Writing in College

The Research Paper
English 201 - sections HYC
FALL 2013

Introductory Remarks for 201 Hybrid Students

English 201 HYC is a hybrid class (combination classroom/online class); therefore, you are required to participate both online and in the classroom on the specified days. Though English 201 is a highly independent course, meaning you will be required to work on your own outside of class hours, it is also a class that requires you to participate in class (face-to-face) and actively learn. We have much to learn this quarter. Please remember that, how much you learn will be directly proportional to how much you participate not only in the classroom class, but also in the online community, as well as how well you manage your time, and how well you follow written directions.

If you signed up for this course thinking that it would involve less work than a course in the classroom, you were mistaken. Please be advised that the workload may be very difficult for you if work and family demands do not allow you on average a minimum of two to three uninterrupted hours every week day to work on the assignments for this class.

Course Description

This course is designed to take you step by step through the process of writing a major academic research paper.  We will break this process into several manageable phases, each culminating with either a short paper or the presentation of research materials. Throughout the quarter we will read and analyze both our own and previously published writing. We will learn to use various research tools, including those located in the library as well as relevant and credible online resources. Once material is located, you will be introduced to methods for reading and effectively evaluating it. You will also be introduced to effective note-taking strategies, methods of constructing and organizing a bibliography, and proper source citation. The final paper will present evidence of your ability to summarize and critically analyze outside material while synthesizing it to effectively support a clear and engaging original thesis.

You will get out of this class, exactly waht you put into it.  At its core, this course is about exploiting resources:  hunting down, identifying, analyzing and then extracting information that helps you develop an informed position which you then attempt to persuade your audience to adopt. Everything you need--your raw materials--are presently available to you; I am a resource, just as your books are a resource, and the library is a resource, and the newspaper and your relatives. Your grade depends upon the degree to which to you learn to locate, assess, and use credible resources.  Your job will be to add insight to an ongoing scholarly conversation on a topic of your choosing. You will be limited only by certain academic conventions and your own imagination. 

Prerequisites: Completion of English 101 with a grade of C- or better is required.

Course Outcomes for English 201

The English 201 course outcomes have been established by the English department at BC. These outcomes clearly state what a student should be able to do after they have completed English 201. These outcomes include:

Thinking and Reading Critically:

• read more precisely so as to recognize the ideology, assumptions, and academic perspectives of sources.
• critically assess how texts are designed for different audiences.

Compose and Revise in Context:

• select and define a research topic or question, identifying key concepts within the topic, question, or academic conversation.
• demonstrate how writing on a topic fits into an academic conversation, and advances knowledge or understanding in a (disciplinary) community.
• develop a focused thesis that is informed by research and is appropriately complex.
• incorporate multiple perspectives, balancing their personal points of view with an objective presentation of differing views.
• create an integrated organizational structure that guides the reader through the argument.
• develop a more sophisticated understanding of how audience, writer, subject matter, and purpose inform one another in academic arguments.
• practice revision, editing and proofreading, understanding when to use each of these techniques.

Research Effectively:

• develop a variety of effective research strategies that meet the demands of various writing tasks. Such strategies include: identifying reliable sources of information, using effective keyword searching to locate sources, knowing when to seek assistance from research experts.
• evaluate the level of authority and relevance of sources based on the demands of specific research writing tasks.
• incorporate material from sources effectively and ethically, and cite sources consistently and accurately using an accepted academic citation method (MLA, APA, CMS, CSE, etc.)
• understand when and how to quote, paraphrase, or summarize.

I have designed reading, writing, and discussion assignments that require you to practice the necessary skills to help you achieve these outcomes. However, because the workload for this class is massive, we will discuss how you are going to achieve these goals and discuss assigned tasks in our first week of class.

Anticipated Assignments and Grading

Attendance: 70 points

You automatically get two points for showing up for each of the 20 classroom sessions on time. If you are late to class, you can earn no more than 1 point, and may earn less, depending on how late you are and how much you participate. Also, if you are late, I strongly suggest that you check in with me to be sure that I note your attendance. I also strongly suggest that find a classmate who takes good notes, just in case you must miss class or you are late and need to find out what you missed.

Canvas tracks your online attendance. You must attend online sessions as well as classroom sessions. We will have 30 online sessions. Each of these sessions is worth 1 point.

Checkpoints: 50 points

With one exception, most checkpoints are the steps in the process toward your Final Research Essay. For some of these checkpoints, I will be taking up your work, but for others, I will be coming by your desk to be sure that you have prepared your work. I grade checkpoints in the following manner: minus (-) 2 -3 points for incomplete work, dependent on how incomplete, and () 4 - 5 points for completed work, dependent on quality.

The checkpoints are:

• Checkpoint 1- RP Topic Exercise (5 points)
• Checkpoint 2- Library Instruction (5 points)
• Checkpoint 3- RP Proposal (5 points)
• Checkpoint 4- Rough Draft Single Source Argument for Peer Review (5 points)
• Checkpoint 5- RP Working Bibliography (prior to Annotated Bib due date) (5 points)
• Checkpoint 6- RP Notecards (5 points)
• Checkpoint 7- RP Topic Outline (5 points)
• Checkpoint 8- Rough Draft of RP on day scheduled for Peer Review (5 points)
• Checkpoint 9- Research Paper to me before conference by deadline (5 points)
• Checkpoint 10- Show up on time for Research Paper conference (5 points)

Assigned Writing: 500 points

1. Annotated Bibliography (100 points)
2. Short Argument Essay: Claim of Fact paper 1-2 pages or Claim of Value paper 1-2 pages (100 points)
3. Research Paper 10-15 pages (includes several smaller assigned tasks) (300 points)
   • Proposal (20 points)
   • Text of Paper with Works Cited/Bibliography (200 points)
   • Notecards (30 points)
   • Self-Evaluation (50 points)

Please note that assignments will be due either in class (@ 12:30 pm) or if submitted online (@ 8:00 am), depending on the assignment and the date due. Also note the Research Paper is a required assignment; failure to submit AND pass the Research Paper WILL cause you to fail the class.

Total Points for Writing Assignments: 500 points

Peer Review Assignments:

Peer review assignments should be helpful to you in preparing the Short Argumentative Essay and the Research Paper. I have created review sheets, specific to each assigned task, that will standardize the reviewer's comments so that the student whose paper is being reviewed can count on a certain level of help. Certain additional rules--like deadlines-- will apply to these assignments. These are rules are:

1. Post your paper ON TIME. Posting your paper late may prevent you from getting comments on it. ** Be sure to make note of Peer Review dates on the calendar. I have set aside dates on the calendar for this work to happen. Make sure that you participate.
2. Students must complete TWO (2) Peer Reviews for the Short Argument Assignment (15 points each/30 points total) and TWO (2) Peer Reviews for the Research Paper Assignment (25 points each/50 points total)
3. Peer Reviews cannot be submitted LATE. In fact, peer reviews MUST be posted at leaste 36 hours BEFORE the deadline for the paper. If your review fails to meet this guideline, you will NOT earn ANY points for it.

Total Points for Peer Review: 80 points

Research Paper Conferences:

This class will also require you to meet with me in a research paper conference. Normally, I just require this meeting and I do not offer points for it. However, this quarter, in an effort to get people to actually take part in this process, I am going to offer points to meet with me. This meeting is required; it has been on the calendar from Day 1.

The day before your appointment, you will be required to send me a completed draft of your research paper via the class website. In this way, I can read over your draft BEFORE I meet with you. These appointments are short (about 15-20 minutes), so I need to be prepared before we sit down to talk. Therefore, submitting your draft before the meeting is essential. I will award you 5 points for sending a completed draft to me by the deadline for your Research Paper Group, and another 5 points for showing up for the conference. These points are reflected above in under Checkpoints. Failure to send a COMPLETED draft will mean that you forfeit ALL points for this assignment, so please don't fail to send a completed draft the day before your appointment.

The Bellevue College Grading Policy is located on page 10 of the Course Catalog and also on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/3/3000_grading.asp.

Responsibilities

Student Responsibilities:

1. Technology requirements: First and probably most important, you MUST have daily access to a reliable computer, word processing software (like Microsoft Word) and an internet connection.
2. Computer skills: Some critical skills you must have include uploading and downloading files, following written directions, attaching files to e-mail messages, and knowing how your browser and computer system work.
3. Computer problems: If you have computer problems, BC's Distance Ed department is your best resource: http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/troubleshooting.asp
4. Daily Attendance and Online Logins: To be successful in a hybrid course, you must be self-motivated and work independently. I strongly recommend that you login daily (particularly during the week), check your course mailbox and the calendar to see what assignments you should be working on. Be sure to attend all classroom sessions as well.
5. "Netiquette" (Courtesy Expectations): I expect you to be as courteous and respectful to me and to your classmates as you would be in person in a classroom setting. Emails and discussion board posts cannot be taken back, so write all of your correspondence with care and courtesy; don't send emails or posts that you might later regret - in terms of content, words, and tone.
6. Plagiarism: This is a serious issue in the academic community since it involves stealing the work of others and presenting it as your own. While academic research requires that you borrow from others, you must clearly acknowledge or cite any and all borrowings. It is also plagiarism to submit a paper which has been substantially written by someone else. Students who plagiarize will earn a "zero" for the assignment in question (with no opportunity for revision) and have their names forwarded to the Dean of Students.

Instructor Responsibilities:

1. Communication: If you send me a message through the course mailbox or the discussion area, you can expect me to respond within 24 hours on weekdays. If you send a message on weekends, you can expect me to respond to you by Monday noon.
2. Feedback: During the opening weeks of the course, you can expect some feedback from me for just about every assignment. I want to make sure that you understand my expectations and the instructions. Later in the course, I focus primarily on your papers, so I will not provide as much feedback about discussions, peer reviews, and other assignment postings (though I will continue to evaluate and grade them).
3. Deadlines: Deadlines (due dates and times) are posted on the course calendar. You will discover early on that I am firm about them. If you try to post assignments after the deadline listed on the course calendar, you may find that the discussion has been locked to prevent late postings. I'm not trying to be punitive, but I cannot grade discussions while people are continuing to post. See below for my policy on late papers.
4. LATE PAPER POLICY: To earn full credit, these submissions must be made by the date and time shown on the class calendar. Papers submitted after that date and time will lose 5 points per 24 hour period that they are late. To avoid losing points for late work, do not wait until the last minute to submit your work. Start early. Sometimes the work will take longer than you think. I do not accept papers submitted more than 72 hours (3 days) late.
5. Personal conferences on any assignment or issue can be held in my office if you can/want to come by when I am on campus. I can also meet on days I am not on campus if we can work out a mutually convenient time; otherwise, e-mail or local phone conferences can be held. Please contact me first to set up an appointment BEFORE making a special trip to the campus if you want to see me at times outside my office hours.

Student Code

I expect honesty. I expect that you will neither do work for others nor use work done by others. Cheating and/or plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Plagiarizing is cheating, as is copying answers on a test, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, buying papers, using ideas from other sources without proper documentation, writing papers for others, or having them written for you.

If you cheat or plagiarize, the following actions will be taken:

• You will receive a grade of "0" on the work (period).
• A report of the incident will be filed in the Dean of Students Office. This report may become part of your permanent record or the Dean may choose to pursue further disciplinary action at his discretion.
• You may not make up the points lost on a plagiarized assignment.
• If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, please check out the follow from the Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .

To access the MyBC student portal, where you access student e-mail and the campus network, go to the BC homepage: http://bellevuecollege.edu/ At the top of the web page, look for the MyBC link and click on it. Use your student e-mail address and password to access MyBC.

If the CANVAS server goes down, you can locate backup files, like this syllabus, assignment sheets, and the course calendar, on the MyBC portal.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with me during the first week to develop a safety plan.

The DRC office is temporarily located in the Library Media Center (inside the Library) which is located in the D building. Or you can call their reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach the DRC by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. Please visit the DRC website for application information into that program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Public Safety

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department's well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff members provide personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

Final Exam Schedule

No final exam is required for English 201. Your culminating assignment for this class is the completed research paper. See the course calendar for that due date.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------