Syllabus for spring 2020 PDF

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Dr. Gabriele Betchel
ENG 225 C
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ENG 225E Advanced Composition - Syllabus - Spring 2020 Instructor: Dr. Gabriele Bechtel Meeting times and room: M/W 10:05-11:25 am, 258 Upham Hall Instructor’s Office: 356H Bachelor Hall (enter through BAC356, ENG Department Office) Office Hours: T/R 10-12, and by appointment Email: [email protected] Course Description This ENG 225 Advanced Composition course teaches theories and practices of rhetoric and writing as they apply to a broad range of academic, professional, and community-related contexts. ENG 225 fulfills the Advanced Writing Requirement stipulated by the Global Miami Plan. In keeping with GMP guidelines, ENG 225 features student writing as the central focus of the course, offering frequent opportunities to write with ongoing instructor feedback on multiple drafts of major projects. You will be producing a minimum of 7500 words in formal revised and informal writing. Learning Outcomes  Genre Knowledge: You will learn to analyze academic and community genre expectations, understanding how conventions for writing differ across contexts and media.  Inquiry-Driven Research: You will engage a specific inquiry question in depth over time, conducting intensive research to examine an issue from multiple disciplinary perspectives.  Audience Adaptation: You will critically analyze the expectations of various audiences and adapt your writing to meet those expectations.  Revision: You will revise work in response to peer and instructor feedback and re-see your work in light of genre conventions, audience expectations, and rhetorical knowledge.  Reflective Transfer: You will reflect about the writing knowledge and strategies you have learned throughout your coursework, considering how you can apply and adapt those strategies to meet the writing challenges you’ll will face in your major, career, and civic life.  Style and Editing: You will learn editing techniques to enhance clarity, concision and reader engagement while also recognizing how stylistic conventions and citation formats differ across contexts. Teaching Format ENG 225 may differ from many of the other courses you are currently taking. Our classroom will be an interactive, collaborative space where writing is the focus. You should not expect to listen to a lecture in every class, but instead prepare to engage in activities that help you expand your writing toolkit and advance your writing knowledge. As the instructor of the course, I will do my best to help create an open and inclusive class climate that furthers learning and

interpersonal/cultural exchanges. I invite all class participants to contribute to this effort and to approach our class with curiosity and an open mind. Major Projects and Other Course Requirements English 225 is centered on three major writing projects as listed below. All major projects are comprised of various components such as invention activities, topic discussions, shorter writing assignments, drafts, peer responses, proposals, research notes, and reflective writing activities. List of graded course components: 1. What makes a genre? (20% of final grade) You will investigate the rhetorical implications of a genre of your choice. To this end, you will collect samples of that genre, find its typical organizational and stylistic properties, and discuss purpose (or the “work” the genre seems to accomplish), the relationships between writer(s) and audiences the genre establishes, and possible limitations of the genre, among other things, in a formal written document. 2. Reporting research on a discourse community (30% of final grade) Guided by a research question or set of questions, you will investigate the communicative practices of a discourse community of your choice. Your findings will eventually be presented in a formal research report (following the IMRD-model). Stages in the process include, among other things, a project proposal, data gathering, research documentation, and progress reporting. 3. Recommending communication strategies (20% of final grade) In groups and based on the insights you gained through your research project, you will recommend communication strategies to a group of people with a shared interest. Documentation of team work, a short presentation, and a reflection will also be part of this assignment. 4. Informal writing, in-class and homework (15% of final grade) Throughout the semester, you will be given short writing assignments, including responses to readings, reflections, and writing activities assigned at various stages of a project. In most cases, you will submit these assignments through Canvas. 5. In-class participation and course engagement (15% of final grade) To score high on participation, you come to class prepared and focused on scheduled class activities. In class, you participate actively, are an active groupwork member, and you refrain from cell phone use and other non-class-related activities.

Grading Scale 98-100%

A+

93-97%

A

90-92%

A-

88-89

B+

83-87%

B

80-82

B-

78-79%

C+

73-77%

C

70-72%

C-

68-69%

D+

63-67%

D

60-62%

D-

0-59%

F

Course Materials, Communication, and Navigation Laptop: Bring a charged laptop to class. Have an adapter cable ready if needed. Do not use tablets or cell phones for writing in class. Google drive: Make sure you have consistent access to your Google drive through your MU account. Create a folder for this class specifically and use it as a backup for your ENG 225 files. We will use Google docs in class on occasion, e.g. for peer feedback and other shared activities. We will also use it for the group project later in the semester. Canvas course website: Our main hub will be the Canvas course website where the most updated version of this syllabus, readings, and assignments will be posted. I will use the Announcement feature in Canvas to post homework and major due dates. Please make sure you have the Canvas notification service switched on. Email communication: Overall, you will not receive many emails from me directly. I will use the Canvas email feature on occasion, e.g. to remind you of an upcoming due date. If you receive an email from me that requires a response, please make sure you get back to me as soon as you can. Contacting me: If you have questions or feedback related to the course, please see me in my office in BAC 356H, or email me using your full name and indicating the course number in the subject line of your email. Course Policies Attendance Be there. It is Miami University policy that every student is expected to attend every class meeting. If you don’t come to class, you may not only miss out on assignments and class activities, but also on opportunities to learn, participate, and interact with others.

You may accumulate three unexcused absences without penalty. It is assumed that all absences, including medically related absences and extracurricular commitments will be covered in these three classes. After three classes, any additional undocumented absence will lower your grade by one letter grade level (e.g. from A- to B+). If you are absent or know that you will miss a class meeting, it is your responsibility to keep up with the work and to complete assignments that may be due for the following session. Please consult the announcements on the Canvas course website and/or a classmate to find out what you missed. Note: Monday, April 6 is the last day to withdraw from a class (“W”). Tardiness Be there on time. Repeated tardiness may affect your grade. Late submission Be professional. Submit work on time. Submitting an assignment late should be the exception. If you run into circumstances where you feel you need more time on an assignment due to your personal circumstances, bring your concerns to my attention before the deadline, asking for an extension. Routinely handing in assignments late will result in a grade deduction. Unless otherwise noted, homework will be due by class time the following session. Unless otherwise noted, major drafts will be due either by class time on the due date (e.g.for peer review), or (for final drafts) before midnight on the due date. In-class conduct Use class time productively! Be focused on class activities and engage actively in conversations with your classmates and your instructor. I expect that you will conduct yourself as an engaged, curious, and respectful learner and writer when in the classroom. Cell phones should be turned off and put away during class. Academic dishonesty Academic dishonesty undermines the learning process and may entail serious consequences, including a letter grade of F for an assignment, failing the complete course, or even academic suspension.

All acts of dishonesty, including submitting or copying from others’ work or using their ideas without giving credit, are covered by Miami’s university-wide standard policy. Please make sure you understand what plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are. I urge you to visit the website below to be on the safe side: MU Policy on Academic Integrity Submission guidelines All work submitted for this course must be originally written by you, for this class, and in accordance with the guidelines and instructions pertaining to the respective assignment. In order to be accepted and graded, all major assignments must go through the different stages listed in the assignment instructions. Resources Howe Center for Writing Excellence Academic calendar with course add/drop deadlines Office of Student Disability 513-529-1541 IT Support Desk, 317 Hughes Hall (513-529-7900) Student Counseling Services 513-529-4634 No Hate Initiative

Schedule (tentative) Week 1: 1/27 and 1/29 Syllabus, Course list, Canvas site Thinking rhetorically, reading rhetorically Concepts: rhetorical situations and genres Discussing genre samples Week 2: 2/3 and 2/5 Introduction: Project 1 Invention activities Genre sampling Discussion of writing examples Week 3: 2/10 and 2/12 Project 1 continued Differences between describing and analyzing Draft workshop/ organization Progress Reporting Week 4: 2/17 and 2/19 Project 1: continued Peer review process Revision Draft workshop/ style Project 1, draft due for instructor feedback (tentative) Week 5: 2/24 and 2/26 Project 2: Introduction/ What is a discourse community? Concepts and sample exercise Proposing a project Week 6: 3/2 and 3/4 Research practice/ reporting research IMRD model Sampling and analyzing discursive data Proposal due Project 1, final draft due (tentative) Week 7: 3/9 3/11 Project 2 continued Workshop/ producing strong evidence

Integrating discursive data into writing Week 8: 3/16 and 3/18 Project 2 continued Peer review/ work in progress reporting Project 2, draft due for instructor feedback (tentative) Spring Break Week 9: 3/30 and 4/1 Continued work on project 2 Making a strong case Revisiting claims: backing, hedging, rethinking Revision Week 10: 4/6 and 4/8 Project 3: introduction Developing Team Writing Skills Teams conduct initial meeting Teams set up work infrastructure Finalizing project 2: Checklist Editing for formal academic style Project 2, final draft due (tentative) Week 11: 4/13 and 4/15 Project 3 continued Making strong recommendations Possible rec genres and style Teams meet and report Week 12: 4/20 and 4/22 Project 3 continued Teams meet and report Teams give group feedback on projects Project 3, draft due for instructor feedback (tentative) Week 13: 4/27 and 4/29 Finalizing Project 3 Preparing short presentation

Project 3, final document due (tentative) Week 14: 5/4 and 5/6 Short Presentations Listing course takeaways Student evaluations...