Wayland Baptist University Virtual Campus School of Languages and Literature
Spring 1 2025
Wayland Baptist University Mission Statement: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success, and service to God and humankind.
Course Name: ENGL5300 Academic Writing for Graduate Students
Term and Year: Summer 2025

Instructor: Dr. Brent Lynn

Office Phone and WBU Email Address: 806-291-3672; lynnb@wbu.edu

Office Hours, Building, and Location: I am the Director of Wayland’s Multidisciplinary Tutorial Services at the Plainview Campus and on campus most days from 9:00-5:00. Email me first if you need to set up a time to meet with me by phone or Zoom.

Class Meeting Time and Location: Class should be available any time, day or night, through Blackboard.

Catalog Description: A course designed to provide students the skills to strengthen scholarly writing at a graduate and professorial level.

Prerequisite: None

Required Textbook and Resources:
eTexbook: Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills 3rd edition Author(s) John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak

Course outcome competencies: Upon the conclusion of this course, students actively engaged in learning will be able to:

1.	Understand the different genres of academic writing such as seminar papers, journal articles, literature reviews, bibliographies, etc.
2.	Recognize strengths and weaknesses in their own research and writing processes.
3.	Demonstrate the role of critical thinking and argumentation in scholarly writing.
4.	Grasp the basic skills of professional editing and be able to apply them to their own writing.

Attendance Requirements: As stated in the Wayland Catalog, students enrolled at one of the University’s external campuses should make every effort to attend all class meetings. All

absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work may be made up. When a student reaches that number of absences considered by the instructor to be excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress report with the campus executive director. Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the University’s attendance policy.

Late Assignments: All late assignments will receive a grade reduction for each day an assignment is late (Note: Due dates reflect Central Standard Time).

Link to WBU’s Statement on Academic Integrity

No use of any generative AI tools permitted.

1.	Students are required to create and produce all work themselves or with assigned group members. Any work submitted that has used an AI generative tool like ChatGPT will be in immediate violation of the academic integrity policies for the course and WBU.
2.	All assignments must be fully created, designed, and prepared by the student(s).
3.	Any work that uses generative AI will be treated as plagiarism.

Disability Statement: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the university. The Disability Services Coordinator and Academic Coach serves as the coordinator of students with disabilities and must be contacted concerning accommodation requests (806 291-1057). Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.

Course Requirements: Assignments consist of watching weekly videos, readings from the textbook, responding to discussion board prompts, and completing weekly tasks from the textbook.

Grading Criteria:

Weekly Videos 20%

Discussion Board 30% Textbook Weekly Tasks 50%

Grade Appeals: “Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced placement examinations or course bypass examinations. Appeals are limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be submitted through the Vice President of Academic Affairs to the Faculty Assembly Grade

Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.”

Note: Correct Dates will be added to the weekly schedule before class starts in Spring 1. 

Week One

Introduction to Class—watch video posted under the Week One folder by the end of the day (11:59 PM) on Wednesday

Complete First Required Assignment Under Course Content the end of the day (11:59pm) on
Thursday

Say “hello” in Discussion Board the end of the day (11:59pm) on Saturday
Read UNIT ONE: An Approach to Academic Writing, pp. 1-13; pp. 38-40 and p. 43 for discussion and tasks next week

Week Two

Watch introductory videos by the end of the day on Wednesday of each week; watching videos are part of your grade.

Discussion Board adapted Unit One: Task Four (p. 6)

Unit One: Tasks Two, Three, Five (pp. 1-8), and Seven (p. 11)

Begin reading UNIT TWO: General-Specific and Specific-General Texts, pp. 55 to 67; pp. 74- 78; pp. 92-96

Week Three

Discussion Board adapted from Unit One: Task Ten (p. 16)

Unit One: Tasks Eight (p. 12), Eighteen (p. 41), and Twenty (p. 43)

Continue reading UNIT TWO: General-Specific and Specific-General Texts, pp. 55 to 67; 74-78;
pp. 92-96

Week Four

Discussion Board adapted from final two questions of Unit Two: Task Two (p. 60) Unit Two: Tasks One (pp. 56-59) and Four (64-65)
Begin reading UNIT FIVE: Writing Summaries, pp. 188-208 and Read UNIT SIX: Writing Critiques, pp. 230-238
Week Five

Continue reading UNIT FIVE: Writing Summaries, pp. 188-208 and Read UNIT SIX: Writing Critiques, pp. 230-238

Continue reviewing my comments in your graded assignments 

Week Six

Discussion Board adapted from Task Ten (74-75) Unit Two: Tasks Eleven (p. 78) and Twenty (94-96)

Week Seven

Discussion Board over Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty 
Unit Five: Tasks One (pp.190-193), Two (194-195), Three (p. 198), and Four (pp. 199-200)

Week Eight

Final Discussion Board

Unit Six: Task Four (pp. 233-236) and Five (pp. 237-239)