English work

Course Objectives:

On completing the course, the student will be able to:

1. Divide, organize and present ideas in a scholarly manner;

2. Use the methods of research, including library resources, electronic databases, and the internet;

3. Distinguish “primary” and “secondary” materials based on how they are used;

4. Research and present a significant, clearly-written project;

5. Draft and revise such a project;

6. Make judgments about source materials (e.g. reliability, appropriateness to topic, relationship to past and current scholarship);

7. Apply reading and writing skills relevant to research (e.g. the ability to cogently summarize, accurately paraphrase, read critically, and identify/discuss issues) through several written papers;

8. Employ the appropriate system for citing and documenting sources and presenting quotations in academic texts;

9. Identify and control errors in their writing;

10. Recognize the ethical responsibilities of conscientious writers.

Textbook and Materials:

• Hayes, Chris. The Twilight of the Elites. New York: Crown, 2012.

Course policies

1. Attendance: You will receive points for attendance. Your class work grade includes preparation for class, including bringing books and materials; attendance; active participation; and academic etiquette (not using cell phone or tablet in class; not talking; courtesy to others who are speaking or listening). Paper points will be given as follows: 50% for turning papers in on deadline and 50% for turning in an acceptable paper. See Grade Calculation document on Blackboard.

2. Do not expect to pass if you miss more than 4 class meetings, or 2 weeks of work. If you are late to class and are not present when roll is taken, you may will miss between 10% and 50% of the points for that class.

3. Academic Integrity:

Any student who submits someone else’s written work—from the internet, from any printed source, from another “writer” (whether student or professional)—or who submits a patchwork assembled from the work of others without regard to academic conventions of citation and documentation will fail this class. Any student who presents work in some other format (video, live presentation, or web-based) that is not properly documented will fail this class. This statement constitutes your notice that such conduct is unacceptable based on La Roche College’s Honor Code, on general academic standards, and on my code of ethics.

1. Special Needs: Please advise me if you have special needs in regard to classroom environment or assignments.

2. Medical emergencies: Please email me if you are unable to attend class due to medical emergency or family emergency. Do NOT wait until the term is over or nearly over to let me know you have a special circumstance.

3. Incomplete: An incomplete will only be approved in extraordinary circumstances and if a student has been in regular contact throughout the term regarding his or her circumstances.

4. Download this document and your week-by-week syllabus into a file on your computer or phone so you can easily check due dates.

About Reading

Reading in this course has several important purposes. First, you need to read to know enough about anything to write about it. The days of tweezing sentences and factoids out of “sources” must be over for you. Successful writing in college, graduate school or the job market requires knowledge of both content (facts) and the field in which you are working, so that you know what the facts mean in that context.

Second, you must learn how to read for research purposes. No one can read everything written on a subject. So you need to be able to determine what a source contributes to the field and to your project. You need to be able to read to determine whether a source is reliable and whether it presents a controversial or mainstream view of the subject. You need to be able to read the apparatus of books and articles, such as Notes, Bibliographies, etc., which requires a different kind of reading expertise.

Third, when we read, we move beyond thinking about “topics” to thinking about research questions. Your focal point, in this kind of reading, is how the writers see the events, concepts, facts, and perspectives under consideration. What kind of questions are they using their research to answer? What sort of materials do they find helpful? How do they use sources to move their project forward? You will need to be able to see how different writers come to distinctive conclusions based on their perspectives (ideological, theoretical, historical, disciplinary); you will need to use these varying materials in service of your own questions and projects.

You can’t acquire this new kind of literacy without doing the work I’ve assigned AS I ASSIGN IT. That means doing the reading right along and turning in all assigned writing on time. If you don’t want to do the reading, drop and try another section.

Assignments and Grading

Grades will be based on:

• 40% Final Paper Grade-- Based on final drafts, scored by paper grading guide. Paper 3 counts double.

• 30% Class Points—Attendance, turning in acceptable papers on time.

• 30% Research portfolio.

***See attached. Grade Calculation guide for specific details.

Weekly Syllabus

Spring 2017

ENGL1012-01, 02, and 03

Week One (Jan. 9-13) Introduction. Information Literacy Quiz due.

Week Two (Jan. 16-20) Jan. 16—No Class (MLK Day) Read Chapters 1 & 2 (pp. 1-64)

Due Wed/Thurs.—chapter annotations (Identify key terms/project (RA#1)

Week Three (Jan. 23-27) Notes on Twilight of the Elites due Jan. 23/24 (RA#2—Annotated Bibliography)

Week Four (Jan. 30-Feb. 3) Paper One due on Friday, Feb. 3

Week Five (Feb. 6-10) Paper One workshops

Begin reading for Paper Two (RA#3)

Week Six (Feb. 13-17) Paper One Revision draft due Feb. 16/17—printed

Do RA#4

Week Seven (Feb. 20-24) Midterms Paper One Revision due Friday, Feb, 24

Wk. Eight (Feb. 27--Mar. 3) Annotated Bibliography for Paper Two due (RA#5)

Spring Break (March 6-10) No Class Meetings

Week Nine (March 13-17) Paper Two due March 17

Project Proposal for Paper 3 due (RA#6--Research question, lens, etc.)

Week Ten (March 20-24) Prepare for Paper 3

Read and research

Annotated Bib for Paper Three due (RA #7)

Wk. Eleven (March 27-31) Prepare for Paper 3

Week Twelve (April 3-7) Paper Three due Friday, April 7

Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen

(April 10-14) & Easter break Thursday, April 13—No Class Meeting

(April 17- 21) Monday, April 17—No Class Meeting

In-Class Paper Workshop

Paper Two Revised due (print)

Week Fifteen

(April 24- 28) Library Week—Revisions Paper Three Revised due (print)

Optional Revisions (print)

Finals (May 1-4) No Exam. Optional library hours Mon-Wed.

Portfolios due Wednesday May 3 at 4 p.m.

Grade Calculation

ENGL1012 Spring 2017

_____ Class Points (30% of total grade)

Found on Blackboard. Earned for attendance and turning in acceptable papers on time. Turned into a percentage grade at the end of the semester.

How to calculate final grade: Your points divided by total points

_____________ divided by ____________ = percentage for class points  letter grade

Attendance: Must be on time to earn full attendance points.

Papers--Here is how to calculate Paper points for first drafts

1. Must be submitted on time or with permitted extension. (50%)

2. Paper must meet minimal standards for completing ENGL1011:

• 3 or more pages

• Demonstrates evidence of proofreading and editing (spelling, punctuation, capital letters, few or no cut and paste errors, reasonable English syntax).

• Includes page citations

• Includes Works Cited that is generally correct

• Quotations presented in generally correct format

• No use of “Google translator” or other translators that mangle English

• No instances of plagiarism (See Course Outlines for definition)

_____ Final Paper Grade (40%)

Based on final drafts, scored by paper grading guide. Paper 3 counts double.

What level do your final papers achieve by the end of the term?

Papers that do not meet the “Paper points” standards above by the end of the term will earn an F. Final draft of major paper must represent work at the C level.

_____ Research Portfolio Grade (30%) Your portfolio must include:

Final drafts of all 3 papers. You can also include early drafts. ______

3 Annotated bibliographies _______

All research assignments, including paper notes _________

Annotation on reading assignments _________

Evidence of careful presentation of final work __________

Information Literacy Test _________

A: Superior proficiency: engages with research materials to “say something” of your own

B: Acceptable proficiency: engages with research materials to complete a project

C: Minimal proficiency: engages with research materials to write a “research paper”

D: Work in portfolio is C or higher but 1 or more assignments are missing

F: Does not engage with research materials and/or evidence of plagiarism