ENGL 1551 - Writing 2
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 39, CRN 40455,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Sydney Stalnecker
Email: sastalnecker@ysu.edu
Course Description
This course builds upon students’ knowledge of the writing process and rhetorical concepts as they conduct scholarly inquiry on a specific topic using academic research. The course emphasizes the process of investigation including identifying problems to explore with research, collecting data from primary and/or secondary sources, synthesizing source material, and clearly presenting the results of these inquiries in a research-based argument. Students write a minimum of 5,000 words (approximately 20 double-spaced pages) cumulatively across the major assignments. Grading is ABCDF. English 1551 is three semester hours. Prereq.: ENGL 1549 with a grade of "C" or better or ENGL 1550 with a grade of "C" or better or ACT/SAT scores or Composition Placement Test results. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | The Norton Field Guide to Writing w/ Readings and Handbook; 7th edition | Bullock, Richard; Bertsch, Deborah; Daly Goggin, Maureen | 978-1-324-08763-2 |
| Required | Where I'm From | Lyons, George Ella | |
| Required | Wild Geese | Oliver, Mary | |
| Required | Wolf Gray | Morrow, Kortney | |
| Required | White-Tailed Deer | Rhodes, Benjamin |
Chapters from The Norton Field Guide (7th edition) will be assigned in Blackboard and are listed in the schedule. Your Ebook access is included and is already paid for in your course fees. The book is only available online through YSU. If you do not want to purchase the book for any reason, you need to opt out of the ebook by the date shown in Blackboard in order to avoid the fee.
The poems included in this list will be provided by the instructor. The instructor does not expect students to purchase any reading materials outside of the Norton Field Guide.
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 | "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon | Intro to course Blackboard page, the Norton Field Guide, and the course Syllabus Introduce Unit 1: The Jambar Position Paper (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) Discussion: How to find an article, review rhetorical situation, assignment goals, interpreting and responding to articles (CLO 1, 3) |
Syllabus Quiz due by the end of the week (CLO 2) Discussion: Write your own "Where I'm From" poem to introduce yourself. Due before class on Aug. 27 |
| 8/31 | Reading Response #1: Read Ch. 38 “Arguing” pg. 399 – 416 & Read Ch. 15 “Arguing a Position” pg. 184 – 196. | Weekly Discussion: finding scholarly/popular sources through Maag Library, position paper conventions, brainstorming methods, writing a thesis statement (CLO 2, 3, 4) Weekly Activity: get into small groups to review selected articles from The Jambar (CLO 1, 2) |
Reading Response due Tuesday, Sept. 1 before class starts. (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) Proposal MA1 due end of class Thursday, Sept. 3 (CLO 2) |
| 9/7 | Reading Response #2: Read Ch. 48 "Finding Sources" pg. 482 - 503, Ch. 49 "Evaluating Sources" pg. 504 - 514 | Weekly Discussion: Finding/evaluating scholarly sources, position paper conventions, brainstorming methods, outlining position paper (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) | Reading Response #2 due before the start of class on Tuesday, Sept. 8 Idea Draft due by midnight on Thursday, Sept. 10 |
| 9/14 | Reading Response #3: Read the student sample papers provided on Blackboard | Tuesday: Go over student sample papers in small groups (CLO 2, 3) Thursday: Peer Review Begins (CLO 1, 2) |
Reading Response #3 due before the start of class on Tuesday, Sept. 15 First Draft due before the start of class on Thursday, Sept. 17 |
| 9/21 | No readings this week. | Tuesday: Finishing peer review in class. (CLO 1, 2) Thursday: Reviewing APA Style, APA paper formatting (CLO 4) |
Peer Review due by the end of class on Tuesday, Sept. 22 Revision & Reflection MA1 due by midnight on Thursday, Sept. 24 Final Draft of MA1 due by midnight on Thursday, Sept. 24 |
| 9/28 | Reading Response #4: "Getting a Start on Research" pg. 473 - 481 | Weekly Discussion: Introduce Research Paper Assignment (MA2) including finding a topic and learning about annotated bibliographies (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) Weekly Activity: Detect, Elect, Connect (CLO 2); Develop Research Question (CLO 1, 3) |
Reading Response #4 due before the start of class on Thursday, Oct. 1 Proposal due by midnight on Thursday, Oct. 1 |
| 10/5 | Reading Response #5: Ch. 15 "Annotated Bibliographies and Reviews of Scholarly Literature" pg. 197 - 209 | Weekly Discussion: Review finding/evaluating sources, go over annotated bibliography structure/formatting. (CLO 3, 4) Weekly Activity: Go over the annotated bibliography submitted in Reading Response #5. Review common mistakes. Time in class to fix mistakes. (CLO 2, 4) |
Reading Response #5 due before the start of class on Thursday, Oct. 8 |
| 10/12 | Reading Response #6: Ch. 50 "Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing" pg. 542 - 554 | Weekly Discussion: Lecture on using quotations, paraphrasing, and summary. How to use your annotated bibliography as a tool to start your first draft. (CLO 2, 3, 4) Weekly Activity: Work on Annotated Bibliography and/or Idea Draft in class. |
Reading Response #6 due before the start of class on Thursday, Oct. 15 Annotated Bibliography due by midnight on Thursday, Oct. 15 |
| 10/19 | No readings this week. | Weekly Discussion: Brainstorming and writing the Research Paper. Reviewing peer review strategies. (CLO 1, 2, 3) | Idea Draft due by the end of class on Tuesday, Oct. 20 |
| 10/26 | No readings this week. | Weekly Activity: Peer Review in-class all on Tuesday and Thursday. (CLO 2, 4) | First Draft due before class starts on Tuesday, Oct. 27 Peer Review due by midnight Thursday, Oct. 29 |
| 11/2 | No readings this week. | Tuesday, Nov. 3: Review of APA Style, Research Paper formatting, revision strategies (CLO 2, 4) Thursday, Nov. 5: Workshop Day. (Class is NOT mandatory, but I will be in the classroom if you'd like to work quietly or if you'd like me to look at your draft. |
Revision & Reflection due by midnight Thursday, Nov.5 Final Draft MA2 due by midnight Thursday, Nov. 5 |
| 11/9 | Reading Response #7: Ch. 23 "Remixes" pg. 285 - 290 | Weekly Discussion: Introducing MA3 Rhetorical Choices Analysis. How to work with genre. How to prepare your research in multiple formats. (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) Weekly Activity: Detect, Elect, Connect (CLO 2) |
Reading Response #7 due before the start of class time on Thursday, Nov. 12 Proposal AND Idea Draft (combined in MA3) due by the end of class on Thursday, Nov. 12 |
| 11/16 | No readings this week. | Weekly Discussion: Converting a research paper into a written speech. How to be concise while still being informative. (CLO 1, 2, 3) | First Draft of speech and presentation due by the end of class Thursday, Nov. 19 |
| 11/23 | No readings this week. | Tuesday: Peer Review MA3 (In-Class) (CLO 2, 3) Thursday: Presentations begin! (CLO 1, 2) |
Peer Review due by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 24 Revision & Reflection due the night before you are scheduled to present. Final Draft of speeches and presentations due the night before you are scheduled to present. |
| 11/30 | No readings this week. | Presentations Tuesday & Thursday (CLO 1, 2) | Revision & Reflection Assignment due the night before you are scheduled to present. Final Draft of speeches and presentations due the night before you are scheduled to present. |
| 12/7 | No readings this week. | Finals Week! | Rhetorical Choices Analysis Paper due by midnight on Monday, Dec. 7 Final Reflective Paper due by midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 9 |
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.