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Course Syllabus

ENGL 0980 Writing Basics

  • Division: Humanities
  • Department: English & Philosophy
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2026
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2030
  • End Semester: Fall 2031
  • Optimum Class Size: 15
  • Maximum Class Size: 15

Course Description

This course provides a first experience with academic writing and/or a review of the basic components of writing, including grammar, usage, and punctuation. Students learn simple sentence construction and coordination leading to basic paragraph construction. Students learn to respond to written texts and prompts and are introduced to the writing process. The course prepares students to succeed in English 1010. It is recommended for students scoring lower than 17 on the English section of the ACT (and required for those scoring below 11).

Justification

ENGL 0980 offers students who might not be ready for college writing a chance to brush up on those skills required for success in ENGL 1010, a required course. It offers an opportunity to learn mechanics and usage expected in academic discourse.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to recognize and correct punctuation errors.
  2. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to recognize and correct simple sentence-level errors.
  3. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to combine sentences effectively to add variety to their writing style.
  4. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to write topic sentences.
  5. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to write coherent sentences and paragraphs.
  6. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to respond appropriately to written and verbal prompts.

Course Content

Students will complete practice writing exercises in and out of class, including grammar exercises, sentence construction, and sentence combining. Students then learn the characteristics of paragraphs and practice paragraph construction. The semester may end with the basics of the writing process. Because of the wide range of abilities typically present in this class, each student will be encouraged to work at his or her own pace to master skills.

Both content and instruction will acknowledge and address multiple literacies and linguistic backgrounds. Care should be given to encourage students to improve.