ENGG
1122: Argument and Research
University of
Denver,
Winter 2002
sections 31
(9-10:30
TR), 25 (11-12:30 TR), and 34 (1-2:30 TR)
penrose
library | research
links | mla
guidelines | first-year
english
COURSE
INFORMATION
Welcome!
Argument
and Research is the second course in the First-Year English sequence.
Your
goal will be learning how to write well-reasoned and appropriately
developed
academic papers. My purpose in this course will be to acquaint you with
various strategies for developing arguments, to guide you through the
process
of an inquiry and assessment casebook, to teach you library research
skills,
and to encourage you toward a more fluent style of writing. As a result
of this course, your ability to analyze your reading and express your
own
ideas persuasively in writing should improve. Casebook topics will
address
a controversial issue of your own interest. Required Texts:The
Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in College (Gage, 3rd ed.)
and Opening
Doors: Guide to First-Year English (Whitt, Walpert, and Black, 13th
ed). For course policies, click here.
Please
complete assignments
for the days on which they are listed.
| Week |
Date |
Topic |
Assignments
Due
Readings
are in Shape
of Reason unless otherwise noted.
SA=short
assignment. |
| 1 |
R
1/3 |
Introductions/Overview |
|
| 2 |
T
1/8 |
Understanding
Argument |
read:
chapter 1 and chapter 2 |
| |
R
1/10 |
Writing
Argument, Casebook
Project |
read:
chapter 3 and chapter 4
SA 1
due: Topic List Bring
a typed page with the following information:
- The
title
of your tentative
topic.
- A
brief
description of why you
chose the topic.
- A list
of
things you know about
your topic already (any surprising facts or statistics, the extent of
the
problems, important people or institutions involved, key schools of
thought
on the topic, common misconceptions, observations you've made,
important
trends, major controversies, etc.)
- (Spend
about 15-20 minutes on
this--push yourself on this most important step. Make the list as long
as you can; try to see your topic in as many ways as possible.) List
questions
about your topic that you'd like to answer through your research.
|
| 3 |
T
1/15 |
Citing
Sources, Integrating
Quotations, Avoiding
Plagiarism, Paraphrase
& Summary |
read:
chapter 5, chapter 6, and "Plagiarism" in Student Guide (39)
take a look at
the evaluating
sources presentation at http://www.penlib.du.edu/webpage_files/evaluating_resources.html |
| |
R
1/17 |
Meet
at library |
read:
chapter 8
SA 2
due: Research Proposal In
a typed paragraph, identify your topic and the controversial aspect you
will address.
|
| 4 |
T
1/22 |
Meet
at library for research |
SA
3 due: Paraphrase and Summary
- Paraphrase
any sentence from
an article you’ve found (use correct documentation)
- Summarize
the same article in
one paragraph (use correct format/documentation)
- Turn
in
copy of article with
typed paraphrase and summary.
|
| |
R
1/24 |
Meet
at library for research |
SA
4 due: Source List Type up publishing information on five sources
you’ve
found (in correct MLA format). Include annotation (see casebook
handout). |
| 5 |
T
1/29 |
Position
Essay Workshop and Effective Titles |
read:
chapter 7
Position
Essay draft due:
Write a four-page essay on an issue raised by your reading of several
sources
(include evidence, documentation, and source list) for a specific
audience
(your choice, but they will be neutral or in opposition to your stand).
Think of this essay as the first part of your argument paper. Your
goals
are to take an informed stand on your topic and to present evidence to
support your thesis. Your ideas should be developed and organized;
multiple
sources should be integrated into your presentation. Be clear on your
audience
and write for their specific needs. Look at the syllabus for essay
guidelines (standards
are also printed in the Guide).
Bring two (2) typed copies to workshop.
|
| |
R
1/31 |
Thesis
Work |
Position
Essay due in a folder with all materials (articles, drafts,
etc.—if
you used a book, please copy the page you paraphrase or quote and
include
it so I can check your documentation).
SA 5
due: Thesis You
don’t have to rework your position essay thesis, just type on a page
and
exclude your name.
|
| 6 |
T
2/5 |
Logical
Fallacies/Refutation |
|
| |
R
2/7 |
Midterm
Exam |
|
| 7 |
T
2/12 |
Refutation
Essay Workshop |
Refutation
Essay draft due: Write a three-page essay in which you identify
and
address the two or three most relevant oppositions to your position.
Refute
the objections in a graceful, intelligent way that will convince your
audience
that you are a fair-minded person who has considered opposing
viewpoints
carefully. The first paragraph should identify the controversy and your
position. Bring two (2) typed copies to workshop. |
| |
R
2/14 |
Introductions/Conclusions |
Refutation
Essay due in a folder with all drafts and sources used. |
| 8 |
T
2/19 |
Introduction
Work &
Argument
Paper Exchange |
SA
6 due: Developed Introduction Please bring a typed page with a
developed
introduction for your argument paper that uses one of the strategies
we’ve
discussed in class and that leads up to your thesis. What will
effectively
engage the readers' attention and put them in the frame of mind to
seriously
consider your main idea (presented concisely in the thesis)?
Also, bring
2 copies of your
Argument Paper to exchange (we’ll trade today so that you have time to
read before the workshop on Thursday). This draft should be very close
to a final version (in other words, you have revised, developed your
ideas,
worked out the organization, formatted according to MLA guidelines, and
edited for clarity, grammar, and mechanics—and you have included a
polished
Works Cited list).
|
| |
R
2/21 |
Argument
Paper Workshop |
Bring written
comments for your group members. |
| 9 |
T
2/26 |
Presentations
|
In
a ten-minute presentation, explain your topic and present the
results
of your research to the class. Use an outline or notecards to organize
your content, and create a visual element (website or Powerpoint
presentation
to project from your laptop, chart to display, or very detailed
handout).
All presentations should include the following:
- engaging
introduction,
- identification
of your topic
and clear statement of your position,
- description
of what interested
you about the topic (could be part of introduction),
- discussion
of at least two examples
of your most persuasive evidence,
- mention
of
the strongest point
of opposition (with refutation), and
- conclusion
with statement of
personal response to your findings.
|
| |
R
2/28 |
Presentations/
Casebooks |
Final
Casebooks dueYour argumentative paper should be documented in
MLA
style, follow manuscript guidelines, and meet the standards of academic
excellence. Remember to highlight/organize source materials and
research
materials. Please turn in with your casebook
point sheet. No late casebooks will be accepted! |
| 10 |
T
3/5 |
Class
Cancelled—attend one "I’ll Take My Stand" instead |
Attend
one "I’ll Take My Stand" on March 4, 5, 6, and 7 at Boettcher
Auditorium
(7-9 pm). Be sure to get a ticket and turn it in to me on Thursday to
receive
credit for today’s class. |
| |
R
3/7 |
Presentations
Abstract
Workshop |
Casebook
Abstract Draft due (two typed copies)
Ticket from
"I’ll Take
My Stand" due |
| 11 |
T
3/12 |
Presentations |
Revised
Abstract due (for final exam credit) |
| |
W
3/13 |
|
Argument
paper MUST be posted to your eportfolio
by 5 pm! |
| |
R 3/14 |
|
Final
Exam |
COURSE
POLICIES
Attendance:
You are
a vital member of our community, and regular attendance is essential.
You
are allowed two absences with no penalty; additional absences and
chronic
late arrivals will affect your final grade adversely (-25 points each
instance
after first two). If you have an emergency medical absence, please
obtain
documentation. Any student eligible for accommodation of special
learning
needs should speak with me during the first week of class. The best way
to contact me outside of class is to send an email; I will respond as
soon
as I receive your message.
Assignments: Please
bring your textbook to class every day that we’ve had a reading. If you
have a question about any assignment, ask me—I'm happy to help. Assignments
are due in class, at the beginning of class, on the due date to receive
full credit. Assignments will be accepted one class period late
(this
will result in a reduction of five points) but not after that.
Please
do not email or fax assignments.
Academic
Responsibilities:
All work must be your own, generated this quarter. Turning in work that
you have completed for another class is academic dishonesty. Plagiarism
involves using all or part of a source (words or ideas) without
correctly
citing the source (this would include representing another person's
work
as your own or using a source without correct documentation). You
are
responsible for asking me if you are not sure how to document
something.
Academically dishonest or plagiarized work will receive an "F" and may
be grounds for further disciplinary action (see Guide 39-40 for
more information).
Workshop
Guidelines:
We will be working as a community of writers in this course, and you
will
take part in several workshops. Workshops provide the important
opportunity
for you to give and to receive feedback within a group of writers
familiar
with your writing goals. In order to receive full credit for workshops,
you must bring the requested amount of copies of your draft in progress
and give written feedback to all of your group members: you will
receive 25
points if you have 2 copies of your draft and you give feedback to
others, 15
points if you have 1 copy of your draft and you give feedback to
others,
and 10 points if you only give feedback. If you are not here
for
workshops, you cannot make up the points.
Critical Essay
Guidelines:
Workshop drafts and final versions of your essay should be word
processed
in a 12-point standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial,
etc.);
see Guide for manuscript format guidelines, standards for
grades,
and a revision checklist (41-46). Aim for the length requirement; half
a page over or under is acceptable. Please proofread carefully. I am
looking
for a clear original thesis supported by specific and relevant evidence
discussed in a well-developed and well-organized essay. You should
integrate
some paraphrases and/or short quotations where appropriate—documented,
of course, with parenthetical citations and a works cited list in MLA
format
(see Guide 191-195 and 215-216). When you turn in a final
version
of an essay, please include all of the drafts leading up to your final
version in your folder, and keep all materials—you’ll need to include
them
in your final casebook.
Editing Sheets:
We
will go over this together in class, but please see Guide 46-48
for information on the editing sheet. You will need to do an editing
sheet
for each short essay that you write. Your graded essay will have
numbers
in the margins that correspond to the Bellwether Handbook in the Guide.
Use the chart on the back of the Guide to determine the area of
correction necessary, then read the relevant page numbers listed next
to
that area. When you make the correction, you may write just the word
before
and after the change (instead of writing the whole sentence each time),
unless the error is a run-on sentence or fragment, in which case you
need
to write the corrected sentence(s) out in full. If you have more than
20
errors, just do the first 20. Editing sheets are due one week after I
return
your graded essay.
Electronic
Portfolio:
You will need to post your best essay from this quarter on your electronic
portfolio.
Final Grade
Framework: You
determine your grade from this day forward, so do ask me if you have
any
questions about the assignments or anything else. To earn the most
possible
points, come to class prepared and on time, do your own work to the
best
of your ability, turn in the work on the due date, and participate in
class—your
grade will reflect your efforts! Your final grade will be based on the
following framework (adjusted for absences/lates/participation if
necessary).
inquiry
and assessment casebook:
200
two additional
essays: 200
midterm: 100
oral
presentation of casebook:
100
short
assignments/editing
sheets: 100
participation/workshops:
100
final exam: 200
Total points
possible: 1000
|
930-1000
= A
830-879
= B
730-779
= C
630-679
= D |
900-929
= A-
800-829
= B-
700-729
= C-
600-629
= D- |
880-890
=B+
780-799
=C+
680-699
=D+
0-600 = F |
|
GOOD THINGS TO
KNOW
Writing
Assistance:
The Write Place, staffed by English instructors, is a valuable resource
for you. The Write Place operates on a walk-in basis, and the
instructors
can help you develop or revise your writing assignment (note: the Write
Place is not a proofreading service). If you receive an "R"
(revision
required) on an essay, we will discuss your paper; then you will need
to
go to the Write Place with your revised version before
re-submitting
the essay (have the tutor sign and date your paper when you go in). The
center is located in Penrose Library and in the residence halls (see Guide
35 for more information).
Extra Credit
Opportunities: A
visit to the Write Place (other than for an "R") is worth ten extra
credit
points (up to three times). To receive extra credit, (1) ask the
writing
center tutor to sign his/her name legibly on the draft and to note
the date and duration of your visit then (2) write "Write Place
Copy"
across the top of the draft.
Some Important
Dates:
Last day you may drop class without signature: February 14, 2002; last
day you may drop class with signature: February 28, 2002.
return to class list
|