UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

CAVE HILL CAMPUS

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION
FOUN 0100 FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITTEN ENGLISH
Course Outline 2020-21 Semester 2
Goal
This course aims to review and develop skills in language usage required for university
education and for effective and practical tools for the workplace.
Course Description
Fundamentals of Written English is a 13-week course (3 hours each week) that requires
the full participation of students in every class. The course provides students with the
opportunity to participate in collaborative learning to encourage critical thinking and
appreciation for the ideas of others

Student Assessment:
The final grade will be the result of course work and a final examination. The weighting
ratio of course work to the final examination is 60: 40.

Coursework 60% Paragraph 5%

3 Essays 45%
Journal 10%
Examination 40%

Required text: Scarry, Sandra and John Scarry.The Writer’s Workplace (with
Readings) Seventh Edition. This text is no longer in stock at the U.W.I bookshop;
however, students can access the electronic version. In addition, it is available on
Amazon.

Course

Week 1 Introduction to the course and its requirements

Overview of the writing process. In-class diagnostic writing.
Reading stimuli: Michael Dorris, Summer Reading

Week 2 Paragraph writing (topic sentences and controlling ideas)

Grammar component: Subject and verb agreement
Reading stimuli: My Daughter Smokes, Alice Walker

Weeks 3-4 Paragraph Writing (Supporting details)

 Examining and practicing different methods of paragraph
development
Grammar component: Sentence structure: Grammar component:
Sentence structure: Coordination
Reading stimuli: Requiem for a Champ, June Jordan
Why Marriages Fail, Anne Roiphe

* Paragraph assignment to be submitted

Weeks 5 -6 Structuring the essay (exposition)

Writing the outline and first draft of the essay
Grammar component: Subordination
Reading stimuli: My Heroes, Elizabeth Berg
Conferencing, editing and revising of essays

*Essay to be submitted

Week 7-8 Writing the compare/ contrast essay

Reading stimuli: Neat People vs. Sloppy People, Susanne Britt
Grammar component: punctuation
*Compare/contrast essay to be submitted (week 8)

Week 9-10 Persuasive Writing

Reading stimuli: Chapter 32
Grammar component: Making sentence parts work together:
Pronouns.

Week 11 In-class essay assignment (persuasive essay)

Reading stimuli: My body is my own business, Naheed Mustafa
Grammar component: Making sentence parts work together:
Parallel structure

Week 12 Submit journals to be appraised by tutor. Conferencing.

Week 13 Teaching ends. Conferencing.

NB. Readings for this course are not limited to those listed on the outline.
Tutors’ contact information:
shirley.morris@cavehill.uwi.edu kathy-ann.waithe-gibson@cavehill.uwi.edu
suzanne.durant@cavehill.uwi.edu
Office numbers: 417-4531/4532

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