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University of Maryland University College • Adelphi • Syllabus • WRTG 291 7982 Research Writing (2152) WRTG-291 · Spring 2015 · Section 7982 · 3 Credits · 03/16/2015 to 05/10/2015 · Modified 03/13/2015

Class Summary

Faculty Contact

John Tidwell [email protected]

Course Description

(Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101 or WRTG 101S. Continued practice in critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. The objective is to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize diverse sources and viewpoints to develop persuasive and academic writing projects. Assignments include prewriting exercises, an annotated bibliography, a synthesis research essay, and a reflective paper. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 291, ENGL 291H, or WRTG 291.

Course Introduction

Welcome to WRTG 291.  WRTG 291 serves as a transition course between the research assignments in WRTG 101 and the complex writing assignments of upper-level courses. This course addresses the needs of students from all academic disciplines. Based on critical analysis of source material, the course will present a systematic approach to research writing. You will practice summarizing and synthesizing sources.  Your work this semester will culminate in an exploratory synthesis essay in which you examine various perspectives on an issue.

WRTG 291 involves personal research writing.  In this course, you will use the first-person ("I") point of view.  The writing assignments involve a response to an author, a reflective annotated bibliography, a personal research narrative paper, and a final short paper to be directed by the instructor.

Courses that fulfill the General Education Requirements (GERs) at UMUC all have a common theme—technological transformations.  In following this theme throughout this semester in WRTG 291, we will read the analyses of various authors on the impact of technology on various aspects of society. 

The course may incorporate materials from the following four modules:

1. The Importance of Research Writing for Today's Student (module 1) emphasizes a systematic approach to reading and introduces the concept of a methodical research process. The notion of information literacy is explained and reinforced by two graphics, "The World of Research I" and "The Natural World of Research," and references to UMUC's Information and Library Services. Basic UMUC guidelines on intellectual honesty and avoiding plagiarism are presented.

 

2. The Research Process and Critical Reading (module 3) introduces strategies for critically analyzing your research sources and developing coherent, compelling lines of argument. In particular, the notions of active reading and information literacy using global sources are explored. A graphic titled "The World of Research II" is used to facilitate the use of global sources.

 

3. Research Writing and Synthesizing Diverse Viewpoints (module 4) develops a methodology for preparing an essay in which consensus building, not an assertive personal thesis, is required. Adapting your research to the needs and dynamics of the writing situation is emphasized. A graphic titled "Military Community Research Sites" is used to emphasize the value of analyzing subjects within a given discourse community.

 

4. Preparing the Research Paper (module 5) ties together all our previous themes. Using tools of critical thinking previously developed in this course, we will discuss the major aspects of writing a research paper: planning, researching, drafting, and revising the paper effectively. The importance of using global sources and high standards of information literacy is emphasized. Documentation styles and intellectual honesty guidelines are also presented.

 

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you should be able to

· locate, organize, and evaluate diverse sources in order to construct an academic essay

· apply the writing process to develop a research topic appropriate for an academic audience

· integrate appropriate sources to construct unified, coherent, and well-supported paragraphs

· demonstrate accurate grammar, mechanics, and documentation style in writing

Course Materials

Click to access your course materials information

Class Guidelines

Additional Information: Preparation

Prepare for Brain Boot-Camp

Be ready for intensive and intellectually challenging amounts of reading, researching and writing. The upside is that after the first writing assignment you get to pick a topic that particularly interests you to research and write about, as long as it is in some way connected to how people are changing technology or how technology is changing people (UMUC mandate).

If it is at all possible to make this your only class for 8 weeks, please see if you can do so (talk to your academic advisor), because the workload each week will be demanding. This is why I stress being organized and figuring out a work schedule for every day. Too many times I have had students who either left everything for Saturday night, or overburdened their schedule and found the work in this class to be more than they expected.

How to Do Well in this Course

In an online course the best way to stay on top of your work and succeed is to work out a regular work schedule for WRTG 291. 

Figure out a schedule for work.

Make time for this course every day from March 16-May 10. I recommend selecting a particular time of day when your mind is freshest and your energy is at it's highest. Make sure you are in a specific place where you will have the least amount of distraction or interruption and give yourself at least 1-2 hrs each day for WRTG work. Make sure all friends and family know that for those particular hours of the day you are incommunicado: No email, no phone, no nothing but WRTG work. That way you can focus entirely on the week’s work. This may be hard at first, but your mind and body will get used to WRTG work at this time of day and it will become easier.

Using our LEO classroom and its materials: 

WRTG 291 is designed to work by using its different components in a specific order, each building upon the other. I have found that the most effective way to learn and apply the skills for this class are to do the following:

1. Use the syllabus and class schedule as a reference for what you are supposed to do each week. I recommend that you start there at the beginning of every week on Monday. 

2. I urge you to do the assigned readings first, early in the week. They will give you the concepts and explanations that are applied in each week's activities. 

3. Do the class discussions and tasks second, as they will address key parts of the readings and allow you to apply the concepts before you begin writing. Consider our discussions and tasks to be a place where you can 'try out' new skills and get feedback from me and your classmates, before you have to do it 'for real' in your writing assignments.

4. I find the process works best if you have completed your readings and discussions by mid-week. That way you can start writing, or revising, your assignments that are due on Sunday. It is really important to give yourself enough time in your writing assignments to think about your analysis, revise paragraphs that need it, and to proofread your essays before turning them in. You can also ask a classmate or the Effective Writing Center (EWC) to peer-review your paper to make sure it reads smoothly, makes sense and follows the assignment instructions. Dashing out a paper at the last minute never results in a successful assignment.

Use our Course Resource Links

 Since this is a ‘virtual’ course online, 95 percent of the learning is you using materials and links that I have set up in our LEO classroom. Since we use no textbook, you must use the resources, readings, discussions and instructions that are linked to assignments and tasks. I tried to make everything as intuitive and self-explanatory as possible, including the relevant Resource postings I have put in each week’s Discussions. I know there are a lot of them, and some are a bit redundant, but I figured that a link that works for one student might not for a different student. Use the ones that work for you.

Some students in my previous courses did not use many of the Resources I provided. I do not think that is a good strategy for success in this class. Everything I have put in our classroom is there for a reason and is relevant. Most of your learning questions or problems can be solved by using these resources. That includes taking advantage of the Effective Writing Center, which is free and very helpful.

NOTE: Most of the resource links in Discussions are from outside of UMUC, and are usually public. They can be taken down by their webmasters at any time without prior warning. PLEASE let me know ASAP if a link does not work for you and I will find an alternative source to replace it.

Writing Assignment Page Format

Please use this format when writing any writing assignment for this course:

Header: Cruz-REoutline - Draft1

 

Title page:                                Response Essay

                                                         Outline

                                      Analyzing the article by Kelly Kiefer.

 

John Cruz

WRTG 291-7982

April 1, 2015

 

This format helps me know who wrote the paper, what the assignment was, what draft it was, etc. Please be sure to follow it for best results!

 

 How to contact me

The very best way to reach me is by our class email. I check it several times a day and will get back to you as soon as possible. Please be willing to contact me if you have any problems with workload, attendance or understanding assignments. I will always be ready and very willing to work with you and help in any way that I can. But I can only help you if you stay in touch and be candid about issues. I have experience with student problems and a wealth of resources that can resolve most problems. 

-Supplemental Materials

UMUC's Effective Writing Center (EWC) is an excellent resource for writing questions. Its website is http://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) is an excellent resources for grammar and other writing-related questions.

Academic Policies

University policy information is available in the classroom Content > Syllabus > Academic Policies section of the classroom. For a video demonstration on how to load the Content portion of your classroom, follow the link below, and then click on Course Content:

Classroom Walkthrough Videos Link

For more information about student services and other general information, visit UMUC’s website at http://www.umuc.edu/

If you have a good work ethic, a healthy dose of tenacity and some good organizational skills, this course is not only something you can pass easily – but actually enjoy too. I also think that the skills will serve you well throughout your career – and never become obsolete. I look forward to working with you in the near future – keep in touch if you have any concerns or questions!

 Remember: This course is all about you and helping you succeed. As a teacher I am utterly devoted to that.

 

Grading Information

GRADING 

There are two kinds of graded items in this course: Writing Assignments and Participation.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS (WA)

For WAs 1,3 & 4 you will write on successive weeks:

1. An outline

2. A first draft

3. A final draft

WA 2 is a bibliography, so it will only require a first and a final draft.

I do not give a grade to your outlines or your first drafts, because you are trying out concepts and want you to have the latitude to make mistakes and learn from them.

Each draft must be submitted by the Sunday evening deadline as noted in our class schedule.Submit all drafts to their respective folders in your Assignments Section. There you can also find the WA Rubric that I will be using to grade your final draft.

I will grade final drafts for the following basic categories in each rubric:

1. Adherence to the WA’s instructions.

2. Adherence to the WA’s rubric criteria.

3. Correct Essay structure, spelling and grammar.

4. Adherence to APA style format

 

Assignment	Maximum points	Percentage Weight (90)
Writing Assignment 1: The Response Essay (RE)	100	20
Writing Assignment 2: The Reflective Annotated Bibliography (RAB)	100	20
Writing Assignment 3: The Personal Research Narrative (PRN)	100	40
Writing Assignment 4: The Final Essay Project (FEP)	100	20

 

Points

90- 100 points = A

80-89 Points    = B

70-79 Points   = C

60-69 Points   = D

< 59 points     = F

 

Late Papers

All WA final drafts must be submitted on deadline on the Sunday of that week.  Late final drafts will have 5 percent of its grade deducted for every day past the deadline that it is late. Be sure to submit on time.

Final Draft due dates: 

· WA1, the Response Essay: Week 3.

· WA2, the Reflective Annotated Bibliography: Week 4

· WA3, the Personal Research Narrative: Week 6

· WA4, the Final Essay Project, Week 8, on the last day of class.

NOTE: If you are not satisfied with the grade your final draft earns upon submission (or if it is late), I will allow you to revise it (using my feedback) one more time and resubmit it by the end of the semester. You must do this revision on your own time, without jeopardizing your current course work. Once resubmitted, I will not provide any further feedback, nor will I allow further revisions.

If I decide that your revised final draft merits a better grade, I will gladly change it to the grade it deserves. If I do not think it has improved enough (or is worse) I will leave the original grade unchanged.

 

PARTICIPATION

Participation means your work in our Discussions and Tasks section. Participation is graded based on the Participation Rubric Criteria, which includes:

· Your response to the original Discussion question.

· Your comments on at least 2 other classmates’ responses.

· Your responses to Discussion Tasks.

Each week I will assess your participation in Discussions and Tasks and give it a grade. At the end of the semester I will assess your participation grades for all 8 weeks and calculate an average grade, which will then be entered into the grade book as your overall participation grade. It represents 10 percent of your overall grade for the course.

 

Participation	Maximum Points	Percentage Weight (10)
Week 1	100	12.5
Week 2	100	12.5
Week 3	100	12.5
Week 4	100	12.5
Week 5	100	12.5
Week 6	100	12.5
Week 7	100	12.5
Week 8	100	12.5

 

Project Descriptions

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

Each of these four writing assignments will be explained fully in our weekly Discussions forum and will have related eReadings so you will know what to do. They also have specific instructions (Course content>Writing Assignment Instructions) and grading rubrics posted in our Assignments section.

Writing Assignment 1:  The Response Essay (RE).

This is a critical essay you write based on one of our assigned eReadings (Course content>course resources>eReadings) which will be presented in Week 1 Discussions. You will read the article carefully, taking notes, and then construct a response that analyzes and evaluates the author’s opinion ( thesis ).  This response will involve using logic and critical thinking to determine whether you think the author’s opinion is convincing, based on the evidence presented and your own experiences with the author’s topic.

Writing Assignment 2: The Reflective Annotated Bibliography (RAB).

The Response Essay was about a topic UMUC found for you. For this assignment and the two that follow it, you will either continue using that topic OR select one of your own. I will provide some suggestions, but you can select any topic you wish as long as it is about how technology is changing society or how society changes technology . I will strongly urge you to choose a topic that personally interests you, as you will be spending a lot to time thinking about it this semester.

For this assignment you are researching, collecting and building a bibliography   of 5-6 expert, scholarly sources that relate to your chosen topic. You may use and add to this collection for use in Writing Assignments 3 and 4 for their References Section. What is different about this kind of bibliography is that it is annotated   and you will use your reasoned, logical point of view when summarizing and evaluating each source. You will also be identifying key terms and other information about each article.

Writing Assignment 3: Personal Research Narrative Essay (PRN)

In this essay you will do extensive research on your chosen topic, using the bibliography of sources you have built. You can also focus and narrow the scope of your thesis to be more specific to a more important aspect of your topic. The PRN should be 1700-2300 words long and use 8 to 12 expert, scholarly  sources. In addition to exploring and evaluating expert debate about your topic, you will write the essay as a personal account of your research process, and how your ideas evolved as you found new information. This essay is the most challenging and most valuable (grade-wise) of all your writing assignments.

Writing Assignment 4: The Final Essay Project (FEP)

The final essay will ask that you choose from four different methods of evaluating and summarizing all the research you have done on your topic thus far. Since it will review and analyze the information you have found and the increasingly acute focus of your thesis, it will be best if you have stayed with the same topic since writing your RAB.

Academic Policies

Academic Policies and Guidelines

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

As a member of the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) academic community that honors integrity and respect for others you are expected to maintain a high level of personal integrity in your academic work at all times.  Your work should be original and must not be reused in other courses.

CLASSROOM CIVILITY Students are expected to work together cooperatively, and treat fellow students and faculty with respect, showing professionalism and courtesy in all interactions.  Please review the Code of Civility for more guidance on interacting in UMUC classrooms: http://www.umuc.edu/students/support/studentlife/conduct/code.cfm.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

UMUC is committed to ensuring that all individuals are treated equally according to Policy 040.30 Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, and Sexual Harassment. 

Students with disabilities who need accommodations in a course are encouraged to contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) at [email protected], or call 800-888-UMUC (8682) or 240-684-2287. 

The following academic policies and procedures apply to this course and your studies at UMUC.

150.25	Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism – UMUC defines academic dishonesty as the failure to maintain academic integrity.  All charges of academic dishonesty will be brought in accordance with this Policy. Note: Your instructor may use Turnitin.com, an educational tool that helps identify and prevent plagiarism from Internet resources, by requiring you to submit assignments electronically.   To learn more about the tool and options regarding the storage of your assignment in the Turnitin database go to: http://www.umuc.edu/library/libresources/turnitin.cfm.
170.40 170.41 170.42	The following policies describe the requirements for the award of each degree:    Degree Completion Requirements for the Graduate School Degree Completion Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree Degree Completion Requirements for an Associate’s Degree
170.71	Policy on Grade of Incomplete - The grade of I is exceptional and only considered for students who have completed 60% of their coursework with a grade of B or better for graduate courses or C or better for undergraduate courses and request an I before the end of the term.
170.72	Course Withdrawal Policy - Students must follow drop and withdrawal procedures and deadlines available at http://www.umuc.edu/ under Academic Calendar.
130.80	Procedures for Review of Alleged Arbitrary and Capricious Grading – appeals may be made on final course grades as described herein.
205.06	Calculation Of Grade-Point Average (GPA) for Inclusion on Transcripts and Transcript Requests – Note: Undergraduate and Graduate Schools have different Grading Policies (i.e. The Graduate School does not award the grade of D).  See Course Syllabus for Grading Policies.

 

COURSE EVALUATION SURVEY

UMUC values its students' feedback. You will be asked to complete an online evaluation toward the end of the term. The primary purpose of this evaluation process is to assess the effectiveness of classroom instruction in order to provide the best learning experience possible and make continuous improvements to every class. Responses are kept confidential. Please take full advantage of this opportunity to provide your feedback.

LIBRARY SUPPORT

Extensive library resources and services are available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at http://www.umuc.edu/library/index.cfm to support you in your studies.  The UMUC Library provides research assistance in creating search strategies, selecting relevant databases, and evaluating and citing resources in a variety of formats via its Ask a Librarian service at https://www.umuc.edu/library/libask/index.cfm.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SUPPORT

To successfully navigate the online classroom new students are encouraged to view the Classroom Walkthrough under Help in the upper right menu of the LEO classroom.  Those requiring technical assistance can access Help@UMUC Support directly in LEO under the Help menu.  Additional technical support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via self-help and live chat at http://www.umuc.edu/help or by phone toll-free at 888-360-UMUC (8682).

SYLLABUS CHANGES

All items on this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor and the Office of Academic Affairs.

Class & Assignment Schedule

WRTG 291- 7982 COURSE SCHEDULE

· RE = The Response Essay (Writing Assignment 1)

· RAB = The Reflective Annotated Bibliography (Writing Assignment 2)

· PRN = The Personal Research Narrative (Writing Assignment 3)

· FEP = The Final Essay Project (Writing Assignment 4)

 

Week	Discussions/Tasks	eReadings	Writing Assignment	DUE DATE By 11:59pm
1 March 16-22	1. Responding to article,"What is Academic Writing?" 2. Responding to article, "So You've Got A Writing Assignment, Now What?" 3. Pre-writing and Outlining 4. UMUC Databases: Video Tutorial 1:Keyword Searches	Ch. 1: “What is academic writing?”   Ch. 2: “So you’ve got a Writing Assignment, Now what?”   Guides: Pre-writing & Outlining	RE Outline	March 22
2 March 23-29	1. Responding to article,"From Topic to Presentation..." 2. Responding to article, "Finding the Good Argument..." 3. UMUC Databases--Video Tutorial 2--Narrowing Your Search	Ch. 5: “From Topic to Conversation.”   Ch. 10: “Finding the good argument.”   Instructions: “The Response Essay”	RE 1st.Draft	March 29
3 March 30- April 5	1. Responding to article,"I need you to say 'I'..." 2. Responding to article, "Wikipedia is Good for You!?" 3. UMUC Databases--Video Tutorial 3: Using Other Sources	Ch. 11: “I need you to say I”   Ch. 13 “Wikepedia is good for you?!”     Instructions: “The Reflective Annotated Bibliography”	RE Final   RAB 1st Draft	April 5
4 April 6 - 12	Responding to article,"Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat:A Guide to Using Sources."   2. Responding to article,"Googlepedia..." 3. Evaluating Sources	Ch. 12 “Walk,Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources.”   Ch. 14 “Googlepedia”   Instructions: “The Personal Research Narrative.”	RAB Final   Outline PRN	April 12
5 April 13-19	1. Responding to article, "Reading Games..." 2. Responding to article, "Annoying Ways...." 3. Learning Cycles object--Considering Topics 4. Post a Portion of your PRN Essay	Ch. 13:“Reading Games”   Ch. 15 “Annoying Ways”	PRN 1st Draft	April 19
6 April 20-26	1. Moving from Notes to Rough Draft 2. Topic Knowledge 3. Questions, Comments, Observations	Instructions: “The Final Essay Project: Choose from 4 kinds.”	PRN Final   FEP Outline	April 26
7 April 27- May 3	1. Responding to article, "The Sixth Paragraph...." 2. Reflecting on Personal Academic Writing.	Ch. 18 “The Sixth Paragraph”	FP 1st Draft	May 3
8 May 4-10	Course Evaluation: “Final Assignment.”		FP Final   All Resubmitted Final Drafts	May 10