Overview of College Composition I
CCI/ICCI students are to encounter and engage in rhetorically meaningful writing that emerges from close and critical reading, analysis, and synthesis. Very often CCI/ICCI students need to be guided to rethink writing—from it being a limited performative act with prescriptive approaches to it being evolving, active engagement with ideas, their lives, and others that is based on critical thinking and rhetorical awareness.
In CCI/ICCI, students, for the first time, may be introduced to the concept that writing is actually a collection of reiterative practices and processes that begins with the engagement with the thoughts and ideas of others. It may be the first time that many of them are asked to think of themselves as writers who can contribute to an ongoing conversation. However, one goal of CCI/ICCI is for students to actually identify themselves as someone with something meaningful to say, for a purpose, to a potential reader (beyond the instructor), and to do that in an informed manner.
Course Design
Instructors can choose a single theme for the course or individual unrelated topics for each of the three essays students are required to write. It is important that these topics be chosen not only to reflect the instructor’s interest and knowledge areas and for the appeal to students, but for the options that the topics offer as to the types of readings and resources, as well as the options available for students to explore and respond.
Essay Assignments
CCI/ICCI Students are expected to write three informed essays in the course. All three essays should be preceded by a critical engagement assignment, and all three essays are required to incorporate two or three sources. For at least one of these essays, students should include a source they have found on their own (and should be introduced to research sources available through Rowan Library databases).
The ideal goal in CCI/ICCI is not the “thesis-driven essay,” but a “purpose-driven" essay that has evolved through an examination and exploration of ideas and possibilities. The writing purposes of the essay assignments should vary to expand students’ rhetorical flexibility and adaptability. The types of purposes could include exploring questions and options, offering interpretations, advocating, and/or applying analytical approaches to other texts, lived experience and other phenomena.
Basic CCI/ICCI Essay Guidelines/Requirements:
Rhetorical Expectations
The texts the students read and the essays they write will undoubtedly be persuasive or even represent arguments, but the rhetorical focus in this course is not formal argumentation, per se. Rather, it is the broader rhetorical elements of writing and communication which determine the options, choices, and limitations facing writers. Some of the rhetorical elements that students leaving the course should understand and be conversant with are:
The Critical Engagement Activity
CCI/ICCI focuses on a practice of writing that is often underplayed in composition instruction—invention practices and writing to learn, understand, explore and discover. Also referred to as inner-directed writing, these practices of writing are emphasized to help students develop approaches that precede and are required to determine the what and why for their writing (outer-directed writing), as well as to understand and learn the importance of determining existing conversations that they wish to enter.
The Universal Critical Engagement Assignment provides a model for this practice. While that assignment outlines a specific structure, instructors can modify this structure to best respond to their specific readings and assignment. The two components of the critical engagement assignment are:
It is important to know that the Critical Engagement Assignment is not a separate activity, but rather associated with the individual essays and that each essay assignment needs to be preceded by the close and critical reading, summarizing, and synthesis activities identified in the assignment/activity.
Students are also required to complete one complete Critical Engagement Assignment in their portfolio.
The Academic Environment and College-Level Writing
CCI/ICCI is students’ introduction to both college-level writing and the expectations and conventions of the academic environment. Of course, the two are not necessarily the same. And the vast types of academic discourse make it impossible to universalize it. However, CCI/ICCI requires students to become familiar with several of the conventions of Academic Writing and the expectations of college-level writing.
Core Values and Reflection
Writers and learners reflect. The Reflection Statement that is required for all course portfolios is not only to demonstrate to the instructors that the students have mastered the learning outcomes of any course. It is also about how the students have come to understand and internalize the writing practices and processes that the Core Values/Outcomes represent, and to better understand as themselves as writers. The Reflective Statement also, in itself, initiates a practice—reflection–which writers need to address new writing problems.
Instructors are expected to engage their CCI/ICCI students in reflective activities (such as journaling) throughout the semester.
The Portfolio (60% to 75% of the final grade)
The CCI/ICCI student portfolio contains the following items
Grading Portfolios
Portfolios are graded holistically using the CCI/ICCI Portfolio Evaluation form. While graded holistically, certain elements carry more weight as would be expected (such as the essays themselves). Instructors are not expected to make extensive comments in the portfolio. The Portfolio Evaluation form allows for comments and feedback.
Students are expected to turn in complete portfolios. Students cannot include essays in their portfolio that the instructor has not previously seen and commented on. See more about grading portfolios on the Instructor Support Website.
The Non-Portfolio Grade (25% to 40% of the Final Grade)
The non-portfolio grade is made up of all graded class activities/assignments not included in the portfolio. This can include class participation, journal entries, reading responses, credit for peer-review/workshopping, and the non-portfolio essay.
In CCI/ICCI, students, for the first time, may be introduced to the concept that writing is actually a collection of reiterative practices and processes that begins with the engagement with the thoughts and ideas of others. It may be the first time that many of them are asked to think of themselves as writers who can contribute to an ongoing conversation. However, one goal of CCI/ICCI is for students to actually identify themselves as someone with something meaningful to say, for a purpose, to a potential reader (beyond the instructor), and to do that in an informed manner.
Course Design
Instructors can choose a single theme for the course or individual unrelated topics for each of the three essays students are required to write. It is important that these topics be chosen not only to reflect the instructor’s interest and knowledge areas and for the appeal to students, but for the options that the topics offer as to the types of readings and resources, as well as the options available for students to explore and respond.
- While students will undoubtedly gain knowledge about the topics they explore through their readings and class discussions, the purpose of the course and the purpose of the students’ writing is not to demonstrate specific knowledge. It is a platform for students to understand and practice the core values. Topics allow students to develop their own takes and ideas and to analyze, question, and even resist. It is important to remember that students need to be able to find meaningful ways to engage in conversations about the topic, while also expanding their ideas and understanding of themselves and the world around them.
- Topics and themes ideally offer variety in the types of readings and resources in both the type of text (informal/formal, popular, journalistic, academic) and its presentation (written, multimedia, and non-alphabetic) and with ranges within those genres, audiences, and perspectives. For students to explore and understand how writers respond to rhetorical considerations and needs, they need to see a variety of types of texts and to explore those texts not just for meaning, but as forms and approaches to writing. In other words, students need to learn to read like a writer.
- Topics and readings as a whole should also be considered based on the variety of perspectives as students need to be able to explore complexities and nuances of a topic and reflect them in their own writing.
Essay Assignments
CCI/ICCI Students are expected to write three informed essays in the course. All three essays should be preceded by a critical engagement assignment, and all three essays are required to incorporate two or three sources. For at least one of these essays, students should include a source they have found on their own (and should be introduced to research sources available through Rowan Library databases).
The ideal goal in CCI/ICCI is not the “thesis-driven essay,” but a “purpose-driven" essay that has evolved through an examination and exploration of ideas and possibilities. The writing purposes of the essay assignments should vary to expand students’ rhetorical flexibility and adaptability. The types of purposes could include exploring questions and options, offering interpretations, advocating, and/or applying analytical approaches to other texts, lived experience and other phenomena.
Basic CCI/ICCI Essay Guidelines/Requirements:
- 800-1,200 words
- 2-3 sources (used for contextualization, illustration, or explanation)
- In-text citations and a references page in APA format (instructors can and probably should provide the citations in the appropriate format for the students)
- One of the three course essays should incorporate a reading/source not provided by the instructor but found and selected by the student
Rhetorical Expectations
The texts the students read and the essays they write will undoubtedly be persuasive or even represent arguments, but the rhetorical focus in this course is not formal argumentation, per se. Rather, it is the broader rhetorical elements of writing and communication which determine the options, choices, and limitations facing writers. Some of the rhetorical elements that students leaving the course should understand and be conversant with are:
- The rhetorical triangle: author and purpose, context, and audience.
- The concept of discourse communities and their effect on texts and writers.
- Textuality, genre, and modal/medium affects on writing and communication (including visual communication and digital media if used), as well as the complications associated with these terms and concepts and modes/mediums.
- Organization and arrangement.
- Language, meaning, and effect.
- Unity, coherence, focus and clarity.
The Critical Engagement Activity
CCI/ICCI focuses on a practice of writing that is often underplayed in composition instruction—invention practices and writing to learn, understand, explore and discover. Also referred to as inner-directed writing, these practices of writing are emphasized to help students develop approaches that precede and are required to determine the what and why for their writing (outer-directed writing), as well as to understand and learn the importance of determining existing conversations that they wish to enter.
The Universal Critical Engagement Assignment provides a model for this practice. While that assignment outlines a specific structure, instructors can modify this structure to best respond to their specific readings and assignment. The two components of the critical engagement assignment are:
- Summaries of sources (two at minimum).
- A "dialogic" piece where students synthesize ideas from the sources, putting the authors in conversation with one another and adding their own voice to this conversation. While the Universal Critical Engagement Assignment (see Default Syllabus & Assignments section) has students use a graphic organizer to produce answers authors would give in response to a question, students could also create scenarios that put authors together in a room to engage in dialogue (in, say, stage play format).
It is important to know that the Critical Engagement Assignment is not a separate activity, but rather associated with the individual essays and that each essay assignment needs to be preceded by the close and critical reading, summarizing, and synthesis activities identified in the assignment/activity.
Students are also required to complete one complete Critical Engagement Assignment in their portfolio.
The Academic Environment and College-Level Writing
CCI/ICCI is students’ introduction to both college-level writing and the expectations and conventions of the academic environment. Of course, the two are not necessarily the same. And the vast types of academic discourse make it impossible to universalize it. However, CCI/ICCI requires students to become familiar with several of the conventions of Academic Writing and the expectations of college-level writing.
- Source-Based Writing and Writing as a Conversation: It is important that students know how to use outside readings/texts to trace their ideas, and to validate, contextualize, illustrate and explain their ideas to others—as college-level writing requires more than personal opinion and experience. CCI/ICCI focus is guiding students on how select, incorporate, blend, and introduce outside material into their writing. The concept of validation is emphasized through contextual introduction of the sources (signal phrases).
- Citation and Documentation: Not all, but many CCI/ICCI students are familiar with formal documentation from their high-school classes. The purpose of citation in the CCI/ICCI course is to make students aware of the expectation of the practice and the rhetorical constructs that define it. References pages are required of all essays, and essays should require in-text citation in APA style.
- Summaries: The summaries students write in CCI/ICCI will primarily be those of instructor-selected readings and part of the course Critical Engagement Assignments.
Core Values and Reflection
Writers and learners reflect. The Reflection Statement that is required for all course portfolios is not only to demonstrate to the instructors that the students have mastered the learning outcomes of any course. It is also about how the students have come to understand and internalize the writing practices and processes that the Core Values/Outcomes represent, and to better understand as themselves as writers. The Reflective Statement also, in itself, initiates a practice—reflection–which writers need to address new writing problems.
Instructors are expected to engage their CCI/ICCI students in reflective activities (such as journaling) throughout the semester.
The Portfolio (60% to 75% of the final grade)
The CCI/ICCI student portfolio contains the following items
- Two out of the three class essays (the non-portfolio essay counts towards the non-portfolio grade).
- Essay Guidelines/Requirements:
- 800-1,200 words
- 2-3 sources (used for contextualization, illustration, or explanation)
- In-text citations and a references page is required in APA format (instructors can and probably should provide the citations in the appropriate format for the students)
- One of the three course essays should incorporate a reading/source not provided by the instructor but found and selected by the student
- Essay Guidelines/Requirements:
- At least one instructor-commented draft for each of the Portfolio Essays.
- One Critical Engagement Assignment (does not need to be related to the two essays included in the portfolio).
- A Reflective Statement that addresses the five (5) Core Values/Course Outcomes.
Grading Portfolios
Portfolios are graded holistically using the CCI/ICCI Portfolio Evaluation form. While graded holistically, certain elements carry more weight as would be expected (such as the essays themselves). Instructors are not expected to make extensive comments in the portfolio. The Portfolio Evaluation form allows for comments and feedback.
Students are expected to turn in complete portfolios. Students cannot include essays in their portfolio that the instructor has not previously seen and commented on. See more about grading portfolios on the Instructor Support Website.
The Non-Portfolio Grade (25% to 40% of the Final Grade)
The non-portfolio grade is made up of all graded class activities/assignments not included in the portfolio. This can include class participation, journal entries, reading responses, credit for peer-review/workshopping, and the non-portfolio essay.
