Students will learn to write a well-organized and error-free argumentative research paper. By the end of the course students will be able to:

Grammar
            Write sophisticated as well as grammatically and idiomatically correct English prose

Reading
             Read to comprehend increasingly complex material
             Read and think critically

Vocabulary
              Expand vocabulary through reading and writing
              Develop subject specific terminology through reading and writing

Rhetoric
             Write well-organized essays, focusing specifically on argumentative essays
             Write a strong and developed thesis statement with supporting arguments
             Think, read, write critically for an academic audience
              Write a developed outline
              Paraphrase and summarize
             Cite and write using documentation
             Write a fully documented research paper

Research and sourcing (can be covered by a librarian in one or more workshops in the library)
                Be familiar with research and information literacy skills including                      
                        - A reinforcement of searching skills: catalog, database, and web sourcing
                         - Source evaluation
                         - Subject searching
                         - Utilize MLA style for all aspects of a research paper
                         - Understand how to avoid plagiarism, Zotero and the ethical use of AI

Absences: You are essential to the success of this course. Since the course is based on a series of in-class writing workshops and activities, regular attendance and class contribution are fundamental. Absences should be rare and reserved for unforeseen circumstances. It is a waste of time to contact the Dean's office – creating more work for them – by requesting an excused absence for a routine medical appointment, funeral, or because you were locked out of your house. Neither should the Associate Dean’s office be involved in correspondence regarding any other type of routine absence. You are allowed 4 no questions-asked absences in this course, after which, on the fifth absence, you will be expected to drop the course. 

Research shows that students' grades go down with frequent absences. If you need to be absent, I trust you have good reason to be. Simply do not come to class that day and contact a colleague regarding what you missed in class, and of course check Moodle, ensuring that whatever assignment is due on that day is handed in the day of the absence just the same.

Midterm and final exam policy: You cannot make-up the midterm exam or final exam without the permission of the Dean’s Office.

Homework: There is homework in nearly every class so if you are absent, you are still responsible for whatever material was covered in class. Do not email the instructor asking what the homework is or what we covered in class: contact a classmate instead and of course, check Moodle. Homework due on the day of the absence is to be turned in via Moodle the day it is due.

Late work: Late work will not be accepted. Read that again if you have to.

Academic Honesty: Passing off work that is not your own as if it were, is theft, and it's sad for the professor to have to chase you for it. Academic dishonesty includes cut and paste plagiarism, improper quoting and paraphrasing, reusing old papers, and the unethical use of AI to write your assignments for you.  But there is good news! The research you will have done ought to be showcased. You will have ensconced yourself in the sources and will have incurred new insights and expanded knowledge. Show off your battle scars by citing sources correctly. Some assignments will make use of AI tools and others will not. Pay attention to instructions. A good rule is that if you have to ask, “Is this okay to do?”, it probably is not. If you are unsure, it can't hurt to ask.

Exams: Scheduled in-class exams may not be made up unless arrangements are made with the professor before the day of the absence.  If a major scheduled grading event (major assignment due, in-class composition exam, presentation) is scheduled for any class period, and you don’t show up and don’t have a university-sanctioned excuse, then you will receive a zero for that activity.  Midterms and finals may not be made up without the intervention of the Dean's office. The final exam period runs until the end of the week after the last day of class. Plan to be here during all of finals week.

Participation: Please also note that the Participation 5% of your final grade will reflect your timeliness, your work ethic, your attentiveness, your grit and perseverance, your inquisitiveness and creativity, and your respect for your colleagues. If you are dwindling in these areas, you will be given an opportunity at the mid-term conference to improve your conduct after which point, should you not improve, you grade will be thusly affected.

Writing Center: I encourage you all to visit the Writing Center as good practice for excellent composition. As such, I may take into consideration your Writing Center attendance in calculating your final grade if: 1) at the end of the semester your grade is on the cusp i.e., a 79.9% and 2) your writing has demonstrably improved as a result of your having put into practice what you have learned at the Writing Center.

MOODLE MORE ACCURATELY DESCRIBES COURSE PROGRESS. PLEASE CHECK THERE.

Tentative Schedule

Please note that this schedule will change depending on course progress. There will be in and out of class readings assigned throughout the semester related to the topic that week. Homework will be assigned daily.

Week 1:            

Introduction to Course
Syllabus and Requirements-Goals, Expectations and Text

Grading policy

Response writing

Grammar review, fragments and run ons

Week 2:           

Quiz on course policy/syllabus
Critical Reading, Source Criticism, Evaluating Sources
Annotating

The Characteristics of Summary
Paraphrasing and Plagiarism                                                                                                        

Week 3:           

In class essay #1
Workshop In class essay #1

Week 4: 

Entering the Conversation and the Argument
Ways of Responding: Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously
The Art of Quoting

In class essay # 2

Week 5: 

Library session #1 on sourcing and doing research
Introduce final research paper topics
Workshop in class essays #2

Week 6: 

Brainstorm disciplines for papers
Discuss assigned reading
Library session #2 on sourcing and doing research  

Week 7: 

Finish discussion of reading and literary themes.
Parts of the paper: How to write an annotated bibliography.

Week 8: 

In class essay #3
Workshop in class essay #3 

Conferences and Mid-term Evaluations

Week 9: 

Primary vs. Secondary Sources; Bias and Objective Sources
MLA 8^th edition discussion-Formatting Basics, Page Layout and Paragraphing, and
Parenthetical Citation-Works Cited
Quiz on MLA
MLA vs APA
Parts of the paper: How to Write a Thesis discussion
How to draft a research proposal

Annotated bibliography due next week.

Week 10: 

Parts of the Paper-How to write an outline
How to write a review of the literature discussion

Annotated bibliography due

Research proposals due next week. Literature review due next week.

Week 11: 

Research Proposals due
Academic Writing and Your Own Voice
Review of Literature due
Planting a Naysayer: Addressing your critics

Week 12: 

Outline due
Ain’t So, Is Not: Mixing the Academic and the Colloquial
Parts of the Paper: How to write the Introduction, Body and Conclusion
So What, Who Cares: Saying Why it Matters
As a Result: Connecting the Parts
Argument and Logical Fallacies

Rough draft due end of next week.

Week 13:

 Rough draft due (Workshop)

Final course evaluations 

Week 14: 

Final papers due-in class presentations