments, 83-86 A-
participation in writing workshops, and participation in peer 87-92 A
review sessions); participating in student-teacher conferences; and 93-100 A+
showing evidence of progress.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required in all Communication Skills courses.

The classes will be in-person classes. The table below illustrates the maximum number of permitted absences.
When class is given face to face or in person, students are expected to attend in person on a regular basis.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of the hour. Late arrivals will be counted as late. Three lates will amount to
one absence

Classes Before Week 10 Total

M/W/F 6 9
T/R 4 6

The number of permitted absences before week 10 of any given semester is inclusive of the add & drop period.

Automatic Withdrawals and Failures Due to Absences: If a student is enrolled in more than 12 credit hours for the
semester and misses more than the allowed number of absences by Week 10, the instructor will automatically request that
the student be withdrawn from the course. If a student is only enrolled for 12 credit hours but has missed more than the
allowed number of absences by Week 10, he/she will automatically earn a failing grade of 40 for the course. If a student
misses more than the total number of allowed absences in a given semester, he/she will automatically earn a failing grade
of 40 for the course.

Excused Absences: If you must miss class due to an illness and wish to be excused, you must provide your instructor
with a medical report and/or professional opinion issued by a qualified AUB employee, AUBMC doctor, or University
Health Services. Students who seek excused absences for university-sanctioned events must provide an official letter from
the sponsoring organization notifying your instructor of the absence at least one week before the event. Students are
expected to complete assignments on time, actively participate in other class sessions, and to make up missed work as
agreed with the faculty member.

Schedule Conflicts: Note that no mandatory university exams, labs, or meetings are to be scheduled that conflict with
students enrolled in this class. You are responsible for communicating with all parties involved prior to the date of the

3
 English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

conflict. Please note that any student who misses this class to take an exam or attend a lab is not excused from this class
and is responsible for arranging for makeup work, should the instructor allow it.

There is no limit on how many times students are allowed to register for a Communication Skills course. Beginning with
the fourth, however, students need to petition for consent of the Undergraduate Student Affairs Committee. Course
withdrawals are counted as having registered for a course one time.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy:

In all writing, ideas, and words taken from elsewhere should be documented. Failure to credit ideas or material taken from
any source constitutes plagiarism which is a violation of the University’s academic regulations and subject to disciplinary
action. Please, view section 1.1 of AUB Student Code of Conduct. Course policy is that credible evidence of cheating will
result in course failure.

All writing you do for this course must be your own and must be exclusively for this course, unless the instructor
stipulates differently. Please pay special attention to the quotes, paraphrases, and documentation practices you use in your
papers.

Students in Communication Skills courses are required to apply the following standards to all submitted work:
 Documenting all information that is taken from other sources, including books, articles, websites, lectures,
interviews, television, radio, etc.
 Putting quotation marks around the words that were originally written or spoken by someone other than you.
 Clearly indicating your use of ideas by other authors, even if they are paraphrased (written in your own
words) or summarized.

Plagiarism: Engaging in any of the following activities constitutes plagiarism:

 Submitting a paper written by another student

 Requesting or paying someone to complete an assignment for you
 Taking material from secondary sources without proper documentation.
 Copying, word for word, someone else’s writing without putting that passage in quotation marks and
identifying the source
 Taking someone else’s writing, changing some of the words, and not identifying the source
 Taking someone else’s ideas or organization of ideas, putting them into your own words, and not identifying the
source
 Having someone else change your writing – a tutor, friend, or relative, for instance – and creating the
impression that this writing is your own work.
 Purchasing or downloading papers or passages from the Web.
 Using facts, data, graphs, charts, photographs, or other information without acknowledging the source with
a footnote, caption, or bibliography entry. Borrowed facts or information obtained in one’s research or reading
must be acknowledged unless they are “common knowledge.” Students should check with their teachers
regarding what can be viewed as “common knowledge” within a specific field or assignment, but often the
student will have to make the final judgment. When in doubt, footnotes or references should be used.
 Submitting work that you previously submitted in another course and presenting it as if written specially for this
course.

Disciplinary Action: When confronting plagiarism, all instructors in the Communication Skills Program abide by the
guidelines stipulated in AUB’s Student Code of Conduct (Section 2. Disciplinary Action, 1. Academic Misconduct),
which states:
It is the responsibility of the faculty to uphold university policies. Thus, the immediate responsibility for dealing
with instances of cheating, plagiarism, and other academic violations rests with the faculty member. If a faculty
4
 English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

member has good reason to believe that a student has violated academic standards, it is his or her responsibility to
discipline the student expeditiously. A faculty member who has good reason to believe that a student has violated
academic standards must give a grade of zero on the exam or assignment where the violation occurred. When the
instructor has taken the initial disciplinary action, he or she should send a letter to the office of the Dean of the
Faculty or School, in which the incident occurred, informing him/her of the incident and the initial action he/she
has taken. A copy of the letter will be placed in the student's file, and another copy forwarded to the student's
advisor for follow-up. (10)

Turnitin: Turnitin is an online text-matching tool accessible via Moodle that many faculty at AUB use. Once your work
is uploaded, it will be compared with an extensive database of student and publicly accessible writing. When you upload
an assignment to Moodle, your assignment may be also automatically scanned through Turnitin. If your instructor has
authorized Turnitin to scan the assignment Moodle, you must comply or risk losing credit for the assignment. If you have
questions about how the software works or how the Turnitin report will be (or has been) used, please ask your instructor.

Grievance Procedure: If at any time during the semester you have concerns about the course, an assignment, or
assessment, please set up a meeting to talk with your instructor about it. If you have met with your instructor and are
unable to resolve the issue, you may request a meeting by email with the Director of the Communication Skills Program,
Malaki Khoury, mk01@aub.edu.lb. The goal of any meeting with the Director will be to improve communication between
the student and course instructor, and to resolve the issue in such a way that course learning outcomes are achieved.
Please note that the instructor for the course is the final decision-maker for any issues that arise, and
administrators do not override the instructor’s decisions or policies.

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS:

Writing Center: The Writing Center offers free, 30-minute or 1-hour consultations about your writing. The WrC is
located on the 2nd floor balcony of Ada Dodge Hall and in Room 336 of West Hall. To meet the tutors and find writing
resources, go to https://aub.edu.lb/writingcenter. To make an appointment, go to https://aub.mywconline.com/.

Library Information Services: Reference librarians and information specialists in the AUB libraries can support you
individually with finding academic sources for your research. Jafet information librarians can be contacted in person in
their office in the Jafet Library lobby, by email at libinfo@aub.edu.lb, or by phone, extension 2629.

Counseling Center, Student Affairs: The center offers counsel and help to students with a range of academic and non-
academic problems. If anything happening in your life is causing you distress and influencing your academic
performance, and you feel you could benefit from professional help, contact the Counseling Center at
counselingcenter@aub.edu.lb ; by phone at +961-1-350000, x3196 (only during working hours), or go to West Hall, 210
(also during working hours).

Accessible Education Office: AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or
experience academic barriers due to a disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions),
please inform the Accessible Education Office, immediately so that you can privately discuss options. In order to help
establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a smooth accommodations process, you are encouraged to contact the
office at accessibility@aub.edu.lb; +961-1-350000, x3246; West Hall, 314.

Title IX Coordinator: AUB is committed to facilitating a campus free of all forms of discrimination including
sex/gender-based harassment prohibited by Title IX. The University’s non-discrimination policy applies to, and protects,
all students, faculty, and staff. If you think you have experienced discrimination or harassment, including sexual
misconduct, we encourage you to tell someone promptly. If you speak to a faculty or staff member about an issue such as
harassment, sexual violence, or discrimination, the information will be kept as private as possible; however, faculty and
designated staff are required to bring it to the attention of the University’s Title IX Coordinator. Faculty can refer you to
fully confidential resources, and you can find information and contacts at www.aub.edu.lb/titleix . To report an incident,
5
 Week/Date In-Class Activities Assignments

English 102  General Introduction to the

Syllabus Fall 23- 24
course and discussion of the
syllabus
contact the University's Title IX Coordinator at 01-350000 ext. 2514, or titleix@aub.edu.lb . An anonymous report may
Week
be 1 online via EthicsPoint at www.aub.ethicspoint.com
submitted Diagnostic Writing
 Active Reading: Skimming,
Aug, 28- September 1 scanning, highlighting and
Reminder: annotating, (thesis, tone,
 Classes begin on Monday, August 28, 2023
purpose, and end on Thursday, November 30, 2023
audience,
 Change of schedule (Drop andrhetorical
Add period):
modeTuesday,
etc.) August 29 until Friday, September 1, 2023
 Cancel registration for all students who did not settle their fees for Spring 2022-23: Thursday, September 28
 Final withdrawal (minimum 40% of all grades must be communicated with students): Friday, November 17
  December
Reading period from Friday, Active Reading: Skimming,
1 till Monday, December-Read
4 “On Reading”
 Spring Semester (A/Y 23-24)scanning, highlighting
ends on Saturday, and 16, and
December 2023“Prison Studies”
Week 2
annotating, (thesis, tone, in The Short Prose
purpose, audience, Reader
Tentative Course Plan rhetorical mode etc.) -Read in The
Sept. 4-8
 Articles provided Wadsworth Handbook
“Reading Texts” pp.
14-22
 Activities in class related to
the readings done so far
Week 3 ,
The Wadsworth
 Introducing Sentence Types Handbook “Sentence
Sept.11-15
Style”
 Common sentence errors

QUIZ 1
 How to summarize,
“Summarizing,
paraphrase and quote +
Paraphrasing, and
exercises
Week 4 Quoting Sources” in
 Practice skills in groups on The Wadsworth
assigned readings
Sept. 18-22 Handbook, p. 212-21
 Quiz 1: reading
Comprehension (5%)
Exercises on
Summary &
Paraphrase on texts
provided on Moodle
 -Quiz 2: Summary and
Paraphrasing (10%)
Week 5  Writing a text analysis.
QUIZ 2
Discussion & Practice
-“Writing a Critical
Sept. 25-29  Teacher arranges for a visit Response” in The
to class by Writing Center Wadsworth Handbook p.21
Wednesday, Sept. 27 No  Students are encouraged to
classes seek support from Writing
Center

Cancel registration for all students who did not settle their fees for
Thursday, September 28 6
Fall 2023-24
Readings to be
assigned
 English 102 Syllabus Fall 23- 24

Reading period from Friday,

Dec. 1 till Monday, Dec 4

Fall 2023-24 final FINAL EXAM TO BE SCHEDULED

examinations: Tuesday, Dec.
5 till Saturday, Dec. 16,
2023