Curriculum Guide

RHET 0310 Composition Fundamentals

Official Description:

Practice in writing, with an emphasis on developing fluency and editing. This course does not fulfill the core curriculum requirement and is intended for students who are not ready for RHET 1311. Institutional credit only; final grades are A, B, C, or NC. Three credit hours.

This course is cross-listed with RHET 1311: Composition I as part of UALR’s Accelerated Learning Program for composition. You must be concurrently enrolled in each section, and if you decide to add/drop the class you must do so for each corresponding section. When you pass both courses (RHET 0310 and RHET 1311), you will be eligible to take Composition II (RHET 1312). This is a great opportunity for you to succeed at developing the writing skills necessary to become a successful college and workplace writer.

A few points to note about this accelerated learning composition class:

• ·Separate assignments and homework will be assigned for each course.
• ·A separate grade will be given for each course.
• ·You must pass both courses with a C or better to advance.

Curriculum:

Composition Fundamentals is taught on the studio and ALP model. It meets directly after RHET 1311. Students in this class receive extra time to work on their assignments with supervision, guidance, and assistance from their instructor. The instructor can offer supplemental peer review activities and miniature assignments that help scaffold the work they do in 1311. Fundamentals may address issues of language diversity and academic writing, with contextual and holistic approaches to grammar and mechanics.

The official description for Fundamentals describes extra assignments, and says students receive a separate grade. While true, it's best to align 0310 and 1311 assignments as much as possible. Fundamentals students may complete additional smaller and scaffolding assignments. In turn, completing or neglecting these assignments could lower their grade. However, we strongly recommend instructors do not add major assignments to 0310. Therefore, 0310 and 1311 grades should be roughly equivalent.

RHET 1311 Composition I

Official Description

Prerequisite: A minimum ACT English score of 19, a minimum SAT I verbal score of 450, or a grade of C or higher in RHET 0310 or RHET 0321. Students will focus on organizing and revising ideas and writing well organized, thoroughly developed papers that achieve the writer’s purpose, meet the readers’ needs, and develop the writer’s voice. Final course grades are A, B, C, or NC. Students must complete this course with a grade of C or greater to take RHET 1312. Three credit hours.

Curriculum

RHET 1311 introduces students to basic concepts of rhetoric and writing including the rhetorical triangle, the appeals, and writing processes. Students also begin to develop information literacy in this course by using newspapers, magazines, and primary sources such as government reports and archives. Typical assignments include personal essays, memoirs, rhetorical analysis, op-ed pieces, and exploratory papers on local history, career interests, or cultural trends. These projects often have a multimodal component, such as PowerPoints and Prezi presentations. The ultimate goal is to produce 15-20 pages of polished writing submitted via an electronic portfolio.

Required Assignments

• Personal Essay or Literacy Narrative
• Rhetorical Analysis
• A 6-8 page, open-ended research paper with 5-8 sources
• Multimodal project (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc)
• Reflection Essay
• Digital Course Portfolio

RHET 1312 Composition II

Official Description

Prerequisite: RHET 1311 with a C or greater or equivalent. Practice in writing, with an emphasis on academic forms. Students will focus on analysis, argumentation, research, and documentation writing. Final course grades are A, B, C, or NC. Three credit hours.

Curriculum

RHET 1312 focuses more exclusively on advanced models such as the rhetorical situation, Toulmin method, and Rogerian forms of argumentation. This course is devoted to academic writing, not simply within institutional contexts but also as a form of public discourse. Students learn how to form complex research questions and arguments, support claims with evidence, and become familiar with academic journals. Typical assignments include advanced rhetorical analysis, synthesis essays, annotated bibliographies, research papers, infographics, and PSAs.

Required Assignments

• Advanced Rhetorical Analysis
• An 8-10 page, open-ended research paper with 8-10 sources
• Infographic or Visual PSA
• Reflection Essay
• Digital Course Portfolio

RHET 1320 Honors Composition

For students with superior achievement in English. Fulfills first year composition core curriculum requirement. Honors composition is a one-semester course of first-year composition that accelerates students who scored a 27 or better on the ACT and received at least a B in high school English through the composition sequence. The course focuses on writing with sources and on students’ development of argumentative texts. RHET 1320 exposes students to both academic conventions and writing for real-world audiences and purposes. Three credit hours.