Programs and Areas

Second Year Writing Program

Teacher Certification Workshop Materials

Certification Requirements

Initial Requirements
1. Introductory Workshop. All new 367 instructors are required to attend an Introductory Workshop prior to the first quarter of teaching the course. This workshop outlines the requirements and expectations for 367 and reviews the elements that must be included in the course and the syllabus.
2. Course Syllabus. As soon after attending the Introductory Workshop as possible—and before meeting a 367 class—first-time instructors must submit a Course Syllabus for review. You will receive feedback on the syllabus from the 367 administrators, including suggestions for revision. You can submit a hard copy to Matt Cariello’s mailbox in DE 421, or email it to him at cariello.1@osu.edu.
3. Class Observation. During the first quarter that you teach, you must have someone observe one of your classes and submit a Class Observation Report no later than the eighth week of that quarter. The observer may be the director or assistant director of 367, or any instructor who has taught 367 for at least two quarters. It is your responsibility to contact the director (Jim Fredal) assistant director (Matt Cariello) or secure a qualified 367 instructor to conduct this observation. If you have a student observe you, you will need to inform either Jim or Matt that you have done so and the name of the observer.
Ongoing Requirements
1. Course Syllabus. Each quarter that you teach 367, you must submit a copy of your syllabus for review. Please do so in a timely manner in response to the request you receive at the beginning of the quarter. You can submit a hard copy to Matt Cariello’s mailbox in DE 421, or email it to him at cariello.1@osu.edu.
2. Developmental Workshops. You must attend at least one Pedagogy Forum or Developmental Workshop each year you are teaching 367. We encourage all 367 teachers to attend all of the Pedagogy Forums, but you must attend at least one per year to remain certified.
3. Course Evaluation Form You must administer the 367 discursive evaluation form at the end of each quarter that you teach 367.
  
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General Requirements for All Sections of English 367
1. Overview
  
  Ohio State's General Education Curriculum (GEC) requires all students to take an intermediate-level writing course. The course is offered in many departments across the University, but it is always designated with the same course number—367. The English department offers seven versions of English 367, each of which fulfills the University’s GEC requirement:
  
  367.01 The U.S. Experience
  367.02 The U.S. Experience as Reflected in Literature
  367.03 African-American Voices in U.S. Literature
  367.04 English in the United States
  367.05 The U.S. Folk Experience
  367.06 The Role of Rhetoric in Composing U.S. Communities
  367.07 Issues of Diversity in U.S. Workplaces Communication
  
  The level of student preparation and writing sophistication can vary greatly within a given class. Most students in 367 courses have taken English 110 at Ohio State, but others might have taken its equivalent or tested out of that requirement at another school. Students can be first-quarter sophomores, graduating seniors, or returning students. Because of the variation in student writing skills, you should develop a course that takes nothing for granted and emphasizes specific aspects of writing instruction. The course should review key concepts such as how to generate and support claims and how to develop strategies for composing, revising, and editing. You should use a writing text or handbook that covers these concepts and includes an overview of grammar and usage. In addition, the text should cover conventions of research writing (e.g., documentation and citation).
2. Core Requirements
  
  In order to fulfill the requirements and expectations of the University’s GEC program, all seven versions of English 367 must
  1. Focus on writing instruction.
    
    Because English 367 is a writing course, the focus and emphasis of the course should be on writing pedagogy. All other aims and topics (e.g., oral expression, the U.S. experience, diversity) should serve the main purpose of the course—to provide assignments, practice, and instruction that will advance students’ writing abilities. Students should write papers that develop their skills in analysis, interpretation, and use of evidence in exposition and argumentation.
  2. Stress the writing process and revision.
    
    The course should be structured in a way that supports the writing process and encourages students to consider revision and multiple drafts as key elements in the work of successful writers. Students should be given ample opportunity to receive responses to their work-in-progress from the instructor and possibly from peers as well. Time should be allotted to allow for revisions based on responses to written work.
  3. Develop critical reading skills.
    
    In addition to providing writing instruction, all sections of 367 should also foster critical reading skills. At the same time, however, the purpose of the readings is not to provide students an extensive education in a particular subject matter. Rather, the reading material for the course should stimulate thought and discussion and support the development of topics and ideas for writing. The readings, composition instruction, and writing assignments should complement one another, but the emphasis should be on the student’s writing.
  4. Require some form of oral expression.
    
    The GEC requirements stipulate that 367 must provide students a forum for exploring ideas verbally as well as in writing. The expectation is that this opportunity will form a discrete component of the class and that will be evaluated and form part of the final grade. The oral component should be somewhat more formalized than “class discussion” or “participation” but need not involve giving individual speeches before the class. Some instructors rely on extended oral responses to the writing of peers, verbal summaries of responses to readings, or group presentations, to name just a few ways of satisfying the requirement.
  5. Deal with some aspect of diversity within the context of the U.S. experience.
    
    In accordance with the University’s guidelines, English 367 should “foster an understanding of American institutions and the pluralistic nature of American society,” with the expectation that such an understanding will allow students to “appreciate the significance of diversity in our society and the importance of the values of tolerance and equality.” An exploration of diversity could include but is not limited to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, region, age, disabilities, and so forth.
    English 367 should provide a “safe space” where students can openly explore and debate—in oral and written discourse—questions concerning controversial issues, including diversity. We are not justified in asking students to come out of the course with specific opinions, but we do ask students to raise questions about issues and to consider evidence that may be new to them. All students, whatever their own political agendas, should learn to support their ideas with relevant evidence, to consider and respond to opposing arguments in an open and forthright manner.
3. Writing Assignments
  
  All sections of 367 must include at least THREE major writing assignments and some other alternative form(s) of writing. The major papers should be designed to develop students’ skills in analysis, interpretation, and use of evidence in exposition and argumentation. Thus, regardless of whether they are “research papers,” the major assignments should be based on external evidence, rather than solely on the student’s own experience or opinions. This evidence could come from essays, interviews, literature, business documents, Web sites, e-texts and other electronic media, or from critical analyses of alternative “texts” such as films and advertisements. One of the three major writing assignments could be a collaborative paper.
  Alternative forms of writing might include a series of short response papers or position papers, chapter summaries, a journal, annotated bibliographies, extended written responses to classmates’ writing (workshop responses), or any combination of these forms.
  Students in 367 should produce 15-20 pages of revised, final drafts in response to the major assignments, and 10-15 pages in response to the alternative forms.
  
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Course Development

The following information is designed to help you structure your 367 course and create an effective syllabus.
1. Basic Guidelines
  1. Keep the focus on writing.
    
    Resist the temptation to place undue emphasis on the readings. Although the readings will inevitably influence the structure of the course, your goal should be a solid and well-structured program of writing instruction. Remember to allow adequate time for students to discuss and respond to their peers’ writing. Think about how much reading student’s can do per week if the bulk of their time and attention is on writing and reading other student’s writing.
  2. Include explicit discussions about the writing process.
    
    You might feature discussions of some or all of the following ideas:
    1. how to read and analyze texts and situations
    2. how to develop and prove a thesis and deal with counter-arguments
    3. the conventions of academic discourse and their implications
    4. systematic approaches to the research or investigative paper
    5. how to use other voices to support your own arguments
    6. how to cite and document these sources
    7. how to find other discussions of a given topic and evaluate and select sources
    8. strategies for composing and revising
    9. stylistic concerns
    10. editing strategies
    11. grammar and mechanics
    12. library and research methods, including the internet.
  3. Consider a variety of approaches to organizing the readings.
    - Organize the course thematically (e.g., the American Dream, the American West in fact and fiction, rural and/or urban America, Americans at work and/or play, consumer culture). You can choose one theme for the whole course or different themes for each unit or paper. Choose authors, texts, and issues that represent diverse viewpoints on these themes.
    - Choose authors who are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ability.
    - Choose readings that focus on multiculturalism as a topic (perhaps including the debate over “culture” or “diversity”). Although students may be aware of some issues being discussed in class, they may have little or no experience with their theoretical underpinnings.
    - Organize the course around a specific genre or a number of genres, exploring different voices and strategies within that genre (e.g., the family, autobiography, nature writing, travel writing, investigative journalism, the essay, cyberwriting). You might also talk about issues of cultural appropriation within these genres.
    - Single theme courses, if not carefully planned, can lose student interest over the quarter. When designing your course, remember that for the most part students cannot choose the section of 367 they attend. Try to keep the focus inclusive enough to engage students with a range of interests. Although the construction of 367 courses offers the opportunity for instructors to pursue their own intellectual interests, avoid an overly narrow focus that may interest your students much less than it does yourself.
2. Constructing a Syllabus
  
  An effective syllabus serves as a critical reference point in the structure and arrangement of the course. It also serves as a kind of contract between you and your students. Give careful thought to how you construct the syllabus because the University can and will interpret the document very strictly if your course policies or procedures are ever called into question. The Course Syllabus must include the following information, in addition to the items on the checklist at the end of this document:
  1. Statement of course rationale. Explain the nature and purpose of the course and describe your expectations concerning second-level writing.
  2. List of specific texts. Indicate the texts (and/or other media) you will use in the course and where they can be acquired. Do not assign texts that are not integral to a final assignment and/or to class activities.
  3. List of assignments and breakdown of grading system. Because writing is the focus of the course (and makes up the bulk of the student’s final grade), the major writing assignments (and the work that goes into them) should satisfy the course goals, and should arise out of the course texts and the day-to-day course activities. Consider how each component of the class contributes to these larger projects. Provide a percentage breakdown of how grades on different assignments contribute to the final grade and prepare handouts of each final assignment (unless it is printed in the text) and a breakdown of its parts and how you will be evaluating it.
  4. 4. Statement of all course policies and procedures. Describe your attendance policy, policy and procedure for late work, etc. To keep your procedures as positive as possible, talk not only about necessary negatives (e.g., lowering grades for absences or late papers) but also about alternatives (e.g., where a student can get help). Clearly indicate how lapses in policies and procedures affect grading.
  5. A day-by-day course schedule. Your syllabus should be detailed, spelling out what material will be covered and when. Keep in mind when scheduling that students need to have some indication of how they are doing in the course (usually in the form of a grade on at least one major project) before the deadline for dropping the course without penalty (see the calendar in the Master Schedule for specific deadlines).
    - List readings and the dates by which they should be read.
    - Provide due dates for drafts and projects. Dates for peer-responding workshops or individual conferences should be specified.
    - Indicate when instruction in various aspects of writing will take place (e.g., thesis construction, purpose, audience analysis, argumentation, style, tone, and so forth).
  6. Information about the Ombud, Writing Center, Disability Services, and Plagiarism. Include the location and pertinent contact information for students to take advantage of the services of the Ombud, Writing Center, and Disability Services. Inform your class that students suspected of plagiarism will be asked to meet with the Ombud and that their cases may be referred to the University Committee on Academic Misconduct.
Sample syllabi are available in the 367 folder in the Denney 421 bookcase and on the 367 web site at <http://english.osu.edu/programs/secondyearwriting>

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Director Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about your work in 367, you are welcome to contact the course director, Jim Fredal, or the assistant director, Matt Cariello.

Matthew Cariello
533 Denney
Office Phone: 292-5778
Email: cariello.1@osu.edu
Jim Fredal
464 Denney
Office Phone: 292-0484
Email: fredal.1@osu.edu

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Course Design/Syllabus Checklist

The following checklist contains elements we will be looking for as we review your course by looking over the syllabus. Please use this checklist to make sure your course and syllabus meet the expectations of the English 367 program.
1. The syllabus and daily schedule foreground English 367 as a writing course.
  
  The course description and goals as well as daily activities should work toward writing. For example, critical analysis and discussion of texts in class should be conducted with a writing task in mind; questions should follow from and return to the writing assignment.
2. The syllabus and daily schedule reflects a course structure that emphasizes writing as a process and encourages revision.
  
  You can respond to drafts or allow students to revise the graded version (or both, of course). Peer (small group or whole class) workshops provide valuable responses to work in progress and encourage revision. Because revision is especially important 367, be sure to allow adequate time for students to make revisions after receiving comments on their work.
3. The syllabus includes a course description, rationale, and goals
  
  The focus and emphases of 367 should be clearly spelled out: expository writing and revision, critical reading and analysis, diversity in the American experience, and oral delivery. The theme of the course should also be explained, and expectations concerning second-level writing spelled out.
4. The syllabus includes reading assignments and/or works in other media that are designed to foster critical interpretation. These materials clearly support the main goal of instruction in expository and argumentative writing.
  
  This includes locating central claims, articulating assumptions, drawing conclusions, locating and assessing kinds and quality of evidence and arguments, the role of genre and mode, structure and style, important counterarguments, factors of audience and situation, etc. The development of students’ critical reading skills is an important goal of English 367 courses, but you might also consider incorporating movies, electronic media, TV, Web sites, advertising, music, etc., into your class on a limited basis.
5. The readings and assignments engage issues of diversity in relation to the U.S. experience.
  
  Diversity includes texts by and about persons from different perspectives in terms of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, period, region, religion, politics, or ability. Diversity also implies the use of texts that argue from different perspectives, that speak to or against each other, encouraging students to see how reasonable people can differ on important issues.
6. The syllabus includes at least THREE major writing assignments and some alternative form(s).
  
  All writing assignments should help students develop critical and analytical writing skills while responding to issues and texts. It is important that students learn how to use evidence to support their ideas and positions and to document the voices of other writers or speakers. The alternative writing assignments may include a series of short response papers or position papers, chapter summaries, a journal, annotated bibliographies, extended written responses to classmates’ writing (workshop responses), or any combination of these.
7. The opportunity for verbal expression is clearly defined and evaluated.
  
  Class discussion is common, but oral presentations, reading reports, leading class discussion, oral responses to assignments, collaborative panels/performances, or other genres are also encouraged. Some instructors have met this requirement through student presentations of individual paper proposals to the class.
8. The syllabus includes a list of specific texts and indicates where they can be acquired.
  
  You should assign as few texts as possible and keep reading to under 50 pages per week, preferably less, so that students can concentrate on writing, revising, and reading each other’s drafts.
9. The syllabus provides a list of assignments and a percentage breakdown of the grading system.
  
  Giving out the assignment prompts, grading percentages and rubrics as early as possible helps students plan their quarter and eases their anxiety about what will be expected of them.
10. The syllabus includes a clear statement of all course policies and procedures and indicates how lapses in policies and procedures affect grading.
  
  As with all courses, the 367 syllabus functions as a contract. You can’t hold students to a policy (for absences, late papers, or anything else) if it isn’t spelled out on the syllabus.
11. The syllabus provides a day-by-day course schedule that indicates when readings must be completed and includes due dates for drafts, workshops, etc.
12. The syllabus includes a final project.
  
  The university requires a final in all lower-division courses but does not specify format or how much the final counts in the final grade. If your students are doing a major project (a lengthy research paper or other assignment, for example), this assignment could replace the final. You could satisfy this requirement by having a paper due as the final, giving an in-class essay during the final exam period that counts for a small percentage of the final grade (with a workshop on how to write an essay exam), or giving students the opportunity to revise a paper that has already received a grade.
13. The syllabus includes information on English Department Ombud.
  
  The Ombud is an experienced teacher who helps students in the event that they have a serious issue to raise concerning their instructor or the course. All interactions with the Ombud are confidential. The Ombud is Matt Cariello, Denney 533, Office phone 292-5778, E-Mail: cariello@osu.edu. Office hours vary from quarter to quarter.
14. The syllabus describes the Writing Center and its services.
  
  The Writing Center is located at 485 Mendenhall Lab. Consultations are by appointment only. The telephone number is 292-5607. The Writing Center’s Web site address is <http://cstw.osu.edu/writingCenter/default.cfm>
15. The syllabus includes information on the Office of Disability Services.
  
  The Office of Disability Services, located in 150 Pomerene Hall (292-3307), offers a variety of services for teachers and students with disabilities. Their Web site is <http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/>
16. The syllabus includes a statement on plagiarism.
  
  The Committee on Academic Misconduct prohibits submitting plagiarized work for an academic assignment. They define plagiarism as follows:
  
  Plagiarism is the representation of another's works or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas.
  Let your students know that plagiarism in any course is not acceptable. Plagiarism is a breach of the OSU Student Code of Conduct, and is punishable by failure for the course in which it happens. Only the University Committee on Academic Misconduct has the power to find a student guilty of plagiarism. Students suspected of plagiarism will be asked to meet with the Ombud and their cases may be referred to the University Committee on Academic Misconduct, which will consider the case and notify the student of its official decision.
  
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English 367 Listserv

The English 367 Listserv

One of the goals of the administrative team is to foster a strong connection among those teaching English 367 courses, and we feel that active use of a listserv can provide a vital resource for both new and experienced instructors. We’d like you to use the listserv to share teaching strategies, solicit advice on novels, essays, and articles and so forth that can help teaching a particular issue, or to share your frustrations or successes.

How to Subscribe to the English 367 Listserv

You can subscribe to the English 367 listserv by sending the following e-mail message:
```
To: listserver@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
```
(nothing in the “Subject” line)

In the body of the message type:
```
Subscribe eng367list Yourfirstname Yourlastname
```
(Of course, don’t type “Yourfirstname Yourlastname”; put your first name and your last name)

To have a message distributed to the eng367list, subscribers may send e-mail messages in the following form:
```
To: eng367list@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: My first post
```
(Following which, of course, you can write to your heart’s content.)

If you have trouble subscribing or posting to the list, or have other questions regarding the listserv, contact Matt Cariello at cariello.1@osu.edu.

We look forward to a rigorous and productive conversation.

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Programs and Areas

Second Year Writing Program

Teacher Certification Workshop Materials

Certification Requirements

General Requirements for All Sections of English 367

Course Development

Director Contact Information

Course Design/Syllabus Checklist

English 367 Listserv