Course Description
English 302 is an Advanced Composition course; this section will focus on the writing and research needs of students in the Humanities. Although we will make use of technical formats (such as professional journal articles and literature reviews), the focus will be on conducting secondary research, organizing the results of the research, and presenting your interpretations of your findings to appropriate audiences.
Course Goals
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.
English 302-SAS Student Learning Outcomes: For primarily text-based research that prepares students to make original contributions: students will
CORE: Articulate and refine a question, problem, or challenge.
Assignments in English 302 will help prepare you to be contributors to knowledge in your field, not just memorizers of facts: you will
and design a final project that adds new perspectives and/or data to the conversation
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 302 that connects to their major field. Students in the School of Engineering are very strongly recommended to take English 302N. If you are enrolled in a different version, you should contact your adviser immediately to see what actions to take.
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 http://provost.gmu.edu/gened/
Textbook and materials
There is no required textbook for this class. We will use several online texts, however.
Writing Commons Open Textbook
<http://writingcommons.org/>
GMU Writing Center Resources
<http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources>
GMU Library Tutorials
<http://library.gmu.edu/tutorials>
Perdue OWL documentation guide
<https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/>
Students as Scholars
<http://oscar.gmu.edu>
Methods of Instruction
Sections H12 and H13 are hybrid courses: each section meets face-to-face once per week in Innovation 328, with the second course meeting made up of online work.
Section H12 meets on Tuesdays from 9:00 – 10:15.
Section N06 meets on Thursdays from 9:00 – 10:15.
All course assignments will be submitted via Blackboard.
Assignments for Section H 12 will be due on Fridays
Assignments for Section H 13 will be due on Sundays
In addition, the BlackBoard discussions should be posted each week before that week's face-to-face class. I expect everyone to post and comment on other students' posts each week (you can, of course, add comments after the week's face-to-face session).
Archived lectures and PowerPoint slides will be available in the Class Notes and Lectures folder on the Course Content Page.
Class time will be used for lectures, course work, and discussion
Assignments
Course Policies
Grading: In grading essays, I use the following general criteria:
A "C" level grade (70–79%) denotes average college-level writing and achievement. The essay is a competent response to the assignment: it meets, to some degree, all the assignment requirements, and demonstrates that the author has put significant time and effort into communicating his/her ideas to his/her targeted audience. It has a thesis, presents some support, and moves from point to point in an orderly fashion; sentence-level errors do not significantly prevent comprehension. Essays that do not meet these criteria will not earn a "C."
A "B" level grade (80–89%) highlights a strong example of college writing and thinking. In addition to meeting the "C" level requirements, such an essay goes further in some way(s): it demonstrates some insight into the "gray areas" of the topic, provides original or very thorough support that is tightly woven into the overall argument, reads smoothly at both the sentence and paragraph levels, and/or exhibits a personal "voice" or style. It has few sentence-level errors.
An "A" level grade (90–100%) marks an essay that engages the reader in a provocative conversation. Even more than in a "B" essay, its author anticipates and responds to possible reader questions, uses a wide range of supporting evidence, engages the reader in a provocative conversation, provides unexpected insights, and/or uses language with care and facility.
"D" and "F" level essays do not meet the basic expectations of the assignment.
I calculate final grades by converting the letter grades to a 100 point scale using the following values:
A+ 98–100 |
A 93–97 | A- 90–92 |
| B+ 87–89 | B 84–86 | B- 80–83 |
| C+ 77–79 | C 74–76 | C- 70–73 |
| D 60–69 | F 0–59 |
A note on final grading: You must earn the grade of "C" or better in this course to receive credit for it and to fulfill this portion of the English composition requirement in General Education. A grade of "C-" or below will not be sufficient to receive credit for this course.
Late Assignments: Unless you make prior arrangements with me, late assignments will lose 5% (1/3 of a letter grade) per day. The grade penalty cannot be made up by revision. No late assignments will be accepted after Nov 28.
Revisions: The essays may be revised for a higher grade, but they must be substantially revised. You cannot lose a grade by revising, but a higher grade is not guaranteed. I have found that "B" papers (or higher) are often more difficult to revise, since serious revision requires thoroughly changing the essay's structure, and "B" papers usually have a fairly good structure. "C" papers (or lower) often respond more dramatically to revision, since the major changes they require are often more straightforward. I recommend revising "C" papers or lower only. If you plan to revise a "B" paper, please see me beforehand so we can discuss a revision strategy.
All revisions must be submitted within 2 weeks of receiving a grade on the assignment. No revisions or late assignments will be accepted after Nov 28.
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.
Writers must include a Works Cited or References list at the end of their essay, providing full bibliographic information for every source cited in their essay.
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). 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.
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
| First day of classes; last day to submit Domicile Reclassification Application; Payment Due Date; full semester waitlists removed | Aug 29 |
| Labor Day--University closed | Sept 5 |
| Last day to add classes—all individualized section forms due Last day to drop with no tuition penalty |
Sept 6 |
| Last day to drop with a 33% tuition penalty | Sept 20 |
| Final Drop Deadline (67% tuition penalty) | Sept 30 |
| Midterm progress reporting (100-200 level classes) | Sept 26 – Oct 21 |
| Selective Withdrawal period | Oct 3 – Oct 28 |
| Columbus Day recess (Monday classes/labs meet Tuesday. Tuesday classes do not meet this week) |
Oct 10 |
| Incomplete Work from Spring/Summer 2016 due | Oct 28 |
| Thanksgiving Recess | Nov 23 – Nov 27 |
| Last Day of classes | Dec 10 |
| Reading Days Reading days provide students with additional study time for final examinations. Faculty may schedule optional study sessions, but regular classes or exams may not be held. |
Dec 12 |
| Exam Period | Tues Dec 13 – Tues Dec 20 |
| Degree Conferral Date Winter graduation ceremony |
Dec 21 |
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