1. American University of Sharjah
Department of Writing Studies
WRI 102: Reading and Writing across the Curriculum
(Sections 26 & 27)
Spring 2009
Instructor: Dennis L. M. Lewis Meeting Days and Time: S/T/R (8-8.50/9-9.50)
E-mail: dlewis@aus.edu Meeting Location: LAN 109
Telephone: 6-515-2758
Office: LAN 217 Office Hours: S/T/R – 10-11 a.m.
T – 2-3 p.m.
Course Description
Focuses on the development of active reading, critical thinking, and analytical
writing. Requires students to practice critical reading strategies by engaging with
challenging and academically diverse texts, and to respond to what they read
through formal and informal critical evaluations. Helps students develop their
academic writing skills of identifying and fulfilling the requirements of supporting
an academic thesis, as well as address issues of grammar and mechanics within the
context of their writing. Introduces students to basic research techniques.
Prerequisite(s)
Successful completion of WRI 101 or placement through the English Placement Test.
Textbook(s) and/or Other Required Materials
• Muller, G.H. (2005). The new world reader: Thinking and writing about the global
community. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
• Buscemi, S. V., Nocolai, A.H., & Strugala, R. (2005). The basics: A rhetoric and
handbook
(4th
edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.
• A paperback college level English dictionary of the student’s choice
Course Objectives and Outcomes
This course is designed to help students master the basic literacy skills necessary for
successful university achievement by providing instruction and guided practice in both
reading and writing strategies. Through their experience of WRI 102 students will
• Cultivate the critical reading skills necessary to analyze various academic and
professional discourses.
• Respond to readings through reflection, analysis and argumentation.
• Develop a deeper understanding of the writing process, including the ability to
evaluate and appropriately revise their own written work.
• Effectively use rhetorical strategies within the context of argumentation to write
essays appropriate to university level academic writing.
• Organize ideas in support of a clear thesis statement and identifiable writing
purpose.

2. • Integrate quotations and complex ideas from different texts in support of their own
thesis.
• Demonstrate correct in-text and end-of-text citation techniques, using APA
documentation.
• Gain proficiency in the grammar and mechanical conventions of the English
language.
Course Assessment
A passing grade in this course is “C-” and above. The following is the percentage
breakdown for your final grade.
Writing Assignments (2 essays/summaries/paraphrases) 40%
Reading Analysis and Critical Response 20%
Quizzes and Assignments 10%
Midterm 10%
Final Assessment 20%
The following is the grade definition for written assignments in this course:
An A essay is a model of excellence in content and style. It is well-organized, well-
developed, free from major grammar and mechanical errors, and possesses precise and
advanced vocabulary. Perhaps most importantly, an A essay illustrates individual
engagement with the topic and solid reasoning skills. An A essay integrates quotations
appropriately and adheres to accurate citation formatting when the words or ideas of
others are used. An A essay meets the full requirements of the assignment.
A B essay is also well-organized and well-developed, but it may contain a few grammar
and mechanical errors and not posses the variety and exactness of vocabulary that an A
essay does. The ideas, while clear, may be presented less completely and logically than
the ideas in an A essay; it may also lack the individual engagement with the topic that
characterizes an A essay. A B essay cites sources correctly and uses the words or ideas of
others appropriately. A B essay meets or nearly meets the full requirements of the
assignment.
A C essay is well-organized, but not as well-developed as a B essay. It may contain a few
major grammar or mechanical errors, but most of the sentences are correct. It attempts
to use the ideas or words of others, but there may be problems in citation form or the
appropriateness of the citations chosen. A C essay meets the basic requirements of the
assignment.
A D essay is disorganized, lacks sufficient support, and/or contains major grammar and
mechanical errors. It has no clear thesis, topic sentences are missing, and the writer
consistently misuses words and shows an extremely limited English vocabulary. It may also
leave out citations when required. A D essay fails to meet the basic requirements of the
assignment.
An F essay falls significantly short of basic written competence at this level, or the
requirements of the assignment, or both.
Percentage Equivalents of Grades
95 – 100 A
90 – 94 A-
87 – 89 B+
83 – 86 B

3. 80 – 82 B-
77 – 79 C+
73 – 76 C
70 – 72 C-
60 – 69 D
0 – 59 F
Performance Expectations
Attendance
Attendance and participation in all class meetings is essential to the process of education
at the American University of Sharjah. Students benefit from the lectures and discussions
with their instructors and fellow students. For this reason, students are expected to
attend class regularly.
Lateness or absence hinders progress for the individual student and the class and affects
the offending student’s grade.
• Attend class regularly and actively participate.
• Arrive to class on time.
• Students arriving eleven minutes late to class may sit through the class if
they enter without disrupting the class, but will be marked absent.
• Three occasions of lateness (arriving less than eleven minutes after the
course has begun) count as one absence.
• After a certain number of absences for any reason (there are no excused absences),
students may be withdrawn from the course. Depending at what time during the
semester the student accumulates these absences, the recorded grade on his or her
transcript will be either a W or WF.
• For classes meeting two times a week, a student may be withdrawn after
five absences.
• For classes meeting three times a week, a student may be withdrawn after
seven absences.
• For classes meeting five times a week, a student may be withdrawn after
eleven absences.
In the event that a student misses a class, he or she remains responsible for the material
covered in that class (announcements, handouts, assignments, etc.) and for preparation
for the following class. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what assignments were
missed.
Preparedness
Preparedness is essential. In order to have effective lectures and class discussions,
students must come to class prepared.
• Students must complete all readings and assignments on time.
• Students who fail to bring the appropriate materials to class may be marked
absent.
• As stated before, students who miss a class are responsible for finding out what
material was covered, what homework was assigned, and come to the next class
prepared.
Participation

4. In addition to coming to class prepared, students are expected to be respectful and active
listeners, listening carefully when others—both instructor and students—are talking.
Students are expected to participate in classroom discussions, contribute to small group
activities, and complete individual in-class assignments. An essential part of course
participation is taking notes.
Written Assignments
All formal drafts must be submitted following APA guidelines. When submitting final
writing assignments, you must include all the work you have produced during the writing
process; please organize this work appropriately and submit it in a clearly labeled file
folder or envelope. Be sure to keep all returned assignments until the end of the
semester.
Academic Policies
Late Work
All assignments are considered late if not turned in on time. If accepted, late work will be
penalized.
Make-up Exams
The university guidelines for make up exams, as defined in the catalog, are as follows:
“Instructors need not give substitute assignments or examinations to students who miss
classes.”
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, the act of using the work, ideas, images or words of someone else without
giving proper credit, is a serious form of dishonesty. It is immoral and illegal and AUS does
not tolerate it. All students need to read, sign, and abide by the plagiarism statement.
This document will be kept on file by your instructor and will illustrate your understanding
of plagiarism and the seriousness of it as an academic and ethical offense. This
department follows a strict plagiarism policy.
Other Policies
Mobile Phones
All mobile phones must be on silent and put away at all times when in the classroom.
Additional Resources
AUS Writing Center
The AUS Writing Center is dedicated to helping students become better writers. Writing
center consultants help students become independent, confident writers through an
interactive approach to writing. The Writing Center offers one-on-one writing conferences
by appointment or on a drop-in basis and is available to all students throughout the
university. During conferences, students and tutors work together on various aspects of
writing: thesis development, organization, outlining, paragraph development, vocabulary,
sentence structure, grammar and mechanics. Students can visit the AUS Writing Center to
work on their drafts, do research, or to work with a tutor on particular aspects of their
writing. The Writing Center also offers workshops on a variety of writing topics throughout
the academic year. You are strongly advised to make use of the AUS Writing Center. For
your convenience the AUS Writing Center has two locations: LAN 002 and LIB 118
Internet/ Electronic Resources

5. Many instructors use Blackboard or other Internet resources to enhance the learning
opportunities for students enrolled in these courses. You will be expected to utilize this
technology.
WRI 102: Reading and Writing across the Curriculum
Tentative Course Schedule
Week Dates Readings and themes Major Assignments
Week 01 25-29
Jan.
Introduction to course
Introduction to syllabus
Week 02 1-5
Feb.
Multiculturalism & National
Identity
Chapter 1: Critical thinking,
reading, writing
Outlining, summarising
Jamaica Kincaid’s “On Seeing
England for the first time”
Bharati Mukherjee’s “American
Dreamer”
Visual analysis
Summary
Start reading journal
Week 03 8-12
Feb.
Ishmael Reed’s “America: The
Multinational Society”
Fouad Ajami’s “Deadly Identities”
Ramzy Baroud’s “Grappling with an
Encroaching Identity Crisis”
Summary
Paraphrase
Critique
Week 04 15-19
Feb.
Moises Naim’s “Arabs in Foreign
Lands”
K. Oanh Ha’s “American Dream
Boat”
Summary
Paraphrase
Essay #1 (Argument) prewriting, outline, and
first draft due
Week 05 22-26
Feb.
The World and America
How to avoid plagiarism
Fouad Ajami’s “Stranger in the
Arab-Muslim World”
Dominic Hilton’s “Fashionable Anti-
Americanism”
Direct and indirect quotation
APA in-text citation
Week 06 1-5
March
In-text citation
APA documentation
Anne Applebaum’s “In Search of Pro-
Americanism”
Sasha Abramsky’s “Waking Up from
the American Dream”
Essay #1 second draft due
Peer review
APA documentation
Week 07 8-12
March
SPRING BREAK Summary
Week 08 15-19
March
Globalisation’s Impact
Pico Iyer’s “The Global Village
Finally Arrives”
Essay #1 final draft due
paraphrase

6. In-text citation review
APA documentation review
Week 09 22-26
March
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 10 29
March –
2 April
Joseph S. Nye’s “Fear Not
Globalisation”
Anthony Giddens’ “Globalisation”
APA list of references/bibliography
Peer review of reading journal
APA list of references
Week 11 5-9
April
Mario Vargas Llosa’s “The Culture of
Liberty”
Benjamin Barber’s “The Educated
Student: Global Citizen or Global
Consumer?”
Information Literacy workshop
Information literacy quiz
Critique
Week 12 12-16
April
The Clash of Civilisations
Samuel P. Huntingdon’s “The West
and the Rest: Intercivilizational
Issues”
Karen Armstrong’s “Fundamentalism
Is Here to Stay”
Essay #2 (Research) prewriting, outline, and
first draft due
Week 13 19-23
April
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart’s
“It’s the Women Stupid”
paraphrase
Critique
Week 14 26-30
April
Amartya Sen’s “A World Not Neatly
Divided”
Revising and editing; stylistics
Essay #2 second draft due
Peer review workshop
Week 15 3-7 May Reading journal peer review Essay #2 final draft due
Week 16 10-14
May
Review for final exam Preparation for Final Exam
Final
Exams
17 May
19 May
Section 26: Sunday 17 May 2-4 p.m.
Section 27: Tuesday 19 May 2-4 p.m.

7. In-text citation review
APA documentation review
Week 09 22-26
March
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 10 29
March –
2 April
Joseph S. Nye’s “Fear Not
Globalisation”
Anthony Giddens’ “Globalisation”
APA list of references/bibliography
Peer review of reading journal
APA list of references
Week 11 5-9
April
Mario Vargas Llosa’s “The Culture of
Liberty”
Benjamin Barber’s “The Educated
Student: Global Citizen or Global
Consumer?”
Information Literacy workshop
Information literacy quiz
Critique
Week 12 12-16
April
The Clash of Civilisations
Samuel P. Huntingdon’s “The West
and the Rest: Intercivilizational
Issues”
Karen Armstrong’s “Fundamentalism
Is Here to Stay”
Essay #2 (Research) prewriting, outline, and
first draft due
Week 13 19-23
April
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart’s
“It’s the Women Stupid”
paraphrase
Critique
Week 14 26-30
April
Amartya Sen’s “A World Not Neatly
Divided”
Revising and editing; stylistics
Essay #2 second draft due
Peer review workshop
Week 15 3-7 May Reading journal peer review Essay #2 final draft due
Week 16 10-14
May
Review for final exam Preparation for Final Exam
Final
Exams
17 May
19 May
Section 26: Sunday 17 May 2-4 p.m.
Section 27: Tuesday 19 May 2-4 p.m.