Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
This course will be delivered in a traditional, face-to-face classroom setting. However, it will require work outside the classroom for assignments which might include online texts, writing, experiential learning, and the like.
Contact Information
This class uses open educational resources which are web-based. These might include online articles, videos, podcasts, and the like. Additional texts will be provided.
Students are required to have one journal which is only for this class.
To further students ability to incorporate the fundamentals of good writing, both academic and beyond;
To strengthen students ability to think critically about a wealth of ideas and perspectives;
To strengthen students ability to write rhetorically in different genres and for different purposes;
To enable students to conceive, organize, research, draft, and refine their writing;
and to prepare students to use the skills they learn in this class to be successful as they advance in their academic, personal, and professional lives.
English 101 Fall 2026 Tentative Weekly Schedule
Week 1 Introduction to the class
M 8/24 Introduction to the class and syllabus
W 8/26 SMART journal exercise
F 8/28 Best class vs. worst class exercise
Week 2 Introduction to the writing process
M 8/31 Introduction to the writing process
W 9/2 “Shitty First Draft”
F 9/4 “Why Pop Culture Matters”
Week 3 Music
M 9/7 Labor Day (NO CLASS)
W 9/9 “So What Makes Taylor Swift So Great” “Kendrick Lamar Challenges…”
F 9/11 Paper 1 assigned. Paper 1 pre-writing
Week 4 Music (continued)
M 9/14 Hype! Documentary Gangsta Rap MTV documentary
W 9/16 Paper 1 drafting lab.
F 9/18 Paper 1 early drafts workshop
Week 5 Sports
M 9/21 “Baseball is Dying”
W 9/23 Paper 1 workshop
F 9/25 Paper 1 due.
Week 6 Health and Fitness
M 9/28 Better Humans documentary
W 9/30 Blue-zone podcast
F 10/2 Health and fitness writing exercise
Week 7 Representation
M 10/5 “Does Representation Really Matter?”
W 10/7 Westheimer Peace Symposium (NO CLASS)
F 10/9 “Not (Just) a Laughing Matter”
Week 8 Representation (continued)
M 10/12 Mindset list exercise
W 10/14 Student Conferences (CH 203A)
F 10/16 Student Conferences (CH 203A)
Week 9 Subcultures
M 10/19 Fall Break (NO CLASS)
W 10/21 “What is Otaku Culture” Biohackers documentary
F 10/23 Paper 2 assigned. Paper 2 pre-writing.
Week 10 Personal essays
M 10/26 “Love, Peace, and Taco Grease…” “My Instagram”
W 10/28 Paper 2 drafting lab
F 10/30 Paper 2 early drafts workshop
Week 11 Dating shows
M 11/2 “Is Reality Television Stopping Us from Staying in Long-term Relationships?”
W 11/4 “Why Do We Keep Watching Reality Dating Shows?”
F 11/6 Paper 2 workshop
Week 12 Movies
M 11/9 “How Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Co are Changing the Film Industry”
W11/11 “The Sexless State of Cinema”
F 11/13 Paper 2 due
Week 13 Language and Memes
M 11/16 Slang newsclips. Word of the Year exercise.
W 11/18 Memes
F 11/20 Paper 3 assigned. Paper 3 early writing
Week 14 Academic Research
M 11/23 Conducting academic research.
W 11/25 Thanksgiving (NO CLASS)
F 11/27 Thanksgiving (NO CLASS)
Week 15 Paper 3 research and drafting
M 11/30 Paper 3 research lab
W 12/2 Paper 3outlining and drafting
F 12/4 Paper 3 early workshop
Week 16 Closing week
M 12/7 Paper 3 workshop
W 12/9 Closing conference
*Paper 3 due at the start of our final period
The writing assignments for this class will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Daily journal writing;
Short, focused writing assignments; and
Formal academic papers.
A student’s final grade will be based on their calculated grade total which is composed of:
25 % short in-class writing and exercises
75% longer formal papers written and revised over the course of this class
Short in-class writing: Weekly writing assignments based on the readings for that week or other topics under discussion or review.
Formal papers: Longer works of writing in several academic genres that will be crafted and revised through the writing process.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance is an incredibly important part of learning and of life. If students are not present then they cannot participate in class activities, receive instruction and focused help on their work, or learn to the standard necessary to succeed. Students are expected to attend each class session, and attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. Students who are absent cannot turn in any work due or conducted on the day of their absence without prior approval from the instructor.
Students who are absent more than four times (excused or otherwise) will have their final letter grade reduced one grade level (i.e. C to a C-) for each additional absence. Students who are absent for a total of three weeks of class will automatically fail the class due to failure to attend.
If a student must miss class for reasons of illness or any other life event they must contact ADA Coordinator, Nate Flack (Nathan.flack@wilmington.edu) for accommodations.
All student work submitted for a grade in this course must be solely the original work of that student without any assistance from AI. Students must properly document all sources referenced (including ideas, quotations, and paraphrases). In this course students will be instructed on the nature of plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Additionally, all work (essays, test answers, homework answers, etc) that a students submits in this course must be originally produced by that student and not by artificial intelligence. Failure to comply with this policy will result in penalties for academic dishonesty.
Incidents of plagiarism will be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs. In the case of serious infractions, the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee may take further action. Penalties for plagiarism include failing the assignment or the entire course. See the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity Policies.
Artificial Intelligence Policy
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create any part of a student paper which they then present as their own work, rephrased or otherwise, is plagiarism. All work submitted will be checked for both plagiarism and AI. Work found to be composed partially or totally by AI will be penalized. These penalties include but are not limited to: rewriting a new assignment, being assigned to a mandatory plagiarism workshop, failure of the assignment and/or the class.
Effective Communication
Ongoing communication between students and their instructor is vital for academic success. Students are expected to check their email at least once per day to ensure that they are aware of any updates regarding this class or other important information. Students are expected to reach out to their instructor should they miss a class or expect to, need help receiving or understanding an assignment, or have any questions at all.
All student emails will be answered within 24 hours excluding those sent during holidays or over the weekend.
Late work / extensions / extra credit
Late work and extensions are granted based on the judgment of the instructor. Students should not expect or depend on extension or late submissions.
Extra credit may be available during the course of the class, but is not guaranteed.
Privacy
Student work may be kept on file and used for assessment and evaluation purposes. Any work shared with students, faculty, or administration will be made anonymous. Please contact the instructor should you have any questions.
Student Conferences
Conferences are important since they allow for focused time dedicated solely to addressing the specific needs each student. Students are required to schedule at least one conference with the instructor before Week 10. Students who fail to do so will have points deducted from their final class participation grade.
Classroom Courtesy
Students are expected to arrive to class on time, prepared, and ready to participate. Students are not allowed to use their cell phones or laptops during class, unless otherwise directed, to preserve attention. Students are not allowed to wear earbuds, headphones, or the like so that communication in class is clear.
Students are allowed to eat and drink in class if doing so is not distracting. Students may leave to use the bathroom, take important calls, and the like without asking for prior permission.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |