Course Syllabus

Course: ENGL 2014

Division: Humanities
Department: English & Philosophy
Title: Intermediate Composition: Honors Thesis

Semester Approved: Spring 2021
Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2025
End Semester: Fall 2026

Catalog Description: This course is designed to improve the composition skills of honors students through an honors thesis project. Students will study effective discourse, argumentation, and research methods. They will select a subject for their thesis project and work with an advisor in the field of study. This class replaces English 2010 as part of the English GE requirement, and students must achieve a C- or higher to receive GE credit. (Additional fee required.)

General Education Requirements: English II (E2)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0

Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 with a minimum grade of C-

Corequisites: Affiliation with Snow College Honors Program


Justification: English 2014 meets a General Education requirement for graduation and will readily transfer to most institutions in the state. This course provides students with the opportunity to develop research and written communication skills necessary to a successful college experience. Critical thinking skills, which may apply to all areas of study, are developed through challenging reading and writing assignments. It responds to the need of Honors students to have the opportunity to work creatively and independently on a project designed to further their educational goals.

General Education Outcomes:
1: A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. Students will understand that writing is a complex process that includes idea generation relative to audience and purpose, working through multiple drafts, peer collaboration, and revision, and rhetorical analysis. They will demonstrate their ability to effectively use the writing process and to communicate effectively through writing and process assignments. Students self-select areas of research focus, bringing a wide variety of disciplines and experiences to class discussions and assignments.

2: A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students will research and read a variety of literature pertaining to the selected topic, examining multiple perspectives to specifically address elements of context, purpose, and audience. This research will culminate in a well-supported thesis.

3: A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students write a sustained argument with research for support. Part of the argument requires the student to anticipate and respond to opposing views, and the project requires an effective writing process. Because students are allowed to self-select an area of research across multiple disciplines, class discussions will be intrinsically interdisciplinary in nature. Also, students are assigned to a faculty mentor outside within their chosen research discipline. Student learning in this area is demonstrated through the honors thesis.

4: A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students think critically, engaging in singular analysis of sources, moving on to multi-source synthesis, and culminating in a unified and well-supported argument that is the honors thesis. Students must approach the argument from a variety of creative and intersectional lenses.

5: A student who completes the GE curriculum can communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Students must produce an honors thesis that is representative of the standard of academic written work, effectively communicating a persuasive argument to a specific audience. They must then defend this argument orally in a formal oral defense, succinctly presenting their argument in a defined time frame. Students will develop critical thinking and reading skills. They will demonstrate an ability to critically assess and analyze theses, support, audience awareness, and purpose through written and oral responses to readings and/or their own essays.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes:
1: As part of the scaffolded writing assignments leading up the final thesis, students will write brief essays and responses such as a synthesis essay, literature review, counterargument essay, and audience consideration essay. The students’ final thesis will exhibit a clear understanding and mastery of audience, purpose, context, and genre. As part of the scaffolded writing assignments leading up the final thesis, students will write brief essays and responses such as a synthesis essay, literature review, counterargument essay, and audience consideration essay. The students’ final thesis will exhibit a clear understanding and mastery of audience, purpose, context, and genre.

2: Organize effective arguments that engage readers, provide needed background, present compelling evidence, and respond to opposing viewpoints. Students will write a brief rhetorical analysis in which they review key argument strengthening rhetorical elements and prepare to utilize them in the final thesis to better engage an audience. Students will conduct an audience analysis assignment, considering the stakeholders in the issues and then conduct research to develop a compelling and focused argument through an annotated bibliography. Students will also write a counterargument essay, examining opposing viewpoints and preparing rebuttals for the final thesis.

3: Write using an effective process that includes planning, drafting, peer workshopping, and revision. This process should be explicit in class activities and assignment design; revision should improve the overall quality of the document. Writing as a process is a major component of ENGL 2014. Students will start with planning assignments such as idea maps/lists, researching questions, and free-writes on the topic. They will then move to more specific planning through assignments such as outlines, visual maps, etc. in which they consider order, flow and connections. Students will write and submit multiple drafts, utilizing peer reviews, instructor feedback, and self-guided revision strategies to produce more polished drafts. Students will recognize the writing process continues after submission by engaging in self-reflection on their own writing process through a self-reflection essay.

4: Carefully and critically read written arguments, identifying the use of rhetorical techniques by the author. Building on the rhetorical skills gained in ENGL 1010, students will move from identification to production of key rhetorical elements such as ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos through a smaller rhetorical analysis. They will also show mastery of these elements in their final thesis, constructing an argument that makes use of them.

5: Think critically about arguments by exploring multiple perspectives. After selecting a research topic, students will spend time studying the varying perspectives surrounding the argument. They will engage in small writing assignments such as a literature review, audience analysis essay, and counterargument essay to prepare them to engage in a well-rounded and complex argument in the final thesis.

6: Find and evaluate credible primary and secondary research and utilize that research appropriately to support an argument/position. In doing so, students will include precise documentation, avoid plagiarism, and integrate source material smoothly. Students will participate in readings, lectures, and class discussions on primary and secondary sources, scholarly source criteria, and proper formatting techniques. They will produce an annotated bibliography in which they annotate and properly cite sources. Each source will be evaluated for its contribution to the overall argument, working toward synthesizing. Finally, students will produce a complete thesis that conforms to standard documentation guidelines and synthesizes research to present and support a sustained argument.


Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will know the steps in designing and executing a major research project. They will demonstrate this skill by their progression through the required written assignments. Writing as a process is a major component of ENGL 2014. Students will start with planning assignments such as idea maps/lists, researching questions, and free-writes on the topic. They will then move to more specific planning through assignments such as outlines, visual maps, etc. in which they consider order, flow and connections. Students will write and submit multiple drafts, utilizing peer reviews, instructor feedback, and self-guided revision strategies to produce more polished drafts. Students will recognize the writing process continues after submission by engaging in self-reflection on their own writing process through a self-reflection essay.

Students will learn to locate sources in libraries and in other traditional and electronic media. They will demonstrate these skills in their annotated bibliography and honors thesis. Students will participate in readings, lectures, and class discussions on primary and secondary sources, scholarly source criteria, and proper formatting techniques. Students will attend at least one lab/lecture on locating sources utilizing the Snow College library and database systems. They will produce an annotated bibliography in which they annotate and properly cite sources. Each source will be evaluated for its contribution to the overall argument, working toward synthesizing. Finally, students will produce a complete thesis that conforms to standard documentation guidelines and synthesizes research to present and support a sustained argument.

Students will be able to evaluate the quality of sources of information and the quality of the information. They will demonstrate this in the skillful use of credible sources as they write the honors thesis. Students will participate in readings, lectures, and class discussions on primary and secondary sources, scholarly source criteria, and proper formatting techniques. They will produce an annotated bibliography in which they annotate and properly cite sources. Each source will be evaluated for its contribution to the overall argument, working toward synthesizing. Finally, students will produce a complete thesis that conforms to standard documentation guidelines and synthesizes research to present and support a sustained argument.

Students will understand that plagiarism is a breach of academic honesty. Students will demonstrate this by avoiding plagiarism in their honors thesis. Students will participate in readings, lectures, and class discussions concerning plagiarism and academic honesty. Students will practice these skills on scaffolded assignments such as literature reviews, an annotated bibliography, and a rhetorical analysis. Students will show mastery of this skill by producing a final thesis that contains proper source usage and citation methods.

Students will learn how to assimilate information from a source in a way that maximizes clarity without violating academic integrity and utilize paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation. They will demonstrate this in the skillful use of credible sources as they write the honors thesis. Students will begin research on an individual source by source basis—evaluating, reading, summarizing, and analyzing—by completing an annotated bibliography and literature review. Students will then move to creating conversations between sources through synthesis, completing a synthesis assignment (essay, map, etc.). Students will participate in class readings, lectures, and discussions on varying methods of source inclusion, including paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. This mastery will be evidenced in the final thesis.

Students will learn to cite sources according to a documentation system that meets the expectations of the intended reader. They will demonstrate this in the skillful use of credible sources as they write the honors thesis. Utilizing a required style guide handbook, students will participate in class lectures, discussions, and readings on proper source usage and citation. Students will understand which citation method is appropriate for particular disciplines and audiences. Students will evidence this skill in the final thesis, as well as in smaller assignments like the annotated bibliography.


Content:
ENGL 2014 includes a discussion of expository prose, critical thinking, and argumentation. Students consider criteria for selecting source materials and documenting those in an appropriate format. Students create a prospectus and do weeks of intense research, analysis, and synthesis. Students work under the guidance of a discipline-specific faculty member. Once the research is complete, students work on drafting and revising the thesis and submit a documented research paper. After final editing, the paper is distributed to the class and defended in an oral presentation. As with all composition classes, students are required to engage critically and thoughtfully with a variety of diverse perspectives in their writing, including those that differ from their own. Given the additional components of student mentor and oral defense assignments, this is particularly the case in ENGL 2014.

Key Performance Indicators:
Some key performance indicators will vary with instructor preference, but each class will conform to the following ranges:

Attendance and participation 0 to 10%

Honors thesis and defense 40 to 60%

Scaffolded writing assignments 30 to 50%


Representative Text and/or Supplies:
The text chosen for the class will vary by instructor preference. Some instructors may choose online, free course materials.

Possible: Style Handbook


Pedagogy Statement:
ENGL 2014 is a student-guided research and writing class. As such, areas of research, analysis and synthesis, purpose, context, audience, etc. are driven by the student population, allowing for diverse topics. Students are required to use critical thinking in their approach to topics, including intersectional lenses such as economics, race, class, gender, ethics, and more. The class is also a seminar-based class, utilizing group discussions (small and peer-to-peer), peer workshops, and frequent self-reflection.

Instructional Mediums:
Lecture

Maximum Class Size: 20
Optimum Class Size: 15