Online English Composition II Course

DSST Principles of Advanced English Composition Exam Prep Course

Enhance your writing skills and critical thinking in English Composition 2. Develop essays that engage, inform, and persuade with clarity and style.

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Course curriculum

1. Course Overview and Learning Outcomes
2. Syllabus PDF
3. CLEP Prep
1. 1.1 Review: The Rhetorical Situation — how context, purpose, and audience shape interpretation
2. Quiz 1.1
3. 1.2 Advanced Critical Reading Strategies — annotating for argument, evidence, assumptions, and gaps
4. Quiz 1.2
5. 1.3 Understanding Academic Conversations — how scholars respond to and build on each other's work
6. Quiz 1.3
7. 1.4 Distinguishing Summary, Paraphrase, and Response — definitions, purpose, and when to use each
8. Quiz 1.4
9. 1.5 Writing the Formal Academic Summary — structure, compression, and objectivity
10. Quiz 1.5
11. 1.6 Writing the Critical Response Essay — agreeing, disagreeing, and extending an argument
12. Quiz 1.6
13. 1.7 Avoiding Patchwriting — the difference between true paraphrase and disguised copying
14. Quiz 1.7
15. LAB 1
1. 2.1 What Is Synthesis? Joining the Conversation vs. Reporting Sources
2. Quiz 2.1
3. 2.2 Explanatory vs. Argumentative Synthesis — purpose and structural differences
4. Quiz 2.2
5. 2.3 Organizing Synthesis Writing — by theme, by position, by chronology, by methodology
6. Quiz 2.3
7. 2.4 The Synthesis Matrix — mapping sources against themes before drafting
8. Quiz 2.4
9. 2.5 Advanced Signal Phrases for Synthesis — attributing multiple voices in a single paragraph
10. Quiz 2.5
11. 2.6 Integrating Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary in a Synthesis Paragraph
12. Quiz 2.6
13. 2.7 Common Synthesis Errors — source-by-source structure, over-quotation, under-analysis
14. Quiz 2.7
15. 2.8 MLA and APA Citation in Synthesis Context — citing indirect sources, block quotations
16. QUIZ 2.8
17. LAB 2
1. 3.1 What Is a Literature Review? Purpose, Audience, and Academic Function
2. QUIZ 3.1
3. 3.2 Types of Literature Reviews — standalone, as part of a research paper, systematic vs. narrative
4. QUIZ 3.2
5. 3.3 Conducting a Systematic Literature Search — keywords, database strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria
6. QUIZ 3.3
7. 3.4 Reading and Mapping a Field — identifying major works, debates, patterns, and gaps
8. QUIZ 3.4
9. 3.5 Organizing the Literature Review — thematic, chronological, and methodological structures
10. QUIZ 3.5
11. 3.6 Writing the Literature Review Introduction — framing the topic and research question
12. QUIZ 3.6
13. 3.7 Writing Literature Review Body Paragraphs — grouping sources by position or finding
14. QUIZ 3.7
15. 3.8 Identifying Gaps and Positioning the Research Question — the bridge from lit review to original inquiry
16. QUIZ 3.8
17. 3.9 Writing the Literature Review Conclusion — synthesis of the field and rationale for the study
18. QUIZ 3.9
19. LAB 3
1. 4.1 Review: Toulmin's Basic Schema — claim, grounds, warrant
2. Quiz 4.1
3. 4.2 Advanced Toulmin — backing, qualifier, rebuttal; applying the full schema to complex arguments
4. Quiz 4.2
5. 4.3 Rogerian Argumentation — understanding the opposition, finding common ground, proposing compromise
6. Quiz 4.3
7. 4.4 Cause-and-Effect Arguments — establishing causation vs. correlation; single vs. multiple causes
8. Quiz 4.4
9. 4.5 Comparison-Contrast Arguments — purpose, organizational patterns (block vs. point-by-point), and applications
10. QUIZ 4.5
11. 4.6 Policy and Proposal Arguments — problem-solution structure; criteria for evaluating policy proposals
12. QUIZ 4.6
13. 4.7 Ethical Arguments — values-based reasoning; applying ethical frameworks (utilitarian, deontological, virtue) to academic arguments
14. QUIZ 4.7
15. 4.8 Logical Fallacies in Research — identifying and avoiding common fallacies in source material and student writing
16. QUIZ 4.8
17. LAB 4
1. 5.1 Formulating a Research Question — moving from topic to focused, researchable question
2. Quiz 5.1
3. 5.2 Types of Research — primary, secondary, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods
4. Quiz 5.2
5. 5.3 Primary Source Collection — conducting interviews; designing surveys; field observation and note-taking
6. Quiz 5.3
7. 5.4 Advanced Database Searching — JSTOR, EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed; field-specific databases
8. Quiz 5.4
9. 5.5 Evaluating Sources: Beyond the CRAAP Test — lateral reading, source triangulation, identifying bias
10. Quiz 5.5
11. 5.6 Working with Data and Statistics — reading charts and tables; citing quantitative evidence accurately
12. Quiz 5.6
13. 5.7 Managing Research — annotated source notes; citation management tools (Zotero, Mendeley)
14. Quiz 5.7
15. 5.8 Research Ethics — IRB basics, informed consent in student research, ethical use of sources
16. Quiz 5.8
17. LAB 5
1. 6.1 Planning the Research Paper — from research question to thesis to outline
2. Quiz 6.1
3. 6.2 Writing the Research Paper Introduction — hook, background, research context, thesis
4. Quiz 6.2
5. 6.3 Body Paragraph Structure for Extended Research Writing — CER in multi-paragraph arguments
6. Quiz 6.3
7. 6.4 Synthesizing 6+ Sources in a Coherent Argument — avoiding the 'source dump'
8. Quiz 6.4
9. 6.5 Writing the Counterargument Section — dedicated paragraphs vs. integrated refutation
10. Quiz 6.5
11. 6.6 Research Paper Conclusion — synthesis of findings, implications, and call for further research
12. Quiz 6.6
13. 6.7 Revising the Research Paper — global revision (argument, structure) vs. local revision (sentence-level)
14. Quiz 6.7
15. 6.8 Advanced MLA and APA — block quotations, citing primary research, DOI and URL formatting
16. Quiz 6.8
17. LAB 6
1. 7.1 Introduction to Discipline-Specific Writing — how writing conventions differ across fields
2. Quiz 7.1
3. 7.2 Writing in STEM — the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion); scientific objectivity; passive voice conventions; citing data
4. Quiz 7.2
5. 7.3 The Lab Report — purpose, structure, and conventions; writing the abstract; reporting results without interpretation
6. Quiz 7.3
7. 7.4 Writing in Social Sciences — APA format research paper; literature review section; methods section basics; discussion and limitations
8. Quiz 7.4
9. 7.5 Writing in Humanities — the close reading essay; literary analysis conventions; using primary and secondary sources in literary argument
10. Quiz 7.5
11. 7.6 Professional Writing — the business memo; the executive summary; the case study; writing for workplace audiences
12. Quiz 7.6
13. 7.7 Writing for Public Audiences — op-eds, public policy briefs, blog posts, and academic writing adapted for general readers
14. Quiz 7.7
15. LAB 7
1. 8.1 From Written Research to Oral Presentation — adapting argument for listening audiences
2. Quiz 8.1
3. 8.2 Structuring the Research Presentation — introduction, argument overview, evidence, conclusion, Q&A;
4. Quiz 8.2
5. 8.3 Advanced PowerPoint Design — hierarchy, data visualization, avoiding slide overload
6. Quiz 8.3
7. 8.4 Presentation Delivery — pacing, eye contact, handling questions, managing nerves
8. Quiz 8.4
9. 8.5 Visual Argument — using charts, graphs, images, and infographics to support a research claim
10. Quiz 8.5
11. 8.6 Academic Poster Design — structure, visual balance, and presenting complex research visually
12. Quiz 8.6
13. LAB 8
1. 9.1 Academic Register — what makes writing sound 'academic'; hedging language; nominalization
2. Quiz 9.1
3. 9.2 Sentence Variety and Cohesion in Research Writing — managing complex sentence structures
4. Quiz 9.2
5. 9.3 Concision and Precision — eliminating wordiness, redundancy, and vague language
6. Quiz 9.3
7. 9.4 Passive and Active Voice — when to use each in academic writing across disciplines
8. Quiz 9.4
9. 9.5 Advanced Punctuation for Academic Writing — semicolons, colons, dashes in complex prose
10. Quiz 9.5
11. 9.6 Editing Research Writing — systematic editing strategies for long-form academic papers
12. Quiz 9.6
13. LAB 9
1. 10.1 Planning the Capstone Paper — connecting prior units into a unified 2,000–2,500 word research argument
2. Quiz 10.1
3. 10.2 Multi-Stage Revision — applying feedback from peer review, instructor comments, and self-editing
4. Quiz 10.2
5. 10.3 The Final Portfolio — selecting, revising, and curating the semester's best work
6. Quiz 10.3
7. 10.4 The Metacognitive Reflection Essay — assessing growth across ENG-101 and ENG-102; setting goals for discipline-specific writing
8. Quiz 10.4
9. 10.5 Beyond Composition 2 — writing in the disciplines, writing in the professions, continuing to develop as a writer
10. Quiz 10.5
11. LAB 10
1. Assignment: Integrating Critical Reading, Research, Argumentation, and Discipline-Specific Writing
2. Grading Rubric
1. Final Exam Guide
2. Final Exam

About this course

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DSST Principles of Advanced English Composition Exam Prep Course

Course curriculum

English Composition II

Chapter 1: Advanced Critical Reading and Summary Writing

Chapter 2: Explanatory Synthesis: Writing From Multiple Sources

Chapter 3: The Literature Review

Chapter 4: Advanced Argumentation Frameworks

Chapter 5: Advanced Research Methods and Source Evaluation

Chapter 6: The Persuasive Research Paper

Chapter 7: Discipline-Specific Writing

Chapter 8: Oral Research Presentation and Visual Communication

Chapter 9: Advanced Grammar, Style, and Academic Register

Chapter 10: The Capstone Research Paper and Metacognitive Portfolio

Assignment

Final Exam

About this course

Discover your potential, starting today