Faculty Syllabus

ENGL-1301 English Composition I

Suchitra Rathnam


Credit Spring 2026

Section(s)

ENGL-1301-023 (16375)
LEC MW 10:30am - 11:50am RRC RRC2 2318.00

Course Requirements

Course Description

ENGL 1301 - English Composition I is a 3-credit course with 3 contact hours per week.                                                                            

English Composition I: English 1301 is a study of the principles of composition with emphasis on language, the mechanics of writing, documentation and research, and the study of different types of discourses. Knowledge of rhetorical techniques is a major area of focus.

 

Prerequisites

Beginning in Spring 2021, students are eligible to enroll in ENGL 1301 when they meet one of the following requirements:

1) a Texas Success Initiative (TSI) score of 945 or above with Writing Essay 5 or,

2) a score below 945 with a Diagnostic Testing Score of 5 or 6 and an essay score of 5.

 

 

Summary of Student Expectations


To successfully complete Composition I, students should enter with the following basic skills: critical reading to differentiate between a fact and an opinion, summarize a text; know the main idea of a paragraph; content development for context-appropriate diction, know the difference between objective and subjective ideas; use supporting statements for a main idea in a paragraph; organize writing to include an introduction, appropriate thesis, coherent paragraphs, meaningful paragraph transitions, and a conclusion, grammar, writing mechanics including sentence construction. These characteristics included in he writing are aimed at developing an initial understanding of documentation of sources.

Here is a link to a list of expectations and skills for students who are enrolling in Composition I: http://www.austincc.edu/english/ExpectationsOfSkills.php

 

Course Objectives/Rationale


The goals of Composition I are to promote and hone the following skills:

    • developing a clear, strong, distinct voice as a student writer.
    • utilizing critical thinking, reading, and writing skills to develop strong academic writing skills.
    • composing clear, coherent, meaningful paragraphs meeting rubric criteria.
    • understanding discursive analysis and interpretation.
    • understanding writing in drafts works and significance of the drafting process in the growth of a writer.
    • knowing appropriate use of grammar and writing mechanics.
    • demonstrating college-level competence in formulating various rhetorical patterns of writing such as descriptive, analytical, argumentative, and narrative in an essay format.
    • demonstrating college-level competence in individual and collaborative writing processes.
    • documenting sources using the 9th edition of the MLA Style Manual.

Readings

Required Course Materials

ZTC Course:  This is a designated “zero textbook cost” course. All course readings will be made available on our course shell on Blackboard.

 

Other Materials Required: MLA Handbook. 9th edition, print or online.

  • Access to a laptop either provided by your school district or to one of your own with appropriate permissions from your HS.
  • Access to ACC’s Blackboard – your student enrollment status with ACC must be current and eligible for Bb log-in throughout the 16 weeks of this fall semester.
  • Access to your austincc email account.
  • Jump/ pen drives as you may need them.

 

 

You must have your ACC Blackboard account set up with log-in and password ready for access before or by the start of the semester for you to pass this course.

 

 

Design of my Instruction

This syllabus is a binding contract between me, your course facilitator and you, the learner. It is my sole objective and purpose to facilitate your success in this course. As a first step in that direction it will be expected that you are thoroughly familiar with every single portion of this syllabus and therefore prepared to commit to the work (attendance in class, time and learning required) to successfully complete and pass this course.

 

Following the Rubric is Critical

You will compose essays and journals; take short quizzes that reiterate the role of the American English Grammar as an efficient tool for your clear, meaningful articulation of academic prose. Writing is a skill built, brewed, fostered, improved, and enriched over time. Consequently, processes adopted to write anything become crucial. What process you take to compose academic prose, how you organize your writing, and what you create through this process of academic composition need direction and definition. Rubric defines the scope, relevance and impact of your academic writing so it meets ENGL 1301 learning objectives and goals.

Your thorough knowledge of the assigned rubric for each task will go a long way in building both your competence and confidence as a college writer and student; it helps to create high quality academic writing and track your progress through it over the span of the semester.

 

A proposed outline of our study plan this semester:

Establishing a baseline:

  1. Why does Composition I matter
  2. What is college-level writing
  3. Does grammar matter
  4. Rhetorical patterns and their intrinsic value
  5. Recognizing academic writing

 

Patterns of rhetorical structures:

  1. Distinct features of organizing writing
  2. Role of critical thinking in reading and writing
  3. Role of context, purpose, target-reader in selecting writing techniques
  4. Types of academic writing
  5. How styles vary across different types of essays

 

Academic Journals and the power of reflection:

  1. Scope: The importance of being reflective and candid
  2. Voice: The power of the first-person pronoun “I”
  3. Expression: The significance of syntactically, and grammatically, correct sentence structure
  4. Clarity and cohesion in academic writing: How journal reflections allow you to develop clarity and cohesion in writing

 

Essays written and built, in drafts:

  1. Descriptive Essay
  2. Argumentative Essay using research and documentation in MLA style.
  3. Reflective Essay – metacognition and transition from free writing to formal, regimented style of writing

Class Participation:

1.  In-class writing-editing

2.  Assigned group and individual work

Course Subjects

Following the Rubric is Critical

You will compose essays and journals; take short quizzes that reiterate the role of the American English Grammar as an efficient tool for your clear, meaningful articulation of academic prose. Writing is a skill built, brewed, fostered, improved, and enriched over time. Consequently, processes adopted to write anything become crucial. What process you take to compose academic prose, how you organize your writing, and what you create through this process of academic composition need direction and definition. Rubric defines the scope, relevance and impact of your academic writing so it meets ENGL 1301 learning objectives and goals.

Your thorough knowledge of the assigned rubric for each task will go a long way in building both your competence and confidence as a college writer and student; it helps to create high quality academic writing and track your progress through it over the span of the semester.

 

A proposed outline of our study plan this semester:

 

1. Establishing a baseline:

  1. Why does Composition I matter
  2. What is college-level writing
  3. Does grammar matter
  4. Rhetorical patterns and their intrinsic value
  5. Recognizing academic writing

 

2. Patterns of rhetorical structures:

  1. Distinct features of organizing writing
  2. Role of critical thinking in reading and writing
  3. Role of context, purpose, target-reader in selecting writing techniques
  4. Types of academic writing
  5. How styles vary across different types of essays

 

3. Academic Journals and the power of reflection:

  1. Scope: The importance of being reflective and candid
  2. Voice: The power of the first-person pronoun “I”
  3. Expression: The significance of syntactically, and grammatically, correct sentence structure
  4. Clarity and cohesion in academic writing: How journal reflections allow you to develop clarity and cohesion in writing

 

4. Essays written and built, in drafts:

  1. Descriptive Essay
  2. Argumentative Essay using research and documentation in MLA style.
  3. Reflective Essay – metacognition and transition from free writing to formal, regimented style of writing

 

5. Class Participation:

(i)  In-class writing-editing

(ii)  Assigned group and individual work

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes


Upon completion of English 1301, students should be able to

    • demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes.
    • develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution.
    • write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose.
    • read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts.
    • use Edited American English in academic essays.

 

Discipline/Program Learning Outcomes


The following outcomes are sought as the course-wide goals for English Composition I:

  • expanded critical reading ability.
  • ability to write to the specifications of an assignment in terms of subject, rhetorical purpose, method(s) of organization and length.
  • ability to form a research question, develop a thesis, locate, and select credible sources applicable to the thesis, and write an essay of the specified length that responds to the thesis.
  • expanded ability to develop content for an essay and organize writing.
  • expanded ability to use correct grammar and writing mechanics.

 


General Education Learning Outcomes


Upon completion of the general education component of an associate's degree, students will demonstrate competence in:

  • Critical Thinking--Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and applying information.
  • Interpersonal Skills--Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.
  • Personal Responsibilities--Demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.
  • Technology Skills--Using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information.
  • Written, Oral and Visual Communication--Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

Office Hours

M T 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Remote: ACC-Zoom Meeting Room

NOTE

Office Hours

M T 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Remote: ACC-Zoom Meeting Room

NOTE

Published: 01/15/2026 10:14:45