English 102 online syllabus spring 2021

1. ENGL 102 Syllabus Spring 2021, pg. 1
SYLLABUS ENGLISH 102-41 SPRING 2021
WRITING AND RHETORIC II
Instructor: Scott Dorsch
Email: sdorsch@uidaho.edu
Phone: 208-885-6156 (leave a voicemail with your name and my name; do not text this number)
Office Hours: by appointment only via Zoom; please email me with a suggested meeting date/time to schedule.
I’m happy to virtually meet when it’s convenient for you, MWF 10am – 5pm.
Course time & place: ONLINE
COURSE GOALS & LEARNING OUTCOMES
English 102 is an introductory composition course designed to improve your skills in persuasive, expository writing—the
sort you will be doing in other courses in college and in many jobs. Sometimes this kind of writing is called transactional
writing; it is used to transact something: persuade and inform a reasonably well-educated audience; evaluate, review, or
explain a complex process, procedure, or event.
By the end of the course, you should be able to...
1. Use rhetorically appropriate strategies to evaluate, represent, and respond to ideas and the research of others.
2. Adopt strategies and genres appropriate to the rhetorical situation.
3. Use inquiry-based strategies to conduct research that explores multiple and diverse ideas and perspectives,
appropriate to the rhetorical context.
4. Address readers’ biases and assumptions with well-developed evidence-based reasoning.
5. Use flexible writing process strategies to generate, develop, revise, edit, and proofread texts.
6. Compose arguments that meets college-level expectations for academic compositions.
7. Read, interpret, and communicate key concepts in writing and rhetoric.
For more information about course learning outcomes, visit https://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/academics/first-year.
NOTE ON ONLINE LEARNING. Taking an online writing class takes a lot of self-discipline, organization, and time. To be
successful in this online class, you'll need to dedicate about 8-10 hours per week to English 102. You'll use this time to
read from the textbook; watch videos and read from online sources; participate in discussion boards with your peers;
complete homework assignments designed to guide you through the development of major essays; read and respond to
emails and course announcements; and draft, revise, edit, and proofread your work.
This is not an independent study course; you will need to keep up with the assigned deadlines and work to create a
schedule that will allow you to meet them. Remember: the work in this class is designed to build to a large project—you
will not be able to do all the work in a single day. I suggest that you set aside regular times throughout the week to work
on English 102. Consider scheduling two hours per day, Monday-Friday, to focus on this course.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
The Vandal Field Guide to Writing, a custom textbook published by Norton. The textbook is available through the Vandal
Store. Purchasing the textbook comes with free access to the ebook.

2. ENGL 102 Syllabus Spring 2021, pg. 2
COURSE WEBSITE
All work will be submitted through the course BbLearn site unless otherwise stated. All assignment sheets and other
course materials will also be posted on the BbLearn site. Log on into BbLearn (http://bblearn.uidaho.edu) using your
University of Idaho NetID and password, and locate “English 102-41.”
COURSE POLICIES
REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY. You must have word processing software that allows you to save (and open) documents as
.doc, .docx, or .pdf files. Feedback will be given using BbLearn’s inline grading software, and documents submitted in
other file formats make providing feedback on your work difficult, inefficient, and sometimes impossible. As a full-time
University of Idaho student, you can download Microsoft software including Word at no cost. More information is
available in the ITS Tech Support Portal: https://support.uidaho.edu/TDClient/40/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=89.
We will only be using Zoom for one-on-one meetings (“Office Hours”). If you have not yet done so, you will need to
download Zoom on your device when/if you would like to meet one-on-one during the semester. More information is
available in the ITS Tech Support Portal: https://support.uidaho.edu/TDClient/40/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=629.
EMAIL ETIQUETTE. I welcome your emails and questions. If you have questions about the course, your work, due dates,
etc., please do not hesitate to contact me at the address listed above or on the BbLearn home page. When you contact
me, please treat it as a professional correspondence—your message should have a greeting, be written in complete
sentences, and signed with your name at the bottom. Generally, you can expect a response within 24 hours during regular
business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 AM-5 PM).
DEADLINES. The due dates for all assignments are posted in each module on BbLearn. All work is due by 11:59 PM on the
day/date indicated on Bblearn. Assignments may be accepted late if prior arrangements are made 48 hours in advance of
deadline, when an extension may be granted. Late assignments without an approved extension will lose half a letter grade
(or the equivalent number of points) per day late.
**If, when I start to grade your work, a file will not open or a URL link does not work, I will notify you by email and you will
be given 24 hours to submit your work correctly in Bblearn, but a late work penalty may apply. To avoid this problem,
verify your submission.
VERIFY SUBMISSIONS TO AVOID POINT PENALTIES. When submitting assignments, students are responsible for verifying
that files they uploaded are not corrupted and will open and that URLs work. This means you must return to the
submission box and open any files you uploaded and check that a URL works.
If your work does not submit correctly or if you failed to submit part of it, you will need to submit all work again in a single
attempt because the last submission is the only one I grade.
ORIGINAL WRITING. All work for this class must be written for this section of English 102. Reusing an assignment you
completed in a previous semester, for a different class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated in this course.
There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing, and any other form of dishonesty to include suspension or expulsion
from the UI. Please read the document labeled “Statement on Plagiarism” on our BbLearn site for more information on
plagiarism.

3. ENGL 102 Syllabus Spring 2021, pg. 3
THE PUBLIC NATURE OF CLASS WRITING AND DISCUSSION. Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class to
be “public property.” Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in
this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share
your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or
things that you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not
mean that you are not entitled to an opinion, but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect
on others.
I am a mandatory reporter. If you disclose anything about sexual harassment or misconduct, I am required by law to
report it to the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations. This includes information shared in writing (emails, essays,
homework, etc.) or verbally (in class, office hours, etc.).
CAMPUS RESOURCES
CENTER FOR DISABILITY ACCESS AND RESOURCES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities.
All accommodations must be approved through the Center for Disability Access and Resources located in the Bruce M.
Pitman Center, Suite 127 in order to notify me as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.
Center for Disability Access and Resources
Phone: 208-885-6307
Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
Web: http://www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO CLASSROOM LEARNING CIVILITY CLAUSE
In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential that all members feel as free and safe as possible in
their participation. To this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility,
with an understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be respectful
and civil to one another in online discussions, in action, in teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with
me (via Zoom) to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the
Dean of Students office and staff (208-885-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (208-885-
6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (208-885-4285).
WRITING CENTER
The Writing Center, located on the third floor of the Idaho Commons in room 323, is dedicated to providing one-on-one
assistance to student writers and other members of the campus community. Writers come to the center for help at
various stages of their writing process, from brainstorming to revision of drafted papers. Writing tutors assist with any
kind of writing, from research papers to personal statements for applications. The Writing Center also offers online
tutoring to distance students who are unable to visit in person. To make an appointment visit
www.uidaho.edu/class/writing-center.
TUTORING AND COLLEGE SUCCESS (TCS)
TCS offers three distinct services dedicated to student success: tutoring, SI–PASS, and Academic Coaching. Vandal
Tutoring provides drop-in style tutoring in person at the Library or online through uidaho.edu/tutoringonline at no cost to
undergraduates. SI-PASS provides peer assisted study sessions for difficult courses. You can find the schedule of currently
supported courses at uidaho.edu/si. Academic Coaching offers students an opportunity to work with a coach, one on one,

4. ENGL 102 Syllabus Spring 2021, pg. 4
to improve their academic skills such as: effective studying, test taking, time management, and note taking. Visit
uidaho.edu/academic-coaching to schedule an appointment.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
LEARNING MODULES. There are four learning modules focused on close reading, writing, and rhetoric:
• Module 1: How messages persuade
• Module 2: Research-based argumentative writing
• Module 3: Research-based arguments
• Module 4: Final reflection
GRADING
This course is graded A/B/C/N/F, meaning that the only passing grades are a A, B, or C. Non-passing grades are an N (for
Not Yet) or F (for Failure). Individual assignments during the term will be graded on a points system.
Final grades are based on successful completion of the following:
Module 1 (includes scaffolding assignments and major assignment) 170
Module 2 (includes scaffolding assignments and major assignment) 150
Module 3 (includes scaffolding assignments and major assignment) 160
Module 4 (includes scaffolding assignments and major assignment) 120
Total Points Possible 600 points
Total Points to Grade Breakdown:
600-540 = A
539-480 = B
479-420 = C
419 or below = N (Not Yet) = You will need to retake English 102.
* If you fail to submit any major assignment (essay), I will recommend an “F” for the course.