COLLEGE COMPOSITION I
Spring 2026
Course: ENGL 101 Instructor: Jamee Larson
Class Number: Sec 07 Office: MacLean 272 D
Term: Spring 2026 Phone: n/a
Time: 9:00 - 10:15 am Email: Jamee.larson@ndsu.edu
Place: MacLean 172 Office Hours: In-person T/Th 8:00 - 9:00 am and by
appointment
OFFICE HOURS VIRTUAL LINK: https://ndsu.zoom.us/j/4811362050
SYLLABUS QUICK LINKS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
OUTLINE OF MAJOR CONTENT AREAS
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
MINNESOTA TRANSFER CURRICULUM GOAL AREA(S) AND COMPETENCIES
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
READING AND WRITING
D2L
GRADING CONTRACT
ATTENDANCE
LATE WORK POLICY
FINAL PORTFOLIO
DO NEW WORK
ROUGH DRAFTS
ACADEMIC HONESTY
STUDENT CONDUCT & EMAIL ETIQUETTE
SPECIAL NEEDS
UNIVERSITY WRITING SUPPORT CENTER
WELL-BEING RESOURCES
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English Composition I is the foundational writing course; special attention is devoted to learning
about and using effective writing processes to create logical, engaging, and grammatically and
mechanically correct essays suitable for a variety of audiences and purposes. In addition,
students will read, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and integrate appropriately and ethically
information and ideas from diverse sources and points of view in their writing. MnTC Goal 1.
OUTLINE OF MAJOR CONTENT AREAS
● Thesis statements; organizational strategies; paragraph structures; diction; syntax;
grammar & mechanics.
● Narrative.
● Illustration.
● Classification.
● Definition.
● Cause & Effect.
● Problem/Solution.
● Basic argumentation.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
● Analyze particular audiences and select appropriate communication strategies.
● Create a variety of essays using rhetorical frameworks such as narrative,
process analysis, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect.
● Identify a variety of organizational patterns and techniques and choose appropriate
patterns for particular essays.
● Understand and use the writing process, including prewriting, writing, revising,
editing, and proof- reading.
● Use correct syntax, diction, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
● Adhere to conventions of format and structure such as those that govern
constructing effective paragraphs and using appropriate tone and style.
● Consult effectively and appropriately with others.
MINNESOTA TRANSFER CURRICULUM GOAL AREA(S) AND COMPETENCIES
Goal 01 - Communication
● Understand/demonstrate the writing and speaking processes through invention,
organization, drafting, revision, editing and presentation.
● Participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective
thinking, and responding.
● Locate, evaluate, and synthesize in a responsible manner material from diverse sources
and points of view.
● Select appropriate communication choices for specific audiences.
● Construct logical and coherent arguments.
● Use authority, point-of-view, and individual voice and style in their writing and speaking.
● Employ syntax and usage appropriate to academic disciplines and the professional world.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
You will need one textbook for this class called Writing Guide with Handbook, which is a free
open access book: Https://Openstax.Org/Details/Books/Writing-Guide.
READING AND WRITING
Since this course is designed as a writing workshop, you will be reading and writing a lot. You’ll
be reading example essays and chapters from your texts throughout the semester. In addition to
the three writing assignments outlined below, you will be responsible for shorter response papers
relating to the class units and for responses to class discussions or course readings. Due dates for
drafts will be clearly indicated on individual assignment sheets.
Essay One: Identity Narrative
Essay Two: Visual Analysis
Essay Three: Researched Commentary
D2L
Our course D2l site will function mostly as a repository for course information and course
documents. Check the D2L site and your MSUM email account at least once daily. All
announcements posted on D2L will automatically be emailed to you, but also check the site for
relevant handouts or links to pertinent course content. Please note, however, that your D2L/email
use in no way replaces or otherwise stands-in for active engagement in this class. You are
required to be an engaged member of the academic community fostered by classroom
conversations and activities.
GRADING CONTRACT
For this course, we will use a grading contract, a system of grades that are based primarily on
your labors and efforts. That means that your final course letter grade will be the result of your
participation, attendance, and completion of homework, assignments, and revisions. Thus, your
grade will not be based on a subjective evaluation of your final assignments in comparison to the
writing of your peers, which is how grades are usually assigned in writing and other courses.
Grading contracts are valuable for a number of reasons, including the fact that they:
● Offer you the opportunity to be experimental and exploratory in your writing—to take
risks, rather than only producing writing that is thought to be “correct” or doing exactly
and only “what the assignment requires” or “what the teacher wants”
● Value the time, effort, and labor you decide to commit to the class
● Provide you with a clear and concrete understanding of your grade at all times throughout
the semester (grades are simple and easy to calculate)
● Do not unfairly penalize or reward you for how much experience with writing and
language you have prior to entering our class; all students have the same potential to earn
an A
● Privilege students who are investing the time, energy, and effort into literacy learning
● While grading contracts focus on quantifiable outcomes (attendance, participation,
completed work), quality matters too; you are expected to carefully write and revise your
writing assignments to meet certain goals and criteria. Grading contracts function on the
belief that quality writing is the result of one’s efforts at drafting, getting and
understanding feedback from others, and revising.
General Terms of Agreement: Attendance & Lateness
● You agree to strive to attend required classes and be on time.
Homework & Assignments
● You agree to strive to turn in on time all homework and assignments. All should be
completed fully and meet all assignment requirements. If you face extenuating
circumstances, please email me ahead of time. If you are absent, you are responsible for
submitting work that’s due on time. The following guidelines apply to all assignments,
including homework, drafts, and final assignments:
Timeliness
● Completed Assignments
o An assignment is considered “complete” if it is turned in on-time and meets all of
the assignment parameters. It will be marked with a “1” in the grade book.
Projects will not qualify as “complete” unless they have achieved all of the goals
of the assignment as discussed in class or explained on handouts. This means that
projects are not just done but done in the manner discussed.
Improvement:
● While you do not have to worry about anyone’s judgments or standards to meet the
grading contract, you are obligated for all of your class work to carefully listen to and
consider your colleagues’ and my comments. Feedback is essential to improvement.
In this class, you won’t just correct errors or touch up pieces here and there. Each major
essay and project will be substantially reshaped, extended, or complicated based on the
feedback you receive. You will also make efforts to improve your copy-editing skills. I
certainly do not expect error-free texts, but I do ask that you take an active role in
developing your uses of English. If too few revisions are made to your drafts over the
course of the semester, I will contact you so that we can make a plan and/or determine
how this will affect your final grade.
Overview of Grade Breakdown Guidelines
● A = 90%
● B = 80%.
● C = 70%
● D = 60%
Note: You cannot pass English 101 without successfully completing all essays and the final
portfolio.
Accommodations/Inclusivity
The goal of the Grading Contract is to meet you where you are in your reading and writing
experience and to support you in growing as a critical thinker, reader, writer, communicator, and
collaborator. Additionally, the purpose is to ensure students are having the opportunity to work
in a just environment that adapts to their needs and equally supports each student’s learning.
Thus, when necessary, I will work with individuals on a case-by-case basis to determine how
best to accommodate your needs as a learner and the course’s learning outcomes. Ultimately, the
Grading Contract functions as a model for forming professional relationships and professional
communication practices.
University and Military Obligations.
● Any absence due to a university-sponsored group activity (e.g., sporting event,
performance, band, etc.) will not count against you, as stipulated by university policy, as
long as you provide written documentation before all absences. This same policy applies
if you have mandatory military-related absences (e.g., deployment, work, duty, etc.).
Students may have the opportunity to earn extra credit points throughout the semester. Quizzes
and tests are not scheduled but may be added as deemed necessary by the instructor.
ATTENDANCE
In-person attendance is required for this class and all absences will be noted. It is the student’s
responsibility to complete all course requirements and meet all student learning outcomes,
regardless of whether or not they are able to attend all class meetings. Responsibility for learning
the material presented during a class meeting resides with the student. Instructors are not
obligated to provide individual instruction when students miss class meetings.
You may wonder why I place so much value on attendance. This class operates on the following
principles regarding attendance:
● Regular attendance correlates positively with student success in our courses.
● Regular attendance helps students achieve the goals of our courses.
● Regular attendance is a first step for true participation and engagement in our courses.
● Regular attendance helps foster a positive classroom community, particularly in small
classes such as ours where regular interaction with one’s peers is expected.
● Regular attendance is professional. Students who attend class regularly are learning to
adopt the habits of mind that will enable them to succeed in the professional world.
In addition, research has shown that writing is a process-based, social activity. Our classes aim to
create the kind of learning environment that will provide students the benefits of going through a
writing process to produce larger written texts and interacting with peers to learn from one
another. For more information, visit the MSUM Attendance Policy here:
https://www.mnstate.edu/about/policies-procedures/list/absences/
LATE WORK POLICY
Because this course is based on the process of writing, it is essential to hand in all assignments
on time, as each step in the writing and revising process is vital to the success of your writing
projects. You are expected to meet deadlines and due dates for all assigned work, from short
homework assignments to drafts for peer review to major projects.
NOTE: Unless I indicate otherwise, I do not accept work submitted via email. All
assignments must be turned in electronically via Blackboard as Word docs.
I will allow extensions—on some assigned work, not all—only if I am contacted at least one full
day before the due date. Do not abuse this courtesy; request extensions sparingly, if at all.
Late work will not be accepted after a unit is complete. For example, any assignments for
the literacy narrative unit cannot be made up when the final essay is complete.
FINAL PORTFOLIO
Students will include final versions of three different genres (i.e., Literacy Narrative, Visual
Analysis, and Researched Commentary) and a formal Reflection Letter. The portfolio must total
a minimum of 15 pages of writing (excluding the Reflection Letter).
DO NEW WORK
The work you do in this class should be new. That is to say, do not turn in something you wrote
five years ago or for a different class. The point of this class is to go through the creative process
from idea to drafting to revision, incorporating ideas and strategies you are picking up from the
readings and discussion this semester. So, if you just turn in a copy of something you’ve already
done you are skipping the basic experience of this class.
ROUGH DRAFTS
All essay assignments will be peer reviewed at least a week before the final draft is due. You
must participate in peer review workshops, as that is a vital part of the writing process. Each
rough draft is worth 15 points. The rough draft grade is based on 1) being on time, 2) being long
enough, 3) being on topic, and 4) having a works cited page, reasonably formatted. This is an
easy 15 points and I believe you will find the peer review sessions to be particularly helpful as
you revise.
Please note that I will not grade or provide any written feedback on rough drafts. You will
have the opportunity to discuss each draft in a one-on-one conference (held either in person
or virtually).
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: Work submitted for this course must adhere to the Academic
Honesty Policy, as defined here:
https://www.mnstate.edu/about/policies-procedures/list/academic-honesty/
Academic Honesty Defined: All written and oral presentations must “respect the intellectual
rights of others. Statements lifted verbatim from publications must be cited as quotations. Ideas,
summaries or paraphrased material, and other information taken from the literature must be
properly referenced.”
Instructors in the English department try to distinguish between inadvertent and deliberate
plagiarism. Initial instances of inadvertent plagiarism will be pointed out and revision will be
expected; deliberate plagiarism may result in zero for an assignment, possible F for the course.
Please see me with any questions or concerns.
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STUDENT CONDUCT & EMAIL ETIQUETTE
● I assume that all interactions in this course will be civil and show respect for others.
Student conduct at MSUM is governed by the Student Conduct Policy, which you can
find here: https://www.mnstate.edu/about/policies-procedures/list/student-conduct/
● Email is a formal system of communication. As such, you must structure your
emails as you would a formal letter by including an appropriate subject heading,
greeting, and signature.
● Allow 24 hours for email responses. I do not discuss grades via email and I will not
answer the questions “What did I miss in class today?” I am very happy, however, to visit
with you one-on-one (in-person or virtually) on the content of a missed class period.
● I will not respond to emails after 9:00 pm during the week. You will receive a response
by 8:00 am the following day. I also cannot guarantee a response on the weekend. As
such, all emails received over the weekend will be answered by Monday morning at 8:00
am. I urge you to plan ahead to avoid last minute questions or issues.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Accessibility Resources leads collaborations with students, faculty, staff, and the administrators
to cultivate an inclusive environment, and facilitates the removal of existing barriers for the full
inclusion of people with disabilities. As identified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, we offer services, accommodations, and provide
options for equal access and opportunity to ensure your successful transition to and experience at
MSUM.
In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act, I encourage students with special needs
who need accommodations in this course to contact Accessibility Resources as soon as possible.
More information can be found here:
https://www.mnstate.edu/student-life/student-services/accessibility/
Also, veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances are welcome and
encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor.
UNIVERSITY WRITING SUPPORT CENTER
English 101 must assume a college-level understanding of the basics of grammar and mechanics
on the part of the student. Therefore, minimal class time will be devoted to formal instruction in
this area. Instruction in grammar and mechanics will