UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON COURSE SYLLABUS COMM 3008 Brown 1 COURSE SYLLABUS Course title: Composition 1011 (COMP I) Course designator: COMP Course number: 1011 (005) Number of credits: 3 Term and year: Fall 2016 Department: Liberal Arts and Education Instructor's name: Dr. William Christopher Brown Office location: Selvig 219 Office hours: Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact information Phone: (218) 281-8270 Email: [email protected]Address: Liberal Arts and Education Department University of Minnesota Crookston 2900 University Avenue Crookston, Minnesota 56716 Course prerequisites Composition I (COMP 1011). Course times and location Days of Week: TR Time: 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Location: Hill 112 REQUIRED TEXT AND MATERIALS Textbook Title: The Everyday Writer with Exercises by Andrea Lunsford ISBN: Edition: 6th Year: 2016 Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's (Boston) Available: http://bookstore.umn.edu/ CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION As with many first-semester first-year composition courses, COMP 1011 asks students to write in a variety of genres. The papers’ themes will loosely revolve around assignments related to your professional or educational development. Here is the course description as it appears in
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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON COURSE SYLLABUS
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COURSE SYLLABUS Course title: Composition 1011 (COMP I) Course designator: COMP Course number: 1011 (005) Number of credits: 3 Term and year: Fall 2016 Department: Liberal Arts and Education Instructor's name: Dr. William Christopher Brown
Office location: Selvig 219 Office hours: Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact information
Phone: (218) 281-8270 Email: [email protected] Address: Liberal Arts and Education Department
University of Minnesota Crookston 2900 University Avenue Crookston, Minnesota 56716
Course prerequisites Composition I (COMP 1011). Course times and location
Days of Week: TR Time: 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Location: Hill 112
REQUIRED TEXT AND MATERIALS Textbook Title: The Everyday Writer with Exercises by Andrea Lunsford ISBN:
Edition: 6th Year: 2016
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's (Boston)
Available: http://bookstore.umn.edu/
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION
As with many first-semester first-year composition courses, COMP 1011 asks students to write in a variety of genres. The papers’ themes will loosely revolve around assignments related to your professional or educational development. Here is the course description as it appears in
the course catalog: "Process of clear, concrete, and convincing writing. Generation and discovery of subjects, revisions, editing." Below are further details about the class.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Film Analysis You will analyze the opening sequence to Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas. This paper asks you to "read" closely a primary text to determine its meaning. We won't do research for this paper. Your task will be to create an analytical argument that explains how and why a certain idea in the film, i.e., a learning style, is conveyed. We will focus on thesis, topic sentences, and developing an argument. Informative Paper: A Personal Statement (with History/Research Statement). The first major paper will be a Personal Statement about your major. Your (hypothetical) rhetorical situation is to persuade the admissions committee of your major to admit you to the program. You will have to show your audience that you have something to offer the profession through a discussion of what led you to the major and what you hope to accomplish with your degree. Personal Statements are a common genre required of students when they apply to scholarships, competitive undergraduate programs, and graduate schools. Learning how to write a persuasive Personal Statement will benefit students as they professionalize through their education.
Rhetorical Analysis of Business Cards (with Ethos Analysis) This assignment is akin to the common visual analysis of an advertisement. I have put a new twist on the visual analysis: you will analyze a business card. We will not be interested in creating business cards, but we will critique the effectiveness of particular business cards and analyze the rhetorical messages that they convey. This assignment has not been the subject of much scholarly work, so we will learn how to utilize popular search engines critically. You will sift popular search engines to find the best resources that can provide you with criteria for critiquing and analyzing business cards.
College classes, like COMP 1011, rightly emphasize the importance of scholarly research in writing. A major value of this assignment lies in its emphasis on reading open access sources critically. Once students graduate, they will no longer have access to much of the scholarly research available in academic libraries. Students need practice using intelligently the resources they will have at their fingertips upon graduation. An Argument Related to Your Major Finally, we will close the semester with a research project that asks students to write an argument that relates to their major. Students must find two articles in a online news sources that they disagree with; the topic and articles must be approved by me. They will then find academic scholarly sources to make a persuasive case for an alternative viewpoint. The argument prepares students for the next first-year composition class, COMP 1013: Composition II. Additionally, it gives students the opportunity to research a topic that relates directly to their professional interests.
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COURSE LEARNER OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes Upon completion of COMP 1011, students will be able to do the following things:
Working with ideas/planning phases: Analyze assignments by reflecting on the purposes, requirements, limitations, and opportunities for each.
Identify an academic topic, formulate a researchable question, and plan a project/paper appropriate for audience, purpose, and context.
Create a research schedule (week by week timeline), identifying start and end dates for researching, outlining, drafting, and editing/revising phases and tasks within each phase to help manage the project.
Researching phase: Identify scholarly articles and journals. Know the difference between primary and secondary sources, and scholarly journals and magazines or other non-academic sources.
Use library databases and services to obtain sources to complete the project. Assess sources for usability and credibility. Choose sources that explore a balance of views and provide fair representation of opposing views to accomplish the writer’s plan. Read, analyze, synthesize, and summarize complex sources, challenging the assumptions, evidence, and fairness of the content.
Create an annotated working bibliography.
Drafting and editing/revising phases: Answer a research question with a clear thesis, well supported argument, and organization by using models of argument and rhetorical strategies.
Use sources ethically by incorporating appropriate paraphrasing, quoting, summarizing, and in-text and reference page citing consistent with a current, recognized style format. Use appropriate tone, level of formality, person, and tense. Write a properly formatted persuasive research paper, which includes a title page, abstract, ten pages of text, and references.
Collaborate, using peer review, to evaluate work for argument, credibility, organization, and formatting.
UMC CORE COMPETENCY Composition 1011 emphasizes the Core Competencies that UMC seeks to instill in its students. It focuses on:
Communication Reading: Students demonstrate the ability to extract and construct meaning from written language.
Writing: Students develop and express ideas with clarity in written form.
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Using technology: Students effectively utilize appropriate software and hardware technology.
Critical Thinking
Problem solving: Students design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer a question, resolve an issue, or solve a problem. Applied learning: Students use elements of reasoning to gather and organize information, analyze information, and apply subject matter knowledge for their discipline or field of study.
(See this link: <http://www3.crk.umn.edu/academics/corecompetencies.htm>).
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS Laptop for daily access to email and Moodle Assigned textbooks
GRADING AND TRANSCRIPTS Here is the grading scale for the class: Grading Scale A = 950-1000 A- = 900-949
B+ = 870-899 B = 830-869
B- = 800-829
C+ = 770-799 C = 730-769
C- = 700-729
D+ = 650-699 D = 600-649
F = 0-599
UMC Grading and Transcript Information The following information derives from the UMC Grading and Transcripts page on the UMC website. The list below identifies the possible permanent grades that can be given for any course for which credit is to be awarded. These grades will be entered on a student's official transcript and, for an A, B, C, or D with permitted pluses and minuses [and] carry the indicated grade points. …
A: 4.000 –
Represents achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements
A-: 3.667
B+: 3.333 B: 3.000 –
Represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements
B-: 2.667
C+:2.333 C: 2.000 –
Represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect
C-: 1.667
D+: 1.333 D: 1.000 –
Represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements
There are two permanent grades given for a course for which no credit is to be awarded. These grades will be entered on a student's official transcript.
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F: “0”
Represents failure and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I (see Section D). The F carries 0 grade points and the credits for the course do not count toward any academic degree program. The credit hours for the course will count in the grade point average.
N:
Represents no credit and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I (see Section C). The N carries no grade points and the credits for the course do not count toward any academic degree program. The credit hours for the course do not count in the gpa.
Personal Statement (with History and Research Statement)
135
Weeks 5-8
Paper Three: Rhetorical Analysis of Business Cards
(with Ethos Analysis)
170
Weeks 9-12
Paper Four:
An Argument Related to Your Major
195
Weeks 13-16
Table 1: Overview of the Assignments for COMP I.
Note: the points of the major points are not simply the points for the final draft. The points cover rough drafts and other assignments that are necessary to produce an effective final draft. Chapter Readings and Quizzes Throughout the semester, you will have chapter readings and quizzes. Quizzes will be posted on Moodle and will need to be taken before class starts. You can take the quizzes as many times as you like before the final due date prior to the beginning of class. Students will not be able to take the quiz after the closing date. You need to post to the Moodle Forum to get credit for the quiz.
Tip: before the final closing date for the quiz, you may take the quiz as many times as you need in order to answer all of the questions correctly. I recommend that you prepare for the first pass at the quiz as though you only had one chance. See how many you answer correctly. After that first pass at the quiz, feel free to find the answers in the textbook for the questions you missed. As long as you plan your schedules wisely and don't forget to take the quizzes before class starts, there is no reason that you cannot make a perfect score on all of the quizzes. This method of administering quizzes will help your grade tremendously.
Other Assignments Throughout the semester, there will be other assignments that prepare you to write your papers. Forum discussions. In addition to these major writing assignments, students must respond to and read forum discussions to get credit for the quizzes. You may pose any question or comment related to the forum’s focus. Communication via the forums must be polite even with disagreeing. Use the forums for questions related to the class that are relevant to your peers. Do not use the forums for information that is directly related to your personal life or your grade.
The audience for these Forums is both me and your classmates. Ideally, my role is to
• confirm good ideas when I read them, • help students to develop their ideas further if necessary, • add my insights on writing to the conversation
Goals for the forums. I would like for the Forums to emulate and to surpass what we are capable of doing in an on-campus class discussion of a chapter. By "emulate," I mean that I would like there to be a sense of dialogue with one another like what occurs in the face-to-face class room.
With that said, I think that the Forums have the potential to surpass face-to-face discussion because writing allows us to go into greater depth and detail than we can when we speak. The Forums allow us to think in depth about ideas before we respond, whereas a class discussion on campus requires us to think on our feet and limit the amount of "dead air" in the room. Both communication approaches have their merits, of course!
Tone. As for tone in the Forums, I think that a polite, formal, yet conversational style is the best approach. The word "conversational" is kind of tricky. By "conversational," I don't mean slang, rambling, or informality. In this context, I intend "conversational" to mean that I would like us to be intelligent and yet accessible in our postings. I'd like you all to make connections between the ideas in the textbook and your past writing experiences.
Internalization of ideas. The ultimate goals for the Forums are to help us to internalize the ideas of the textbook and to be able to put them into practice in a variety of rhetorical situations in the future. By "internalize," I mean that we should be able to take ideas from our textbook and make them our own while still having the ideas be recognizable and relatable to other people. We don't want to distort other people's ideas; instead, we want to connect through ideas.
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Ultimately, we want the Forums to create between us a shared sense of understanding about effective communication based on our shared reading experience of our textbook. Ideally, we can then bring our heightened understanding of effective communication to our respective workplaces.
Applied learning writer’s resources. At the end of the Moodle site, you will find a series of modules devoted to Writer’s Resources. You must learn this material and implement it in every paper. You cannot do well on your papers (and you may even fail) if you do not learn and implement this material.
Rough drafts. I will require students to have individual rough drafts completed so that I can provide feedback. Students who do not submit a rough draft in a timely manner will receive a zero on the final draft. In other words, if you do not submit a rough draft in a timely manner, I will not accept the final draft of the paper. I will expect students to implement this advice in their final drafts. To get credit for the rough draft, you have to be in attendance for the in class exercises, whether in class discussion or peer critiques.
Commenting on drafts. I will generally comment on your rough drafts within two weeks of the due date. Final drafts may take up to three weeks. I teach five writing classes, so I will prioritize commenting on rough drafts over final drafts. It is fine for you to turn in work early, but I may not be able to comment on it until after the due date. I will not accept a final draft if you have not submitted a rough draft in a timely manner.
I will communicate my response through your official University of Minnesota email. If something interferes with my grading, I will keep you informed. I will not ask you to turn in a final paper without having received feedback on the previous paper. Peer Critiques Throughout the semester we will have peer critiques for rough drafts of most of the papers. Peer critiques are a vital part of the composition process. As a rule, I have found that the better the rough draft, the higher the grade for the final draft. To get credit for rough drafts, you must be in attendance in class for the peer critique. Penalties. Peer critiquing is a part of the writing process in this course. Your absence affects your peers and not just yourself. Rough drafts and peer critique sheets will be graded. If you do not have rough drafts and peer critique sheets in class punctually on the days that rough drafts and peer critiques are due, you will be dismissed and given a zero for the assignment. Value. One of the challenges of revising is the difficulty of seeing your own work objectively. The advantages of peer critiquing are fivefold. 1. Peer critiques provide feedback. A peer critique gives you feedback from a peer who can see your paper and its rhetorical problems more objectively than you. 2. Peer critiques help you to see your writing anew. Equally important, critiquing a peers' paper has the potential of allowing you to see your own paper through "new eyes." It helps you see strengths/weaknesses that you might otherwise miss.
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3. Peer critiques enhance critical thinking. All of the assignments that we do are intended to strengthen your critical thinking skills. Peer critiques reinforce the critical thinking element of the assignments.
4. Peer critiques provide a safety net. I intend the peer critiques to be an imminently practical "safety net." Apart from the general rhetorical skills that they are trying to instill, they remind you of key concepts and lessons that you should take from the course. I've tried to design as many of them as possible to serve as checklists for what the assignment requires. 5. Peer critiques complement and develop the directions. Peer critiques are designed to help you through the writing process. The directions provide you guidelines for doing the assignment, but the peer critiques help you through the writing process. The peer critiques are intended to complement and extend the directions. There are certain problems in writing that arise that cannot be explained effectively until students have begun drafting. With the peer critique sheets, I try to anticipate problems in writing that arise while you are drafting and to help you overcome those problems.
EMAIL AND FORUM CORRESPONDENCE
I communicate to students through email regularly. I advise students to check email daily. I expect prompt responses when I send emails.
Email me with any questions that you may have at any time. I will generally respond to your emails within forty-eight hours. The class emphasizes details, so if you are unsure or confused about anything at all, send me an email. No detail is too small to ask a question about!
In your emails and forum postings to me and your peers, I expect you to be courteous, polite, and respectful. Be formal, polite, and respectful in your emails and don't forget to include identifying information in the subject heading.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Here is the day by day schedule for the class. Some assignments or times may change according to the needs of the class.
Wed. Aug. 24 1. We will discuss the Syllabus, the Schedule, and Moodle. Fri. Aug. 26 1. Do the following before class starts. On Moodle, watch the video clip of Nosferatu and fill out the handout below. It will take a few minutes for the video to download.
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Mon. Aug. 29 1. Go to the Applied Learning Writer's Resources handouts and review the following types of handouts: Bibliographic Citations, Parenthetical Citations, and Rules for Titles. 2. Do the following before class starts. On Moodle, watch the video clip of The Fearless Vampire Killers and fill out the handout before class. It will take a few minutes for the video to download. Wed. Aug. 31 1. Go to the Applied Learning Writer's Resources handouts and review the following types of handouts: Quotations and Paraphrases. 2. Read the Overview to Paper One. 3. On Moodle, watch the film clip of GoodFellas before class starts. Fill out the handout before class starts and bring it to class. Fri. Sept. 02 1. Before class starts, email me your idea for the learning style represented in GoodFellas and four scenes that illustrate the learning style. 2. We'll continue discussing GoodFellas. Mon. Sept. 05 Labor Day: no class. Wed. Sept. 07 1. Before class, post the rough draft to the introduction of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Sept. 09 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 1. "The Top Twenty: A Quick Guide to Troubleshooting Your Writing" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class, post the rough draft to the second paragraph of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Mon. Sept. 12 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 2. "Expectations for College Writing" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class, post the rough draft of the third paragraph of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft.
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Wed. Sept. 14 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 27. "Language That Builds Common Ground" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft of the conclusion of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. 3. By 11:55 p.m., revise based on our class discussions and post the complete rough draft of Paper One. Fri. Sept. 16 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 26. "Writing to the World" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Read the overview to Paper Two: Personal Statement (with History and Research Statement). 3. We will do in-class research in preparation for composing the introduction to the History and Research Statement part of Paper One. You may feel free to get a head start on any aspect of the History and Research Statement part of Paper One. Mon. Sept. 19 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter17. "Academic Work in Any Discipline" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft of the "Introduction/Audience Profile" to the History and Research Statement part of Paper One to Moodle. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Sept. 21 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 9. "Critical Reading" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Freewrite on your Relevant Educational Experiences and your Pertinent Professional Development Experiences. Fri. Sept. 23 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 10. "Analyzing Arguments" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you
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have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Turn in the final draft of Paper One (FILM PAPER) by 11:55 p.m. Mon. Sept. 26 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 11. "Constructing Arguments" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft and peer critique of the "Relevant Educational Experience" part of the History and Research Statement part of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Sept. 28 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 12. "Preparing for a Research Project" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft and peer critique of the "Relevant Professional Development Experience" part of the History and Research Statement part of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Sept. 30 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 13. "Doing Research" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft and peer critique of the Key Word and Focus to the History and Research Statement part of Paper One. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Mon. Oct. 03 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 14. "Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Read the overview to Paper One: Personal Statement (with History and Research Statement). 3. We will do in class exercises with the complete rough draft of the History and Research Statement.
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Wed. Oct. 05 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 15. "Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft and peer critique of the introduction to the Personal Statement. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Oct. 07 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 16. "Writing a Research Project" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft of the body to the Personal Statement. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Mon. Oct. 10 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 3. "Writing Situations" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft and peer critique of the conclusion to the Personal Statement. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Oct. 12 1. Read the overview to Paper Three. 2. Discussion of Bibliography and Ethos Analysis of Paper Three. 3. We'll analyze business cards for their effect on audiences. 4. By 11:55 p.m., email me a link to the business card that you want to analyze. 5. Find usable open access online articles for Bibliography and Ethos Analysis. Fri. Oct. 14 1. We'll analyze business cards for their effect on audiences. 2. Find usable open access online articles for Bibliography and Ethos Analysis. 3. Turn in the History and Research Statement to Moodle by 11:55 p.m. Mon. Oct. 17 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 4. "Exploring Ideas" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post
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to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class starts, post the rough draft of the Bibliography and Ethos Analysis. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. 3. We'll discuss examples in class. Wed. Oct. 19 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 5. "Planning and Drafting" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Revise the Bibliography and Ethos Analysis. Fri. Oct. 21 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 6. "Developing Paragraphs" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. The Ethos Analysis for Paper Three will be due by 11:55 p.m. Friday October 21. Mon. Oct. 24 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter7. "Reviewing, Revising, and Editing" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class, post the rough draft of the introduction to Paper Three to Moodle. Follow the usual formatting rules and include a title page. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Oct. 26 1. Before class starts, take the quiz on Chapter 8. "Reflecting" in The Everyday Writer. Post your comments to the forum. To get credit for the quiz, you have to post to the Forums. Point out what you think are the most important/useful ideas. Point out what are new ideas to you. Include a quotation. Let me know if you have questions. 2. Before class, post the rough draft of the first body paragraph to Paper Three to Moodle. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Oct. 28 Faculty have Professional Development Day, so there is no class.
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Mon. Oct. 31 1. Before class, post the rough draft of the third paragraph to Paper Three to Moodle. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Nov. 02 1. Before class, post the rough draft to the conclusion to Paper Three. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. 2. Read the overview to Paper Four. Fri. Nov. 04 1.Before class, revise the complete rough draft of Paper Three. Mon. Nov. 07 1. In class, we will cover how to use our library as a resource. Wed. Nov. 09 1. We will discuss how to use Google Scholar for scholarly research. Fri. Nov. 11 1. In class, we wrap up our discussion of library research. Mon. Nov. 14 1. By tonight at 11:55 p.m., you need to have your topic and 2 online news sources approved by me via email. 2. In class and outside of class, we will work on Steps 1 through 6 of Paper Four. Wed. Nov. 16 1. In class and outside of class, we will work on Steps 1 through 6 of Paper Four. Fri. Nov. 18 1. In class and outside of class, we will work on Steps 1 through 6 of Paper Four. Mon. Nov. 21 1. By 11:55 p.m., turn in Steps 1-6 of Paper Four. 2. Work on the scholarly research for Paper Four. Wed. Nov. 23 1. By 11:55 p.m., turn in Paper Three by Wednesday Nov. 23. 2. Work on the scholarly research for Paper Four. Fri. Nov. 25 Thanksgiving: No Class.
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Mon. Nov. 28 1. Read the formatting and directions to the body paragraph in the Word document below. We'll discuss them. 2. Work on the scholarly research for Paper Four. Wed. Nov. 30 1. Before class, post the rough draft of the first body paragraph to Paper Four to Moodle before class starts. We'll review students' drafts in class. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Dec. 02 1. Before class, post the rough draft of the second body paragraph to Paper Four to Moodle before class starts. We'll review students' drafts in class. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Mon. Dec. 05 1. Before class, post the rough draft of the third paragraph to Paper Four to Moodle before class starts. (Use the same directions from last Monday.) We'll review students' drafts in class. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Wed. Dec. 07 1. Before class, post the rough draft of the introduction to Paper Four to Moodle before class starts. We'll review students' drafts in class. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Fri. Dec. 09 1. Have your bibliography completed before class starts. We'll do an in class exercise with it. 2. Before class, post the rough draft of the conclusion to Paper Four to Moodle. We'll review students' drafts in class. Remember that you have to be in class to get credit for the rough draft. Mon. Dec 12 1. By 11:55 p.m., post the final draft to Moodle.
ATTENDANCE It is important that students attend class on a regular basis; however, I realize that problems in one's day-to-day life arises. To help you with your busy schedules, I will allow three unexcused absences without penalty. For those three unexcused absences, you can make up any work that you miss without penalty. After the third unexcused absence, you will need official acceptable documentation to make up the work. As this policy suggests, I can allow some leeway with attendance, but I cannot allow more because too many missed days makes it difficult for students to pass the class.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON COURSE SYLLABUS
COMM 3008 Brown 16
Definitions To illustrate what I mean by excused and unexcused absences, below are some definitions. Excused absences. An excused absence is an absence which has acceptable official, formal documentation that accounts for where you were and why you were absent during the entirety of our scheduled class meetings. With an excused absence, you can make up the work you missed without penalty. With acceptable official documentation, you may make up quizzes or other assignments by prior arrangement during my office hours. If the absence is not covered by University of Minnesota policies (or policies of the State of Minnesota), it is up to my discretion whether I excuse an absence or not. Unexcused absences. An unexcused absence is an absence for which I have no acceptable official, formal documentation that accounts for your whereabouts during my class.
Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences The following consists of the University of Minnesota's policies on absences.
1. Students will not be penalized for absence during the semester due to unavoidable or legitimate circumstances. Such circumstances include illness of the student or his or her dependent, participation in intercollegiate athletic events (see the Administrative Policy: Intercollegiate Athletic Events during Study Day and Finals Weeks: Twin Cities, which prohibits intercollegiate athletic competition during study day and finals week except under certain circumstances), subpoenas, jury duty, military service, bereavement, and religious observances. Such circumstances also include activities sponsored by the University if identified by the senior academic officer for the campus or his or her designee as the basis for excused absences. The instructor has the right to request verification for absences. Such circumstances do not include voting in local, state, or national elections.
2. It is the responsibility of students to plan their schedules to avoid excessive conflict with course requirements.
3. A student must notify instructors of circumstances identified in (1) as soon as possible and provide documentation requested by the instructor. In the event that the University declares a pandemic emergency (e.g., flu), the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost or designee may waive the requirement that students are required to have documentation from a physician for illness.
4. If a student is absent due to circumstances identified in (1) and has complied with the notification requirement, the instructor may not penalize the student and must provide reasonable and timely accommodation or opportunity to make up exams or other course requirements that have an impact on the course grade. 5. The instructor has primary responsibility to decide if an absence is due to unavoidable or legitimate circumstances. If a student believes he or she has been wrongly denied the opportunity to make up work due to disagreement with the instructor about the legitimacy or unavoidability of an absence, the student should pursue his or her complaint using the usual process for appeals of student grievances. Chairs and deans who have questions about what
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON COURSE SYLLABUS
COMM 3008 Brown 17
constitutes an excusable bereavement absence, religious observance, or eligible dependent illness should consult with the campus chief academic officer for resolution of the disagreement. In accordance with the policy, final authority rests with the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. 6. Instructors are expected to accommodate students who wish to participate in party caucuses, pursuant to Board of Regents resolution [See p. 147: http://www1.umn.edu/regents/minutes/2005/december/board.pdf ] 7. This policy applies to all course requirements, including any final examination. 8. Colleges and academic units may establish specific criteria for notice and completion of work to implement this policy. http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/CLASSNOTESSTUDENTS.html
MEETINGS OUTSIDE OF REGULARLY SCHEDULED CLASS TIME
I do not anticipate any meetings outside of the class, unless you decide to visit my office during office hours.
EXTRA CREDIT No extra credit opportunities are planned for this class. Should the professor decide to offer any extra credit, all students will have equal opportunity to complete the optional work.
MISSED EXAMS / LATE WORK Quizzes must be completed by the closing date/time. Quizzes may not be made up without official acceptable documentation. To get credit for the quizzes, you must post a substantive comment to the Forums. If you do not post to the Forums, you will not receive credit for the quizzes. See below for further comments on excused and unexcused absences.
Chapter Readings and Quizzes Throughout the semester, you will have chapter readings and quizzes. Quizzes will be posted on Moodle and will need to be taken before class starts. You can take the quizzes as many times as you like before the final due date prior to the beginning of class. Students will not be able to take the quiz after the closing date. You must post a response to the Moodle Forums before I can record your quiz grade. I will re-open a quiz you've missed if you have acceptable official documentation.
Late Papers It is best for you to turn in papers on time. The reason is that you don't want to get behind; however, I realize that sometimes one's schedules can become overwhelming. I have created policies for late papers that are designed to help you perform at your best when life gets hectic for you. See below.
Rough Drafts Rough drafts are worth five points if turned in on time, though points may be deducted for incompletion or inattention to the Applied Learning Writer's Resources handouts. Rough drafts are due before class starts. If the rough draft is turned in after class starts or the next day, one point is deducted. If the rough draft is turned in two days after it is due, two points are deducted. If the rough draft is turned in three days after it is due, three points are deducted. If the rough draft is turned in four days after it is due, four points are deducted. If the rough draft is turned in five days or more after it is due, all five points are deducted—i.e., the rough draft earns a zero. Final Drafts of Major Papers Throughout the semester, I will assign a due date for final drafts. It is best for you to turn in the final drafts on that day. If you need extra time, I will give you seven days after the stated due date for the final draft to turn in the final draft without penalty. I will then give you three more days with a minor penalty of five points off per day. I won't be able to accept the paper after the tenth day following the original due date of the final draft.
Examples. If Paper X was due on Wednesday 14 August, you would have until Wednesday 21 August to turn in the final draft without penalty. If you turned in the paper on Thursday 22 August, I would have to deduct five points. If you turned in the paper on Friday 23 August, I would have to deduct ten points. If you turned in the paper on Saturday 24 August, I would have to deduct fifteen points. I would not be able to accept the paper on Sunday 25 August.
Keep in mind that you will still need to keep up with other work that is due, so it is best to avoid getting into this situation.
FINAL EXAM This class does not have a final exam.
TEACHING AND LEARNING: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
(STUDENT CONDUCT) The University seeks an environment that promotes academic achievement and integrity, that is protective of free inquiry, and that serves the educational mission of the University. Similarly, the University seeks a community that is free from violence, threats, and intimidation; that is respectful of the rights, opportunities, and welfare of students, faculty, staff, and guests of the University; and that does not threaten the physical or mental health or safety of members of the University community. As a student at the University you are expected adhere to Board of Regents Policy: Student Conduct Code. To review the Student Conduct Code, please see http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf.
Note that the conduct code specifically addresses disruptive classroom conduct, which means "engaging in behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability to teach or student learning. The classroom extends to any setting where a student is engaged in work toward academic credit or satisfaction of program-based requirements or related activities."
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
You are expected to do your own academic work and cite sources as necessary. Failing to do so is scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis. (Student Conduct Code: http://regents.umn.edu/sites/default/files/policies/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf)
If it is determined that a student has cheated, he or she may be given an "F" or an "N" for the course, and may face additional sanctions from the University. For additional information, please see: http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/INSTRUCTORRESP.html. The Office for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity has compiled a useful list of Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to scholastic dishonesty: http://www1.umn.edu/oscai/integrity/student/index.html. If you have additional questions, please clarify with your instructor for the course. Your instructor can respond to your specific questions regarding what would constitute scholastic dishonesty in the context of a particular class—e.g., whether collaboration on assignments is permitted, requirements and methods for citing sources, if electronic aids are permitted or prohibited during an exam.
MAKEUP WORK FOR LEGITIMATE ABSENCES
To excuse legitimate absences, you must provide official acceptable documentation. Students will not be penalized for absence during the semester due to unavoidable or legitimate circumstances. Such circumstances include verified illness, participation in intercollegiate athletic events, subpoenas, jury duty, military service, bereavement, and religious observances. Such circumstances do not include voting in local, state, or national elections. For complete information, please see: http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/MAKEUPWORK.html
APPROPRIATE STUDENT USE OF CLASS NOTES AND COURSE MATERIALS
Taking notes is a means of recording information but more importantly of personally absorbing and integrating the educational experience. However, broadly disseminating class notes beyond the classroom community or accepting compensation for taking and distributing classroom notes undermines instructor interests in their intellectual work product while not substantially furthering instructor and student interests in effective learning. Such actions violate shared norms and standards of the academic community. For additional information, please see: http://policy.umn.edu/education/studentresp
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
"Sexual harassment" means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment in any University activity or program. Such behavior is not acceptable in the University setting. For additional information, please consult Board of Regents Policy: http://policy.umn.edu/hr/sexualharassment
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
The University provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs and facilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. For more information, please consult Board of Regents Policy:
The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical), please contact DRC at 218-281-8587 to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations.
If you are registered with DRC and have a current letter requesting reasonable accommodations, please contact your instructor as early in the semester as possible to discuss how the accommodations will be applied in the course. http://ds.umn.edu/Students/index.html. UMC’s Office of Disability Services, Owen Hall. https://www.crk.umn.edu/units/disability-resource-center
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance and may reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are available to assist you. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus via the Student Mental Health Website: http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu
ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
Academic freedom is a cornerstone of the University. Within the scope and content of
the course as defined by the instructor, it includes the freedom to discuss relevant matters in the classroom and conduct relevant research. Along with this freedom comes responsibility. Students are encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. Students are free to take reasoned exception to the views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.* When conducting research, pertinent institutional approvals must be obtained and the research must be consistent with University policies.
Reports of concerns about academic freedom are taken seriously, and there are individuals and offices available for help. Contact the instructor, the Department Chair, your adviser, the associate dean of the college, or the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the Office of the Provost.
* Language adapted from the American Association of University Professors "Joint
