Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

ENGL 1010: English Composition I – Summer B 2026

Credits - 3

Description

English Composition I is a three-credit college writing course to prepare students for the fundamental knowledge and skills of college-level expository writing and critical thinking. Areas of focus include idea presentation and organization, audience, point of view, authorship, paragraph and essay coherence, and technology-mediated evaluation of grammar, mechanics, and originality. Students are introduced to strategies for rhetorical writing, writing-as-process and product, and thinking-as-writing. An introduction to argument structure and writing from sources culminates in an academic essay as a comprehensive course assignment.

Materials

Burrows, E., Fowler, A., Fowler H., & Locklear, A. (n.d.). Composing ourselves and our world: A guide to first-year writing. https://pressbooks.pub/composingourselvesandourworld/

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to

  • demonstrate writing as iterative and process-oriented.
  • distinguish audience, context, and purpose for written communication.
  • apply rhetorical strategies for effective context-specific written communication.
  • construct a relevant and compelling argument essay supported by credible secondary sources.
  • revise an essay draft to improve focus, development, and organization, using appropriate grammar, mechanics, and APA style.
  • critically reflect on the development of new and current academic writing knowledge and skills.

Assignments

All assignments are designed to prepare students for drafting and revising a complete academic essay written in APA style (7th ed.), which is the culminating assessment for this course.

Discussions:

 Two discussions, one in Week 1 and one in Week 4, encourage critically thinking about writing concepts and sharing learning among students. Discussions include one initial post and responses to two peers.

Skill Building Assignments:

Skill building assignments provide opportunities to practice strategies for writing an essay draft and reflecting on the writing process.

Scaffolded Writing Assignments:

Scaffolded writing assignments engage students with evaluating, analyzing, and applying skills while drafting sections of the academic essay.

Key Assessments:

Academic Argument Essay Draft: students will submit a complete essay draft in week 5 and receive feedback from the instructor to improve writing skills.

Revised Academic Argument Essay: students will revise and submit their academic essay based on instructor feedback and a self-evaluation strategy. 

 

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentsPoints
Discussions (2 x 3pts each) 6
Pre- and Post-Writing Skill Assessments (3 and 4 pts)7
Writing Skill Development Assignments (10 x 3 pts each)30
Reflective Journals ( 2 x 3 pts each)6
Scaffolded Assignments for Essay (6 x 4 pts each)24
Academic Argument Essay Draft12
Revised Academic Argument Essay14
TOTAL100

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 93 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 92.9% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89.9% 3.50
B 83 – 86.9% 3.00
B- 80 – 82.9% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79.9% 2.50
C 73 – 76.9% 2.00
C- 70 – 72.9% 1.75
D 60 – 69.9% 1.00
F 00 – 59.9% 0.00

Schedule

Term Dates: July 1 – August 7, 2026

Week 1: Jul 1 – Jul 5 
Week 2: Jul 6 – Jul 12
Week 3: Jul 13 – Jul 19
Week 4: Jul 20 – Jul 26
Week 5: Jul 27 – Aug 2
Week 6: Aug 3 – Aug 7  (ends on Friday)

 

Week Topic / Assignment Due Dates
1

Writing Skills Pre-Assessment

Writing as a Process and Product

Discussion 1

Audience Analysis

Prewriting Practice

The Rhetorical Diagram

Assignments due Sunday, 11:59 PM ET.

Initial Discussion Post due Friday 11:59 PM ET.

Response Posts due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

 

2

Academic Voice, Tone, and Style

Evaluating Paragraph Cohesion

Academic Identity and Authorship

APA Essay Template Preparation

Academic Essay Topic Selection

Draft Thesis Statement

Assignments due Sunday 11:59 PM EST.

 

3

Discussion 2

Locating and Evaluating Sources

Selected Source Summary

The Argument Map

Strategies and Tool for Library Research Reflection

Assignments due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

Initial Discussion Post due Friday 11:59 PM ET.

Response Posts due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

4

Argument Structure as Topic Sentence Outline

The Essay Thesis Paragraph

Support Argument

 

Assignments due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

 

5

Academic Essay Full Draft

Persuasion and Audience Reflection

Assignments due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

 

6

The Revised Academic Essay

Writing Skills Post Assessment/Cover letter

Assignments due Sunday 11:59 PM ET.

Student Resources

Summer Session Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies. If you are a current UNE undergraduate taking online Summer Session courses, please continue to work with your Advisor and include them on your outreaches.

Questions? Email: summersessiononline@une.edu.

UNE Libraries

  • Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
  • Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

Further Assistance and Accommodations

Your student support specialist monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.

To request an accommodation a student needs to go through the process with our UNE office. If the student has a current/already established accommodation in place with UNE it is the responsibility of the student to notify the program at summersessiononline@une.edu to ensure it is applied properly.

If you need to inquire about a possible accommodation, please reach out to the Student Access Center by calling 207-221-4418 or send an email to pcstudentaccess@une.edu.

If you are a current UNE undergrad, please continue to work with your coordinator at bcstudentaccess@une.edu and ensure any accommodations you have in place - are put in place for your online Summer Session course(s).

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

Policies

Summer Session & Academic Engagement Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm EDT of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion by 11:59 pm EDT on Sunday of the first week, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation.

Proctored Examinations

Your course may have proctored exams. For all proctored exams, an external camera is required. Please see the course for the exact exam requirements, test-taker guidance, proctoring format, and allowances (such as calculators or whiteboards, as indicated in the course). https://success.une.edu/science-prerequisites/honorlock/ 

Information about exam attempts can be found in your course.

Course Length

A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus.

Courses in the program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 6 or 12 weeks.

  1. Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar. Students in online Summer Session courses will have early access the Saturday prior to the course start date to review course content as needed.
  2. Course due dates, start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Please review the policies in your confirmation email. Contact summersessiononline@une.edu with any questions.

Grade Policy

Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course.

Late Policy

Unless stated otherwise by your faculty: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days, the assignment will not be accepted. Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3-point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded. Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the College. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.

Using Generative AI When Completing Coursework

Generative AI (GenAI) applications (like ChatGPT) have proven to be powerful and effective tools, and students are encouraged to become familiar with and use them. However, as with any tool, students must use GenAI in ways that support learning, not replace it. Learning to use AI responsibly and ethically is an important skill in today’s society.

In their courses, students are not allowed to use advanced automated tools, such as generative AI tools, on assignments unless explicitly directed to do so. Each student is expected to complete each assignment, including labs and quizzes as applicable, without substantive assistance from others, including automated tools.

Using AI-content generators to complete assignments without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in UNE courses, you pledge to affirm that they are your own work and you attribute use of any and all tools and sources.

Unauthorized Use

Unauthorized use of AI is treated as a violation of academic integrity.

Citing AI Use

If permitted, students should indicate and cite any use of AI tools. 

Instructor Responsibility

Instructors should clearly reiterate, using UNE AI Use Policy, how students can use AI tools in their courses, and communicate this policy to students at the beginning of the semester.

Student Responsibility

Students must follow the academic integrity policy of the University of New England.