This course develops students’ abilities in argument writing and persuasive reasoning within an academic setting. It introduces them to the principles of critical thinking and shows them how to organize ideas logically and support them with credible evidence. Students also learn to evaluate written arguments and use sources accurately in accordance with APA academic conventions. Class work is activity-based and encourages collaboration. Students discuss and write about issues that move gradually from familiar university topics to national and international themes. The course also introduces the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Students learn what AI is and how to use it in prompt design and research for oral presentations. The course concludes with a graded presentation that develops students’ confidence in speaking and in giving and receiving feedback. It prepares them to engage thoughtfully and communicate more effectively in writing and speech.
Text(s): An Introduction to Argument Writing (course PowerPoint materials on Blackboard)
| ENGL102 COURSE COMPONENTS |
| PARAPHRASE TEST 10% | PARA | Students must produce five paraphrases on a broadly familiar topic. These will increase in difficulty and focus on different aspects of paraphrasing, such as adapting vocabulary and sentence structure, comparing and contrasting statistical data, summarizing information, and integrating paraphrases into a wider argument. |
| WRITING TASK 1 15% | WT1 | Students must write a four-paragraph argumentative essay on a topic of local relevance. Writing Task 1 focuses primarily on applying an argumentative structure, identifying trends and events, paraphrasing, incorporating and interpreting evidence, developing evaluative ideas, and demonstrating higher-order thinking. |
| WRITING TASK 2 20% | WT2 | Students must write a four-paragraph argumentative essay on a topic of national relevance. Writing Task 2 additionally focuses on deciding and developing an argumentative position, identifying and selecting evidence from sources, and summarizing and interpreting figures. |
| WRITING TASK 3 25% | WT3 | Students must write a five-paragraph argumentative essay, including a counterargument paragraph, on a topic of international, academic relevance. Writing Task 3 additionally focuses on identifying and explaining a conflicting argument, and developing appropriate rebuttals in an academic style. |
| ORAL PRESENTATION 15% | OP | Students will prepare and deliver a formal multimedia presentation on an argumentative topic. Particular areas of focus include selecting and researching a topic, designing an academically appropriate presentation, using spoken rhetorical and cohesive devices, and evaluating source quality. |