|
CRN 71055 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
CREATING AN ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
|
WEEK 1: AUG. 27-SEPT. 2 AUG.27: FIRST DAY OF FALL SEMESTER CLASSES WRITING FOCUS: BLOGGING This module explores the challenges of communicating civilly and professionally with other business students and the instructor. The goal is to achieve authentic expression while discussing sometimes difficult topics. The class will establish its own norms of acceptable online behavior for the rest of the semester.
|
||
| READINGS | ACTIVITIES | DUE DATES FOR ASSSIGNMENTS |
|
Getting Started:
In the Course Menu on the left, click on the second item from the top, Orientation to Our Blackboard Home Page. If the screencast does not start immediately, click the link at the bottom to begin.
|
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE, be
sure to watch the screencast so you will know how to find the materials
and functions you need for our course in Blackboard. Then click
around to make sure you are comfortable accessing materials and
resources on your own. |
Watch on Monday, Aug. 27, or as soon as you register for the course. |
|
The big picture by a famous philosopher:
“Why
Civility Is Necessary For Society's Survival” by P. M. Forni.
|
Establish your class presence by creating or updating your profile in on Blackboard. (Remember that the profile you create will appear in all of your Blackboard course folders.) Go to our course menu on the left side of the screen. Under the Academic Resources for Students heading, click Blackboard Help for Students, then "Creating a Blackboard Profile." |
|
|
The special
challenges of communicating online:
“Online Civility and Its (Muppethugging) Discontents” by Sheril Kirshenbaum
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting your blog entries: If you have not used Blackboard’s blog function previously, go to our Blackboard Course menu on the left side of the screen. Under the Academic Resources for Students heading, click Blackboard Help for Profiles and Functions, then "Videos for Common Blackboard Functions." At the very end of the file, watch the video on "Creating a Blog Entry" (3:24) |
POST RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS #1 AND #2 by Thursday, Aug. 30, by 11:59 PM |
|
|
The instructor’s point of view:
“Don’t Email me This Way,” by Ms. Mentor
|
Continuing with our blog, choose and respond to TWO of the five remaining questions (#3-#7) Select the two that allow you to contribute to the exchange of ideas in the most insightful and thoughtful fashion. |
POST 2 BLOG ENTRIES by Friday, Aug. 31, by 11:59 PM |
|
Dealing with communication problems:
“Conflict in Cyberspace: How to Resolve Conflict Online,” by John Suler
|
Complete the Essentials of Class Interaction SURVEY to establish our class code of behavior It is available under Instructions for Assignments in the course menu. Click on the folder Creating an Academic Community. After everyone has expressed his/her opinion, you will receive an email the next week containing the class consensus on best practices online.
|
POST RESPONSE TO SURVEY by Friday, Aug. 31, by 11:59 PM |
Actively promoting digital civility: Microsoft's Council for Digital Good Calls on US Policymakers to Promote Digital Civility by Jacqueline Beauchere Text of the Council's Open Letter |
Learn your classmates' preferences for a civil atmosphere in our class by reviewing the results of the Essentials of Class Interaction Survey in a class email on Sunday, Sept. 2. Compare to the behaviors stressed by the Council. |
|
Show that you understand the formal structure of our classroom community by completing the Quiz on Course Policies. It is available under Instructions for Assignments in the course menu. Click on the folder Creating an Academic Community. |
UPLOAD QUIZ ON COURSE POLICIES by returning to the instructions file for the quiz. If unsure how to submit, watch Submit an Assignment (Student) (0:56) Submit by Sunday, Sept. 2, by 11:59 PM |
|
IDENTIFYING DISCIPLINARY RESOURCES
|
WEEK 2: SEPT. 3-9
SEPT. 9: LAST
DAY TO ADD CLASSES
CONTENT FOCUS: DISCIPLINARY RESOURCES
WRITING FOCUS: WIKIS, PARALLEL STRUCTURE
This module offers practice in working collaboratively to construct a wiki that explores the writing culture of a particular academic discipline. Students also assemble and validate diverse reseach materials within that discipline.
|
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
Receive email invitation to join PB Wiki. Accept by clicking the link provided and following instructions to log in. (Bypassing the link and going directly to PBWiki will result in your being blocked and having to email the professor for access. Use the link!) |
||
Grasping your task: Click Instructions for Assignments in the Course Menu. Go to the folder for Identifying Disciplinary Resources. Read the Summary of GROUP Wiki Requirements or Summary of INDIVIDUAL Wiki Requirements, as appropriate to you |
Understand the total assignment as rapidly as possible. Ask the professor if unclear on concept or details. Do not wait! |
|
|
“Why
Wiki Works” |
Look
for an email from the instructor telling you whether you will be
working in a group with others in your discipline, or whether you will
be working singly because no one else shares your major Read the Instructions file for the Disciplinary Resources Wiki. Note individual and group options, depending upon whether there are others in the class who share your major
|
|
|
pb
wiki--Collaboration (2:07) |
Email introductory messages to each other if you are in a group If working in a group, contact each other by email to introduce yourselves and arrange ways/places to meet, either f2f or online |
|
Becoming a strong collaborative team: A Study of Thousands of Dropbox Projects Reveals How Successful Teams Collaborate |
Focus on areplicatinging the Harvard team's findingsto increase the harmony and effectiveness of your wiki group. |
|
Choose appropriate interviewee for the group; contact to schedule interview. Do NOT delay on this step, since the most valuable intervewees are usually also the busiest. NOTE: Remember that the interviewee must be someone in your discipline who also conducts and publishes research so you can learn about your discipline as an academic discourse community. |
||
|
“What
is a Discourse Community?” o Scroll
down the page to “Related WiseGEEK Articles” o
Read “What is the Relationship Between Language and Discourse?” o
Read “What are the Different Types of Academic Discourse?” o Read “What is Scientific Discourse?” if you are a science major
|
For
a serious example of discourse analysis, using the politics of East
Asia: Introduction
to Discourse Analysis For
a fun example of discourse analysis using tattoos: Tattoo Discourse Analysis:
Shipwrecked Tattoos For a social media analysis of a discourse community: Facebook as a Discourse Community
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If unsure how to
submit, watch Submit an Assignment (Student) (0:56) |
|
|
|
SEPT. 10: WEB WITHDRAWAL PERIOD BEGINS |
||
|
|
Click
your Subject area, then your specialty. Especially look for
research resources. Locate the name and contact information of
the liaison librarian for your discipline. |
|
|
|
Enter PB Wiki by logging in to PB Works. |
|
Learning from the most famous wiki: Wikipedia: Strengths and Weaknesses |
Wikipedia
strengths and weaknesses plus hoaxes/blunders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
Begin learning correct documentation format: The APA Style Guide in the OWL at Purdue IEEE Style Guide through the University of Wisconsin |
Prepare to add a References section to your wiki by reviewing APA format, which is the default for students enrolled in the Volgenau School. Engineers may use IEEE style if preferred. |
|
|
Remember the
Titans: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning (8:33) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEEK 5: SEPT 24-30
SEPT. 30: END OF WEB WITHDRAWAL PERIOD; LAST DAY TO DROP CLASSES WITH 100% TUITION PENALTY
CONTENT FOCUS: ELEMENTS OF A PRIMARY RESEARCH PAPER
WRITING FOCI: CONTENT ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS
WRITING |
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
Establishing Writing Goals and Effective Habits: Making Writing a Priority |
As you read, think over this advice from the Science Student Council. After reading the article, block out time on your calendar to complete all writing assignments in this class. |
|
Getting live support and online handouts to support your writing: Youtube vido: The GMU Writing Center Roadshow (3:24) The Writing Center website |
As you begin our first extended, essay-style writing assignment, be sure you know how to access the free help offered by GMU's Writing Center. It offers handouts, online and face to face tutoring sessions and asynchronous revision help as well. |
|
In Blackboard, go to Instructions for Assignments, then the folder for Analyzing Primary Research, then open the files of "Instructions for Elements of a Primary Resesarch Article" and "Scoring Rubric for Elements of a Primary Research Article" |
Familiarize yourself with the purpose and process of completing this assignment, which is key to skillful analysis of empirical research studies. Check the Scoring Rubric so you know how your work will be evaluated. |
|
|
Chapter 3 (What is a
Scientific Paper?) in How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper,
5th edition, by Robert Day |
Be sure to read this chapter since it
is the basis for your paper on Elements
of a Primary Research Article |
|
|
"Google
Scholar Wins Raves--But Can It Be Trusted?" by John Bohannon |
|
|
|
The Office of Student Scholarship,
Creative Activities and Research |
Students as Scholars at GMU and its opportunities for you to continue your research, complete with stipend. |
|
|
"Many Scientific Studies Can't be Replicated. That's a Problem" by Joel Achenbach How to Tell Good Research from Bad, by Denise-Marie Ordway |
Tentatively select an article to write about, then screen it for quality using the questions in Ordway's article |
|
|
OCT. 1: BEGIN SELECTIVE WITHDRAWAL PERIOD |
||
|
|
Review
the reasons to use quotations in researched writing and where they might be
best employed. View
examples that illustrate techniques. |
|
|
In Blackboard, go to Instructions for Assignments folder for Analyzing Primary
Research, then open the file of Instructions for the Quotations Quiz |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How
to Read a Research Study Article |
|
|
|
Using your
knowledge, choose the quotations from the article which will best
support your claims about the quality of the research and writing.
Format the quotations correctly for use in your paper. |
||
| In Blackboard, go to the Course Menu on the left of the screen. Under the header Academic Help for Students, click "Help with Formatting Research Papers." Review the links to the format appropriate to your discipline. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHOWING INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY
|
WEEK 7: OCT. 8-14
OCT. 8: UNIVERSITY CLOSED FOR COLUMBUS DAY
OCT. 9: MONDAY CLASSES MEET; TUESDAY CLASSES ARE CANCELLED THIS WEEK ONLY
CONTENT FOCUS: INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY
WRITING FOCI: PARAPHRASE, INDIRECT QUOTATION, ATTRIBUTION
In
support of the GMU Honor Code, this module provides direct online instruction
in strategies for documenting sources, particularly in avoiding plagiarism
and giving authors well-deserved credit for their
work. The university's position is that plagiarism is the equivalent of
intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting. At the same time, students will be meeting individually with the instructor to select topics for their Review of Literature and Research Paper assignments.
|
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
You will receive an email inviting you to use the Doodle scheduler to Sign up for a conference day/time, to be held NEXT WEEK: Tuesday, October 16, Wednesday, October 17 and Thursday, Oct. 18. Conferences may be video chat, telephone or face to face. You will be discussing and determining your research paper/lit review topic. Students who have not responded by Friday, Oct. 12, will be assigned remaining dates/times over the weekend. |
||
Reviewing your background knowledge: “Nine Things You Should Already Know About Plagiarism” How to Recognize Plagiarism |
Develop an understanding of importance of intellectual property in higher education. Also note the "Three Things You Don't Need to Worry About. |
|
GMU's policies on plagiarism: The GMU Honor Code The GMU English Department’s Policy on Plagiarism |
Learn the university policies that govern cheating, plagiarism and copyright for faculty, administrators and students |
|
Checking your own academic behavior: Overview: How to Recognize Plagiarism |
Be sure you have not been plagiarizing without realizing i |
|
Taking action against plagiarized research: In Nigeria, a Battle Against Academic Plagiarism Heats Up, by Linda Nordling |
Learn ways that plagiarized research can be caught and controlled |
|
Taking action against commercial plagiarism: IGN Pulls Review after Plagiarism Accusation (Update: Writer Fired) Taylor Swift Shakes off a Copyright Claim, by Jake Greiner |
Strict application of copyright standards is not unique to universities and research journals. Commercial publishing is bound by the same laws as academics are. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SYNTHESIZING
RESEARCH MATERIALS
|
WEEK 8: OCT.15-21 CONTENT FOCUS: REVIEW OF LITERATURE, USE OF APA FORMAT
WRITING FOCI: CRITICAL ANALYSIS, PERSUASIVE WRITING TECHNIQUES, TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS
This module reviews appropriate
documentation format while expanding the use of academic databases to
include database(s) appropriate to the student’s research task. Composing the
review integrates persuasive writing techniques, concision and transitional
expressions as well as requiring that students synthesize the state of
knowledge on a larger issue. It scaffolds the next assignment, the research
project.
|
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
|
In Blackboard, go to Instructions for Assignments, then the folder Synthesizing
Research Materials, then the "Instructions for Review of Literature" file |
STOP RIGHT HERE while you thoroughly read the requirements for the final research
paper as well as for the Literature Review. The Literature Review is the first step in constructing that
paper. You will be using the same topic for both
papers so that you can use the empirical articles from this paper as sources
for the next one. CHOOSE A TOPIC FOR THIS PAPER THAT WILL FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR FINAL PROJECT AS WELL.
|
|
Remember to attend your assigned research paper conference this week in the format you selected. DO NOT BE LATE, as this cuts into others' conference time. |
||
Midterm letter grades for all English 302 classes will be posted on PatriotWeb no later than Friday, October 19. The actual numerical grade is available to you at all times in Blackboard under My Grades in the Course Menu. Note: As of October 19, you will have earned 50% of your semester grade. |
||
The need for critical reasoning and argumentation skills: Colleges Fail to Improve Thinking Skills (7:32) |
Understand how the Literature Review and Research Paper work together to build critical employment skills largely missing in many college graduates |
|
WEEK 9: OCT. 22-28 OCT. 28: END SELECTIVE WITHDRAWAL PERIOD |
||
Summary of the structure of a literature review: Learn How to Write a Review of Literature Writing a Literature Review, by the GMU Writing Center |
Review the Instructions for the Literature Review and for the Research Paper from last week. Also review the Scoring Rubric for each so you know how your work will be evaluated. |
|
|
Excellent explanation of the philosphy and assumptions behind lit reviews: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When
Shared Data is Not Reproducible: Science is Broken-- but It Can Be Fixed |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scroll down to the heading for Sample Literature Reviews
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transitions and Connectors Training (In Blackboard, go to Instructions for Assignments, then the folder Synthesizing Research Materials, then the
Transitions file) |
|
|
Over the weekend, complete a full draft of your lit review so you can be ready to post it for review next Tuesday. The chance to review others' work and receive their comments as well is the most valuable tool you will have in composing and revising this example of a universal , yet advanced, scholarly genre. |
||
|
|
||
|
in Blackboard, go to Instructions for Assignments, then the folder for Synthesizing
Research Materials, then the file Instructions for Peer Review |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEEK 12: NOV. 12-18
CONTENT FOCUS: USING TECHNOLOGY FOR INNOVATION
WRITING FOCUS: RESEARCHED WRITING, FIELD-APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION, ABSTRACT
This module reviews stylistic conventions of research paper writing, with emphasis on argumentation techniques for writing a persuasive paper.
|
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
Review requirements for research paper to determine what elements need adding in addition to the literature review material. Go to Instructions for Assignments in the Course Menu, then the folder for Communicating Research Results, then the file for Research Innovations Paper--Instructions. |
||
View a strong sample paper from a past student in English 302. Go to Instructions for Assignments in the Course Menu, then the folder for Polishing Academic Writing, then the file for Sample Excellent Research Paper. |
||
When you receive your grade and comments for the literature review, you will have a one-time opportunity to revise it and resubmit. This is the ONLY assignment which can be resubmitted for a higher grade. It was selected because it is central to the success of the research paper, which is a combination of a university requirement,and the finest example of your researched writing in your discipline. If you are considering this option, go to Instructions for Assignments in the Course Menu, then to the folder for Synthesizing Research Materials, then to the file "Option to Revise the Review of LIterature" to understand the procedure. |
||
|
|
|
|
|
Persuasive Research Paper Writing Guide
|
|
|
Using academic style while constructing your argument: Formal Writing Voice |
Quick review : Third Person Point of View and other traits of formal academic writing as you begin drafting your paper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is Grey Literature? |
|
|
|
WEEK 13: NOV. 19-25
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Toulmin Model of Argument (8:34)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMMUNICATING RESEARCH RESULTS
WEEK 14: NOV. 26-DEC.2
CONTENT FOCUS: USING TECHNOLOGY FOR INNOVATION
WRITING FOCUS: RESEARCHED WRITING, FIELD-APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION, ABSTRACT
This module synthesizes all the major elements of your learning this semester:
At the same time, it offers an opportunity to expand the functionality of a scholar into the 21st century by projecting ways that your field can be extended and enhanced
|
||
|
READINGS |
ACTIVITIES |
DUE
DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS |
|
How to Write a Paper to Communicate Your Research (8:39)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
Appropriate langauge for constructing a counterargument |
|
Sample sentence stems for arguments and counterarguments: Sentence Templates + Transitions List of Transitions to show relationships between ideas: Transitional Words and Phrases |
Plan the phrasing that will show the contrast between your argument and your counterargument |
|
WEEK 15: DEC. 3-9
|
||
Before uploading your draft, check that both your content and your writing style meet the standards of your discourse community. Go to Instructions for Assignments in the Course Menu, then the folder for Communicating Resesarch Results, then the Checklist for Persuasive Research Paper. |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keep firmly in mind that the research paper cannot be submitted late and that if you do not submit this paper, complete with title page, abstract, internal citations and references, by Sunday, Dec. 9, by 11:59 PM, you WILL NOT PASS the class. |
||
One last--but important--task |
In Blackboard, go to My Grades. Check to make sure that all grades (except the research paper) appear and are recorded accurately. Notify the instructor IMMEDIATELY of any errors. IMPORTANT: This is an opportunity to correct errors only, not to rewrite, resubmit or ask for extra credit. As per the Course Description, none of these options is available in our class |
CHECK YOUR GRADES by Monday, Dec. 10 at 11:59 PM. Any errors MUST be communicated by the deadline. After that, all grades will be considered to be correct and will not be changed. |
Go to the Course Description
Go to Joyce
Johnston's Home Page