211C Syllabus – Spring 2016
Spring 2016 ENG211C
English Composition II #13467
T 7:10 – 9:50 pm
Ed Bldg 206
Instructor: Ms. Heather Somervail
Office/Hours: By appointment
Email: hsomerva@odu.edu
Required Texts
Everything’s an Argument by Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters, 6th ed., Bedford St. Martins
Course Description
English 211C emphasizes critical reading, thinking, and writing. Students are introduced to principles of analysis and argumentation and taught the requisite skills that will allow them properly to paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize research in the common modes of academic writing. The course culminates in the preparation of a fully documented research paper. A student with credit for ENGL 111C cannot receive credit for ENGL 211C. Prerequisites: ENGL 110C with a grade of C or higher.
Course Objectives
- Refine skills developed in English 110C (e.g., prewriting, organizing, developing, revising, editing);
- Abstract and summarize the content of readings in a range of disciplines and analyze both their own texts and the texts of others based on rhetorical criteria (e.g., purpose, audience appeal, voice, style, arrangement);
- Apply principles of argumentation, including uses of assumptions, claims, emotion and reason and identify logical fallacies, biases, and propaganda;
- Become familiar with personal, primary, and secondary sources used for support and learn to properly adapt, place, and document the sources used;
- Move from analysis to evaluation, judging texts for effectiveness and credibility;
- Recognize differences between scholarly and popular treatments of ideas and begin to make careful selection of source materials; and
- Learn through careful analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information to formulate adequate theses, moving beyond the scope of reporting information to composing papers that express their reasoned judgments on their topics.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop rhetorical knowledge by:
- Analyzing and drafting a variety of compositions or genres shaped by readers’ and writers’ practices,
- Transitioning between situations and contexts by adjusting structure, content, diction, and tone,
- Matching the capacities of different technologies to a range of audiences and rhetorical situations,and
- Understanding that rhetorical situations differ across communities and disciplines.
- Develop critical thinking, reading, and information literacy skills by:
- Using writing as a tool for critical thinking and reflection,
- Reading and writing several genres that utilize analysis, reflection, narrative, critique, and argument skills,
- Locating primary and secondary research materials among library resources and evaluating them for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, and bias,
- Using strategies to compose texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources, and
- Understanding that thinking, reading, and literacy skills differ across communities and disciplines.
- Develop multiple strategies, or composing processes, to draft texts by:
- Working through multiple drafts of a writing project and reflecting on composing practices,
- Exploring strategies for the writing process and adapting them for a variety of technologies and modalities,
- Learning to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress, and
- Understanding that composing strategies and processes differ across communities and disciplines.
Student Help Resources
Online Student Orientation: http://www.clt.odu.edu/oso
Blackboard Support Website: http://www.clt.odu.edu/bb
Technical Support Center: http://www.occs.odu.edu/ or call 757-683-3192
Study Guide Strategies: http://www.studygs.net
Papers Citation Styles: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
Important Dates
Last date to withdraw without academic penalty: Nov 4
Assignments & Grades:
- Quizzes, Discussions, Homework, Attendance, Participation 20%
- Three Papers (15% Each) 45%
- Research Paper (Annotated Bibliography: 5%; Draft: 10%; Essay: 10%) 25%
- Oral Report 5%
- Final Exam (ePortfolio + Reflections) 5%
You must submit all of the major papers, as well as the final portfolio in order to be eligible to pass this course.
Assignment Details:
Readings & Homework: In preparation for each class meeting, you will be assigned homework.
You should be prepared to contribute to class discussions and small group activities that address
these readings.
In-class Writing: You must come to class prepared to respond to a brief essay question related
to assigned readings. These responses will help prompt our in-class conversations.
Nuts and bolts quizzes: Your in-class writing and formal essays will give me the opportunity to
learn your grammatical and stylistic strengths and weaknesses. Based on the patterns I see for
the class, I will conduct a grammar, style, documentation, or research lesson during which I
encourage you to take notes and ask questions. Quizzes may be given on this material.
Essays: You will write a total of 4 formal essays (with drafts for each) – three that are 3-4 pages
and a final paper that is 8-10 pages.
Conferences: At least two times this semester, you will be required to meet with me individually.
Missing these meetings will affect your participation grade.
Portfolio: In lieu of a final exam, you will submit an electronic portfolio of your assignments with
reflections discussing your writing and research experiences in the course.
Grading Scale & Criteria:
93-100 = A 87-89 = B+ 77-79 = C+ 67-69 = D+
(no A+ at ODU) 84-86 = B 74-76 = C 64-66 = D
90-92 = A- 80-83 = B- 70-73 = C- 60-63 = D-
59 and below = F
The criteria for successful college-level writing include the following:
- Scope and Focus: clarity and communication of central purpose and main ideas, limitation of topic, use of pertinent material, avoidance of irrelevant material.
- Organization: form, coherence, orderly progression of sentences and paragraphs that reflect sound planning.
- Development: adequate support and elaboration of thesis and main ideas by use of definition, illustration, specific references, examples, concrete details, and/or evidence.
- Perspective: soundness of knowledge and judgment; ability to develop mature, thoughtful connections; avoidance of second-hand opinions and third-hand facts.
- Rhetorical awareness: effectiveness of the text for a particular situation and audience.
- Expressiveness: control and variety of sentences; precise, appropriate, and vigorous use of words; resourcefulness and flexibility of idiom.
- Mechanics: correctness; observance of standard usage, spelling, punctuation, etc.
**See end of document for details on what an essay of each letter grade entails.**
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial to passing this course. Students must prepare for, attend, and actively participate in all class sessions, as well as two mandatory conferences during the semester. In-class assignments, quizzes, and peer reviews cannot be made up, so late arrivals/early departures will negatively affect the final grade. According to English Department policy, students should miss no more than one week of class time (3 contact hours) without penalty. Students who are absent for more than two weeks of class time (2 classes for a once a week course) will receive an F for the course. Reasonable provisions will made for absences with documented representation at University sponsored athletic or academic functions, mandatory military training, and documented illness. Missed conferences and/or peer reviews will be counted as absences. Documentation for absences must be turned in within one calendar week.
Assignment schedule: We will follow the calendar as closely as possible, but depending on our group’s progress and need, there may be occasional changes which will be announced both in class and posted on Bb. You are responsible for knowing about assignments whether or not you were present when they were announced.
Late Work: If you obtain permission at least 24 hours in advance, you may submit work after it is due but with a penalty of 5 points deduction for each day (24 hour period, weekends included) that it is late. If you know you will be absent on the day an essay is due, and you cannot submit that work electronically on time, you must submit the work in advance. See me before your absence for exceptions. I will not accept late work, otherwise.
Manuscript Preparation: Follow MLA or APA style guidelines when documenting sources. All work should be in black ink, 11-12 pt. standard fonts, such as Times New Roman or Arial, with no greater than 1.25 margins, and all work turned in by hard copy must be stapled or paper clipped to be accepted.
Honor System: You are responsible for obtaining a copy of the Student Handbook and informing yourself about student-conduct regulations. You may visit the Honor Council office in Webb Center, Room 2129, or at http://hs.odu.edu/advising/honor_code.shtml. Bear in mind that at Orientation you signed the ODU honor pledge: “I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.”
Plagiarism:
Writers who use the words or ideas of others are obligated to give credit through proper acknowledgment and documentation. Failure to give credit is plagiarism, a violation of the ODU Honor Code that almost certainly will lead to failing the course and could lead to expulsion from ODU. If the quality of your in-class and out-of class writing varies dramatically, the instructor has the right to ask you to write under supervision. If you have questions about how and when to acknowledge sources, please refer to your textbooks or see the instructor for advice.
What is plagiarism? The ODU Catalog defines plagiarism as follows: “A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else’s work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used. Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group’s work and participates in none of the group’s activities, but attempts to take credit for the work of the group.”
Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism:
* More than three words copied in sequence is plagiarism. This is ordinarily a good yardstick to use when wondering whether or not quotes are appropriate; they are, if you are copying more than three words in sequence that are not part of a common phrase (e.g., “up-to-date”).
* One source is not “common knowledge.” Common knowledge does not require citation. But something is not common knowledge if you have found just one source for the information.
* When in doubt, cite! If you have any doubt about whether or not to cite a source, err on the side of making the attribution.
* If your co-author sounds surprisingly eloquent, make sure the contribution is his or her own. We sometimes work in groups and co-author papers and projects. You should ask the question of your co-author if you doubt the work is his or her own. In group work, you are responsible for the project or paper in its entirety.
* Look away. When you are writing, do not have open books or papers in front of you as you type. Read your sources, and then put what you have read into your own words.
* Writing is hard work. Paraphrasing is relatively easy; writing is hard. Learning to be a good writer is a key part of your college education. Staring at an empty screen can be daunting but become less so over time.
* Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s yours. The Internet is a good resource, and search engines are useful research tools. But what you find on the Internet was written by someone. You must cite Internet web sites, and if you use a quote, use appropriate quotation procedures.
* Paraphrasing is more than changing a verb tense or reordering a list. Essentially, paraphrasing is used to summarize another author’s text. A paraphrased passage must be cited.
The Writing Center: The instructor strongly recommends that you consider bringing draft papers, especially those written early in the semester, to the trained tutors in the Writing Center (formerly “Writing Tutorial Services”). The Writing Center is located in the Learning Commons in Perry Library (on the first floor straight back from the main entrance). Appointments for this free service may be made by telephone (757-683-4013) or in person. The Writing Center’s hours of operation for the fall semester are: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Special Needs: If you have special needs because of a documented disability, or if you have emergency medical information to share, please feel free to notify the instructor privately to facilitate any reasonably necessary accommodation process. If you have an accommodation letter, please give a copy to the instructor during the first few days of class.
Cell phones, Etc.: You may not use your mobile phone or any similar device in the classroom during class. If you expect to receive an essential telephone call or text message during class, please quietly leave the classroom to receive and respond to the call or text and then return promptly.
Grading Criteria for essays:
Edward M. White’s Sample Scoring Criteria as taken from Sullivan’s “What is ‘College-Level’ Writing?”
A Paper (Superior)
- Addresses the question fully and explores the issues thoughtfully.
- Shows substantial depth, fullness, and complexity of thought
- Demonstrates clear, focused, unified, and coherent organization
- Is fully developed and detailed
- Evidences superior control of diction, syntactic variety, and transition; may have a few minor flaws
B Paper (Strong)
- Clearly addresses the question and explores the issues
- Shows some depth and complexity of thought
- Is effectively organized
- Is well-developed, with supporting detail
- Demonstrates control of diction, syntactic variety, and transitions; may have a few flaws
C Paper (Competent)
- Adequately addresses the question and explores the issues
- Shows clarity of thought but may lack complexity
- Is organized
- Is adequately developed, with some detail
- Demonstrates competent writing; may have some flaws
D Paper (Weak)
- May distort or neglect parts of the question
- May be simplistic or stereotyped in thought
- May demonstrate problems in organization
- May have generalizations without supporting detail or detail without generalizations; may be underdeveloped
- May show patterns of flaws in language, syntax, or mechanics
F Paper (Unsatisfactory)
- Fails in its attempt to discuss the topic
- May be deliberately off topic
- Is so incompletely developed as to suggest incompetence
- Is wholly incompetent mechanically
