SSH205 Syllabus 2021 PDF

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Overview Syllabus for SSH205 at Ryerson University....

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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH SSH 205: Academic Writing and Research Term/Year: Winter 2021 Dr. Paul Chafe Office Hours: Tu 11-12, W 12-1, Th 11-12, F 12-1 Email: [email protected] – please allow up to two days for a response. This is a Professional course for Arts Students The Faculty Course Survey will be administered online 19-29 March 2021 The Final Exam period is 19 April – 1 May 2021 Special Notice Winter 2021: This course fulfills the emergency remote teaching mandate supported by the University due to the COVID-19 pandemic and follows guidelines established by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) to effectively support student learning despite the absence of traditional in-class learning. Teaching will be delivered in synchronous and asynchronous formats that may include the following: synchronous and prerecorded lectures, break-out discussion groups, Q & A sessions, online discussions and chats, shared slides and course notes, and more. Students are responsible for checking D2L frequently, keeping up with assigned readings and supplied lecture material/notes, and submitting assignments on designated dates. Students are expected to refer regularly to the Ryerson COVID-19 https://www.ryerson.ca/covid-19/ page for updates on the University’s response to COVID-19 and how it impacts their studies. Zoom, Video, and Recording: Lectures and discussions may be delivered via Zoom or other video formats. The Student Code of Non-Academic Conduct reflects the expectation that students will conduct themselves in a manner consistent with generally accepted standards of behaviour, University regulations and policies, departmental policies, and in compliance with federal, provincial and municipal laws, as well as professional standards and codes of ethics. It is important to follow your instructor’s directions about remote course delivery decorum; they will advise you about when to turn your camera and microphone on or off, how to ask questions, and so on. Inappropriate or disrespectful language will not be tolerated. The host/cohosts (TA/GA, Faculty, or Instructor) reserve the right to remove anyone from University digital spaces who does not behave appropriately. Online sessions may be recorded. If you do not wish to be seen or heard, keep cameras or microphones turned off, or use an avatar. Participants joining by phone will have their phone numbers masked for privacy. Consult your instructor if you have any questions or concerns. Academic Integrity and Remote Learning: Course material, including original materials posted on D2L or delivered through video conferencing, are subject to copyright legislation as well as Ryerson’s Senate Policy 60 - Academic Integrity. Any attempt to share course materials with third parties outside of the course may be subject to disciplinary measures.

Lecture schedule Mondays 9:00am-12:00pm (via Zoom). NB: Students must attend their RAMSS-assigned lectures. Calendar Description This interdisciplinary writing-intensive course takes writing itself as its theme, and explores some of its social and cultural implications. Students learn the essentials of argument-based essay writing, including research and interpretive skills. By examining a variety of texts, many of which address the interface of culture, technology, and communication, this course asks how and why we write. Detailed Description This course emphasizes the significance of critical thinking and reflective reading as the foundation for sound research and writing practices. Students develop skills in analyzing and interpreting images and readings from myths and fairy tales to current events to communication technologies to popular culture. Interdisciplinary in scope, this course covers varied areas of interest and genres. The course is writing intensive as it encourages the students to (re)consider the writing process; to develop best essay writing practices, to conduct and utilize meaningful research and prepare themselves to enter the ongoing academic conversation. Delivery Mode Students enrolled in Paul Chafe’s sections of SSH 205 will be working with the free, open access text, Write Here, Right Now: An Interactive Introduction to Academic Writing and Research. Prior to every class (excluding the first class) students will be required to read the assigned chapter(s) containing instructions, assignments and short flipped video lectures made accessible via the Pressbooks site, https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/writehere/. The chapters and lectures must be viewed before the class for which they are assigned. The chapters and flipped lectures discuss important techniques the students will be expected to work on in the immediate in-class lecture and throughout the term. The chapters also contain homework assignments the students need to complete before class and submit to the appropriate link on our D2L Brightspace site. While the chapters and lectures must be viewed prior to their particular class, they can be viewed multiple times and as needed throughout the term. Students will require a reliable internet connection to participate in Paul Chafe’s sections of SSH 205. Course Goal SSH 205: Academic Writing and Research prepares students to write essays and present their ideas in the clear, concise, and meaningful manner expected at the university level.

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Student Learning Outcomes enhance his/her critical thinking skills further skills in critical reading/examination of texts and images expand research and academic writing skills advance argumentation strategies

Required Texts Write Here, Right Now: An Interactive Introduction to Academic Writing and Research. Paul Chafe and Aaron Tucker. Online, Open Access Text available for free at: https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/writehere/ Additional readings accessible via links in the class-by-class outline below. Students are required to complete readings and view video lectures before the relevant class and complete any homework assignments. Students should be prepared to participate in class discussions and exercises. D2L Brightspace Students will be expected to consult the course pages on my.ryerson.ca (D2L Brightspace) for scheduling changes, relevant assigned readings and assignments pertaining to the lecture on a frequent basis. All course information, handouts and assignments are posted on D2L Brightspace. It is the student’s responsibility to check Brightspace regularly for video lectures and announcements, and to print the Course Outline, online readings, handouts, and assignments. Student email policy Students must maintain and use a “ryerson.ca” email address. All correspondence must come from the student’s “ryerson.ca” address; other mail may not be read or answered. This is University policy. You can expect to have a reply within two days of getting your email. Please do not submit any assignment to me through email as I will not mark it until it is submitted through D2L. E-mails are for brief questions or to make office appointments: anything that is going to take me more than 2-3 minutes to answer should be brought up in class or during my office hours.

Assessment Assignment

Due Date

Value

Out-of-Class Midterm Essay/ Close-Reading Assignment Research Essay Proposal

1 March

25%

15 March

10%

Research Essay (6 to 8 pages)

5 April

30%

Final Exam

19 April

25%

Participation

Ongoing

10%

22 February

+2.5%

29 March

+2.5%

Bonus Assignments In-Class Midterm Essay Draft Exchange Note: You must submit your draft to D2L before class. In-Class Research Essay Draft Exchange Note: You must submit your draft to D2L before class.

Participation grade based upon timely completion and submission of FOUR homework exercises: 1. Complete Evidence List and Observational Paragraph on “MSN Spoken Here” (3%). To be submitted to our D2L Brightspace site before our class on 25 January. 2. Two-Storey Opening and Essay Blueprint on “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (2%). To be submitted to our D2L Brightspace site before our class on 1 February. 3. Complete Three-Storey Thesis on Selected Midterm Article (3%). To be submitted to our D2L Brightspace site before our class on 8 February. 4. Detailed Description of Research Paper Topic (2%). To be submitted to our D2L Brightspace site before our class on 8 March.

Out-of-class Assignments must be double-spaced, 12-point font size, and submitted before the assigned class on the due date via D2L. Graded assignments generally will be returned within two weeks of the due date. The grades and any commentary will be posted on Brightspace. Final Exam (25%): is now a take-home assignment due Monday 19 April. Turnitin: Turnitin.com is a plagiarism prevention and detection service to which Ryerson subscribes. Students agree by taking this course that their written work will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of comparing the similarity of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms-of-use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com website. Students who do not wish their work submitted to this plagiarism detection service must, by the end of the second week of class, consult with the instructor to make alternate arrangements. Due dates: Submit all assignments on or before the due date unless special arrangements have been made prior to the deadline. If you fail to submit an assignment on or before the due date, you will lose 5% per day, including weekends. Late assignments will be graded but will be returned without comments. Assignments will not be accepted one week after the due date. Bonus Assignments: Please note that the two Draft Exchanges will be the ONLY Bonus Assignments offered this term. These are not “make-up” assignments. There will be no offers or negotiations for additional bonus/extra-credit/make-up assignments.

Description of Assignments 1. The In-Class Midterm Essay Draft Exchange is a bonus assignment taking place one class before your Midterm Essay is due. I ask that you submit via D2L some of your preliminary work as well as a complete introductory thesis paragraph and one body paragraph to exchange online with two other students. Your draft must be at least ONE full, typed, double-spaced page. You will submit one copy of this document to D2L to use during the exchange. Students are encouraged but not required to participate in this peer review exercise. Students who complete the exchange will have a bonus 2.5% added to their term grade. 2. The Out-of-Class Midterm Essay/Close-Reading Assignment is an evaluation of the close reading skills that we will be practicing and honing throughout the semester. You will be given a choice of two to three articles and you will have to write a 1000-1200-word essay in response to it. A-level work will show a clear and unique thesis statement that responds to the specific details and observations of the text. All responses are to be double-spaced and submitted to D2L. 3. The Research Essay Proposal promotes early and intensive research on a topic. The Research Essay Proposal encourages questions that foster developing a complex thesis and encourages use of a wide range of sources, from varied perspectives, written in APA or MLA format. Prior to our library “visit” you will be required to select the topic for your research paper and begin refining your focus. As part of your library visit, you’ll be asked to find two potential sources for your research essay. After finding these two sources you must cite them correctly in APA or MLA style and give a detailed paragraph explaining how you envision the piece of research you found might fit into your research essay’s argument. 4. The In-Class Research Essay Draft Exchange is a bonus assignment taking place one class before your Research Essay is due. I ask that submit a draft of the Research Essay to exchange with two other students in the class. Your draft should contain your introductory thesis paragraph and at least three body paragraphs and should be at least 2.5-3 pages in length. Students are encouraged but not required to participate in this peer review exercise. Students who complete the exchange will have a bonus 2.5% added to their term grade. 5. The Research Essay is a synthesis of all the work we have covered in SSH 205. You will choose a topic and create a 2000-2500-word essay using at least seven sources. This final essay combines close reading skills with clear, logical, argumentative essay structure. 6. The Final Exam, due 19 April, evaluates your learning from Write Here, Right Now as well as the essay writing skills developed throughout the semester. More information, including example questions and instructions, will be made available during the Exam Review.

SSH 205 Schedule – Winter 2021 –Mondays 9:00-12:00 Date

Theme

18 Jan 25 Jan

Introduction Slow Down

1 Feb

What’s Important?

8 Feb

Making a Claim

15 Feb 22 Feb

What’s at Stake?

1 March

Writing (on) Documents

8 March

Library Tutorial

15 March

Researching, Right?

22 March

Documents in Dialogue

29 March

Changing and Exchanging

5 April

What Have You Done?!?

12 April 19 April

Review

Readings (to be completed prior to the class for which they are scheduled) from Write Here, Right Now

Homework and/or Assignments (to be completed and submitted to D2L before class [unless otherwise indicated])

Complete Evidence List and Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 1: Observational Paragraph of “MSN Time is on Your Side Spoken Here” • “MSN Spoken Here” Charles Foran Construct and Essay Blueprint and • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 2: Two-Storey Opening for “Is Google Evidence Making Us Stupid?” • “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 3: Construct Three-Storey Thesis of selected Midterm Essay article The Full Three-Storey Thesis • “Little Red Riding Hood” Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm WINTER STUDY BREAK—NO CLASSES Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 5: In-Class Midterm Essay Draft Exchange Maintaining Focus and Purpose: The Body Paragraphs • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 6: Submit Midterm Close Reading Assignment (25%) One Last Time Before You Go: The Conclusion and Review • “The Social Life of Documents” John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 8: Submit detailed description of Gathering Research and Establishing Research Essay Topic Evidence • Library Tutorial (Coming Soon!) Submit Research Paper Proposal (10%) • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 9: Towards the Well-Researched Paper • Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 13: Works Cited Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 10: Joining the Conversation: Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, and You In-Class Research Essay Draft Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 11: Editing and Evolving the Thesis and Exchange Outline Research Essay due (30%) Write Here, Right Now. Chapter 12: What Have I Accomplished? Conclusion and Final Assessment

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FINAL EXAM (25%)

University Policies Students are reminded that they are required to adhere to all relevant university policies found in their online course shell in D2L and/or on the following URL: http://ryerson.ca/senate/courseoutline-policies English Department Policies The following Department policies may no longer apply during fall 2020 remote teaching. Please refer to instructor adaptations and comments related to participation and technology for online teaching under Other Course/Instructor Policies. Attendance and Participation: Lectures and in-class activities provide the foundation for all coursework. Regular attendance is expected of all students. A core objective of the BA Honours English degree and English courses is to develop a sophisticated ability to communicate information, arguments, and analyses in oral format. Participation marks measure students’ ability to articulate well-reasoned and well-supported analysis of reading materials and respond meaningfully and considerately to the ideas of their classmates. Students cannot earn participation marks for classes from which they are absent. Use of Technology in Classroom: The misuse of technology, which includes texting, web browsing, online gaming, video and movie watching, will not be permitted in any English Department courses. If approved by individual instructors, electronic devices may be used during lectures or seminars (tutorials) strictly for course-related purposes — note-taking, online reading, and assignments/exercises. Refusal to comply with this policy may result in the loss of electronic privileges for the term and the dismissal of a student from a lecture. Mobile phones and tablets must be fully turned off for the duration of each class. Late Policy: The penalty for late submission in the Department of English is 5% per day, including weekends, up to a maximum of seven days. Assignments submitted more than seven days after the due date will not be reviewed and will receive a grade of zero, unless there is a documented medical reason or an extension has been granted on the basis of documented compassionate grounds. Academic consideration for late or missed assignments must be requested as outlined in the Senate Academic Consideration Policy: https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/senate/policies/pol167.pdf

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Any and every idea and all information—as well as any and every direct quotation—borrowed from any author or website, or any other source, must be acknowledged. This is the ethical and scholarly standard. In this course, you may use either MLA or APA formatting style. Per Ryerson policy, work that is plagiarized will automatically receive a grade of zero “0” and you risk failing the course altogether. Any direct quote or close paraphrase without proper citation, any use of anybody else’s words (including anything from the Web) without giving proper credit, is considered academic misconduct. This charge will be noted on your transcript. Don’t risk it: do your own work and document your sources. Career Readiness Skills and abilities that are likely to be important across Canada’s labour market in coming years include: instruction, persuasion, service orientation, brainstorming, and memorization. This course prepares you with discipline-specific knowledge and skills that correlate with these labour market demands. Through critical reading, research, and other modes of production in the Humanities, you will also encounter practical, career-ready skills in communication, project management, and document analysis which can help you excel in fields including professional writing, journalism, politics, education, library sciences, politics, human resources, or public relations. For career development support, visit the Ryerson Career & Co-op Centre: https://www.ryerson.ca/career-coop/ Ryerson University Mental Health Statement At Ryerson, we recognize that things can come up throughout the term that may interfere with a student’s ability to succeed in their coursework. These circumstances are outside of one’s control and can have a serious impact on physical and mental well-being. Seeking help can be a challenge, especially in those times of crisis. Below are resources we encourage all Ryerson community members to access to ensure support is reachable. https://www.ryerson.ca/mental-health-wellbeing If support is needed immediately, you can access these outside resources at anytime: Distress Line — 24/7 line for if you are in crisis, feeling suicidal or in need of emotional support (phone: 416–408–4357) Good2Talk- 24/7 hour line for postsecondary students (phone: 1-866-925-5454)

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