English 1109 Writing and Research

Kirouac

English 1109

Writing and Research

Section 17, Course 82173

12:00-12:50 PM

M in CB 101

W/F in CB 105

Instructor Keith Kirouac

Office FT 203D

Office Hours M/W/F 10:45-11:45 AM

Phone [phone]

Email [e-mail]

Required Texts and Materials Nexus: A Rhetorical Reader for Writers (2nd Edition)

by Flachmann and Flachmann

Compact Quick Access by Troyka and Douglas

The Big Thirst by Fishman

A flash drive or similar electronic storage device

A notebook and writing implements

Librarian Chris Livingston

Email [e-mail]

Course Overview & Policy Statements
Prerequisite: A total English Placement Test score of 147 or higher OR one of the following: a grade of C- or higher in English 910/920 or its equivalent; a score of 500 or above on the critical reading section of the College Board SAT Reasoning Test; a score of 22 or above on the American College Testing (ACT) English Test; a score of 3 or above on either the Language and Composition or Composition and Literature examination of the College Board Scholastic Advanced Placement (AP); completion and transfer to CSU of the credits for a college course that satisfies the CSU General Education requirement in English Composition, provided such course was completed with a grade of C or better; a result of Standard Exceeded: Ready for CSU or participating CCC college-level coursework in English on the CAASPP Early Assessment Program (EAP) exam; completion of an approved High School English class with a C or better for a CAASPP EAP status of standard met.

To Satisfy the General Education Requirement

This course meets the A2 Written Communication requirement of the CSU Bakersfield General Education Program, including reading and writing foundational skills and reinforcement of the following General Education themes—Theme Q: Quality of Life; Theme R: Revolutionary Ideas and Innovations; and Theme S: Sustainability & Justice—through readings, discussions, and assignments.

Successful Completion of English 1109

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in English 1109 to satisfy the General Education requirement for A2. This grade is also a prerequisite for upper-division composition courses and the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement exam.

To be eligible for a C- in English 1109, students must earn a C- or higher on at least one in-class writing assignment and a C- average or higher on all other course assignments.

Course Description

Practice in expository writing, focusing on the college term paper. Includes frequent reading and writing assignments.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of English 110, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
Goal 1: Reading Skills
A2-1: Students will critique a writer’s rhetorical choices (e.g., bias, rhetorical modes, organization, diction, etc.) and logic.
Goal 2: Writing Skills
A2-2A: Students will create proficient thesis statements for various types of writing tasks.
A2-2B: Students will use discourse-appropriate syntax.
A2-2C: Students will use logical reasoning, at the appropriate level, to develop and organize ideas.
Goal 3: Research Skills
A2-3A: Students will find diverse, reputable sources for an academic research paper.
A2-3B: Students will correctly use summary, paraphrase, and direct quotes to synthesize sources into an academic research paper.
Attendance Policy

Because mastering skills in writing requires regular, sustained effort, you should attend your composition classes regularly and punctually. If you have more than two absences, you should not expect to receive a passing grade.

Waiting List Policy

On a waiting list, you are eligible for a place in the class if you

1. 
   come to every class and
   
2. 
   turn in the work while you are there.
   

Being on a waiting list does not guarantee you a place in the class. It simply means you are welcome to wait for an opening in the class if you so desire. If no one drops out of the course, then no students can add.
As a result, you should be aware of the last day to add and have a back-up choice if you need another class. This plan is especially important for financial aid recipients and for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, who must carry a full load to receive their financial aid. Being on a waiting list does not count as a class toward a full load.
Instructor-Initiated Drop Policy

Many students are trying to get into composition courses. As a result, this class is subject to the policy on instructor-initiated drops. If the class is full and has a waiting list, the instructor has the right to administratively drop you from class by the end of the second week of the term if you have missed three consecutive class sessions and have not contacted the instructor. However you should not assume that you will be automatically dropped from this course if you have not attended.

.

MyWritingLabPlus Requirement

You are responsible for completing 10 MyWritingLabPlus topics in your English 1109 class.  This requirement is worth 10% of your overall English 1109 grade.  To receive full credit, you must (1) take the Path Builder and Mastery Check and (2) master approximately one/two of the assigned topics (listed below) per week, for a total of 10 topics by the end of the quarter according to the schedule provided by your instructor.  To master a topic, you must earn a score of 80% or higher on the Recall 1, Recall 2, and Apply sections for each of the following topics. 

 Run-Ons: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences

 Commas

 Developing Thesis Statements

 Reading Texts Critically

 Finding Sources

 Evaluating Sources

 Integrating Sources

 Avoiding Plagiarism

 Building Sentences with Subordination and Coordination

 Transitions

Topics mastered in the Path Builder will count toward the 10 topics; however, your instructor may ask you to complete the topic again if you do not show mastery of the topic in your writing.

You will be held responsible for these new skills every week in your writing.  Since this is an online workshop, you can work on these topics outside of class at your convenience, as long as you master approximately one or two topics per week, for a total of 10 topics.  This means that if you wait until the end of the quarter to complete all 10 topics, you will not receive full credit and your essay will not benefit from your mastery of these skills. You will need the following information to use the site:

Website URL:  http://csub.mylabsplus.com

Username:  Student ID# (e.g., 000123456)

Password:  The first time you log in, your password will be your full birth date (e.g., if your birthday is November 9, 1993, then your password would be 11091983).  You can change this password after you log in the first time.

For additional information about the program, please go to the following website: www.csub.edu/mwl/

After several attempts at a single tutorial, you may become locked out of that particular topic. If that happens, contact MWLP Headquarters to have the topic unlocked. A form to request unlocking is available online at the web address listed above.

Individual, Drop-in Tutoring Requirement

Instructors may also require you to complete individual, drop-in tutoring for certain aspects of your writing, in which case you will receive a Tutor Referral Form with your graded essay. If you receive a referral form with a paper, you are required within one week to take the form and the paper to the Writing Resource Center for individual assistance. Instructors may withhold your essay grade until after you have completed this requirement.

Turnitin.com Requirement

Turnitin.com is a tool to help you avoid plagiarism. Approximately two hours after submitting a paper to this online program, you can access a color-coded report with details about the use of sources in your paper. Because this site does not detect problems with paraphrasing that is not cited properly, you should use this site only as a guide. To use turnitin.com, you will need to register on the site and set up a password. Once this is done, you then will need to create a “user profile” specifically for this class and any others that may use the site. You will need the following information to set up your user profile:

Class ID--12942899

Class Enrollment Password--Mr.K (with no space)

After creating a profile, students can log onto and use the site.
Note: Submitting a paper to turnitin.com is not the same as submitting a paper to your instructor; you also must hand in a copy of your paper to your instructor.

Revision Policy

Required revisions are indicated on the course schedule. When you revise your writing, the original essay must be submitted with the rewrite. In order for a grade to improve, you need to do more than simply correct the marks on the original essay. In other words, rewritten papers should show extensive revision as well as editing.

Missed Assignments, Quizzes, and/or Exams Policy

Late work will be accepted with good reason. However, without documentation of a medical or family emergency, you cannot receive full credit for late work. For every class period an assignment is late, that assignment's score will be lowered by one full letter grade. For example, a draft which would have earned its writer an A on Monday will earn only a B if it is turned in Wednesday, and the same paper will receive a failing grade if it is turned in the following week. Since each assignment you will turn in for this course counts heavily toward your grade, it is in your best interest to complete and submit all assignments on the dates they are due.

Academic Honesty Policy

“The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance.”

For a complete statement on the University’s policy on academic honesty, go to CSUB.edu and search “Academic Integrity.”
Course Requirements & Assignments

In addition to those noted above, the following assignments will be completed as part of English 1109:

In-class Essays

You will write a total of three essays in class. The first will be used only as a diagnostic and will not count toward your grade. However, this essay is required, and students who miss class on the day of the essay will be expected to write a make-up essay under supervision outside of the classroom. The second and third in-class essays are each worth 5% of your grade. A make-up exam will be allowed for the second essay if necessary, but since the third is to be written at the end of the course, no make-up may be possible.

Group Work

Sometime during the first few weeks of the academic term, you and your fellow students will be assigned to teams. Each team member will have a special job to do during peer revisions and other group activities. The attention you give to this responsibility will help determine your grade for class participation.

Library Research Assignments

Most Mondays, you will do an assignment in class which will help you progress toward the completion of your Final Research Paper. A portion of each of these assignments will be submitted at the end of class. The remainder will need to be completed in the library or online as homework. You will focus your research on what you consider to be the greatest (or perhaps worst) 21st Century technology using The Big Thirst and the essays in Nexus as starting points.

Annotated Bibliography

This is the first major step in the process of completing your Final Research Paper. An Annotated Bibliography consists of a list of works cited or referenced along with a summary for each entry and a brief explanation of how you will use the article in your essay. Your Bibliography should account for sources including at least two items from a collection (namely Nexus), a book (The Big Thirst), a website (oed.com), a minimum of three articles found in scholarly journals, and one from a periodical. Two or more reliable sources of your choice should be included for a total of ten sources. At least one of your sources must present a counter argument, so your Annotated Bibliography should include at least two points of view. Your completed Annotated Bibliography should be 5-6 pages in length, but an earlier draft will be only 2-3 pages. This shorter version of the Bibliography assignment will prepare you for writing the Documented Essay.

Documented Essay

The Documented Essay is another step in the process of completing your Final Research Paper. This essay will incorporate three or four of the sources listed in your Annotated Bibliography into a well-organized, unbiased report of the facts you have learned through your research. Proper MLA citation must be used, and a Works Cited page will be included at the end. This version of your essay should be 3-4 pages long not counting the Works Cited.

Runner Reader Response Paper

The Runner Reader Paper will be your response to selections from The Big Thirst. You will have the opportunity to submit this paper to a local contest, and the paper must follow all of the contest's submission guidelines, which will be made available on Blackboard. You will also adapt some part of this paper to be used in your Final Research Paper. Its contents might make a suitable counterargument, for example.

Conference Draft

The Conference Draft will be an early version of your Final Research Paper. It will include some of the writing from your Documented Essay and some from your Runner Reader Response. This version of your paper will be viewed by and discussed among your teammates, so you should do your best to produce a clear and effective draft.

Final Research Paper

This is the final for the class. Combining the report you wrote for the Documented Essay, your response to the Runner Reader, and what you produced during various exercises, you will now use all of your sources to make an argument. You may argue that the facts you have documented prove the value (or danger) of the technology you have chosen in regard to the general education themes (Quality of Life, Sustainability and Social Justice, and Revolutionary Ideas). If the weight of the evidence you encounter changes your mind, you may argue against your working thesis. In either case, you will make your argument using the materials you have found through your research. You may trade some of your sources out for others while writing this version of your essay with the approval of your instructor, but the idea is not to write a whole new paper from scratch. Rather, you should revise and build upon the work you have already done. The Final Research Paper must be between 8-10 pages in length plus an updated Works Cited page.

You will deliver a 5-10 minute "hot-seat" presentation about your paper at the end of the term.

Support Services for Students

To request academic accommodations due to a disability, you should contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. This office is located in SA 140, and they may be reached at 661-654-3360 (voice) or 661-654-6288 (TDD). If you have an accommodations letter from the SSD Office documenting a disability, you should present it to me as soon as possible so we can discuss the specific accommodations you need for this class.

At times, school, work, and/or our personal lives can become overwhelming and difficult to handle. CSUB’s Counseling Center is available to you with skilled and experienced counselors to guide you through the challenges of daily life. Contact 654-3366 for an appointment.

Weight of Course Work

Attendance and Participation 10%

In-class Essays 10%

MyWritingLabPlus 10%

Library Research Assignments 10%

Bibliographies 10%

Documented Essay 10%

Runner Reader Paper 10%

Final Research Paper 30%

Extra Credit 1%

Course Calendar

(All reading assignments are due in class on the day they are listed)

Week 1

8/22 Introduction to the course, the campus, and your instructor

8/24 In-class Essay 1

8/26 Review of concepts in English composition. MWLP: Path Builder

Week 2

8/29 Using MLA to document sources. MWLP: Reading Texts Critically

8/31 Nexus Chapters 1-3

9/2 Annotation and conversation

Week 3

9/5 No class (Labor Day)

9/7 Defining terms using OED.com. MWLP: Avoiding Plagiarism

9/9 Nexus Chapter 10: Definition

Week 4

9/12 Using library databases. MWLP: Finding Sources

Library tutorials (accessed through Blackboard)

9/14 Staying organized

9/16 Nexus Chapter 7: Process Analysis
Week 5

9/19 Writing a rhetorical précis. MWLP: Evaluating Sources

9/21 Pathos, ethos, and logos

9/23 Nexus Chapter 11: Cause and Effect

Week 6

9/26 Drafting a working outline. MWLP: Developing Thesis Statements

9/28 Forming a working thesis.

9/30 Nexus Chapter 6: Illustration. Draft of Annotated Bibliography due

Week 7

10/3 In-class Essay 2. MWLP: Integrating Sources

10/5 Comparing media and messages

10/7 Nexus Chapter 9: Comparison and Contrast

Week 8

10/10 Introduction to The Big Thirst. Documented Essay due in print and on Turnitin.com

10/12 The Big Thirst Chapter 1

10/14 MWLP: Building Sentences with Subordination and Coordination

Week 9

10/17 The Big Thirst research session

10/19 The Big Thirst Chapter 3

10/21 Runner Reader paper due in class and on turnitin.com

Week 10

10/24 Redesigning an essay

10/26 Logical fallacies

Charles Fishman at the Icardo Center 10/27 7 PM
10/28 Nexus Chapter 12: Introducing Argument

Week 11

10/31 Team revision. Conference Draft due in class and on turnitin.com. MWLP: Run-ons.

11/2 "Punching up" your writing

11/4 Nexus Chapter 4: Description

Week 12

11/7 Team conference. MWLP: Commas

11/9 Team conference

11/11 No class (Veterans' Day)
Week 13

11/14 Team conference

11/16 Team conference

11/18 Team revision and editing

Week 14

11/21 Achieving unity. MWLP: Transitions

11/23 Practical review.

11/25 No class (Thanksgiving Holiday)

Week 15

11/28 Hot seat presentations. Annotated Bibliography due in class and on turnitin.com.

11/30 Hot seat presentations.

12/2 Hot seat presentations. Final Review. MWLP: Mastery Check.

Thesis Statement Assessment due.

Week 16

12/5 Final Research Paper due.

Final

12/14 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM In-class Essay 3.