ENC1143
A Guide for Upcoming Freshman
Joseph Sank
ENC1143
Professor Mikayla Beaudrie
April 24, 2022

Welcome to ENC1143!
• ENC1143 is known as “Writing with Evidence with Style”.
• The main purpose of the class is to educate students on research and various
types of writing.
• The four main principles of ENC1143 include academic discourse,
evidence-based writing, synthesis writing, and reflective writing.
• If you’re new to college-level writing, this is the class for you!

What is academic discourse?
• Academic discourse describes academic texts, and the discussions happening within those texts.
• Academic texts can take on a variety of forms. They can involve words such as journals or
textbooks; or involve audio such as lectures or discussions.
• The main purpose of academic discourse is to exchange ideas and words throughout
communities and academic fields.
• In ENC1143, it is important to recognize academic subdiscourse, which covers specific niches
in communities.
• An example would be social media marketing being a subdiscourse for general marketing.

Key Traits of Discourse Texts
• Content
• What is the work stating? How does it relate to its discourse/subdiscourse?
• Rhetorical choices
• How does the work deliver its argument(s)? Does it appeal to logic, emotions, and/or
credibility?
• Format
• How does the work use visuals/structure to its advantage?
• Method
• What is the overall topic, question, and purpose of the work? How does the work
communicate these ideas to the reader?

What is Evidence-Based Writing?
• To write with evidence, you must research information, and use it to support your claims
and ideas.
• Like high school writing, make sure to always cite your sources. A reference page is
needed to place your citations.
• To research, you must gather and evaluate information from relevant sources. This will make
your arguments credible.
• Research articles and case studies are popular examples.
• Writing with evidence is an important skill in college-level writing, and is integral to
synthesis writing.

What Evidence Should I Look For?
• Currency
• When was the evidence published? Is the time relevant to your topic?
• Relevance
• How relevant is the evidence towards your topic?
• Authority
• Who produced the work? Are they a credible source of information?
• Accuracy
• Where is the information coming from? Are there errors in the evidence?
• Purpose
• What are the rhetorical goals of the evidence? Is it compatible with your topic?

What is Synthesis Writing?
• Synthesis writing is connecting the themes of scholarly works to develop an
argument that synergizes all of the works analyzed.
• Like high school writing, synthesis writing is centered around a thesis; which
outlines the main arguments of the writing before they are discussed.
• Evidence-based writing and synthesis writing goes hand and hand. It is
important to research various discourse texts in order to find overarching
themes.

Key Points
• Audience
• What is the audience of your evidence? How does it relate to the audience of your synthesis
writing?
• Central thesis
• What is the main idea of your evidence? How does it relate to the thesis of your
• Research methodology
• How does the evidence research its topic? Do the results agree or disagree with your thesis?
• Relation to overall synthesis writing topic
• How is the evidence compatible with other evidence in your synthesis writing?

What is Writing About Change?
• Writing about change is a style that is prevalent throughout the other three styles.
• It is important to recognize how academic discourse changes with new ideas, especially
when conducting research or analysis into discourse texts.
• Writing about change can also be about personal change, growth, and development.
• This is done through reflective writing, where you analyze your own writing skills and
development. This can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses in the
writing process.
• Due to the applications of writing about change, advice from the previous three types of
writing will fare well here.

How to Succeed – Basic Tips
• Get familiar with the four basic principles described in this presentation.
• Get familiar with APA formatting.
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a good resource to get adjusted to APA writing.
• Concentrate on planning skills and work ethic. Don’t procrastinate.
• Pay attention to details and proofread your work. Don’t be afraid to improve your drafts.
• Attend office hours or writing center tutoring if confused on course material.
• Explore your interests. Some ENC1143 classes will allow you to pick your own discourse
topics to research. Pick the topics you feel most comfortable with analyzing.

Looking Forward
• College-level writing is an integral part of academic success. UNF is not an exception.
• While the work of ENC1143 varies from instructor to instructor, expect lots of work
related to gathering research, writing essays, and participating in group discussion.
• While these concepts may seem foreign to people who just graduated high school,
application of the skills will ensure a greater foundation for more advanced writing courses
in the future.
• Do your best! While the course may appear hard, you can gain a greater understanding of
the writing process for the future if you don’t give up.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

References
Beaudrie, M (January, 2022) Week 3 Instructions, Part 1 https://canvas.unf.edu/courses/77367/pages/week-3-instructions-part-
1?module_item_id=2005140
Beaudrie, M (February, 2022) Week 6 Instructions, Part 2 https://canvas.unf.edu/courses/77367/pages/week-6-instructions-part-
2?module_item_id=1916640
Beaudrie, M (March, 2022) Week 9 Instructions, Part 2 https://canvas.unf.edu/courses/77367/pages/week-9-instructions-part-
2?module_item_id=1916660
Beaudrie, M (April, 2022) Week 13 Instructions, Part 1 https://canvas.unf.edu/courses/77367/pages/week-13-instructions-part-
1?module_item_id=1916676