Course Description

This course focuses on written and visual rhetoric, using multiple technologies to deliver and enhance a variety of texts aimed at various audiences. In addition to serving as a prerequisite to many classes, it is designed to prepare the student for the writing they will likely do in college and professional work. The tools the student will use to interpret and analyze various types of written communication will likely change the way they read, write, and think.

Prerequisites

English 252 assumes that the student is familiar with the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing) and standard conventions of writing (grammar, punctuation, mechanics, spelling). It also assumes that they have reading skills appropriate to the college level and that they have been at least superficially introduced to the campus library. They have completed Foundations English 101 or Communication 111.

Course Objectives

English 252 Fundamentals of Research and Presentation is a writing class for English majors and minors. It examines English studies, asks students to research an issue from the major, and requires students to interpret that research for various rhetorical contexts, both print and digital.

1. Students will understand career options and attendant professional issues within English studies.
2. Students will demonstrate evidence of academic and career planning (English major emphases, planning classes, extracurricular opportunities, professional networking, and issues in English studies).
3. Students will write a resume and begin a professional portfolio.
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct and report academic research (research; analyze, synthesize, argue, support; organize, draft, rewrite, edit; document in MLA).
5. Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt academic research to a variety of rhetorical situations, including contexts requiring desktop publishing and web authoring (rhetorical theory, audience and context, visual rhetoric, software).

In conjunction with the objectives above, the student will:

• Design, draft, revise, edit, and proofread several types of academic and pre-professional documents.
• Apply reliable, expected principles of written and visual rhetoric to non-literary contexts.
• State ideas in a logical, concise, and coherent form.
• Choose the most effective language and efficient manner to present material.

Upon course completion, the student should become:

• A more methodical researcher, analytical reader, critical thinker, and persuasive presenter.
• A better pre-professional writer and document designer.

Assignments will include:

• Summary papers (English Education, Creative Writing, Literary Studies, Professional Writing)
• Research Proposal
• Research Paper
• Presentation (PowerPoint or Prezi)
• LinkedIn Post
• Online Portfolio
• Job materials (Résumé, Cover Letter, List of References)

Course Requirements

Required Resources

This course will require a microphone and webcam on your computer for when you take a proctored exam using Proctorio.

Resource Title/Description (books, software, etc.)	Author/Provider	Ed./Vol.	13-Digit ISBN (if applicable)
Microphone and Webcam	N/A	N/A

Proctored Exams and Assessments

This course will use an online proctoring software called Proctorio. This makes it possible for students to take assessments and exams without a human proctor present. Proctored exams can be accessed like any other exam, once the software has been installed. Exams will be recorded by Proctorio and reviewed by the BYUI Testing Center. Any questionable exams will be forwarded to the instructor for further review.

For step-by-step instructions on Proctorio installation, please refer to this help guide article.

Grading Policies

This course is divided into 14 weeks. All assignments for the week must be turned in by their deadlines (Please refer to the Calendar for due dates as there are sometimes several per week). No late work is accepted. If there is a true emergency preventing the student from turning in their assignment on time, they must contact their instructor as quickly as possible to make other arrangements. If the student knows they will be unable to turn in an assignment during the week it is due, they must make arrangements to turn in their work early. Because the class is online, the student has more flexibility, so things like car trouble, travel, mild illness, or employment should not deter them from completing the work for the course on time. In the event of technical difficulties with I-Learn, the student will need to find another way to send their work to their instructor (email is a possibility).

Please remember to save work in several places to ensure that it is not lost. For example, the student could email it to themselves and a friend, save it on a flash drive, and save it on their hard drive. If the student loses work and does not have it backed up elsewhere, they will have no choice but to redo everything that they lost.

There are approximately 1000 points possible. The number of points the student accumulates by the end of the semester determines the student's grade. I-Learn’s Grade Center shows the percentage of the work completed and the student's current grade. The majority of the final grade comes at the course’s end with the completion of several writing projects.

The instructor's goal is to help the student become a better writer, so please contact the instructor with any questions or concerns about the class. Please put ENG 252 in the subject line of the email.

Grades

The total points possible in the course cluster in approximately the following weights:

• 20% Preparation
• 55% Assignments and Papers
• 25% Exams

BYU–I has adopted new definitions for final grades:

• A: To achieve this grade, students should master course content and then demonstrate through their own initiative a desire and ability to go beyond mastery.
• B: Represents mastery of the material and would prepare students to be successful in next-level courses, graduate school, or employment.
• C: Represents exposure to all materials with a basic understanding of most concepts. Sequenced courses could be attempted, but difficulty in mastering new materials might prove challenging.
• D: Indicates a lack of performance and understanding of the subject matter. Sequenced courses should not be attempted. Retaking a course or remediation would be necessary to prepare for additional instruction in the subject matter.
• F: Represents failure in the course.

Grade	Percentage Range
A	100%–94%
A-	93%–90%
B+	89%–87%
B	86%–84%
B-	83%–80%
C+	79%–77%
C	76%–74%
C-	73%–70%
D+	69%–67%
D	66%–62%
D-	61%–60%
F	59%–0%

Standard Code of Conduct

Demand the highest ethical standards from yourself.

The collaborative and team-oriented nature in this class means that there are many group projects both in and out of class. It is inevitable that you will have opportunities to hand in work that is not your own. Remember when these opportunities present themselves that you are being trusted and challenged to uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior. We want you to learn from your experiences in this class and at BYU-Idaho in general, that you need to be able to trust each other and yourself to make the ethical decision. Accordingly, cheating, plagiarism, and other cases of intellectual dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be referred to the judicial board for review.

AI & Academic Integrity 

Students should not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist with writing unless they have permission and guidance from an instructor. AI tools include Chat GPT, Bard, CopyAI, Writesonic, Jasper AI, Anyword, Grammarly, and many others. Some teachers may ask students to use AI for specific purposes, but if not, students should assume that they must ask for permission in order to use AI tools or simply not use AI at all. If students aren’t sure of an instructor’s policies, they should ask for clarification. 

Dishonest: 

·         Giving the AI a prompt and submitting what it writes (even just one sentence) as your own work. 

·         Combining content from several different AI prompts and submitting as your own work. 

Ask your professor about: 

·         Using AI to fix your grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors 

·         Using AI to generate ideas for a paper 

·         Using AI to write portions of an assignment but clearly indicating (based on guidelines from your instructor) which parts were written by the AI and which were written by you 

·         Using AI for outlines and organization 

·         Using AI for summarizing or paraphrasing technical language 

·         Using AI to write a sample paper and then modeling your own work after the work of the AI bot 

Take pride in your work.

Business leaders know that everything they present to the public reflects on them and their organization. Long-term success comes only to companies and individuals who produce the highest quality products and services and deliver them in a timely fashion. Every paper, presentation, and project is an expression of the pride you take in yourself and your work. Make every effort to write well, meet deadlines, and take the time to make both the format and the content of your work of the highest quality. This may mean writing one more draft, double-checking spelling and grammar, or reviewing overheads and practicing your presentation one more time.

Demonstrate respect for yourself and for others.

Managers make decisions and try to influence others to implement them. Thus, if you are going to be a manager, you have to learn how to make others accept and respect you. You must show yourself to be worthy of their respect and show that you respect them. Your professional demeanor sends messages about your leadership ability and level of dedication. You can earn a lot of credit here for doing some very basic things.

• Be On-Time—Professional behavior means being on time for classes, appointments, and meetings. Furthermore, it means staying there once you have arrived. Just as you wouldn’t leave the middle of a business meeting in order to get a soda, you shouldn’t disrupt a class by leaving in the middle for a drink, chat or to check your email.
• Be Prepared—Unprepared managers have very short careers (or end up in dead-end jobs). To succeed, you need to prepare for each class session. Nothing shows less respect for others than making them wait while you do something you were supposed to have done in advance. If you don’t come prepared and try instead, to “fake it,” you run the risk of looking foolish and wasting everyone’s time with irrelevant comments.
• Show Respect—Professionalism also means being civil to those with whom you disagree. In business, you will find that you must work with people with conflicting opinions or personal styles. Your ability to work with, tolerate, and effectively interact with these individuals is critical to your success. Finally, you demonstrate a lack of respect for your colleagues or professors when you engage in private discussions while course or business meeting is in progress.
• Get Involved—Professionalism means keeping up with the discussion. It means making a contribution. However, not everything you say has to be serious. As long as it fits, it is okay, even desirable, to inject a little humor once in a while. Just make sure you do it in a way that is not mean and does not step on anybody’s toes.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office at (208) 496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving Accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Disability Services Office.

This course does require synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at (208) 496-9219.

Other University Policies

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Student Honor
  • Academic Honesty
  • Student Conduct
    • Sexual Harassment
• Student with Disabilities
• Complaints and Grievances
• Copyright Notice

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.