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Section
40 - Internet
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Instructor:
Dr. Donaher
Office:
JGM 309 O
Phone:
816-271-5964
E-mail:
donahepa@griffon.mwsc.edu
URL:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/~donahepa
Course Philosophy and Objectives
This course is designed to help you become a better researcher and writer of researched-based prose. To this end, you will learn about the nature and process of research, about how to find and use source materials, and about how to write researched essays. Students will complete three formal research projects in addition to other graded and ungraded work. In these assignments, students will learn how to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the thinking of others in order to discover, develop, and test their own points of view.
At the end of English 108, you will understand that:
As part of MWSC's General
Studies program, this course is also designed to help you develop the "skills,
knowledge, and
characteristics of an educated
person," as defined in the College Catalog, page 43.
Required Materials
Textbooks:
Other:
Pre-Writings
and Research Exercises
To find and develop topic
ideas, students will do a number of brainstorming, freewriting, and invention
exercises for each project. Students will also develop their skills at
research by doing a number of exercises designed to introduce them to the
library and the other information sources.
Project One
For this project, students
will learn how to find topics, generate arguments, find and evaluate sources,
and write a prospectus with an annotated bibliography for a formal academic
research paper. Researching and writing a prospectus allows the beginning
college researcher to become more comfortable with the process of researching,
topic formation, and documentation before trying to write the actual research
paper.
Project Two
For this project, students
will learn how to find write and edit a formal researched essay based upon
the prospectus developed in Project One.
Project Three
For this project, students
will gain more practice in finding topics, generating arguments, finding
and evaluating sources, writing a prospectus with an annotated bibliography,
and writing and editing a formal academic research paper. Students will
become more comfortable with the process of researching, topic formation,
research writing, and formal documentation.
Course Policies
Saving Work
Students should save all
their work for this class--from notes to drafts to final papers. There
may be occasions when work needs to be re-submitted or grades verified.
Formats for Submitting Work
All drafts and final papers
for this course must be word processed and submitted in the format specified
by the assignment. Be sure to follow submission guidelines carefully in
order to receive full credit for your submissions.
Late Work
Learning is a cumulative
process and each assignment in this course is designed to build on the
last assignment; therefore late work disrupts this important aspect of
the learning process. No late work will be accepted under any circumstances.
No work will be accepted after noon CST on Thursday, June 22,, 2000.
Grading
Students will do a variety
of writing assignments over the course of the semester, including pre-writing
exercises, research exercises, prospectuses, annotated bibliographies,
and formal researched essays. In order to pass the course, students must
complete the final projects; in addition, the quality of their work and
the percentage of the other assignments completed will determine the final
grade.
The Final Grade Distribution is as follows:
Fullest Expression of Abilities
Any student who has a disability
that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact the instructor
by the end of the first week to discuss class requirements.
Classroom Courtesy
Students are expected to
be courteous and respectful in all of their exchanges with the instructor
and other students. Because this course is conducted without face-to-face
encounters, one should be particularly careful to note how tone, rhetoric,
and language all contribute to the overall impression of one's communications.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is literally
the stealing of others' words and ideas and using them as your own. Make
every effort to give credit where credit is due, and if you are not sure
of "how"--ASK. Students are responsible for proving that all work turned
in for grading is their own original work.
Plagiarism is a serious offense and, therefore, will receive harsh punishment. Work with evidence of plagiarism will receive an F. Continued plagiarism will result in failure of the course. Don't think that you won't be caught; writing style is distinctive and verifiable.
Course Schedule
A
detailed Writing Assignment Calendar is attached to each Unit Overview.
Please refer to it for specific dates, details, and instructions.
Getting Started