BELLEVUE COLLEGE |
Winter Quarter 2014
ENGLISH 201 – The
Research Paper
Paula D. Sebastian,
Ph.C.
On Canvas Class Site, find
me under "People"
or
BC email at psebasti@bellevuecollege.edu Include class name and number in message box.
Online
Availability:
M-T-W 9:00 - 10:00 am or By Appointment
POLICY
STATEMENT
Textbooks: Fields of Reading: Motives for Writing,
10th ed.,
Nancy Comley et.a.
The
Bedford Researcher, 4th ed., Mike Palmquist
·
BC student email address
·
Access
to CANVAS/Internet
·
USB
flash drive (anything to save your work besides your hard drive)
Course Description:
This
course is designed to take you step by step through the process of writing a
major research paper. The process of writing a research paper will be broken down
into several manageable phases, each culminating with either a short 2-3 page
paper, the presentation of research materials, and a final documented paper.
Throughout the quarter you will read and analyze both our own and previously
published writing. You will learn to use various research tools, including
those from the textbooks, those located in the library, and those online to
locate relevant 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 citations. 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.
Content:
At
its heart, 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.
This is a course in creative writing and thinking so you will get out of this experience
what you put into it. Everything you need – your raw materials – are presently
available to you; I am a resource, just as your textbooks are a resource, the
library, the newspaper, your relatives and social network. Your ultimate grade
depends on the degree to which you make use of your resources. My job is to
cultivate some independent thinking and confidence in your own judgment. Those
of you who need to be told what to do and what to think will find this class
frustrating. Those of you with an interest in being more than spectators will
be limited only by certain academic conventions and your own imagination.
Requirements
and Grading Policy:
To
receive full credit for this course, you are expected to:
ü read all assigned readings
ü participate in online discussions
ü Submit completed assignments for
o
reading
responses
o
rough drafts
o
peer evaluations
o
final
drafts
ü NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE ACCEPTED
Grading:
Your
final grade will be based on completion of ALL the following assignments:
Participation/Module
Responses 30%
Short
Essays (Summary, Critical Analysis, Synthesis) 30%
Fully
Documented Research Paper (6
parts) 40%
Percentage to
Letter Grades:
95-100 = A 94-90 = A-
89-87 = B+ 85-86 = B 84-80= B- 69-65
= D
79-77 = C+ 76-75 = C 70-74=C- 64 and below = F
Course
Policies:
This
is not a correspondence class – one of those classes where you drop in, take
the occasional note, and come back later at your own convenience. Because you’ll
be trying to do too much in too little time, you’ll need to divide the workload
equally. If you, for whatever reason,
aren’t prepared or able to be an active, independent and responsible participant
of this learning course, another class/instructor/format may more suit your
expectations. What follows are our course policies. While they seem somewhat rigid and daunting, they
soon fade to the background while making your work easier. These policies serve
to keep all involved on task, on schedule, and attempt to keep loss and related
neurosis to a minimum.
Reading: Let’s
be clear:
You need to purchase the books and you need to read if you want to complete the
assignments and pass this class. Please have all assigned reading completed on
the dates noted on the calendar. To
ensure that you are reading the assigned module essays, there will be a pop
reading quiz. This is a closed book, closed notes quiz. If you’ve done your
reading, you should be able to pass the quiz. There will no trick questions. You cannot make this up.
Along with this, online discussions will be based primarily on essays
you are reading, so be prepared to participate by understanding the information
in the assigned reading. Through discussion, you will learn and strengthen your
writing skills and their practical applications in essay assignments.
Essays:
You will write 3 short essays plus a fully documented 8-10 page
research paper in this class. Papers containing basic writing errors
(fragments, run-ons, punctuation problems, language problems which interfere
with readability) will be returned ungraded/unacceptable. We will spend
extensive time in class on the structure, logical organization and development
of your papers. Basic writing problems need to be addressed prior to
submitting all assignments
Use
the following “MLA Guidelines” for typing all assignments:
· Your
Name
· Course:
English 101 & Section # of Class
· Instructor’s
Name: Paula Sebastian
· Date
the paper is submitted
· Creative
title for essay, followed by an explanatory title:
Designer Genes: An analysis of the role of genetic
engineering
Plagiarism: Just don’t do it.
All papers will be evaluated through Turn-It In for ‘borrowed’ content.
If you have any questions about correct citation methods, or how to safely cite
from various sources, it is imperative you ask me for help. Don’t cheat,
plagiarize, or perform any other misconduct or serious consequences may follow,
including receiving a “0/F” for the assignment or an “F” final grade. Also,
there will be a report of the incident filed in the Dean of Students’
Office.
Expectations: Any comments, jokes, or remarks that
belittle the worth of an individual’s (or group’s) physical attributes, race,
creed, sexual preference, religion, gender, and/or ethnicity are inappropriate
and will not be tolerated. If our comments inhibits the class’s learning and
education, you will be asked to withdraw, and may be directed/reported to the
Associate Dean of students and/or Campus Security.
I expect
common courtesy from you. Please refer to the Arts and Humanities Web page for
Student Expectations, which apply to all of my classes.
How to Contact Me – If you have questions or concerns
about your assignments, readings, or grade in the class, please contact me through
the Canvas class site. My name/address is listed under the “People” tab.
Do
your work, read, and participate in class discussions. Need more assistance?
Values
Conflicts:
Essential
to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of
expression that might conflict with one’s personal values. By being
exposed to such ideas or expressions, students are not expected to endorse or
adopt them but rather to understand that they are part of the free flow of
information up upon which higher education depends.
To this end, you may find that class requirements may include engaging certain
materials, such as books, films, and art work, which may, in whole or in part,
offend you. These materials are equivalent to required texts and are
essential to the course content. If you decline to engage the required
material by not reading, viewing, or performing material you consider
offensive, you will still be required to meet class requirements in order to earn credit.This may require responding to the content of the material,
and you may not be able to fully participate in required class discussions, exams,
or assignments.