SZTE

Spring 2025
Brice D. Cantrell
Writing Skills Course Syllabus, TUE 8-10, 10-12; WED 8-10, room T

Instructor and contact information: Brice D.Cantrell, bdcantre45@gmail.com

Office hours: Wednesdays 11:40 – 12:40 in person or on Zoom, or by appointment. Office: Ady tér, room 2104

How we will stay in touch: Please contact me through email. I will contact the group via the CooSpace “scene
email”. If I need to contact you individually, I will first try email, and then second, through CooSpace messages. I
would like to avoid communicating via CooSpace messages since they are difficult to detect.

Course description: This course will introduce different basic genres of: description, explanation/exposition, and
argumentation, with emphasis placed on the last two. Paragraph and larger text organization, usage, grammar
and vocabulary will also be focused on. The main goal of the course is to introduce students to academic writing
in English so they can successfully complete writing assignments in their first years as university students. It is
also a minor goal of the course to introduce students to the expectations of the writing component of the SZTE
Academic English I exam, where students will write a 300-word essay in a specific genre and on a specific topic.

Overall goal of the course: In the end, we are all working for a positive change in our motivation, ability,
knowledge, and awareness concerning writing and language use in general.

In case of on-line instruction: In the unlikely event of on-line instruction, we will be meeting at the same time,
but on Zoom. The syllabus will not change, but the two exams will be done on-line.

Course requirements:
-On-time completion of weekly writing assignments: essays (of various lengths), and journals (at least 225
words long). Two essays will be accepted late, no later than the following due date. No journals will
be accepted late.
-A mid-term and final exam
-Preparation for class sessions
-Attendance as per department regulations

Goals of the writing class. After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:
-integrate writing into content area and language learning
-develop autonomy in learning about text construction
-understand writing as a process
-show development in their use of grammar and vocabulary

-take the intended audience into consideration when writing

-take the intended purpose of writing into account and adjust the content accordingly
-use different genres and organizational patterns
-consider and meet the task requirements of writing assignments
-know how and when to paraphrase or quote the words of others and cite sources used
-know how to comment on data and use it expositions and argumentations.

-construct complex sentences using coordination, subordination, and transitions

-construct well-organized paragraphs using a topic sentence
-use cohesive devices to link sentences and paragraphs
-construct a composition around a central idea or organizing principle
-use introductions and conclusions
-construct the body of an essay using multiple paragraphs
-follow the basic rules of punctuation
-format papers in the required way
Grading:
-Weekly in-class and out-of-class writing assignments: 30%
-Weekly journal: 10%
-Mid-term exam(s): 25%
-Final exam(s): 35%
Note: see the grading criteria for course work and exams

Due dates for assignments:

Essays are due by 9:00 AM on the Tuesday before class, uploaded to the appropriate place in our CooSpace area,
unless otherwise noted. Journals are due before class time on Wednesday, uploaded to the appropriate place.

Note on paper formats: For the essays, you must use the form/template you can find on CooSpace. This will
ensure that all papers look the same and are easy for me to evaluate.

Policy on Plagiarism: The following is based on the IEAS's policy on plagiarism.

1. Definition
Plagiarism happens when you give the impression that someone else's work is your own – even if you do
not intend to do this. That is, if you use someone else's exact or paraphrased words, ideas, arguments, data or
organization of information without clearly saying where it came from, then you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a
form of stealing.

2. Proper use of the words and ideas of others

To avoid plagiarism, you must tell where the exact or paraphrased words or ideas came from. That is,
you must state in your paper the name of the author and the source of any material which is not your own. The
way you show this is through a "citation", and you can learn how to do this from the IEAS Style Sheet, or by
asking your instructor.

3. Penalties
A proven case of plagiarism (i.e. when plagiarism is established through the presentation of the source)
in the first-year writing course will result in the student failing the assignment. A second case of plagiarism will
result in the student failing the course.

Obviously, papers must be written in English, not machine translated into English, and the use of AI- or machine-
based text creation or paraphrasing of texts of any length is forbidden. In short, as always, “your word is your
bond”, and you putting your name on your assignments assures the instructor that they were indeed written by
you (alone) in English. Since checking for plagiarism and use of AI is a time-consuming task, I will re-evaluate
papers for plagiarism and use of AI throughout the semester as new methods of checking are developed. That is,
to be completely clear: if you have cheated and I discover this after you have handed in your paper and after I
have given you a mark for the paper, I will still fail you for that paper (and perhaps the course) at any time during
the semester.

Please turn to the SZTE BTK plagiarism regulations for more details:
https://arts.u-szeged.hu/karunkrol/szabalyzatok

Course materials: available in the CooSpace documents folder. Students are responsible for printing them out
and bringing them to class.
Course outline: Note: reading, exercises, and journal assignments are due when the class session begins. Essays
are due before the class session, as noted above.
# Topics Writing HW due Reading HW to do Exercises HW to do
1.
2/11- Introductions: Your
12 writing and reading
experience; the
syllabus and
expectations.
Subjective and
objective writing.
Descriptions.

2.
2/18- Definitions Journal 1: Introduce Two example Read the content on pp
19 yourself! descriptions. Decide 2-17; do practice 1 ex A
Paragraphs which one is better and and B (all) on pp 6-8;
Essay 1: Subjective/ why. do practice 3 pp 10-11.
Objective paragraphs
due Handout on definitions

Example paragraph
definitions

3.
2/25- Definition essays Journal 2: What has Essay #3 “Snath” task
26 been your best sheet
Unity and coherence 1 language learning
experience? “English as a lingua
The essay 1 franca”
Essay 2: Definition
paragraph – in class

4.
3/4-5 Data commentary Journal 3: Whose Data analysis
English do you speak or exposition vs.
Unity and coherence 2 want to speak? argumentation
comparison
Essay 3: Definition
essay

5.
3/11- Data commentary Journal 4: How do you Essay #5 task sheet
12 learn words?
The essay 2
Essay 4: Data analysis
Supporting details 1 paragraph – in class

6.
3/18- Data commentary Journal 5: Discuss an Essay #6 task sheet
19 excellent reading
Punctuation 1 experience you’ve had.
 Getting ideas Essay 5: Data analysis
essay
Supporting details 2

7.
3/25- Midterm exam: Essay 6: Data analysis
26 Exposition --data essay
commentary

8.
4/1-2 Argumentative essays Journal 6: What are Essay #7 “Really?” task
you listening to and sheet
Punctuation 2 watching in English?

9.
4/8-9 Argumentative essays Journal 7: What did Essay #8 “License to
you learn in school? wonder” task sheet
Transitions and “flow”
Essay 7: Argumentation “Abducted!”
– Really?

10.
4/15- BREAK BREAK BREAK
16
11.
4/22- BREAK BREAK BREAK
23

12.
4/29- Arguing with data Journal 8: What’s Essay #9 “Gain and
30 something that’s loss” task sheet
Paraphrasing and changed you?
summarizing 1
Essay 8:
Argumentation –
License to wonder

13.
5/6-7 Compare and contrast Journal 9: Is AI- “Tips for AEI Writing”
argumentation produced language a
threat? “A wandering mind is
Paraphrasing and an unhappy mind” OR
summarizing 2 Essay 9: “Serious leisure”

Complex sentences 1 First draft

argumentation –
Preparing for the exam “Gain and loss”

14.
5/13- Final exam: Journal 10: What’s
14 Argumentation something you’ve
learned this semester?
 Essay 9: Final draft
argumentation –
“Gain and loss”

15.
5/20- Discussion of the exam
21 Practice grading papers
Course evaluation