Spring 2000

Instructor: Kevin Brooks
Telephone #: 231-7146 (w) 293-1065 (h)
E-mail: kbrooks@badlands.nodak.edu
Office: 322C Minard Hall
Office Hours: T-Th 9-10:45; MWF by appointment.

English Department, NDSU.Writing, Reading, and Reasoning. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Custom Publishers, 1999.

Bergman, Julie, Jo Wana Cavins, Linda Cravens Fricker, and Richard Shaw. Ourselves & Our World. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Custom Publishers, 1997.

English 111 is a course designed to develop your skills as a reader and writer of academic prose. It will introduce you to the different conventions and styles of writing that you will encounter in humanities, science, and social science courses. You will write three research essays on topics of your own choice, one geared towards each of these fields of study. You will make three presentations in class: one individual oral presentation, one oral presentation with a group, and one web presentation with a group. Finally, you will write ten reading reports on materials from the course text or on materials related to your research topic.

Improve your writing skills. Understand the nature of thesis-driven essays; be able to write such essays. Recognize the different conventions and styles of academic writing; learn to be able to write in these various styles.

Meet the minimum requirements for research and documentation, organization, style, and mechanics on all assignments. See Grading Criteria for further details.

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: Work submitted for this course must adhere to the Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct as cited in the Handbook of Student Policies: "The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity, and fair play. Occasionally, this trust is violated when cheating occurs, either inadvertently or deliberately. This code will serve as the guideline for cases where cheating, plagiarism, or other academic improprieties have occurred. . . . Faculty members may fail the student for the particular assignment, test, or course involved, or they may recommend that the student drop the course in question, or these penalties may be varied with the gravity of the offense and the circumstances of the particular case" (65).

Academic Honesty Defined: All written and oral presentations must "respect the intellectual rights of others. Statements lifted verbatim from publications must be cited as quotations. Ideas, summaries or paraphrased material, and other information taken from the literature must be properly referenced" (Guidelines for the Presentation of Disquisitions, NDSU Graduate School, 4).

Attendance and Deadlines: Attendance is expected; if you cannot make a class, please inform me in advance. More than three absences will result in loss of twenty points per absence.

Reading Reports

Reading reports are more than your individual response to a selected reading. A report should include:

• proper MLA or APA citation of article/book
• background information on the author and/or the specific article (could include other publications, his/her profession, his/her world view or political views)
• a short (two or three sentence) summary of the article: its thesis and main claims
• an analysis of the article’s argument (how did the author say what she said?)
• your response to the article (agree, disagree, speculate on related issues, ask yourself questions you might pursue in your paper)

Value = 10 points each.

This seven-minute presentation is meant to be fun and informal. You will prepare a handout for the class in which you: (1) identify the concept you are defining and explain why you chose it; (2) summarize what others have said about your concept; and (3) define your concept in your own terms (although drawing on others’ ideas where appropriate). You will get oral and written feedback on your topic. 50 points.

The class will be divided into four groups, with each group member working on roughly the same topic (a controversial aspect of science or scientific research). Your group will stage a debate or presentation in which individuals take on the identity of an expert in this area of science. One member of the group will serve as moderator who provides background information on the topic and explains how and why the participants hold different views on the issue. 50 points

You will work in four groups again, this time preparing information and perspectives on a social problem. Your final essays for this unit will comprise a good portion of this World Wide Web project, but you will also be required to develop: (1) an overview page (background on the issue and an introduction to each essay); (2) a resource page (links to good Web resources); and (3) an extensive annotated bibliography page. 50 points

You will write an individual essay for each unit of this course. All essays must be at least 6 pages long, and each will be worth 250 points.

Unit One: Writing for the Humanities: "Defining an Abstract Concept."

Unit Two: Writing for the Sciences: "Evaluating Arguments and Evidence."

Unit Three: Writing for the Social Sciences: "Make a Proposal, Solve a Problem."

The following outline provides some general guidelines you may find helpful. I will comment specifically on each of these four areas–material, organization, style, and mechanics–when responding to your work.

I. Material: Is the material well-chosen for the particular situation, audience, and purpose?

A. Generalizations backed up with adequate specific supporting detail.

B. All points adequately covered, with no unnecessary material.

C. Accurate information.

D. All points logically presented and supported.

E. Material free of contradictions.

II. Organization: Is the material well organized for the particular situation, audience and purpose? Does the format support the organization?

A. Clear, logical overall structure, signaled (where appropriate) by headings and forecasting statements.

B. Clear, logical paragraph structure.

C. Smooth transitions.

D. Appropriate introduction and conclusion.

E. Well-placed material (for logic, psychological effect, and emphasis).

III. Style: Is the style appropriate for the situation, the audience, and the writer’s ethos?

A. Clarity

B. Conciseness

C. Emphasis

D. Tone

E. Coherence

F. Diction

1. Appropriate to the audience

1. Avoids clichés and unnecessary jargon
2. Uses an appropriate tone

G. Sentence structure

1. Avoids monotony

2. Avoids primer or overly complex style

IV. Mechanics:

A. Grammar

B. Spelling

C. Punctuation

The following definitions of letter grades may help you understand what a particular grade in this class means.