ENGL 1541 - Introduction to College Writing
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 09, CRN 44183,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Jacklynn Mercer
Email: jmercer01@ysu.edu
Course Description
This course acclimates students to academic writing expectations and college-level reading practices. Students engage in reflective and expository writing and incorporate peer and instructor feedback throughout the writing process. Students in this developmental course must complete it prior to enrolling in the first of two required composition courses in the general education core. This course does not count toward the graduation requirement in composition and does not count toward a degree. Grading for English 1541 is ABC/NC. Next course in sequence must be ENGL 1549 Writing 1 with Support (4 semester hours). Prereq.: Placement by ACT/SAT test results or by CPT results. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | The Norton Field Guide to Writing, 7th ed. | Bullock, R. & Bertsch, D. | 978-1-324-08739-7 |
Note: Your Ebook access is included in your course fees. If you would like a hard copy, you can purchase that at the bookstore.
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/24 | Norton, Ch. 1 "Writing in Academic Context" Norton, Ch. 2 "Reading in Academic Contexts" |
Introductions and writing sample | Writing Sample due, Sunday, 8/30 Introduction 1st response due Friday, 8/28 Introduction 2nd posts due Sunday, 8/30 "My Name" Response due Sunday, 8/30 |
| 8/31 | Types of sentences and common errors MLA Format |
Quizzes due Friday, 9/4 Grammar Worksheet due Sunday, 9/6 |
|
| 9/7 | "Be Cool to the Pizza Dude" (on Blackboard) | How to construct paragraphs | "Be Cool to the Pizza Dude" assignment due Friday, 9/11 Paragraph assignment due Sunday, 9/13 |
| 9/14 | Norton, Ch. 3, "Summarizing and Responding" | Skimming, reading, and summarizing | Summarizing practice due Sunday, 9/20 |
| 9/21 | Refer to worksheets/websites on Blackboard | All about grammar | Grammar practice due Friday, 9/25 Quizzes due Sunday, 9/27 |
| 9/28 | Refer to worksheets/websites on Blackboard | All about grammar | Grammar practice due Friday, 10/2 Quizzes due Sunday, 10/4 |
| 10/5 | Norton, Ch. 51. "Acknowledging Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism" Norton, Chs. 7-9 Purpose, Audience, and Genre |
Summarizing and paraphrasing The rhetorical situation |
Writing practice due Friday, 10/9 Quizzes due Sunday, 10/11 |
| 10/12 | Norton Ch. 30 "Organizing Your Writing and Guiding Your Readers" | How to write essays Research introduction |
Research assignment due Friday, 10/16 Quizzes due Sunday, 10/18 |
| 10/19 | Norton, Ch. 29 "Generating Ideas and Text" | Brainstorming, prewriting/outlining | Brainstorming/Prewriting Due Friday, 10/23 |
| 10/26 | Prewriting/outlining peer review | Peer review 1st post due Friday, 10/30 Peer review responses post due Sunday, 11/1 |
|
| 11/2 | See resources on Blackboard | Introduction and first two body paragraph + peer review | Peer review 1st post due Friday, 11/6 Peer review responses due Sunday, 11/8 |
| 11/9 | See resources on Blackboard | Remaining body paragraphs and conclusion | Full draft due Sunday, 11/15 |
| 11/16 | See resources on Blackboard | Remaining body paragraphs and conclusion + peer review | Peer review 1st post due Friday, 11/20 Peer review responses due Sunday, 11/22 |
| 11/23 | See resources on Blackboard | Reflection | Reflection due Sunday, 11/29 |
| 11/30 | Work on essay draft 2 | Essay draft 2 (final draft) due Sunday, 12/6 | |
| 12/7 | FINALS WEEK |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.