English 101.02/03
Library Computer Lab
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Dr.
225 Hogue Hall
Phone: Office: 664-6805; Home: 664-3863
Office Hours: MWF,
Email: donna.hart@greenville.edu
Textbooks:
Hacker, Diana. The Writer's
Reference. 5th edition.
Muller, Gilbert H. The McGraw-Hill
Reader: Issues across the Disciplines. 8th edition.
(ISBN: 0-07-246552-2)
Any good dictionary and/or thesaurus.
Course Description:
This course builds on the student’s writing experiences from high school and from COR 101, thus assuming that the student has some acquaintance with the 5-paragraph essay and with the skills of summary and synthesis.
We focus specifically on those skills that are necessary for successful research and argumentative writing in all the college disciplines. Therefore, we examine a variety of library databases for finding and evaluating books, periodicals, and online documents as sources of information for supporting a positional assertion. We discuss and practice critical reading skills, successful note-taking strategies, and clear organization and presentation of an argument from either the Toulmin or the Rogerian model.
We write several papers of varying lengths and depending on an increasing number of informational sources.
Course Objectives:
1. become closer, more critical readers and thinkers, recognizing central
assertions by other persons, their secondary assertions, and the support which
they offer to strengthen those assertions. (IO A1-A2, C8)
2. develop our writing ability through extensive writing practice that
emphasizes writing as a process, and develop a better sense of what prewriting,
writing, and rewriting techniques work best for each of us. (IO A2, C8)
3. understand the factors that help shape a writer’s choices about vocabulary,
tone, style, and structure in several different rhetorical modes, but with our
emphasis on research writing. (IO A2)
4. discuss and practice the strategies of paraphrasing, summarizing, and
quoting of sources according to APA and MLA style. (IO A2)
5. discuss and practice the strategies of synthesizing, critiquing, arguing,
etc., not only as a means to higher thinking skills, but also as methods to use
in writing a variety of research papers. (IO A2)
6. develop skill in using--and evaluating the usefulness, i.e., reliability,
of--library sources of various kinds (books, periodicals, online databases),
particularly electronic messaging and other non-refereed Internet sources. (IO
A1-A2, C8)
7. work to eliminate grammar, syntax, mechanical, and spelling errors. (IO A2,
C8)
8. work to improve clarity, coherence, creativity, and correctness of our
written discourse. (IO A2, C8)
9. understand cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity and determine ways
that our arguments must respect and accommodate those differences. (IO A1,
B3-B6, C7-C9)
10. understand that writing expectations differ within different disciplines.
(IO A2)
11. understand the importance of technology in enabling our research. (IO A2)
12. understand the different expectations and requirements for clear
communication in oral texts and compared to written texts. (IO A2)
13. understand and use non-print media, where appropriate, to support a
position. These might include personal interviews, letters, television or movie
sources, etc. (IO A2)
Assessment:
1. Objective 1 is assessed informally through class discussions of assigned
readings. Formal assessment occurs with periodic reading quizzes that ask
students to elicit thesis statement, supporting assertions, etc.
2. Objectives 2 and 3 are assessed through peer editing exercises, one-on-one
teacher-student conferences, and teacher grading of student final papers that
have gone through several stages of revision.
3. Objective 4 is assessed through class exercises in incorporating pieces of
information from primary sources into student papers by each of these means.
4. Objective 5 is assessed through informal class discussion in which we
compare and contrast or find other relationships between writers with a variety
of positions on selected issues. It is more formally assessed through required
synthesis and critique assignments, either in class or outside of class.
5. Objective 6 is assessed informally by the research librarian doing an
exercise with a “bogus” website that looks official, but is
defective. It is also assessed by students determining which electronic sources
actually do provide them useful information for their research papers. In
written texts, it is assessed by our discussion of how we recognize
"liberal," "conservative," or "moderate" points
of view.
6. Objectives 7 and 8 are assessed informally through peer editing exercises
and one-on-one teacher-student conferences. Formally, they are assessed through
teacher grading of final papers.
7. Objectives 9 and 10 are assessed through informal class discussion of
assigned readings and of drafts of student papers.
8. Objective 11 is assessed by the degree to which students become comfortable
in using computers for prewriting, writing, and rewriting and in accessing
information which will help them support the assertions they make in their
papers.
9. Objective 12 is assessed by class dialogue and oral support for student
points of view.
10. Objective 13 is assessed by teacher grading of final papers.
Attendance, Late Papers, Plagiarism, Grading, and Study Expectations:
For my expectations regarding attendance, see attendance. For expectations regarding late papers, see late papers. For expectations regarding avoidance of plagiarism, see plagiarism. For an explanation of my grading system, see grading. For study expectations, see study expectations.
Tentative Daily Schedule:
Week One: January 26--(Each bulleted item USUALLY represents a class day of the week; i.e., first bullet is M, second is W, third is F.)
Introduction to the class, to my website, to Blackboard.
Initial writing sample.
Read and discuss MHR, pp. 2 - 19.
Week Two: January 31--
Read and discuss MHR, 62 - 82. What is an argument? How
do we argue?
Read and discuss MHR, 84 - 90. Discuss the Toulmin Model
of Argument.
In-class writing. Save your paper to your N:/ drive and
post it to the Digital Drop Box before you leave class.
Week Three: February 7--
Read and discuss MHR, 96 - 102.
Lab: Read article handout and follow instructions for
writing a summary-response.
Lab: Work on summary-response. Post to DDB by end of
class.
Week Four: February 14--
Examination and discussion of one of your summaries.
Read and discuss MHR, 430 - 437 (probably through Blackboard).
Instructions on writing a synthesis paper.
Read and discuss MHR, 438 - 447, 451 - 454. OVER THE
WEEKEND, write a synthesis paper, incorporating any two essays we have read
so far. Post to DDB by class time on Monday.
Week Five: February 21--
Lecture about APA documentation style.
Lecture: Ms.
Sara Kopesky will talk to you about finding good books and periodicals for
your research.
Lab: Compile an APA-style working bibliography of at
least 10 sources having to do with your research paper subject on philosophy,
ethics, and religion. Complete your
bibliography and post it to the DDB by
Week Six: February 28--
Lecture: Instructions in taking notes on computer. Read
and discuss MHR, 457 - 465 (probably on Blackboard).
Read and discuss MHR, 466 - 475.
Read and discuss MHR, 476 - 478.
Week Seven: March 7--
Lab:
Lab:
Lab:
Week Eight: March 14--
Lecture: How to organize (outlining) and write your
paper.
Lab: Writing research paper one.
Lab: Writing research paper. ***POST THE PAPER TO DDB
BEFORE CLASS TIME ON MONDAY.
Week Nine: March 21--(At this point, we'll switch to your choices of textbook topics and readings.)
Lecture: The Rogerian Model of Argument.
Lecture: MLA style of documentation. How is it different
from APA and why.
March 24, 5:30 p.m. - April 4, 7:30 a.m. is Easter Spring Break
Week Ten: March 28--No Class. Spring Break.
Week Eleven: April 4--(You’ve chosen “Communication, Film, and Media”)
Read and discuss MHR, 484 - 493.
Lab: Compile an MLA-style working bibliography of at
least 20 sources having to do with your chosen subject.
Lab: Complete your working bibliography and post it
to DDB before the end of class.
Week Twelve: April 11--
Lecture and discussion: Go over one of your research
papers, talking about various issues of content, format, grammar, mechanics,
argument, etc.
Read and discuss MHR, 495 - 502.
Read and discuss MHR, 508 – 509, and a handout
reading having to do with use of language in the media (probably through Blackboard).
Week Eleven: April 18--
Lab: Read and take notes for the support of your position
in your research paper.
Lab: Read and take notes.
Lab: Read and take notes.
Week Twelve: April 25--
Read and discuss MHR, 522 - 531.
Read and discuss MHR, 532 - 537.
Lab: Read and take notes. Post notes for at least 10
sources to the DDB before you leave class.
Week Thirteen: May 2--
Lecture: Writing the paper. Format, citing sources in
text, etc.
Lab: Writing the paper.
Lab: Writing the paper.
Week Fourteen: May 9--
Lab: Writing the paper.
Lab: Peer
Lab: Finish up your research paper. Pose to DDB by the
end of the scheduled exam time.
Week Fifteen: May 16--Exam Week. Your final MLA/Rogerian Research Paper is your exam.