For Instructors:

• This curriculum template is for instructor use. I include in the daily schedule some possible topics
and activities you could use to achieve the course goals of English 5B, but you may want to
specify and modify them according to your daily schedule (for a TTh or a MWF class), and the
course theme(s) and readings you would like students to explore in your class.
• Please assign appropriate readings (short essays and chapters of a longer piece) and your chosen
handbook) to help students with specific weekly writing tasks listed in this template.
• Please add specific dates to each class meeting.
• Please check the dates for important holidays to make sure your syllabus is in keeping with the
calendar year.

English 5B: Academic Literacy II

(Curriculum Template for Instructors)
Fall 2008

Course Information Instructor:

English 5B, Section: Office:
Room: Email:
Class time: Office Phone:
Office Hours:

Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 5A

Course Description

English 5B is the second semester writing course in a two-semester sequence—a stretch program that
meets university writing requirements for General Education. This course is designed to build on the
reading and writing strategies you have learned in English 5A: it will help you further develop your
critical thinking skills, introduce you to more complex research and writing strategies, and improve your
ability to read and write at the college level. It emphasizes writing as inquiry, in other words, writing to
discover, create, and communicate meaning. You will study a variety of texts that might include essays,
fiction, non-fiction, films, and community events. You will learn to read and interpret texts within
particular contexts or situations, to understand the relationships between writers and their audience, and to
support your claims with specific evidence. You will also learn that all writing is persuasive, that all
writers use strategies to persuade their readers. Through your reading, research, and writing, you will
develop your ability to analyze writing situations and genre conventions in different disciplines, and
investigate the ways in which writing serves as a means of exploring and communicating ideas both at the
university and beyond.

Required Texts
Graff, Gerald and Nancy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.
New York, NY: WW Norton, 2006.
Yagelski, Robert P. The Thomson Reader: Conversations in Context. Heinle, 2006.
(Or the reader you have chosen for your class.)

(Please also include the title of the longer piece you have chosen for your class.)
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Other Required Materials

A notebook in which you keep a record of your learning during the semester;
A college English dictionary;
A CSU Fresno e-mail account;
Two pocket folders for turning in portfolios;
Copies of your written work as needed for class and group discussion.

Course Goals

1) Demonstrate/articulate an awareness of the rhetorical features of texts, such as purpose,

audience, context, and rhetorical strategies writers use to achieve their purposes with their
intended audiences.
2) Develop composing strategies suited to various rhetorical situations.
3) Demonstrate reading rhetorically and interpreting texts in relation to the writer’ purpose,
audience, and larger contexts.
4) Locate and analyze evidence to develop an analysis/argument and integrate it into your own
text.
5) Develop a persuasive argument and support it with evidence and effective appeals that target
your audience.
6) Demonstrate active participation in a community of readers and writers, and self-conscious
practices that address the concern of that community of readers and writers. (e.g. using and
giving feedback on drafts in peer review groups.)
7) Demonstrate an understanding of the revision process and make meaningful reflections about
reading and writing practices and processes.
8) Use the conventions of academic writing, including how to write developed, unified, and
coherent paragraphs and sentences that have clarity and variety.
9) Use the conventions of scholarly research, analysis, and documentation.

Course Outcomes
In relation to the course goals, this course has several outcomes. At the end of the course, students will
be able to:

• write according to purpose, audience, situation, persona, genre, message

• identify and summarize the academic conversation an issue relates to
• draft as a mode of discovery and invention
• structure a text through a thesis or controlling idea
• identify the rhetorical patterns in a text
• revise to rethink content and structure
• understand that different writings/ genres call for varying processes
• analyze texts through close reading
• understand academic conventions may vary from discipline to discipline
• identify the author’s assumptions, argument, major claims
• distinguish between good evidence and less effective evidence
• workshop other’s papers by pointing to specific issues
• evaluate what kind of feedback a writer needs (global, paragraph, or language level)
• draw on a variety of research methods
• locate, analyze and integrate research to develop an argument
• understand the conventions of citation
• summarize, paraphrase, quote, and cite research in their writing
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• develop ideas through observations and reflections on their own experience

• articulate what they have learned over time
• articulate what they are trying to accomplish in a piece of writing
• demonstrate sentence control and variety
• understand editing as a process of rhetorical decision-making

Course Requirements
Participation: Class participation is mandatory and will be a necessary part of your success in this class.
Since discussion will be an integral part of the course, you must be prepared for class, on time, offer
productive discussion of the course readings, and show basic respect for others’ views. Preparation
involves not only reading but also making notes on the reading so that you are prepared to discuss issues.
Class participation will include small and large group discussions and writing workshops. If class
participation is a problem for you, please see me and we will discuss strategies that might be helpful for
you.

Workshopping is an important component to this class. Workshopping gives you the opportunity to get
feedback on your writing from your peers; workshops are also an opportunity to get ideas for approaching
various writing tasks, to understand the range of rhetorical components – besides grammar – that are
available for revision, and finally to assess a piece of writing for it’s rhetorical effectiveness. Participating
in these workshops will help you to read and revise your own work with more fluency and expertise.

I will also meet with you individually in conference. Generally, I like to meet with students in the early
part of the semester. You are always welcome and encouraged to make appointment with me to discuss
your course work.

Collaboration: Because most writers, educators, and other professionals must learn to work collaboratively, you
are expected to collaborate with your peers both in and out of class. Consider everyone in this class as a
colleague.

Major Writing Assignments

This semester you will write three major papers—a writing-to-learn essay, a context analysis, and a researched
argument. Each of these papers will involve multiple drafts and writing workshops. I will give you assignment
sheets at the beginning of each unit so that you have a clear idea about what you are required to do in these
papers. You are required to submit both an electronic copy (on the course Blackboard) and a hard copy of your
draft and final version of all three major essays.

Reading Responses and Other Short Writing Assignments:

Short assignments consist of weekly reading responses, short analyses, peer reviews, and in-class writing. These
assignments will help you brainstorm for the in-class discussion topics and prepare you for the major essays.

The reading we will do in this class will be necessary for our topics of class discussion, for modeling approaches
to writing, and for developing a better understanding about form, rhetorical approach, and the use of evidence in
writing. There will be roughly 20-25 pages of reading each week. I will expect that when a reading assignment is
due that you will have read the text actively; that is, you will have made notes in the margins, will have
questions to ask, and will be ready to engage in conversation with others about the reading. All reading responses
must be at least 300 words, typed, and double-spaced. In these responses, I will be looking for your analysis of
the reading and your ability to make connections between the readings and your experiences: what is important
about this topic? What message does the author attempt to convey? What does this mean for your and your
experiences? What other ways are there of understanding this issue?
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I will expect that your writing shows you are thinking critically about the subject matter. You will also read your
classmates’ drafts and provide peer review for them. Your participation of class discussions and other activities is
very important because this will help you to share your ideas and learn from each other.

Reflection, Revision, and Course Portfolios: You will prepare and turn in both a mid-term portfolio and a
final portfolio that reflect your best academic writing and your growth as a writer throughout the
semester. We will read each others’ portfolios as a class. Two of your peers will read, respond, and assess
your portfolio. This assessment will become part of the landscape of assessment; in other words, I will
consider how your peers score your portfolio, and what they say about your portfolio in their responses,
but the final determination for your grade will come from me. Your portfolio is worth 30% of your grade.
This grade will be based on criteria found in the rubric that we will discuss as a class. The midterm
portfolio will include only the work we have done in the first half of the semester, and the midterm is an
opportunity for you to get a sense of how your writing will be assessed as it is at that point. The midterm
and final portfolio grades are not cumulative. The final portfolio will count for the entire 30% of the grade
and will include your best writing of the semester. I will distribute handouts of instructions regarding
English 5B mid-term and final portfolio requirements in class later.

Please Note: Portfolios are worth AT LEAST 30% of the students’ grade.

Grading and Evaluation

Here is a list of the assignments that are required for our course and their percentages:

Short Writing Assignments, Peer Review, and Participation

Unit One: Writing-to-Learn Essay (3-4 weeks)
Unit Two: Context Analysis (4-5 weeks) 70%
Unit Three: Researched Argument (4 weeks)

Mid-term Portfolio Required

Unit Four: Reflection, Revision, and Final Portfolio (2-3 weeks) 30%

Total: 100%

(Note: You need to specify the percentages of specific assignments.)

Grading Scale
90-100% A
80-89% B
73-79% C
64-72% D
0-63% F

You must complete all required writing in order to receive credit for the course. Completing all the major
essays, short writings, drafts, and peer responses to the best of your ability will help improve your
writing—and therefore your final grade. In order to meet university requirements for writing, all students
must receive a C or better to pass this class.

Academic Resources

The Writing Center

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The Writing Center offers a one-unit CR/NC tutorial that runs concurrently with the course and meets
twice a week for 50 min. You will work in a small group of 2-3 students and a trained tutor discussing
your writing and collaborating by giving one another feedback and sharing strategies for revision. The
tutorial will enhance your learning and help you succeed in your class. It will also help you prepare your
writing for submission to the portfolio. The tutor will not give you any homework assignments; you will
simply work with the writing you'll be doing in this and your other classes.

In addition, you can also work with a tutor in one-to-one tutorials by appointment or submit your writing
for feedback on-line. The Writing Center can be contacted at 278-0334 or
www.csufresno.edu/writingcenter

The Learning Center

The Learning Center offers free drop-in tutoring in multiple subjects including writing, math, sciences,
business, and languages. If you need a place to study, the Learning Center has a computer lab, private
study rooms, and open study space. Visit the Peters Building Annex from 8am-7pm Monday through
Thursday, 8am-5pm on Fridays, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays. For information about the Academic
Success Workshops or tutoring schedule go to http://csufresno.edu/lc or call 278-3052.

Course Policies
(See also the attached page of the syllabus for an explanation of relevant University policies.)

Attendance: Because English 5B is a workshop class and a collaborative effort, attendance is critical to your
success in the class. You are required to attend class regularly. You may miss class for whatever reason you see
fit, but on your fourth (in a TTh, MW class)/fifth (in a MWF class) absences, your grade may be affected. Arrive
to class on time and stay until class has ended. I suggest you do not schedule conflicting appointments during our
class times. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you are
absent. It is also your responsibility to make sure that your name appears on the daily attendance sheet each day
that you do attend class.

Late Assignments: Your written work for this course, including essays, formal and informal short assignments,
are due on the dates indicated in the class outline below or as indicated in class. If you cannot attend class on the
day an assignment is due, please make arrangements to have the assignment posted on the Blackboard and submit
a hard copy on the day when it is due or earlier.

Conferences: We may schedule individual and/or group conferences throughout the semester. The group
conference is a small-group meeting in which we discuss your writing. You should come to your
conference prepared to discuss your classmates’ papers and your own. A missed conference counts as an
absence.
Disruptive Behavior: Please turn off cell phones and pagers. Do not use class time to prepare for or complete
assignments for your other classes. Do not use your computer during class time to browse internet for things
irrelevant to the course readings and writings. Do not talk about things irrelevant to the subject matter of this
course when you are assigned for group activities in class.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs whenever you borrow another author’s words or ideas without giving the
author credit for his or her work. If you are not sure about how to cite a source in your writing, please ask
me or consult with someone at the Writing Center. If I notice plagiarism in your writing, you will receive
an F for the assignment in question with no chances for revision. Serious cases may result in an F for the
entire course. CSU Fresno takes academic dishonesty very seriously. Refer to the Schedule of Course
(Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).
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Grading: To complete this class successfully, you must attend class, participate in discussions and other
class activities, complete assignments on time, and do the readings for class. To receive a passing grade,
you must turn in all assignments on-time, in proper format, and with supporting materials (drafts, copies
of sources, etc.). Your essays will be evaluated considering organization, content, development of ideas,
expression, mechanics, and maturity of thought.
Blackboard & Computer Technology: I use Blackboard as a means of supplying you with information
(about assignments, your grades, changes to the schedule) and as a way to enhance your learning
experience (through the online discussion board, e-mail, and links to useful websites). You must
familiarize yourself with Blackboard’s features and be prepared to use them. The people at Digital
Campus will help you if you face problems. Visit them at McKee Fisk 111, call them at 278-6892, or e-
mail them at digitalcampus@listserv.csufresno.edu.
Religious Observances: Students who will be absent from class due to religious observance must provide
notice of the date(s) to me, in writing, by the end of the second week of classes.
Contacting Me: If you would like to discuss your work-in-progress, or you have questions or concerns
about the class, the best way to contact me is in person, during office hours. If my hours conflict with
your class schedule, we can schedule an appointment (with a few days advance notice, of course.).
Subject to Change: If you miss class, it is your responsibility to learn of any changes I make to the
reading schedule or to your assignments. Check Blackboard regularly to see if I have posted any
announcements.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students
with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more
information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library 1049 (278-2811).

Cheating and Plagiarism: "Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts
for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting
another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent
of this definition that the term 'cheating' not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include
any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent
or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the
published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual
property) so used as one's own work." Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a
particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information
on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Class Schedule (Legal Notices
on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations)

Computers: "At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote
resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every student is
required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a workstation (including a modem
and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum and recommended standards for the
workstations and software, which may vary by academic major, are updated periodically and are available
from Information Technology Services (http://www.csufresno.edu/ITS/) or the University Bookstore. In
the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer
workstation and the necessary communication links to the University's information resources."
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Disruptive Classroom Behavior: "The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty
come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for
the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals
of academic freedom are maintained. ... Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in
terms which are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty
may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities,
and to develop and understanding of the community in which they live . . . Student conduct which
disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal
from class."

Copyright Policy: Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the
material. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Other uses
may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this work is responsible for adhering to
copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code).To help you familiarize yourself with copyright and fair
use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page:
http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/libraryinformation/campus/copyright/copyrtpolicyfull.pdf

Tentative Daily Schedule

TR= The Thomson Reader: Conversations in Context.

TSTS= They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.
MHH= The New McGraw-Hill Handbook.

WEEK 1 Aug. 25—Aug. 31

• Course overview (course goals, syllabus, assignments, books, methods).

• Introduction to Unit One: Writing-to-Learn Essay.
• Home work: Readings in TR. Based on what you have learned in English 5A last semester and the
content of the 5B syllabus, write about your expectations for this course. How do you plan to use
this course to improve your reading and writing strategies?

WEEK 2 Sept. 1—Sept. 7

• Questions about the syllabus. Share your short writing and discuss expectations.
• Discuss qualities of text that make it popular or scholarly. Apply these guidelines to TR readings
or other readings you have made available to students. Have students bring to class two articles
they have found, one popular and one scholarly, to discuss in groups.
• Distribute the Writing-to-Learn Essay assignment sheet, explain the writing prompt, and discuss
criteria for evaluation.
• Select the topic you want to work with for Essay #1.

WEEK 3 Sept. 8—Sept. 14

• Discuss readings in TR, focusing on writing situations and intended audiences. How do these
factors affect the authors’ language and style?
• Have students synthesize two or three sources related to their chosen topics.
• Now do some focused freewriting about the ideas you think you want to write about in this essay.

WEEK 4 Sept. 15—Sept. 21

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• Bring your first draft of the Writing-to Learn Essay to class for workshop or peer review.
• Model this unit’s peer response process using a sample draft and defining grading criteria.
• Develop guidelines for responding to student drafts.
• Set up workshop/peer groups and explain peer response process.
• Distribute student drafts if working with paper copies. Post or hand out peer review sheet
providing specific response questions. Teachers should collect their copy of each student’s paper
to review over the next couple of days if working with paper copies.
• In-class writing: setting goals for your revision (An assignment on checking where the student is
in the development of the paper and what more needs attention before the paper is due.)
• Consider visiting the Writing Center for help.

WEEK 5 Sept. 22—Sept. 28

• Peer response/workshop/revision.
• Read MHH TBA and bring MHH to class.
• Continue revising your paper.
• You can direct students to examine/revise specific aspects of their drafts during these workshop
days (e.g. work on identifying the claims embedded in your thesis to help make decisions about
organization or establish a clear topic for each body paragraph.
• Editing.
• Essay #1 due.
• Introduction to Unit Two: Context Analysis. In-class reading of next assigned selection from
TR, a series of short pieces, or a longer piece? Viewing a film clip if appropriate for your
approach to the second unit?
• Homework: Read ____________ (primary text--selection from TR or the longer piece)

WEEK 6 Sept. 29—Oct. 5

• Responding to reading; discovering and focusing writing topics. You might want to focus on
invention activities you didn’t use in the first unit to increase the range of possibilities you present
to students in this course.
• Distribute and explain the Context Analysis Assignment sheet, and discuss criteria for evaluation.
• Homework: Read __________ (primary text and/or a secondary source related to the primary
text). Reading response (how the new reading influences understanding or response to the
original reading if there’s a relationship—maybe a dialectical journal entry?)

WEEK 7 Oct. 6—Oct. 12

• Discuss readings.
• Clarify terms of assignment.
• Homework: Read _____________ (primary text and secondary sources). Reading response (how
secondary sources have affected your understanding or response to primary text).
• Create a conversation between the primary text and the secondary texts you are using. Look for
connections.
• Summarize each secondary source.
• Paraphrase one quote from a secondary source.
• Define context. Discuss what context could mean in this text(s).

WEEK 8 Oct. 13—Oct. 19

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• Discuss readings, considering how secondary sources affect response to primary text(s).
• In-class writing: “Talk” to yourself about what you want to do with this project. What might you
be interested in arguing about the primary text? What ideas from the research sources would be
important to your argument? How might you go about making that argument?
• Homework: Re-read primary text(s) and annotate for project ideas and evidence (revisit your in-
class writing).
• Begin drafting your context analysis. Copies for class.
• Focusing ideas and arriving at a thesis.
• Peer response to rough draft ideas (help with focus and thesis)
• Drafting continued.
• Organizing and introducing a context analysis.

Mid-term Portfolio Due on Monday, Oct. 13 (for a MWF class)/Tuesday, Oct. 14 (for a TTh
class).

WEEK 9 Oct. 20—Oct. 26

• Workshop/peer response/drafting
• Body paragraphs in a contextual analysis: synthesizing and documenting sources.
• Guidelines for Using Secondary Sources from Writing Analytically.
• Homework: Read MMH chapters on synthesis and documentation.
• Revising: focus on improving your thesis, topic sentences, and transitions as you revise your
paper. Strengthen body paragraphs.
• Post to the course Blackboard or provide paper copies.
• Conventions of documentation and editing concerns.
• Essay #2 due.

WEEK 10 Oct. 27—Nov. 2

• Introduction to Unit Three: Researched Argument.

• Distribute and explain the Researched Argument Assignment sheet, and discuss criteria for
evaluation.
• Discuss argumentation and research.
• Analyze TR readings or other readings you make available to students for methods of
argumentation, genre choice, methods of inquiry, and/or use of research.
• Choose a topic for your paper.

WEEK 11 Nov. 3—Nov. 9

• Bring to class a draft of the research proposal for peer review and workshop.
• Analyze TR readings or other readings you make available to students for methods of
argumentation, genre choice, methods of inquiry, and/or use of research.
• Discuss research and citation format.
• Do exercises as a class from MMH or other sources.

WEEK 12 Nov. 10—Nov. 16

• Bring to class a draft of the annotated bibliography for in-class workshop.

• Analyze TR readings for styles of argumentation, use of research.
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• Start drafting the Researched Argument essay.

WEEK 13 Nov. 17—Nov. 23

• Analyze TR reading for styles of argumentation, use of research.

• Set up and discuss guidelines for workshop on Researched Argument.
• Workshop on Researched Arguments—bring to class copies of drafts.
• Essay #3 due.

WEEK 14 Nov. 24—Nov. 25

• Introduction to Unit 4: Reflection, Revision, and Final Portfolio.

• Prepare Final Portfolios.
• Draft the Reflective Essay.
• Discuss Final Portfolio contents.
• Bring to class two major essays for group discussions of revision possibilities.

Nov. 26-Nov. 30 Thanksgiving Recess

WEEK 15 Dec. 1—Dec. 7

• Revision workshops.
• Continue preparing Final Portfolios.

WEEK 16 Dec. 8-10

• Continue preparing Final Portfolios.

• Submit Final Portfolios.
Final Portfolio Due on Monday, Dec. 8 (for a MWF class) /Tuesday, Dec. 9 (for a TTh
class).

Note: Wednesday Dec. 10: Last Day of Class.