English 1102 (Online SmartPath Core) Compositin ll

II. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION

Laura Retersdorf -- [email protected] Office hours: by appointment via email or Skype.

*(All VSU-related correspondence should be conducted through VSU email or BlazeVIEW)

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I. Basic Information

• Section PO2 • CRN 20711 • Credits: 3hrs. • Online

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Course Description:

Prerequisite: ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101H. A composition course focusing on writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL1101 that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research skills. Students will learn to organize and present ideas and information effectively in research essays.

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Required Text

Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin’s Handbook, 8th edition. This text is available at the VSU Bookstore. You may choose to purchase a license for the digital version of this text (Writer’s Help 2.0). If you choose this option, you will purchase the license through our BlazeVIEW site (see instructions in a following file in this module).

English 1102 (SmartPath Core): composition II Valdosta state university, college of arts and sciences

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General descriptions Of each grade:

III. GRADING POLICIES AND INFORMATION

An important note: Students must earn a course grade of C or better in ENGL1102 to pass; students earning a grade of D or lower in ENGL1102 must repeat the course. Furthermore, while final grades may be raised or lowered by your performance in online and in-class work, in order to pass the course you must average at least a D on the formal writing assignments described below (Assignments 1-4) to earn a C for the course. Grades will be based on the following kinds of criteria: ∗ Ideas (subject, purpose,

main/central idea, focus, thesis, and audience awareness)

∗ Development (details, examples, points, reasons, evidence, arguments, critical/logical thinking, and tone)

∗ Organization (structure, paragraphing, coherence, unity, plan, and transitions)

∗ Style (sentence structure, word choice, diction, and vocabulary)

∗ Grammar (usage, mechanics, editing, punctuation, spelling, conventions, and Standard English)

∗ Format (presentation, Modern Language Association [MLA] style, and documentation)

Writing that earns an A is distinguished by clear, thoughtful, and significant ideas expressed with an awareness of audience; logical, detailed, and relevant development; coherent and effective organization that supports the development; sophisticated style (varied, readable, and skillfully constructed sentences, as well as diction that is fresh, precise, economical, and idiomatic); correct grammar; and correct format. Writing that earns a B is distinguished by most of the qualities listed above. However, it may be distinguished by somewhat less insightful ideas and occasionally less pertinent and detailed development for an audience; some paragraphing and transitions that may not aid the audience as they might; style that is competent but not distinctive; generally correct grammar; and generally correct format. Writing that earns a C is characterized by generally clear but conventional ideas; overly general development; clear but mechanical organization; unremarkable style (restricted vocabulary and sentences that lack variety); occasional problems in grammar that hinder the writer's purpose; and minimal adherence to correct format. Writing that earns a D is characterized by ideas that are sometimes unfocused and confused; development that is sometimes irrelevant or altogether lacking; organization that sometimes lacks order or paragraphing; sometimes incoherent sentence structure and inappropriate word choice; grammatical mistakes that often distract the audience; and major deviations from correct format. Writing that earns an F is characterized by unfocused ideas expressed with seemingly no concern for the audience; little or no development; little or no organization; frequent incoherent sentence structure and inappropriate word choice; frequent grammatical errors that make the writer's purpose impossible to achieve; and little or no adherence to correct format.

The activities in this course total 1500 points; letter grade equivalents for

total points earned are as follows:

A: 1343-1500 | B: 11093-1342 | C: 1043-1192 | D: 893-1042 | F:0-892

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IV. Assignments

Papers: Individual assignments are explained in more detail on assignment sheets posted in BlazeVIEW. All essays (unless the assignment sheet says differently) must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in the appropriate assignment on BlazeVIEW with a self-assessment (submitted as a separate file). Each paper builds upon skills practiced in prior essays, and all class work prepares you to succeed. Thus, all work for this class is cumulative. The first paper asks you to summarize and analyze two articles discussing social uses of the Internet. The second paper asks you to define, explain, justify, and begin researching your research project. The third paper asks you to compile an annotated bibliography summarizing your research and predicting how you will use sources. The final assignment asks you to create a researched argument via a traditional research paper, a Ted Talk, or a series of related blog posts. Discussions: You will interact with classmates on BlazeVIEW by posting at regular and frequent intervals to discussion boards and then responding to two classmates’ posts as listed on the schedule. Your initial posts must follow the instructions for each discussion board carefully and completely. Because the discussion boards typically ask you to create portions of the paper currently in process, your first posts will often be several hundred words long. Responses to other students’ posts must follow the instructions for the relevant discussion board carefully and completely. Often, the instructions for replies ask you to use your word processor’s commenting tool to respond in depth to your classmate’s draft, and you should budget substantial time for your replies. There is no maximum word count for posts or responses. The writing in your first posts should be thoughtful and relatively polished; spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness writing will not suffice. Posts and responses are due as stated on the calendar. Discussion threads will stay up all semester, but posts and responses added more than 24 hours after the posted due date will earn no credit, and late posts and replies will receive only partial credit. Grading rubrics, which show what I’m looking for as I grade, are attached to each discussion board. Short Assignments: You will submit five shorter writing assignments to specified assignment destinations during the course. Each of these assignments has a specific, focused purpose. Often, you will need to do some reading in Writer’s Help 2.0 before you can complete the assignment. Research Logs: At four intervals in your research, you will submit research logs, which have several purposes. First, they encourage you to research steadily and incrementally, responding to the sources you find as you encounter them, rather than waiting for the last moment to do your research (a method that almost guarantees inadequate research and a low grade for the resulting paper). Second, these records of your research help you recognize what you’ve already done and what you need to do next, which makes your research more efficient; for example, keeping a careful log of your research prevents you from repeating searches you’ve already tried that didn’t work. Finally, the logs help the instructor and the embedded librarian recognize concrete ways we can help you by suggesting specific strategies tailored to your research needs. Each of the research log assignments has specific instructions that you will need to read carefully. As I read and grade these logs, I will be concerned more with their content than with their language.

Paper 1 200

Paper 2 300

Paper 3 300

Paper 4 (Research Project) 400

Discussion – 7 @ 10 pts. & 4 @ 20 pts. 150

Short Assignments – 5 @ 10 pts. 50

Research Logs – 4 @ 25 pts. 100

Total 1500

Paper 1

Paper 2

Paper 3

Paper 4

Discussion

Short Assignments

Research Logs

ATTENDANCE: I strongly recommend that you visit the class BlazeVIEW site regularly—at least every other day. While I will not tax your patience by cramming daily announcements into the Announcement tool, I will post additional materials in response to class work, either as text files or as short videos. You must log in regularly to meet the deadlines at intervals throughout the week. You will probably perform better in the class if you log in daily and tackle one task at a time rather than trying to minimize time online or cram right before deadlines. Find a system that works for you. ONLINE CIVILITY This is a professional environment, one in which participants must treat each other with respect. In the discussions and in email, please carefully consider your language. Misinterpretations occur frequently when we don’t have access to verbal tone and body language. If you find yourself offended, take a breath and ask for clarification before assuming the worst (I promise that I’ll do the same). If someone misinterprets your words, explain your meaning clearly and calmly instead of aggravating the situation with an angry response.

V. Other specific course policies

PLAGIARISM Turning in someone else’s work as your own or copying online work and presenting it as your own is plagiarism. Plagiarism will earn you an F for the course, and I will notify the VSU Student Conduct Office of your academic misconduct. Other forms of plagiarism include: failure to provide citations or to provide correct citations, failure to distinguish between paraphrase and citation, overuse of quoted, summarized, or paraphrased material (even if cited appropriately), and/or re-use of a student’s own original work. DRAFT AND PEER REVIEW POLICIES All major papers/assignments will involve peer review. This requires you to carefully read and respond to one of your classmate’s drafts as they respond to yours. Peer review will help you learn how to offer useful critique of others’ work in progress. As you note problems and their solution in your classmates’ writing, you’re likely to notice similar problems and their potential solutions in your own writing. If you fail to attend a peer review session, you must make arrangements with a classmate for peer review outside of class.

LATE POLICIES

Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 (revised, graded versions): you lose 10 points for every day (24 hours) it is late. Paper 4 Research Project: I can’t grant extensions for this final submission. You will fail the class if you don’t submit your project on time. Discussion Boards: As noted above, you may submit posts and replies late (within 24 hours) for partial credit. Messages and replies posted more than 24 hours late receive no credit. Writing Assignments and Research Logs: These are due as noted on the calendar and on each writing task through the designated assignment. The assignment tool will not accept late submissions, and I won’t accept late submissions submitted through email or in any other way.

You must use BlazeVIEW to submit your work; furthermore, you must submit the work through the BlazeVIEW tool in which the work was assigned. BlazeVIEW deadlines are firm; you may not submit work after the deadline passes. You are responsible for making sure your computer is compatible with BlazeVIEW; in the event that it isn’t, use a campus computer until you can resolve the problem. If you go away for the weekend when an assignment is due, think ahead: if you won’t have Internet access or a reliable computer, complete the work in advance. Note that all BlazeVIEW assignments are posted well in advance in the corresponding paper modules, and the detailed schedule for each unit advises you of all due dates; furthermore, all assignment due dates will appear in your BlazeVIEW calendar. Please see the Getting Started module for more information on how to use BlazeVIEW. By taking this course, you agree that all required coursework may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin, a tool within BlazeVIEW. For more information on the use of Turnitin at VSU, see the Turnitin For

The Student Success Center (333-5370) is located in Langdale Hall. Undergraduate peer tutors in this free and valuable service can assist you in many subjects and disciplines, and they can also help you manage workloads and improve your study skills. For tutoring related to this class, I suggest that you go twice during each paper unit—once as you’re drafting the paper and again as you revise. The Counseling Center (333-5940), located on the second floor of Powell East Hall, can help you manage the stress attendant to personal and family problems. In addition to individual counseling sessions, it sponsors workshops addressing typical student issues (test anxiety, time management, etc.). Just as with all counseling services, meetings are confidential. The Dean of Students Office (245-6481), located on the third floor of the Student Union (Suite 3106), is “dedicated to student development both inside and outside the classroom.” If you have a catastrophic illness or a family trauma necessitating multiple absences from classes, talk to people here about your options. The Access Office for Students with Disabilities (245-2498), Farber Hall: Students requesting classroom modifications or modifications because of a documented disability must contact this office, located in Farbar Hall. The TTY number is 219-1348. The Data Warehouse was created by VSU partially as a way to intervene when students run into academic difficulties, especially in their first year. If you miss too many days or if your grades are in the D-F range, I’ll activate one of your lifelines, the Data Warehouse. Once I do that, other campus agents such as the Student Success Office will reach out to you and make sure you recognize available campus resources. Title IX Statement Valdosta State University (VSU) is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work and learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. VSU is dedicated to creating an environment where all campus community members feel valued, respected, and included. Valdosta State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex (including pregnancy status, sexual harassment and sexual violence), sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, or veteran status, in the University's programs and activities as required by applicable laws and regulations such as Title IX. The individual designated with responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning nondiscrimination policies is the University's Title IX Coordinator: Maggie Viverette, Director of the Office of Social Equity, [email protected], 1208 N. Patterson St., Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia 31608, 229-333-5463.

ViI. Resources and information

VI. Blazeview and turnitin

ViII. First-year-writing program outcomes

This section describes the goals of the first-year writing program at VSU, which govern the purpose and activities of all English 1101 and English 1102 classes taught at VSU. These outcomes provide a context for all the work we will do this semester. Therefore, please look closely at the outcomes listed below.

Rhetorical Knowledge By the end of first year composition, students should be able to: · Focus on a purpose. · Respond to the needs of different audiences. · Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations. · Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality. · Read and write in several genres. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing

By the end of first year composition, students should be able to:

· Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating. · Complete writing assignments by approaching them as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources. · Integrate their own ideas with those of others. · Demonstrate an awareness of the relationships among language, knowledge, and power. Processes

By the end of first year composition, students should be able to:

· Employ flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading. · Draft, review, revise, edit, and share texts in electronic environments. · Demonstrate an understanding of the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. · Critique their own and others’ works. · Exploit the affordances offered by and rhetorical strategies available in a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences. · Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases, other official databases (e.g., federal government databases), and electronic networks and internet sources. Knowledge of Conventions By the end of first year composition, students should be able to: · Practice appropriate means of formatting and documenting their work. · Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.