Reading, Writing and Research

Section 65  Index  2070      Cook 311      MWF 3-3:50

Office: Russell 018   O: 831-5538/C: 239-2583

                        Office Hours:  MW 12-12:50, W 4-4:45                          

 E-mail: mbowling@radford.edu 

TEXTS:    Bullock, Richard, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine Weinberg, ed. The Norton Field Guide to Writing  with Readings and Handbook. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2008.

                   Friedman, Thomas L. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew   America. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2008.

                   Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2006.

                   Additional readings to be handed out in class.

OTHER MATERIALS:

            2 folders with pockets for turning in final drafts and your research portfolio

            5x8 index cards

            a flash drive and access to Microsoft Word

            funds for photocopying up to five copies of each rough draft and copying/printing copies of all research articles

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

     The primary goals of this course are reflected in the course title, Reading, Writing, and Research. The reading component will require you to closely read informational and persuasive texts and to identify the author's thesis, purpose, tone, organizational strategy and persuasive technique. The writing component will require you to summarize, paraphrase and otherwise incorporate your readings into your own persuasive papers. The research component will consist of finding and evaluating relevant materials and accurately citing them in your work. In addition to covering these primary goals, this is a course in argument--not the kind that you have when you scream and end up wanting to throw something at someone--but the kind where you take the best available information, draw a conclusion, and then attempt to convince others through evidence and logic. The sum total of your work on all of these goals will be a researched argument paper of 7-10 pages.

     This class focuses on the processes of reading critically and writing effectively; therefore, a workshop format will be used for a significant portion of our class time. This will require you to write in class, work in small groups, participate in classroom discussions, share your own writing, critique your classmates' writing, and present information to the class. Because learning to document sources correctly is a central focus of English 102, careful attention to the Modern Language Association's (MLA) format guidelines is necessary. In order to be successful, you will need to come to class well-prepared and work diligently at each step of your writing process.

      The theme for this semester's class is "The Change We Need." Change has been a key buzzword in current affairs since the middle of 2008. Most everyone agrees we need it, but the specifics remain undefined and will provide the basis for a great deal of argument and controversy as the new presidential team takes office. Undoubtedly, you have already thought about some areas of life in the U.S. that could be improved. Our theme is quite broad and should allow for you to come up with suitable topics for our assignments. Our main argument example will be Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Friedman has a strong argument for the path the United States should take to achieve energy independence and stimulate the economy. Because it is an argument, his book takes certain postures that you may not agree with. It is absolutely ok for you to base your research paper on opinions that are opposed to Friedman's. The point is to base your argument on the best research you can find and to be able to back up your position with research that is representative of the available information.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS: 

        A general rule of thumb is to plan for two to three hours of preparation time for each class session; however, writing courses usually require a little more. Bearing this in mind, expect to spend about 8-9 hours per week on this course. I strongly suggest that you schedule a regular period of time to work on assignments for this class. Reading assignments should be read prior to the class period for which they are listed. The breakdown of major assignments is as follows:

1. ATTENDANCE:  Excellent, punctual attendance is mandatory for successful completion of this course. You may miss three classes without penalty. Your next 5 absences will each subtract 2 points from a possible 10 attendance points. After you lose these ten points, you will continue to lose two points per absence, taking away points from other categories. Usually, if you lose all of your attendance points, you will fail this class.  Coming in late will result in a partial absence; be sure to keep track of these as they also count against you. You are responsible for material missed, including changes in assignments and other announcements. You may e-mail me, but I cannot encompass everything in an e-mail that you miss in a class period. If you miss 1 or fewer classes, a bonus of 3 points will be added to your final grade. If you have an extreme medical or family emergency, please contact me as soon as possible by phone.

    Sleeping, texting, emailing or being otherwise obviously inattentive will also result in a partial or full absence. Computer use will be limited to taking notes or performing assigned tasks only. Cell phones should be kept out of sight and silent.

    I will also keep track of who participates actively in class discussions and will use this information in the event that you end up on the border between two grades.

2. IN-CLASS WRITINGS: These will be class activities and informal writings that we will use to practice skills or give you an opportunity to collect your thoughts before class discussion. They will also help me to gauge your understanding of the readings and other course material. You may miss three in-class writings without penalty. In-class writings may not be made up for in-class writing credit, but should be completed if necessary as a part of our writing projects to avoid losing credit on the project.

3. QUIZZES:  A necessary evil to encourage close reading of assigned material, these should not harm you unless you don't read or don't come to class. Expect 5-7 quizzes. I will drop the lowest quiz grade; however, quizzes may not be made up if you are not in class. It is up to you to keep track of how many quizzes you have missed.

   *** THE FOLLOWING  #s  4-7 REQUIRE MLA FORMAT, A WORKS CITED PAGE, AND COPIES OF ALL SOURCE MATERIAL***

4. RESEARCH TASKS:  As we work on different research skills, I will assign research tasks to target specific skills. These will require finding articles, reading them carefully, and summarizing, paraphrasing, etc. Your work on these tasks will be collected periodically and may also be required with final papers.

5. and 6. PAPERS #1 (Exploratory Argument) AND #2 (Argument Analysis): These will be two papers of at least 5 pages, in which you use assigned writing strategies to define and describe some of the issues we will explore in class and evaluate the argument strategies of other authors. These must be documented using MLA format and include a works cited page and copies of all research articles used. To prepare you for the Argument Analysis, you will work with a group to evaluate some sample essays and present your analysis to the class.

7. RESEARCH PAPER: This 7-10 page paper will require you to pull together the research, reading, and writing skills that we will work on throughout the semester. In this paper you will write a thesis-driven argument about a "Change We Need." Your thesis will seek to analyze and evaluate some aspect of the problem or propose a solution. Some of your research tasks will involve the sources for this paper.

8. FINAL EXAM: A final exam worth 10% of your grade will be given on the scheduled exam dates. The exam will provide practice in exam taking strategies, in addition to testing you on course material including proper use of MLA format, writing with clarity and conciseness, and evaluating persuasive strategies.

Exam time Monday, May 4, 2:45.

LATE WORK: Quizzes and in-class writings may not be made up. Papers may be handed in one class session late for a penalty of one full grade and two sessions late for an automatic F (=55% provided the paper is of at least F quality). Late papers will not be accepted after two class meetings. 

PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:  Only material that is originally written by you specifically for this course is acceptable. Appropriation of material that is not your own or the use of information without proper credit given to the original author constitutes plagiarism and will be dealt with according to university guidelines. Most often, this results in failing the course. 

DISABILITIES: If you are entitled to classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please register with the Disability Resource Office in Tyler Hall. They will provide you with the appropriate forms so that we can meet to arrange your accommodations. This should be done as soon as possible in order to implement the accommodations in a timely manner.

 
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Last updated: 03/22/2009