English 102: College Writing and Research
Summer 2012
Instructor Name: Shawna Lipton
Office: 288 Curtin Hall
E-mail:
Required Texts and Materials
The Curious Researcher, by Bruce Ballenger
There will be additional handouts provided by the instructor.
You will also need the following: a folder for the collection of your own work, and for class handouts; a notebook (or a collection of looseleaf paper) for class notes; paper for printing; a stapler; and access to a computer and computer printer.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
English 102 is designed to elevate your writing ability above the expectations in ENG 101 by emphasizing the skills necessary for successful college-level research writing.
This class requires an exceptional degree of independence. Although we will spend some class time conducting research and working on your rough drafts independently and in workshops, you will be expected to conduct research and work extensively and steadily on writing and revising your paper outside of class as well.
ENGLISH 102 LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students successful in this class will be able to do the following:
§ Design and execute thorough searches using electronic and library collections
§ Summarize and paraphrase a range of materials, including academic and professional articles.
§ Use independent and critical thinking when reading texts and revising one’s own writing.
§ Develop and organize a 10-12 page essay unified by a controlling purpose, supported with detail and evidence from research, organized around the thesis and argument, and edited according to the conventions of standard English.
§ Communicate ethically by using MLA documentation, presenting well-reasoned arguments without deceptive or inflammatory language, and evaluating the credibility of sources.
§ Work collaboratively in peer and group workshop activities.
§ Improve communication skills by assessing one’s own work, seeking feedback, applying teacher comments to new writing situations, and developing effective goal-setting and work habits.
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance
It is vital to your success as a student and to our success as a class that all students attend class. Your grade will suffer if you are absent more than four times (regardless of the cause of your absences); that is, if you are absent five or more times, your grade will drop 2/3 of a letter grade for each absence you accumulate after four. For example, if you have a B, but miss five classes, your final grade will be a B-. If you miss more than six classes, you will fail the course. Please note that there is no difference between an excused and an unexcused absence. In other words, even if you are ill or attending a funeral, you will be counted as absent.
You are responsible for assignments even if you are absent. If there are unusual circumstances regarding your absences, please contact me via email.
Please be aware that being late to class is disruptive, and one late entrance or early exit will count as one half of an absence. I take attendance at the beginning of class. If you come in after this, it is your responsibility to see me after class so that I can mark you as tardy instead of as absent. If you are more than twenty minutes late (or leave more than twenty minutes early), you will be marked absent.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting any documents, notes, and/or news from that day. Please e-mail a classmate to find out what you missed.
Email address of classmate sitting beside you on your right:
Email address of classmate sitting beside you on your left:
Assignments due on the day you are absent will be considered late.
GRADING & COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
FINAL PORTFOLIO 60%
ASSIGNMENTS 20%
In Class PARTICIPATION 10%
Online PARTICIPATION 10%
Final Portfolio (60% of final grade) Your final portfolio will consist of your research project and a reflective essay. The portfolio must include essays that have already been submitted for this class; no essay may be included in the portfolio if I have not seen previous drafts. Final portfolios will be reviewed through the program’s portfolio assessment process. The portfolio readers (other 102 teachers) will determine if your portfolio passes or fails. If the portfolio passes, I will give it a letter grade, which will account for 60% of your final semester grade. If the readers fail the portfolio, you will not pass the course.
NOTE: You will not be assigned grades on any written material submitted during the semester. Grades will be determined after you have passed the final portfolio.
Assignments (20% of final grade) All written work should be completed in full and turned in to the instructor on time to receive full credit. All assignments must be typed and stapled with your name at the top, otherwise they will not be accepted.
Late Work Policy: You must turn in all of your work on time; including assignments, and rough and revised drafts of papers. Late assignments will negatively affect your assignment grade in the course. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED BY E-MAIL.
Participation (20% of final grade) This grade is based on your attendance and participation in class discussions, workshop activities, online D2L discussions, and conferences with the instructor. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the instructor’s office hours to address specific questions and writing issues outside of class periods.
REQUIRED CONFERENCES:
You will be required to meet with me outside of class for conferences during the semester. Conferences cannot be rescheduled unless you make arrangements with me prior to your scheduled appointment. The conference allows you time to discuss and receive feedback on your work and overall progress in the course.
Submission Requirements
Essays and assignments must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides, and with the pages stapled together at the top left-hand corner. Use 12 point Times New Roman font when printing your papers. On the top of the first page of your essays, put your name, the course name and section number, the name of your instructor, and the assignment number. On subsequent pages, you should put the page number. Before turning in an essay, you should proofread it to correct any mistakes you have made in spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.
Electronics in Class
Laptop computers and cell phones are not permitted in class. If you text during class period you will be asked to leave the classroom.
Academic Honesty
The UW-Milwaukee Student Handbook states that “UWM expects each student to be honest in academic performance. Failure to do so may result in discipline under rules published by the Board of Regents (UWS 14). The most common forms of academic dishonesty are cheating and plagiarism” (140). The Handbook goes on to state, “Plagiarism includes: 1. Directly quoting the words of others without using quotation marks or indented format to identify them; or, 2. Using sources of information (published or unpublished) without identifying them; or, 3. Paraphrasing materials or ideas of others without identifying the sources” (140). I take this issue seriously and will treat it accordingly with severe academic consequences.
Other University Policies
The Secretary of the University has a page dedicated to policies concerning the following: students with disabilities; religious observances; students called to active military duty; discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment); academic misconduct; complaint procedures; and grade appeal procedures. Please see http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf for further information.
UW-Milwaukee Writing Center (http://www.writingcenter.uwm.edu)
The Writing Center is a valuable resource. One-to-one conferencing is available to help you with all stages of writing. It is located on the first floor of Curtin Hall, and there is a satellite in the East Wing of the library. Call or stop by to set up an appointment (229-4339).
Student Accessibility Center (SAC)
If you work with an adviser at the SAC, please bring your VISA statement to me within the first week of class. If you are concerned that you might have a learning disability, visit the SAC office in Room 112 of Mitchell Hall.
COURSE CALENDAR
This is a tentative course calendar and is subject to change. You will be notified in advance of any changes.
Week/Date Activities/Readings/Homework(HW)
Course Introduction: Read page 1-16 of Curious Researcher Do Exercise 1
Exercise 2 + Page 17-25
Close Reading
Close Reading Reflection and Revision
Library Session: OED Activity
Library Session Topic Development Activity
Research Question
Preliminary Research and Annotated Bibliography
Formal Research Proposal
First Annotated Bibliography
Library Research Day
First Draft of Research Essay
Research Question
External Research
SECOND DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE
Research Analysis
Revision
Reflection
Conferences
Revision
Mock Portfolio Assessment
FINAL PORTFOLIO DUE