First-Year Writing Program Policies
Criteria for Evaluation of Writing in English 100 and English 101
Assignments in ENG 100 and 101 are designed to develop students’ understanding of, and facility with, practices of critical reading and writing in academic communities. In evaluating students’ formal written work, instructors look for a purposeful response to the audience and situation, a clear and logical argument, thoughtful use of textual evidence, and effective use of appropriate formal and stylistic conventions. These criteria are based on the ENG 100 and 101 course objectives, which support NC State’s General Education Requirements for Writing, Speaking, and Information Literacy, and are grounded in the Outcomes for First-Year Composition adopted by the Council of Writing Program Administrators in 2000.
Successful writing in ENG 100 and 101 demonstrates critical thinking and rhetorical awareness in the areas described below. Instructors adapt these general criteria to the specifics of individual assignments when developing peer review guidelines, grading rubrics, and other course materials.
Rhetorical Purpose
Effective writing exhibits clear awareness of the purpose, audience, and occasion for writing and responds to that rhetorical situation through appropriate choice of topic, genre, focus, and claim.
Writing can accomplish a wide range of purposes, and written texts vary accordingly. Even within the domain of academic writing, the descriptive claim of an argument summary differs substantially from the evaluative claim of a critique, the interpretive claim of a literary analysis, or the informative claim of an experimental report. Students engaged in these varied types of writing must accommodate the rhetorical expectations of their intended audiences if they want to be heard by those audiences.
Logic and Argument
Effective writing makes a claim distinct from the claims of its source material and develops that claim thoroughly and logically.
With the exception of basic summary assignments, academic writing tasks call for original and well supported argument. Effective arguments present a sufficient, reliable, and coherent body of evidence from text and/or non-text sources. Governed by a central controlling idea, strong writing allows the reader to easily follow the reasoning that supports the central claim and that links evidence to that claim.
Textual Evidence
When drawing on previous scholarship, effective writing demonstrates thoughtful response to the ideas of others, including judicious selection of sources, a well-founded understanding of those sources, and substantive integration of ideas and evidence from the sources into the writer’s argument.
In assignments that ask writers to build on prior research, successful academic writing relies on an accurate and intelligent reading of source materials and an appropriate assessment of the value and relevance of those sources for the rhetorical purpose. Effective writing represents source materials fairly; summarizes, paraphrases, and quotes accurately; and makes clear conceptual connections between the textual evidence and the writer’s own claims.
Formal and Stylistic Conventions
Successful writing demonstrates effective use of genre and disciplinary conventions, including appropriate format, style, tone, documentation, and grammatical integration of evidence, and demonstrates facility with surface features, including syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling, so that the reader’s experience with the text is uninterrupted.
Successful writing demonstrates an understanding of what readers in a given
academic or public community will expect in the choice of genre, style, tone,
documentation, and grammatical conventions. Effective academic writing specifically
requires strong technical handling of source material, including attribution,
grammatical integration, and proper citation. Both academic and public audiences
expect writing to follow the conventions of formal written English.
11-8-05
First-Year Writing Council
Class Attendance Policy
Because of the collaborative and cooperative nature of the first year writing courses, class attendance is crucial. During the regular semester in ENG 100 and 101, students who miss nine 50-minute classes or five 100-minute classes will earn a grade of F.* That is, more than two weeks' worth of absences will result in failure to meet this element of the General Education Requirement, and you will need to repeat the course.
This policy does not distinguish between "excused" and "unexcused" absences, even in the case of emergencies. All absences will count toward the total number, and this policy obtains from the moment you are registered in the course. As is the case for all courses, students experiencing extended medical or family emergencies during the semester should consult with the instructor about seeking a medical drop.
The first two weeks of missed classes will be treated as excused absences, and you will be allowed to make up all course work missed. Instructors will establish make-up assignments, standards for evaluation of such assignments, and a reasonable period after the absence within which they must be turned in. If you fail to turn in make-up assignments or if the make-up assignments are of insufficient quality, your grade will be penalized. Because this policy includes all types of absences, those defined by the university as excused do not have to be cleared with the instructor beforehand.
No matter what the cause of the absences, as a student you are responsible for finding out what material was covered, getting notes, being prepared for class on the day you return, and turning in subsequent assignments on time. Since due dates for major assignments are established at the beginning of the semester, and since these projects are developed over a series of class periods, students are advised that submitting these projects late may result in penalties.
* Proportional equivalents for the 10-week summer session: In classes meeting four times a week, students who miss seven class sessions will fail the course. In classes meeting twice a week, students who miss four class sessions will fail.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is defined as copying the language, phrasing, structure, or specific ideas of others and presenting any of these as one's own, original work; it includes buying papers, having someone else write your papers, and improper citation and use of sources. When you present the words or ideas of another (either published or unpublished) in your writing, you must fully acknowledge your sources. Plagiarism is considered a violation of academic integrity whenever it occurs in written work, including drafts and homework, as well as for formal and final papers.
The NCSU Code of Student Conduct sets the standards for academic integrity at this university and in this course. Students are expected to adhere to these standards. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will be handled through the university's judicial system and may result in failure for the project or for the course.
Instructors may ask students to sign the Academic Integrity Pledge below:
Downloadable version of the Academic Integrity Pledge.
Policy on Honors Credit
The First-Year Writing Program does not offer special Honors versions of ENG 101 or participate in Student-Initiated Honors Contracts. Honors enhancements typically involve the addition of independent research and writing. Because writing and research form the core of ENG 101 and the expectations in those areas are already quite extensive, this course is not an appropriate place for honors enrichment. ENG 101 is designed as an introduction to college-level discourse for all students entering the university community.
(Posted 2-9-07)
