ENG 1316 — Academic Research and Writing, Fall 2015

Section 1: T/H 9:00-10:15, Room C-126Section 9: T/H 3:00-4:15, Room C-121

Instructor: Nick CourtrightEmail: nicholas.courtright@concordia.edu Office: C-174Office Hours: 1:15-3:00 T/H and by appointmentEmergency Phone: 740-416-0443

Course Description:Introduction to composition skills and research skills. Emphasis on gathering, evaluating, synthesizing, and citing research information to compose a formal 10-12 page research paper. Study of rhetorical strategies, multiple short essays and one research paper are required. Departmental final exam requires composing a formal essay in response to one of several selected topics. For students who choose to co-enroll in ENG 0201 and ENG 1316, taking the two courses simultaneously, the final course grade achieved in ENG 0201 will account for 30% of the ENG 1316 final course grade, in addition to the credit/no credit recorded for ENG 0201.

Course Objectives:By the end of the semester, students will:

understand the meaning of “critical” reading, interpretation and composition; understand the process of formal scholarly research and the use of research in a formal,

long paper; understand the strategies for composing short formal essays; understand what correct, clear and cogent language is in composition and speech.

Books / Supplies: The Seagull Reader: Essays, 2nd edition, edited by Joseph Kelly Preparedness to print documents emailed to you One English-specific notebook

Attendance & Participation:Discussion and interaction in class is an integral part of the learning process and thus attendance (as well as punctuality) is absolutely required. Up to two absences are tolerated, but it is advisable that you contact me prior to any absence so you don’t fall behind. For every class beyond two that you miss, your final grade will drop one-third of a letter grade; if you accumulate more than six absences, you will be in position to fail the course. Simply said, your attendance is absolutely necessary to succeed in this class. It is your responsibility to obtain any class material missed on days you were unable to attend. Tardiness, or failure to have assigned materials (especially on thesis and peer review days), will result in at least one-third of an absence as well as potential penalties on the applicable paper.

Also of importance is your active participation in class discussions. Research proves that the best learning comes from interaction with the material, not from merely passively observing, so it’s

essential that everyone contribute thoughtfully and often. Students are expected to be respectful of each other and the class environment; that said, I encourage challenging insights—don’t be afraid to speak your mind.

Because of the necessity of focus in class, the use of electronic devices such as phones, music players, and laptops is absolutely not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in an acquired absence for the day (strongly enforced), and repeated offenses are subject to additional reprimand. Also, no food is allowed in class, as eating is distracting to others.

Reading:There will be reading assignments for nearly every class. Do them. If you don’t, it will be very difficult to take part in discussion, which is unequivocally important to our class’ goals and your participation grade. It is everyone’s responsibility to finish all assigned readings—if the class is not completing the reading to an acceptable degree, daily quizzes will be implemented.

Course Requirements:Grammar Worksheets/Reading Quizzes: Grammar worksheets will be sporadic throughout the semester, and their frequency will relate directly to how well the class does with grammar and mechanics. Reading quizzes will be on an as-needed basis. To summarize, if everyone is giving due attention to proofreading, participation, and the readings, grammar worksheets and reading quizzes will be rare. But if the class is lax in its duties, worksheets and quizzes will occur daily—class effort will be the sole determiner of their frequency.

Thesis Workshop/Peer Review: Dedication to helping your classmates with the editing and revision of their papers is essential, and your level of effort will not go unnoticed.

Papers: There will be five papers required in this class, including the final exam. All but the final exam (which will be written in class) are to be typed in Times New Roman size-twelve font with one-inch margins, double-spaced, fronts-of-page only, stapled, meticulously edited, and thought-provoking. We will devote time to thesis workshopping and peer-reviewing papers, but I strongly advise that you speak to me about each paper prior to its due date—I guarantee that talking to me will help you write a better paper. All late papers are subject to a 15% per class period grade reduction; if for any reason (including excused university/athletic events) you are unable to attend class on the date a paper is due, you are responsible for turning the paper in early.

Also, there will be a provision for active and engaged revision; in other terms, you will have the opportunity to revise all C+ and higher papers for a wholly new grade (C and lower grades are averaged). All revisions must be turned in within seven calendar days of a paper’s graded return to you, and must demonstrate significant reassessment of structural and argumentative approach—merely correcting errors of attention (typos, mechanics, formatting) or arbitrarily adding length will not result in a higher grade. If you intend on submitting a revision, please notify me in advance (within five days of a graded paper’s return), and include with your revision your original graded paper and all its associated documentation. Simply said, while I advise you to strive for an essay of the highest quality the first time around, honest efforts to make wholesale improvements to the effectiveness of your writing are welcomed.

Grading Policy:

We are going to use a variety of grading methods in here, and I believe it is just as important for students to be actively engaged in their progress as it is for teachers to provide feedback. With that in mind, my notes on essays will focus only on the most pressing issues, and I will always be willing to meet with students outside of class to discuss strengths and weaknesses in greater detail. Ultimately, your effort and self-awareness is essential for this class to be as rewarding as possible for you.

I have high standards, but with effort every student in this class can receive a good grade. There will be no curve and you will not be graded against your classmates. Your grade will be determined using the following distribution:

10% Paper 1 (Diagnostic Essay)20% Annotated Bibliography25% Paper 2 (Research Paper)10% Paper 3 (Outlook Essay)15% Final Exam20% Participation, Effort, and Supplemental Work

Note: all papers plus the final exam must be completed to pass the class. Do not hesitate to approach me about your performance in the class.

Students with Special Needs and Challenges:If you have been diagnosed with a disability that may affect your academic performance, you must make me aware of your condition as soon as possible, and you must file copies of documentation from clinicians or physicians with Ruth Cooper, director of our Success Center. She will notify me of any required accommodations. I can only abide by lists of required accommodations that are issued by Ms. Cooper. All students in our courses must meet the same grading criteria, but I am happy to work with all students (whether diagnosed with a disability or not) to develop strategies for success.

Academic Honesty:All papers will be subject to testing for plagiarism. Cases of plagiarism (using someone else’s language or ideas without acknowledging the source) or questionable academic integrity will be reported in accordance with the standards outlined by Concordia University, and could result in failure of the class and possible suspension or expulsion from the university. In short, don’t cheat or steal words, because I will not hesitate to fail you.

The following calendar is subject to change

Week OneThur 8-27 Introduction to the course

HW: Watch “The Empathic Civilisation” and “A Radical Experiment in Empathy,” plus two questions

Week TwoTue 9-1 Discuss Videos; Paper 1 assigned

HW: bring in 250-350 words of your essayThur 9-3 Work on essay in class; Quotes about Writing

HW: finish paper

Week ThreeTue 9-8 Paper 1 due

HW: Read “Deep Intellect: Inside the Mind of the Octopus” & “Shooting an Elephant” (242-250), plus two questions

Thur 9-10 Discuss ReadingHW: Read “It’s the Inequality, Stupid,” “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,”

& “A Modest Proposal” (297-307), plus two questions

Week FourTue 9-15 Discuss Reading

HW: Read the “Myth of Multitasking” & “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” (186-195), plus two questions

Thur 9-17 Paper 1 returned and discussed HW: goals for improvement of writing and reading skills

Week FiveTue 9-22 Annotated Bibliography assigned

HW: complete at least three of the six Information Literacy Modules on Blackboard; write down three potential research/paper topics

Thur 9-24 Idea Workshop and Research Introduction HW: finish completing the six Information Literacy Modules on Blackboard;

work on search terms and research; bring research articles to class

Week SixTue 9-29 Annotations Workshop

HW: prepare bibliography for peer review Thur 10-1 Annotated Bibliography Peer Review

HW: work on bibliography

Week SevenTue 10-6 Annotated Bibliography due!

HW: Theory of Everything 5-10, plus two questionsThur 10-8 Discuss Reading

HW: Theory of Everything 10-16, plus two questions

FALL BREAK

Week EightTue 10-20 Discuss Reading

HW: complete two detailed spiral analyses Thur 10-22 Discuss Analyses

HW: reread Theory of Everything 5-16

Week Nine Tue 10-27 Annotated Bibliography returned and discussed

HW: Read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” 153-172

Thur 10-29 The Four Elements of a Great Essay; Paper 2 assignedHW: write two potential arguments from existing research

Week TenTue 11-3 Idea Workshop and Introductions Refresher; conference sign-up

HW: develop Paper 2 thesis/intro (bring 1 copy, email me a copy)Thur 11-5 Paper 2 Thesis Accountability Day 1

HW: work on essay

Week ElevenTue 11-10 Paper 2 Thesis Accountability Day 2; Incorporating Quotes and Documentation

HW: prepare for conferenceThur 11-12 Conferences; all Paper 2 materials due at conference

HW: prepare paper for peer review

Week TwelveTue 11-17 Conferences; all Paper 2 materials due at conference

HW: prepare paper for peer review; bring two copies to classThur 11-19 Paper 2 Peer Review

HW: work on paper

Week ThirteenTue 11-24 Paper 2 Peer Review

HW: finish paperThur 11-26 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY—NO CLASS

Week FourteenTue 12-1 Paper 2 due!; Paper 3 assigned

HW: Read Level 9 HandoutThur 12-3 Discuss Reading; work on Paper 3

HW: work on paper

Week FifteenTue 12-8 Book Day; Discuss Final Exam

HW: finish paperThur 12-10 Paper 3 due!; Evaluations

HW: prepare for final

Final Examto be held Monday, December 14th from 7:00am-9:00am