RSWR 3345-SA05: Research
Writing Methods
Fall Term—August 18–November 1, 2008
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:10 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Room 104
Mrs. Nelda Andrewartha, Instructor
Phone: 830-980-2404 email: nandrew@gvtc.com
I. Wayland Mission Statement:
II. Catalog Description: Provides
instruction in formulating research topics, conducting research, and writing
papers, which marshal support from secondary sources. Students will learn to read and understand
research reports, to analyze and interpret results, and to develop in-depth,
research-based papers centering on topics in their academic disciplines. Prerequisite English 1301 (p. 301).
III.
Textbook:
Hacker, D. (2007). A
Writer's Reference (6th ed.).
Martin's Press.
IV. Supplementary
Texts for Reference:
American
Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the Psychological Association (5th ed.).
Bruffee, K. A. (1972).
A Short Course in Writing.
Zinsser, W. (1990). On
Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
(4th ed.).
V. Course Objectives:
·
To develop, apply, and refine communication
skills of exposition and argumentation in written essays and oral
presentations.
·
To expand research
skills in a variety of sources.
·
To read
critically, interpret author's ideas, and evaluate credibility of sources.
·
To integrate
information from research accurately and responsibly.
·
To evaluate
the writing of others for content, organization, development of ideas, and the
conventions of English.
·
To self-assess
one's writing and set goals for improvement.
VI. Student Outcome Competencies: These
objectives will be met through a variety of assignments and activities
described in the Course Outline. Mastery
will require a score of 60% or higher. All
essays will be taken through the writing process, which includes prewriting
strategies, drafting, revising, and editing.
A scoring rubric appropriate to each assignment will be provided
students before each writing assignment.
VII.
Course
Outline:
·
Organize and write
scholarly essays.
·
Research one topic,
using print, periodicals, electronic websites, and audio visual media.
·
Assess
credibility of research sources.
·
Prepare a
working bibliography.
·
Prepare an annotated
bibliography.
·
Complete
dialectical notes to organize research information.
·
Write a research
proposal, review of the literature for one research question, and an argumentative
essay supported with research.
·
Assess and
revise essays to improve organization, content, and grammar.
·
Refine
language skills.
·
Present
research findings to the class.
VIII. Course Requirements and Evaluation:
|
Categories |
Explanation |
Weighting |
|
Attendance |
Absences, partial absences, and
tardies affect this grade. (See WBU’s
attendance policy.) |
5% |
|
Workshop |
Includes such class activities as
prewriting, drafting, revising, editing; reading and discussion; in-class
essays; conferences; self and peer assessments; quizzes and exercises for research
skills, grammar, usage, and mechanics, and completion of Hacker’s electronic
exercises. |
15% |
|
Research |
Annotated Bibliography (5 %) Dialectical Notes (10%) |
15% |
|
Formal
essays |
Includes four polished pieces of
writing:
|
55% |
|
Semester
exam |
Oral presentation based on research
that includes synthesis of essential information and an original visual
representation. |
10% |
IX: Grading:
All assignments must be submitted by
the due date. Failure
to do so will result in a 10-point penalty.
In extenuating circumstances beyond your control, contact the instructor
before class to determine what, can be
done to extend the deadline.
Please note: The research project has separate but related
assignments on the same topic. The
research proposal must be submitted first, followed by the working
bibliography. The annotated bibliography
and dialectical notes must be submitted before the review of the literature,
and finally, the argumentative paper is submitted. This order is important to successful completion
of the research project. There will be no exceptions.
WBU
Grading Scale: A = 90 - 100% B = 80 - 89% C = 70 - 79% D = 60 - 69% F = Below 60%
X.
Policies:
A. Academic Honesty: No
form of cheating will be tolerated. All
forms of cheating are subject to penalties ranging from written reprimand to
dismissal from the university.
Plagiarism—copying another’s words or
ideas and presenting them as your own—is cheating, a serious academic offense
that will result, in the very least,
in an F on the work in question. More
serious consequences, such as a failure for the class, should be expected.
B. Cell phones and pagers must be silent during class time. To avoid disturbing the class, turn off all cell phones,
pagers, and PDA timers. If you absolutely
must be on call, place your cell phone on silent ring/vibrator; and if
you receive an emergency call, please step outside the classroom
before answering.
C. Laptop computers may be used in class for completing assignments for Research
Writing. Students will need to provide
their own paper and printer. The
computers and printers in the student lounge may be used when they are
available, but students must provide paper.
(Students may also use the computers in the computer lab between 9:00 –
5:00 if the lab is not being used for classes or testing.)
XI. Additional
Materials:
ü Dictionary
and/or Thesaurus
ü Ample
writing materials and paper
ü Highlighters
XII.
Electronic Sources:
v
E-mail: Check your email regularly, at least before
each class meeting.
v
Wayland email address:
All students must have
a Wayland email address. See the
v
Blackboard: Because of the restrictions placed on receiving attachments
by the military, some businesses, and some servers, most information will be
posted on the Blackboard, generally under the category of “Lecture Notes.” Follow the directions that allow you to save
as a document. Print each document and
keep it in a notebook for reference as needed in class.
Using Blackboard
On Internet: go
to http://wbu.edu Note—not a www.
On WBU
On Log in Page enter your User Name (WBU ID #)
Enter your password (1st three letters of 1st and last names)
Instructions to change your password on
right side of page
On Welcome Page Click on course you want (RSWR 3345-SA05)
On left side of course page Check for any announcements posted
Click Syllabus if desired
Click on Lecture notes
Click
on notes you want. To read on computer, click OPEN
To
print out, click SAVE & print
v On the Web: dianahacker.com/writersref
XIII.
Availability of Instructor:
The instructor will be available 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Tuesdays
and Thursdays, 12:00 – 12.30 p.m., and for conferences by appointment as needed.
Students
may also contact the instructor by email (nandrew@gvtc.com)
or by phone (830-980-2404).
Special
tutoring on specific topics or skills may be held at other times. Times and topics will be announced. All students are welcome to participate in
those sessions
At any time
you have a question, ASK IT. If appropriate, ask the instructor in
class because other students may have the same question. The only dumb question is the one you have
but don’t ask. We are all ignorant about something. Being
ignorant is no shame; staying ignorant is!
APPENDIX
Class Attendance—External Campuses:
Students enrolled at one of the University’s external campuses should make every effort to attend all class meetings. All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work may be made up. When a student reaches that number of absences considered by the instructor to be excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an Unsatisfactory Progress Report with the campus dean. Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the University’s attendance policy. A student may petition the Academic Counsel for exceptions to the above stated policies by filing a written request for an appeal to the provost/academic vice-president.
Comments
Class
attendance is expected, encouraged,
and greatly desired. Students who miss class almost always have a more
difficult time with the material and fare less well than they would otherwise. Don’t make the mistake of choosing to miss
class early in the semester and risk the chance of having a need to miss class
later when you no longer have any allowable absences left. .Please do not
assume that you can miss 25% of the class meetings with no penalty at all. Very few students can be absent that much and
still pass the course.. If
you are experiencing a personal emergency or extenuating situations beyond your
control, speak to the instructor immediately to discuss your options.
Note that there is no such thing as
an excused absence from any class. If
you are
not in class, you are absent. The reason for your absence is not
relevant. If you are obviously ill,
especially if your illness may be contagious, please stay home until you have
recovered. Anyone who is ill 25% of the
time probably needs to drop the course and rest to get well.
The philosophy behind this policy is
twofold: we believe that attendance in
class indicates that you are serious about getting a quality education, and
that such attendance greatly increases your chances to succeed. On the other hand, tuition covers only about one-third of the cost of delivering a
course to you. Since we have to find the
other two-thirds from the gifts and offerings of the Baptist people of
Notice that the attendance policy does not make exceptions. Attendance
in a class means being in class from the time it is called to order
until it is dismissed by the instructor.
Being tardy means arriving after the class has been called to order:
three tardies equal one absence. Leaving
before class is dismissed counts as
a pro-rated absence. Leaving at break
time means being absent for half the class, or arriving after the break means
being absent half the class.. Two such
half-absences equal one absence. Three
tardies will be counted as one absence. (For day classes that meet twice each week,
no more than five classes may be missed.)
|
It is university policy that no
otherwise qualified disabled person be excluded from participation in, be
denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational
program or activity in the University.
Any student who needs special arrangements to meet the course
requirements should inform the instructor immediately upon entering the
course. |
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE- RESEARCH
WRITING 3345-SA05
|
Date |
Related |
Assignments Due |
Workshop (Sample Activities) |
|
Week 1 8/19 |
References for skills: SS
93-118 W
123-215 G
163-215 P
259-293 M
297-314 |
Inventory of Grammatical
Knowledge Response to Editorial Email instructor before next class to establish email
addresses |
Orientation Preview of textbook Brainstorm research
topics Read and respond to editorial |
|
8/21 |
C 1-18 |
In-class editorial (opinion essay) |
Prewriting, planning Thesis Statements Write draft of editorial |
|
Week 2 8/26 |
C18-37 |
Submit topic for research |
Revising and editing
strategies Edit essay for sentence
and punctuation errors. Discuss research project |
|
8/28 |
R 318-341 Handout |
Typed copy of editorial due (Include all drafts) |
Research Questions Research strategies Finding credible sources Discus sample proposal Draft proposal |
|
Week 3 9/ 2 |
APA -432-450 |
Tentative proposal due Meet at downtown library at 10:10 |
Locate at least 15
sources related to topic |
|
9/4 |
APA -432-446 |
Bring all sources from library |
Edit and revise proposal Prepare Working Bibliography |
|
Week 4 9/9 |
R 333-341 |
Proposal Due Working Bibliography Due (Perfect Copy) |
Prepare Annotated
Bibliography Evaluating Sources |
|
9/11 |
Handouts |
Practice Dialectical Notes (DN) |
Research Questions Dialectical notes (DN) Begin taking notes |
|
Week 5 9/16 |
A 57-83 |
Annotated Bibliography due |
Conference
with instructor Continue note-taking |
|
9/18 |
APA 415-431 APA 447-459 |
At least 3 dialectical notes for one research question due |
Review of Literature
(ROL) Thesis for ROL Conferences |
|
Week 6 9/23 |
APA
415-426 APA
451-459 |
Typed Draft of ROL for Clocking |
Revising,
Editing ROL Conferences |
|
9/25 |
APA
415-418 Handout
- PE |
Revised ROL due |
Thesis Statements Exercise |
|
Week 7 9/30 |
A
67-83 |
Persuasive Thesis Statement DNs for Second question |
Constructing Reasonable Arguments Evaluating Arguments Supporting Points |
|
10/2 |