English Syllabus 302 s05

English 302. S05 — Advanced Composition (11250) Instructor: Rachael Burke SPRING, Monday/Wednesday, 10:30am-11:45am, Robinson B 108 Office: Robinson A 408 Office Hours: Thursday 4:30pm-7:00pm (other times by arrangement) Email: rburke13@gmu.edu (Preferred contact) Welcome to English Composition 302!

“Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds.”—Elie Wiesel So you watch yourself about complaining. What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.”—Maya Angelou Course Goals: This course is designed to build on the general writing skills and techniques you have acquired in 101 and other university courses, and to prepare you for completing advanced level writing, analysis, and research tailored to your major discipline and possible future workplace. We will, therefore, practice the various genres of writing you are likely to encounter. Throughout the semester, you’ll also learn to recognize the way(s) that knowledge is constructed in humanities disciplines (focusing on your own discipline or career interest), adapt your writing to common purposes and audience needs, conduct and synthesize research, use computer technologies as part of your research and writing process, and produce writing that employs the organizational techniques and genres typical in your discipline. We’ll also focus on the professionalism and professional writing forms and techniques that you’ll need throughout your career.

Textbooks and Materials Pipher, Mary. Writing to Change the World. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. (ISBN: 978-1594482533) Frankl, Viktor. Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon, 2006. Print. (ISBN: 978-0807014295) Materials (recommended): Dry Erase Marker (I will provide ONE); laptop (your own or checked out); pen/pencil; paper

Students as Scholars: This section of English 302 is participating in GMU’s “Students as Scholars” program. Across campus, students now have increased opportunities to work with faculty on original scholarship, research, and creative activities, through their individual departments and the OSCAR office (http://oscar.gmu.edu).

Assignments in English 302 will help prepare you to be contributors to knowledge in your field, not just memorizers of facts: you will • understand how knowledge is created and transmitted in a field/discipline • understand key methods and conventions of scholarly research in your field/discipline • articulate and refine your own question for scholarly inquiry • situate your investigation in an ongoing context/conversation in your field • and design a final project that adds new perspectives and/or data to the conversation English 302-SAS Student Learning Outcomes: For primarily text-based research that prepares students to make original contributions: students will • SLO-1, Discovery: Understand how they can engage in the practice of scholarship at GMU • SLO-2, Discovery: Understand research methods used in a discipline • SLO-3, Discovery: Understand how knowledge is transmitted within a discipline, across disciplines, and to the public • SLO-4, Inquiry: Articulate and refine a question • SLO-5, Inquiry: Follow ethical principles • SLO-6, Inquiry: Situate the scholarly inquiry [and inquiry process] within a broader context • SLO-7, Inquiry: Apply appropriate scholarly conventions during scholarly inquiry/reporting At the end of the course, the Office of Institutional Assessment and the Composition Program will collect random samples of student Metacognitive Writing Assignments and Final Research Project in order to assess the effectiveness of the Students as Scholars Program. This assessment has no bearing on your grade in the course.

Prerequisites: Students must have completed or transferred in the equivalent of English 100/101, 45 credit hours, and any required general-education literature course designated by their college or major. Students should take a version of English

2 302 that connects to their major field. Students in the School of Engineering are required to take English 302N, respectively.

If you are enrolled in a different version, you should contact your adviser immediately.

General Education: This course is part of the GMU General Education Program, which is designed to help students prepare for advanced work in their major field and for a lifetime of learning. For more information on the mission of the General Education Program, consult the University Catalog or visit the website.

Course Tools (Blackboard) This class heavily relies on Blackboard technology to provide instruction for this course. I will demonstrate the coursespecific layout Blackboard in the classroom (you will need MyMason access) so you can feel comfortable with this technology. Please be aware that you may be asked to turn in major assignments via Blackboard’s Safe Assignment, and you will also be asked to complete Journals, Discussion Boards, etc. via Blackboard. Use of email is not a substitute for Blackboard submission except in extreme circumstance or by prior instructor approval.

Methods of Instruction English 302 is designed to foreground student-constructed learning and emphasizes peer-to-peer interaction. The instructor will act as a facilitator of student discussion/activity and will foster an environment where students can focus meaningfully on creating and sharing their own research, further developing the thinking and writing process. Students will be asked to work individually as well as collaboratively as they explore in-depth issues and research practices, develop writing strategies and techniques, refine critical reading approaches, and review their own and their peers’ ideas and writing. Students who attend regularly and stay engaged in class activities, who keep up with all of the assignments, and who block off sufficient time each week for thoughtful and thorough work usually succeed in this class.

Technology Policy This course encourages the responsible, ethical, and situation-appropriate use of technology in the classroom. Please be considerate of others with your use of all devices. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. should be used in a way that enhances and respects our classroom’s learning goals. Use of technology in a way that is excessively distracting or disruptive will result in a loss of daily participation points.

Course Requirements and Grading Percentages 15% 25% 30% 10% 10% 10%

Project 1: My Search for Meaning ~1000 words Project 2: Writing to Change The World ~1500 words Project 3: Social (Change) Media Campaign ~1500+ words Project 4: Metacognitive Essay ~750 words Homework and Daily Work Class Participation

Due: Due: Due: Due:

Completion Policy You must complete all major assignments to earn a “C” or higher in this course.

Extra Credit Extra Credit may be offered periodically (though limitedly) throughout the course and will not be used to show favoritism toward any particular student or student group. Points/Grade Improvements awarded for Extra Credit will be clearly defined.

No Extra Credit value shall allow a student to raise his/her overall course grade into a higher letter bracket if he/she has not met the course’s attendance and general work submission requirements. (If, however, a student has satisfactorily attended class and turned all work in, then overall course grade may be raised.)

Percentage break-down of final grades Final grades are assigned as follows: A+ (100-97.5%); A (97.4 %-93%); A- (92.9-90%); B+ (89-87.5%); B (87.4-83%); B(82.9-80%); C+ (79-77.5%); C (77.4-73%); C- (72.9 -70%); D (69-60%); F (59% and below).

Midterm Grades In English 302, students receive a midterm letter grade based on the work of the first seven weeks of the course. The purpose of this grade is to help students find out how well they are doing in the first half of the course in order to make any adjustments necessary for success in the course as a whole. The work in the second half of the semester may be weighted

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3 more heavily, so the midterm grade is not meant to predict the final course grade. Students may view their grade online as soon as it is recorded.

Course Grading Policy You should never feel like you are surprised by your grades in this class. You also shouldn’t feel like you are powerless to raise your grade: This class rewards improvement and the desire to learn how to use writing to meaningfully contribute to the world, not perfection!

Here is a basic guideline that will help you better understand this course’s grading system for papers: **A good paper is: 1)Perceptive, 2)Original, 3)Insightful, 4)Precise. Moreover, a GREAT paper demonstrates the desire to make a valuable contribution to humanity. The more your paper exhibits these qualities, the higher your grade will be!

A (90-100): Paper is highly original and intellectually ambitious. Paper provides a clear and supported thesis and line of ethical logic and/or demonstrates a high degree of creativity. Paper meets or exceeds any research requirements.

B (80-89): Paper presents a high degree of intellectual ambition and provides a clear thesis, but there are minor flaws in support and logic. Paper meets any research requirements.

C (70-79): Paper lacks intellectual ambition, perhaps relies too heavily on obvious or clichéd argument. Paper provides an unclear thesis. Paper fails to meet research requirements and/or relies too heavily on the opinions of a single source.

D (60-69): Paper is completely unoriginal and demonstrates no intellectual ambition. Paper fails to provide a thesis, and the logic of the paper is severely flawed. Paper has numerous grammatical and mechanical mistakes that greatly cripple the paper’s clarity. Paper fails to meet research requirements and/or relies very heavily on a single source.

F: This is one of two papers. 1) This is the paper you do not turn in. 2) This is the plagiarized paper.

Daily Work and Homework Grading Daily Work and Homework assignments will be assigned individual point values. These will cumulatively be calculated as a weighted portion (30%) of your overall course grade. Partial credit will be awarded for assignments partially completed.

Submitting Class Work Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date or by the appointed Blackboard due date and time. Unless otherwise noted, all formal assignments should be typed using a standard font and size and double-spaced. You should keep all of your assignments as they are handed back to you. Please keep electronic copies of all typed work.

Late Work Late work is work arriving after the TIME and DATE it is due. Because of the nature of this course, it is difficult to accept late work. There is a clear deadline for most assignments. If you need to turn in an assignment late due to special circumstances, please talk to me. The truth is: I need your papers ON TIME so I can give them back to you ON TIME in order for our class to proceed ON TIME. Clear communication between student and instructor is the best way to avoid an unwanted late penalty.

Major Papers submitted late will be penalized -5 points for each day the paper is late unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor due to extreme circumstances (illness, etc.). Homework/class assignment submitted past the due date/time will be penalized by 30% and will not be accepted more than one week late unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.

Class Participation Class participation counts for 10% of your total grade. I call this the “Effort Margin” because, well, effort counts. Effort might mean that you improve your writing skills greatly during this term. It might mean that you do more research than the minimum. It might mean that you help others by giving them quality feedback. Effort adds to the value of not only your own education but the value of the entire academic community. Effort matters.

More specifically: activities in each class will be assigned a point value (1-5 points per class). More interactive days will be valued more highly. To receive full points throughout the term, please do the following: engage positively in a meaningful way in class activities; help create an atmosphere where we can all participate openly in discussion; listen with care; be willing to learn independently and collaboratively; be open to new ideas; be prepared for class activities; uphold intellectual and ethical integrity in the class’s online learning environment; treat others and yourself with respect.

Students who miss a class are responsible for turning in any required work, but will not be able to “make up” the missed participation in order to earn that day’s point(s). If you are frequently late, you may lose class-participation points. However, I would rather have you come late than not at all.

Inclement Weather Policy

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4 If the weather is bad, check the GMU website at http://www.gmu.edu and look for a scrolling banner announcing delays or closings. You can also sign up for Mason Alert to have university closures and other critical information e-mailed or texted to you.

If the university is closed for weather or other emergencies, check your Mason e-mail and our class Blackboard page for instructions and schedule modifications.

No-Shows I am not a teacher who shows up late, and I do not expect students to wait. If I am ever more than 15 minutes late and there is not an official note on the door or board, something exceptional has happened, so you are free to leave. I’ll send an email/make a Blackboard announcement later to explain.

Revision Policy Because writing is a “process,” not a “product,” you will revise your first 2 major written assignments in response to my comments. There is no limit to how much your grade can improve in between a First Draft and Final Draft. However, revisions must clearly respond to instructor feedback (though a student needn’t accept all stylistic or subjective recommendations) or they will be returned with no grade change. Revisions must be submitted with all previous drafts, changes must be clearly visible (italics, highlighting, etc.), and Final Drafts must be submitted by the appointed due date (usually one week later). Questions or concerns about the grading process or feedback must be addressed during the revision stage (not after Final Drafts are due).

Grading Feedback I promise to provide timely and thorough feedback on your assignments. For papers, this means you will usually receive them within a week of their original submission (if I require a longer grading period, I will directly express this so you can know when to expect your papers). I will also provide meaningful feedback. You will never simply receive a letter grade on a major assignment without an explanation. If you EVER have a question about a grade, you are ALWAYS free to ask me why you received that grade.

Composition Statement on Plagiarism Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another source without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple listing of books, articles, and websites is not sufficient.

This class will include direct instruction in strategies for handling sources as part of our curriculum. However, students in composition classes must also take responsibility for understanding and practicing the basic principles listed below.

To avoid plagiarism, meet the expectations of a US Academic Audience, give their readers a chance to investigate the issue further, and make credible arguments, writers must •

put quotation marks around, and give an in-text citation for, any sentences or distinctive phrases (even very short, 2or 3-word phrases) that writers copy directly from any outside source: a book, a textbook, an article, a website, a newspaper, a song, a baseball card, an interview, an encyclopedia, a CD, a movie, etc.

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completely rewrite—not just switch out a few words—any information they find in a separate source and wish to summarize or paraphrase for their readers, and also give an in-text citation for that paraphrased information

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give an in-text citation for any facts, statistics, or opinions which the writers learned from outside sources (or which they just happen to know) and which are not considered “common knowledge” in the target audience (this may require new research to locate a credible outside source to cite)

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give a new in-text citation for each element of information—that is, do not rely on a single citation at the end of a paragraph, because that is not usually sufficient to inform a reader clearly of how much of the paragraph comes from an outside source.

Writers must also include a Works Cited or References list at the end of their essay, providing full bibliographic information for every source cited in their essay.

While different disciplines may have slightly different citation styles, and different instructors may emphasize different levels of citation for different assignments, writers should always begin with these conservative practices unless they are expressly

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5 told otherwise. Writers who follow these steps carefully will almost certainly avoid plagiarism. If writers ever have questions about a citation practice, they should ask their instructor!

Instructors in the Composition Program support the George Mason Honor Code, which requires them to report any suspected instances of plagiarism to the Honor Council. All judgments about plagiarism are made after careful review by the Honor Council, which may issue penalties ranging from grade-deductions to course failure to expulsion from GMU. Students with disabilities If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. GMU Nondiscrimination Policy George Mason University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment free from any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or age. GMU shall adhere to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity/affirmative action statutes and regulations.

Instructor note: Students will not face discrimination by this instructor on any bias. Students should regard this instructor (Rachael Burke) as a “safe person” and an advocate for student integrity, individually and collectively.

Your instructor is a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper (Faculty) at George Mason University. If you are in crisis or have been thinking about suicide, please talk to me. I will help you find appropriate resources in a caring and respectful way.

GMU Email Students must activate their Mason email account and check it regularly. For privacy reasons, all class-related emails will be sent only to students’ official GMU email addresses.

Important Dates • Last Day to Add a Course: January 27 • Last Day to Drop a Course (67% Tuition Penalty): February 20 • Selective Withdrawal Period: February 23-March 27 The University Writing Center Website: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu Appointments: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/owl/index.html Location: Robinson A114 Use the Mason Library Librarians in the Fenwick and Johnson Center libraries (and at the libraries on our Arlington and Prince Williams campuses) are available to help you with your research. Show up with your assignment and specific questions or assistance needs or contact the library by phone or online. The library’s website offers tutorials and research resources and databases that we’ll use throughout the semester.

Major Projects Note: As a general rule, this course will employ APA Guidelines for major writing assignments. If your specific field of interest and/or project requires a different citation style (MLA, Chicago, etc.), please let your instructor know so she can best advise you where appropriate.

Project 1: My Search for Meaning (500 words maximum) “γνῶθι σεαυτόν: Know Thyself”—Greek Aphorism “What is to give light must endure burning.” –Viktor Frankl In Man’s Search for Meaning, logotherapist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl writes: “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.” In Writing to Change the World

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6 (Section One: “What We Alone Can Say”), Mary Pipher echoes this idea by suggesting that, “change writers hope that readers will join them in what Charles Johnson calls ‘an invitation to struggle.’” She further posits that “academics can be revolutionaries” and that, “you want to search for what you alone can say and then how you can say it most effectively.”

“Meaning” is a term many academics struggle with, often because it is at once a personal and social/professionalized word.

Often, we talk about “constructing meaning” or “meaning making” as a vague function of our individual perspective or value system, but this self-only orientation can be rather limiting. The “search for meaning” as it applies to our disciplinary identities might risk premature dismissal if we do not see it as both a central concern of our academic pursuits and the ethos of our character—the impetus behind why and how we define our goals. Certainly, many of us struggle to find our meaning as we make sense of our talents, frailties, goals, and vulnerabilities, and this struggle often comes into sharp focus when we begin to identify with/as part of a greater community toward which we feel a sense of responsibility. For some, the struggle to understand one’s position within a larger social/professional/academic context can seem at once empowering and intimidating.

But YOU are a change writer—you were made to fulfill your potential!

Instructions In this essay, you will use the Frankl and Pipher texts as an analytical springboard to present a cohesive self-profile in which you explicate your “Search for Meaning” as a researcher inside your discipline: discuss your identity as a change-maker, meaning-maker/discoverer, and potential academic revolutionary. This contemplative introspection should consider 1) What features you believe are most meaningful as part of your discipline’s ethos 2) What you alone can say as a distinct individual who is part of your discipline but who is also part of many social systems/communities.

3) What tensions (positive or negative) you consider most significant in your academic and personal life and how that might inform your ability to change the world around you.

To compose this essay, you should use specific concepts highlighted in Frankl’s and Pipher’s texts as well as 2 supplementary sources of your choosing that help further locate/delineate/validate your “search for meaning.” (For example: perhaps you have been inspired by the work of a particular activist, or maybe your mother has been a source of ethical support in your life and could add insight to your conversation via a brief interview.) This paper does not require that your sources come directly from your discipline; however, you should choose sources that focus on clarifying your purpose and position as a thinker and doer in the world around you. This should not be an elementary discussion of your chosen major or a trite string of “meaning of life” clichés. Explain—as only you can—the process of taking yourself seriously as a writer to produce meaningful work.

Define your struggle.

Audience: Your colleagues and yourself. (You may be asked to share a 100-word abstract from your project with your class.

Please choose any section you believe best represents you.)

Project 2: Writing To Change The World (Discipline Awareness Project) ~ 1750 words “How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway... And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!” –Anne Frank Meaningful change requires asking good, though often difficult, questions. Some of the most powerful change writing begins by asking questions about how our disciplinary interests intersect with others’ lives, experiences, needs, and causes. When we understand our disciplinary writing as a connected, social act—when we take on others’ perspectives, research shared problems, and write responsibly as engaged social facilitators—our words may acquire more gravity, depth, and significance.

This type of writing (when well-researched, ethically represented, and strategically delivered to an appropriate audience) stands a true chance of making valuable change, “great and small.” Exploring how your discipline changes the lives of others through its writing takes a great deal of insight, empathy, determination, intellectual ambition, and moral courage. Let’s go!

Part 1: Interview

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7 1) Choose someone to interview who you believe can help you better understand significant “questions of change”— major questions/problematics—within your discipline. You will want to choose this person carefully: this person may be a researcher or member of Mason faculty, for example, but you might find that you are more interested in interviewing a fellow student or someone who ethnographically represents your particular research interests.

Whomever you choose, keep in mind that this person should be chosen for their ability to provide insightful information for this project.

2) Develop a set of pre-interview goals/questions designed to structure data-gathering during your interview. Depending on the nature of your interview, these questions may be more/less defined at this phase.

3) Conduct your interview. Your goal in this interview is to gather information from your interviewee concerning “questions of change”: determine how (if) their perspective is related to larger concerns within your discipline. To effectively answer this question, you and your interviewee will need to provide definition for (and set parameters around) what is meant by “change” and “discipline” (this will most likely involve a discussion of community and practices). This person may also help reveal common (or not so common) questions that your discipline handles that you may find particularly interesting, controversial, helpful, etc.

4) Build a set of developed post-interview research questions. Perceptively listening to your interviewee should help you understand how to better define, expand, and/or reconstruct your research goals (Part 2).

We will discuss appropriate interviewing/data collection protocol in class. Please keep in mind up front that you may need to schedule more than one interview (and provide your interviewee with your list of pre-interview questions) to effectively gather data. As such, please plan your time accordingly. These interviews should ideally be conducted in person or though web-interview. You may use email/chat/text to conduct supportive procedures, but the primary interview must be an interpersonal (face-to-face) exchange.

You will need to submit an Interview Report post-interview (interviewee information, pre/post interview questions, selected transcription, and reflective analysis) per guidelines posted on Blackboard.

Part 2: Annotated Bibliography Based on the post-interview questions you have developed concerning your identified “questions of change,” you should establish a “problematic” you would like to investigate. Using this problematic as an anchor, conduct targeted research designed to learn about a specific question you do not think your field has a suitable answer for that you find valuable/meaningful/interesting. You may discover that there is A LOT of information about your question. You may discover there is NONE. Your goal is to discover both the process and the product of others’ investigations (if they exist). Try to build a disciplinary platform of theoretical insight and intellectual empathy upon which you might begin to make more informed recommendations for change within your field.

To complete this portion of the assignment successfully, you will need to compile a Working Annotated Bibliography of no less than 7 sources (4 must be scholarly articles founded in your discipline). Your annotations will need to follow the Guidelines you are provided for this portion of the assignment.

Part 3: Address of Awareness Give that research a purpose! Using the data you have collected and analyzed from your interview and your research, you will draft an appropriately synthesized “Address of Awareness”: for many of you, this will take the form of a research-based Letter, an Expose, an Article, or even a Formal Email. The intended audience of this AoA will be someone who could potentially effect change as it pertains to your chosen issue: this is a persuasive address. This person may be someone identified by your interviewee or it may be someone you discover through research, but to successfully complete this portion of the assignment, you must make it clear that you have identified your intended audience and are aware of their social position and its significance relative to both your “problematic” and your discipline.

This portion of the assignment will require a high degree of rhetorical awareness and audience attunement. The position you take in this piece of writing should not be formulaic: you must strike the right balance of personal and professional tone and

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8 make your AoA fit cultural and situational expectations: you must be aware of the social boundaries you are crossing and facilitating when you write an Address of Awareness while you integrate your research.

If appropriate, you may deliver these AoAs to their intended audience or consider publishing them in an appropriate medium.

We will discuss this option in class.

Project 3: Social (Change) Media Campaign ~1750 words *This is a group project; however, all students will receive individual grades for each component.

“The question isn't, 'What do we want to know about people?' It's, 'What do people want to tell about themselves?'”

—Mark Zuckerberg E Pluribus Unum: Out of many, one.

Social. Media. All media is “social” to some degree, but it is the democratized component—the location of vocal power of/for/and by the people—of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, YouTube, etc. that has been the life-force behind this collective communicative practice. The ability to freely and immediately self-publish via social media means you have the potential to reach a global audience with your words: with this potential comes power, (ir)responsibility, and inevitable change. If you want to change the world with your writing, social media is the 21st Century’s frontier for collective communication. The world’s listening—make what you say count!

Part 1: Campaign Proposal (“Pitch”) The class will divide itself into 3 groups (you may use your reading presentation groups or renegotiate your groupings equally based on disciplinary compatibilities). Each group will be working together to theorize, research, build, and launch a weeklong social media campaign designed to address a particular need/topic your team believes is meaningful within/to the George Mason Community. You most likely gathered meaningful data during your Discipline Awareness Project that will give you some resourceful ideas to contribute toward this collective campaign: because disciplines, themselves, support the infrastructure of larger social communities, you should think about ways in which your group can work interdisciplinarily.

Using your independent areas of expertise, your group should collectively decide on 1) a strong general campaign topic; 2) a campaign strategy (i.e. which social media platforms suit your campaign best, how you will link and feed your platforms, how you will generate interest in your campaign, etc.); 3) what roles each member will take in developing and maintaining the campaign.

(A brief example of a campaign/role: Maybe I am running a “Kind Word” campaign where I want to have Mason Students post only positive comments on a Facebook page for 72 hours. I want to do this to encourage emotionally positive, encouraging, and empathetic online interaction. My group will link this page to as many sites as possible; we will physically campaign on campus; we will post fliers and tell friends. I will act as moderator, but no negative posts will be removed. After 72 hours, we will deactivate the page, and my group will compare the number of “positive,” “negative,” and “neutral” comments. My facilitative role in the group is “Mediator of Communications.”)

For this portion of the assignment: 1) Each team will present a 15-minute proposal (“pitch”) designed to explain your topic, its relevance to our campus, and your campaign strategy. You will also need to declare your campaign goals. Our class will make suggestions for (re)design, ask clarifying questions, and collectively approve/modify/disapprove of your campaign.

2) Each team will submit a written “Descriptive Roles Report” outlining each member’s contributive role within the group. This report should include a) area of expertise, b) research responsibilities, and c) intended project contributions. Each member is responsible for writing his/her own report; however, you should confer with your team to equally distribute workload and assign valuable roles.

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9 Part 2: Specialized Research Report Once your team has agreed upon a campaign goal, each team member should conduct targeted research and select 2 articles from their respective disciplines that contribute to the campaign’s overall goal. This research can reflect methodology, data analysis, theoretical frameworks, hypothetical projections, etc. (or some combination of the above). Each member should use the information gathered in these articles to create a 3-page Specialized Research Report which 1) clearly presents and analyzes the information gathered in the research and 2) applies the research to the team’s campaign “body of knowledge” as it best contributes to the collective project. (For example: Let’s say your team wanted to encourage gender-neutral language in all enrollment documents, and your discipline is Early Childhood Education. You might research how exposure to genderneutral language in early childhood enables or constrains particular behaviors. Your might research gendered language on educational blogs to see if there is any effect on response, reposting, etc. You might look at anti-bullying campaigns to see how gender-sensitivity has been integrated into curricular design—how has social media been used to disseminate any particular message and was it effective?) Use the information you research within your discipline to help your team reach its overarching goals.

Part 3: Campaign and Retrospective As a team, you will run a live, “week-long” (3 day) social-media campaign designed to reach your declared outcome. (Note: You will not be graded on the “success” or “failure” of your campaign; however, you will be graded according to the additional rubric you are provided with this portion of the assignment.) To successfully complete you should: 1) Create and provide live links via a verifiable social media source (and your instructor must be able to monitor your activity) that you maintain over the duration of the project.

2) Submit Blog Updates via Blackboard 3) Submit a 2-3 page individual Retrospective Analysis (What did you learn from running this campaign? What major information did you gather? What was the greatest challenge in this campaign? What worked? What didn’t work?

How would you do things differently? What did your role in the group teach you? How did the group structure fit your interpersonal learning style? How were you able to use your individual disciplinary knowledge to enhance your team’s goals? Etc.) Part 4: Presentation Groups will present the details of their campaign (process, design, research, discoveries, challenges, etc.) to the class via a visual presentation and discussion. During this part of the assignment, each team member should also spend time explaining how his/her disciplinary background clearly contributed to and (perhaps) expanded during the campaign.

Project 4: Metacognitive Essay Metacognitive Writing Assignment 1. Copy/paste the following items from your major scholarly project into your Metacognitive Assignment document: •

The sentence or two that best gives your argument or analysis point (your thesis).

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One complete body paragraph (not your introduction or conclusion) that includes at least one reference to a secondary source and demonstrates your best work as a scholarly writer

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The full bibliographic entry (copied from your “works cited” or “references” list) for each source you cite in the paragraph you just copied in

2. Then write three paragraphs (500-700 words total) regarding your work on this project, using the questions below as a guide. Your goal is to demonstrate some ways your work on this project has prepared you for advanced or scholarly writing in your specific field or profession. You should address specific examples from your project: you may refer to the material you copied in and/or provide summaries or short quotations of your other writing from your project.

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1 A. Describe 2-3 key steps you took as you initially designed your research question/topic and then conducted the research and chose the source material for it.

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Explain how these steps are like (and/or unlike) what scholars or professional writers in your field might do for similar projects.

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Identify one or two places in your final project where readers could see the results of those steps.

B. Describe 2-3 key steps or you took in drafting and revising to apply scholarly or professional conventions appropriate for your particular field or discipline.

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Explain decisions you made regarding your focus, your evidence, and/or the structure or style of your project.

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Identify one or two places in your final project where readers could see how you meet the expectations of scholarly or professional readers in your field. If you were not writing for scholars in your field, explain 2-3 things that would be different (and/or similar) if writing for an audience in your field.

C. Explain 1 or 2 ways that your project contributes to a scholarly or professional conversation about the issue: what were some key ideas, arguments, questions, and/or gaps in that conversation that you noticed? What new focus, emphasis, or evidence does your essay introduce into the conversation? What additional research or analysis could happen now, and why might it be important for scholars or professionals in your field?

Tentative Schedule **Please consult course Blackboard page for schedule updates and changes.

Date

1/21

In-Class Activity/Discussion

• • •

1/26

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Readings (before class)

Homework / Reminders For Next Class

Welcome and Introduction to Course Larry Lagerstrom: “Einstein’s Miracle Year” Choose a partner, exchange contact information (email, phone number, social media contact, etc.), and arrange an out of class interview.

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Who are we, and how are we going to change the world with our writing?

JK Rowling: “The Fringe Benefits of Failure”

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•

1/28

• • •

Nancy Duarte: The Secret Structure of Great Talks” How perspective-taking informs meaningful research goals Audience Awareness: Introspective vs.

“Outrospective” writing

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10

Pipher (“Introduction” 1-16)

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Conduct a mutual interview comprised of (at least) 5 interview questions designed to help us get to know something meaningful about your partner. Be ready to discuss next class.

Brainstorm a list of 3 things you would like to see changed in the world. Post to Discussion Board.

Watch: Roman Krznaric: “The Power of Outrospection” on Blackboard Compose an “I Am From…” and be prepared to share in class. (Consider how this will inform group selections.)

1 2/2

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Pipher (Ch. 1-2, pgs.

19-43)

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Pipher (Ch. 6, pgs. 7587)

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Project Group “speed dating” (peer profiling) and self-organization Collectively write and submit a brief group identity composite.

Textual meta-analysis and facilitating discussion; Cultivating communication style in group dynamics (finding a role that works) Neil deGrasse Tyson: “The Meaning of Life” Introduce Paper 1

• • •

Discussion led by Group 1 Discussion led by Group 2 Discussion led by Group 3

• • •

Frankl (Intro-pg. 52) Frankl (pgs. 52-93) Frankl (pgs. 97-134)

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Paper 1 Developmental Discussion Source Analysis and Stylistic Development Integrating Organic Research

2/23

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Paper 1 Work Day

2/25

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Introduce Project 2 Balancing personal and professional identity in writing Focusing research to meet specialized research goals

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Pipher (Ch. 7, 8, pgs.

89-132)

Structuring Hypotheses in the Social Sciences (w/ appropriately specific language) Interpreting Interdisciplinary Data Formatting and Presenting Findings

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For Paper 2: Discuss Interview Protocol and How to Design Effective Semi-Structured Questions Visiting Interview Subject

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• •

2/4

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2/9 2/11 2/16 2/18

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3/2

•

• • 3/4

•

•

• 3/9 3/11

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SPRING BREAK!!!

SPRING BREAK!!!

11

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For Group Discussions, remember to provide class handout on the day you present (you may upload to Blackboard) and submit individual questions. Please refer to Discussion Instructions for detailed guidance.

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Group Discussion Retrospective DUE

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First Draft of Paper (Project) 1 Due via Blackboard by 6pm

Robinson, J., & Topping, D. (2013): “The Rhetoric of Power”

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Comparative Annotation of Robinson & Topping article Due via Blackboard post discussion.

Spradley, J. (1979).

“Interviewing an Informant.” In The Ethnographic Interview Pipher (Ch. 9, pgs.

139-147)

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Final Draft of Paper (Project) 1 Due via Blackboard by 6pm

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Project 2 Blog Update Due by FRIDAY 3/13, Midnight (Interview Report Must be Complete for Full

1 Credit) 3/16

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3/18

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3/23 3/25

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3/30

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4/1 4/6

• • • •

4/08

• • •

Building a Working Bibliography Identifying usable source-types; recognizing discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary standards of source style, validity, and management Library Field Trip/Workshop

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Individual Meetings Individual Meetings

Pipher (Ch. 10, 11, pgs. 149-181)

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Must bring working bibliography with you to meeting

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First Draft of Project 2 Due via Blackboard by 6pm

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Final Draft of Project 2 Due via Blackboard by 6pm (w/official delivery or publication of Advocacy Letter/Email)

In-Class Address of Awareness Revision Session Adjusting Tone/Rhetorical Expectations Project 2 Finalization Workday Introduce Project 3 Hannah Brencher: “Love Letters to Strangers” Alexis Ohanian: “How to Make a Splash in Social Media” Kevin Allocca: “Why Videos go Viral” Social Media in Professional Practice Social Media Campaign Brainstorming and Drafting Session Social Media Campaign Pitches (All 3 Groups Present 15 Minute Pitches w/ Peer Feedback)

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4/13

• •

Campaign Proposals (Written) Due w/ Descriptive Roles

4/15

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Collaborative Research; Applying Existent Research to Support Original Research Design; Gathering and Interpreting Raw Data

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Specialized Research Report Due via Blackboard BY START OF CLASS

4/20

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Campaign Launch

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Blog Update Due by 6pm

4/22 4/27 4/29

• • • •

Campaign Launch Paper/Presentation 3 Workday Presentations (Group 1) Introduce Project/Paper 4

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Paper 3 (Retrospective) Due via Blackboard by 6pm

5/4

• •

Presentations (Group 3) Presentations (Group 2)

5/6

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Final Exam Period (10:30am-1:15pm)

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Project 4 Due by 1:15pm via Blackboard

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12