ENGH 302
Section SN-2 Summer 2015
Saturday 9am-12:30pm
May 23rd to August 15th
Mason in Loudoun LSH 108
21335 Signal Hill Plaza, Sterling, VA 20164
Course Syllabus

Dr. Kenneth C. Thompson
Office: Aquia 230 Suite Fairfax Campus
Office Phone: 703-993-2305
Office Hours: Mon-Thurs
10:30am-5:30pm by appointment
Email: kthomps4 AT gmu.edu
302-SN2-sum15 Syllabus: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/302-sn2-sum15/index.html

302-SN2-sum15 Blog:
http://302sn2sum15.wordpress.com/

REQUIRED TEXTS:

RESOURCES (Writing and Research):

RESOURCES (Life at George Mason): 

COURSE FRAMEWORK:  This section of English 302 is a Natural Science section designed for students interested in the history of science and technology and/or the relationship of other fields (your major and/or career) to science and technology.  The first part of the course will provide you with an opportunity to improve your writing and develop your research skills while you study the history of computing and the internet and explore questions raised in your discipline/major about these subjects and related issues.  ENGH 302 prepares you for completing advanced writing, analysis, and research tailored to your major and career(s).  We will, therefore, practice and explore the various genres of writing you are likely to encounter including both academic and practical.  We will also reflect about the conventions embodied in these approaches to the written word and their advantages and disadvantages in various situations.   

I will comment extensively on your writing over the course of the semester and tie my comments to specific pages in Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual. You are required to study the explanations and examples on the pages in Hacker I refer you to and do the online exercises listed. I will expect each of your succeeding papers (especially your final research paper) to demonstrate improvement in the areas I note, so its very important for you to talk to me if you have any questions. You will also regularly write short responses in class and online as well as go over paper plans and drafts with me as well as your fellow students during in-class workshops. Tutors are available at the Writing Center to help you with your work and you will comment on each others drafts using editing sheets I will prepare. You will also regularly comment on each others' blog online postings in class and do exercises from Diana Hacker's Pocket Style Manual while I am there to answer your questions. Your final research paper will be 7-12 pages (double spaced) and should make significant use of 8 credible and relevant sources including three peer reviewed scholarly articles.    

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:  By the end of the course, you should be better able to do the following.  You should also have identified areas needing continuing attention since learning to do research, think critically, and plan/revise your writing based on your situation and goals is a life-long process.  Areas we will work on include: 

OSCAR (Students as Scholars):  This section of English 302 is participating in GMU’s “Students as Scholars” program. Across campus, students have increased opportunities to work with faculty on original scholarship, research, and creative activities, through their individual departments and the OSCAR office.   Assignments in English 302 will help prepare you to be contributors to knowledge in your field, not just memorizers of facts.  During the class, you will:

ENGH 302/SAS Student Learning Outcomes:  For primarily text-based research that prepares students to make original contributions: students will: 

PREREQUISITES:  Students must have completed or transferred in the equivalent of English 100/101, 45 credit hours, and any required Mason Core/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 at Volgenau are required to take English 302N.  If you are enrolled in a different version, you should contact your advisor immediately. 

MASON CORE/GENERAL EDUCATION:  This course is part of the Mason Core/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 consult the University Catalog or visit http://masoncore.gmu.edu/general-education-at-mason-2/

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:  ENGH 302N is a skills-focused class, as such, the work is designed to foster and improve several transferable skills (reading, thinking, and writing) rather than to convey content. Classes will foreground the active discussion and analysis of writing to determine the range of choices writers make to convey information and make arguments to specific audiences. We will explore elements you need to attend to when writing advanced work in a particular field or discipline.

REQUIREMENTS: 1) Regular attendance. Participation in all class activities including workshops, group projects, and individual presentations. 2) Completion of all assigned reading. 3) On-time completion of all written work including paper editing sheets, quizzes, papers, bibliographies, blog postings, and proposals. After two late assignments, each succeeding late project will be lowered half a grade. I will accept no assignments that are over one week late. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day indicated on the syllabus. All blog posting and commenting must be completed either in-class or before our next meeting or your grade will be lowered. Failure to complete all work for the class will lead to a NC for ENGH 302, as will any grade below a C.

NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: The English Department defines plagiarism as "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. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting." I will not tolerate plagiarism in my classes and will report incidents to the Honor Committee.

The English Department statement on plagiarism goes on to note that "student writers are often confused as to what should be cited. Some think that only direct quotations need to be credited. While direct quotations do need citations, so do paraphrases and summaries of opinions or factual information formerly unknown to the writers or which the writers did not discover themselves. Exceptions to this include factual information which can be obtained from a variety of sources, the writer's own insights or findings from their own field research, and what has been termed common knowledge."

DISABILITIES: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

ENROLLMENT: Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in this class. Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of Classes. After the last day to drop, withdrawing from this class requires the approval of the Dean and is only allowed for nonacademic reasons. Undergraduate students may choose to exercise a selective withdrawal. See the Schedule of Classes for selective withdrawal procedures.

GRADING:
SHORTER PAPERS: 30% (paper #1 15% and paper #2 15%):
FINAL PAPER, RESEARCH PROJECT AND METACOG: 40% (35% final research paper project, 5% metacog)
PARTICIPATION 30% (blog, in-class discussion and group work: 30%  of final grade with blog post writing assignments 15% and in-class discussion and group work/peer reviews 15%)

NOTE ON GRADING:  Participation is a very important part of your grade and a crucial contributor to your learning.  While contributing to class discussions is central to participation, your grade will also hinge on other important factors, especially how you participate.  This includes your ability to fully participate in or facilitate class discussions, involvement in peer response and feedback, and contributions to any on-line discussions. The amount of participation is important but is less so than reasoned, ethical, responsible, and quality participation.   Attendance is essential for success in this course.  Absences or tardiness will significantly affect your progress and your grade, and it may interrupt the learning of your classmates.

Please let me know in advance if you must miss a class. If you do, you are responsible for the content delivered or handouts distributed. Please also consult your fellow students about any work you may have missed.  If work is due on a day you will be absent, please e-mail the assignment to me by 7PM that day or it will be considered late.   During most class periods you will complete exercises that count points toward your participation grade. If you need to miss a class and want to make up the participation points for that day, you have the option of writing an additional paper based on the materials covered.  

All formal paper assignments must be submitted in hardcopy.  Some assignments will be posted on the class blog.  If you miss class, you can e-mail your assignment directly to me.    
  

SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO REVISION)

Date Assignments
Sat May 23 Introduction to the class and review of the syllabus and course requirements.  

Information Sheets:  fill out the student Information Sheet (I will bring paper copies to class but you can also use the online form). 

I will also help you add my email addresses to your safe list so messages about the class will not be blocked by GMU's spam filter. 

Blog set up and online introductions to the class.  There are five steps: 
1) you will receive an email from kthomps4 inviting you to be an author on the ENGH 302 course blog; 2) you will follow the link in the email (#1 Signup) and register on Wordpress.com; 3) you will then accept the invitation to join the class blog (#2 Accept Invitation in email) and then you will log on to the class blog if you are not already logged on; 4) you will introduce yourself to your fellow students at http://302sn2sum15.wordpress.com/ (page/prompt 03).

Notes: 
1) you will not need to register on Wordpress.com if you already have a Wordpress account you set up using your GMU email address
2) If you do not have a Wordpress account, instead of the above, you go to the Get Started with Wordpress.com page.  DO NOT SIGN UP FOR A BLOG BUT JUST A USER NAME (see the signup for just a user name in very small print underneath the blog address box). Use your GMU user name and email address; write down your password (or use one you will remember).  You agree to the terms of service by clicking Sign up. How you fill in your profile on the next page is up to you. Click submit.  
3:  If your user name is already taken on WordPress, add letters or numbers to your GMU user name.  

If you have any problems, let me know and come to the instructor station.  You must be registered on both WordPress and have write permissions on the class blog before you can log on and see the Dashboard and New Post link at the top left of the class blog.  The login link for the course blog is at the lower right of the page under Meta. There is also a link to wordpress.com there.  Once you are fully registered and logged on at Wordpress, you should also see the course blog under My Blogs on the left side of the page. Click on that link (and choose the blog for this course if you are registered for more than one blog).

You should see a New Post link at the top of the class blog. Give your post a title like “03-Intro Ken T” and enter the text of your post in the box under Post. Once I have given you authorship privileges, you should also see a check box with your name under People at the top right of the Write page (its one of the “categories”). Also check Introductions before you click on Publish. If I haven’t entered your first name and last initial yet under the name categories, you can edit your post in a day or two, check your name category and click save changes. For this and all subsequent posts, title the post with the assignment number/name and your first name/last initial. (Note: you can edit your published posts by clicking on the edit button underneath the post.)

During class, respond to at least two of your fellow students' blog post intros using the Leave a Comment or #Comments link under the post.  We will do brief face-to-face intros.  

During  class starting on Saturday May 23rd, and continuing on Saturday May 30th, we will watch The Machine That Changed the World, Part I Great Brains (to 55:40).   In the following class, we will watch Part II  and the first 35 min of Part III (The Paperback Computer).  Pay particular attention to ideas about computers as universal machines used by everyone–not just as calculating machines for scientists and engineers–and think about the possible consequences of this difference.  Make sure to take notes on the individuals and groups involved in this shift.  Begin your post with your view of why the development of computers was an important technical and social achievement.  Then  write an account of at least three of the most important figures, ideas or devices in this series of inventions (at least one for Part I, one for Part II, and one for Part III), giving the reasons why you think your choices are noteworthy. Your post must be completed by Sun May 31st at 11:59pm.     

Sat May 30 Before class, read Walter Isaacson, The Innovators:  How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, pp. 35-85 (chap 2, The Computer). 

We will begin by discussing Babbage and Hollerith and the role of timing in innovation.  We will then to on to Isaacson's emphasis on imaginative breakthroughs, not just small cumulative improvements, in the development of computers, and his account of the four key "properties" that "define modern computing:  that they are digital, binary, electronic and general purpose or programmable.  

We will make our first foray into an area you will explore further in your research this semester:  the characteristics and consequences of disciplinary specialization.  We will begin with a case where specialized disciplinary questions, language and procedures stimulated, rather than impeded the sharing of ideas across disciplines and led to a key imaginative breakthrough in the development of computing:  the origin of Turing's idea of a logical computing machine in Gödel and Turing's answers to Hilbert's three questions of 1928.  See Isaacson, pp. 43-46 (Audible 1:32:33-).  Those of us who are not familiar with mathematics and its relation to logic will find these points hard to understand--as I do--which is part of the issue we are exploring. 

We will then go on to a 2nd key imaginative breakthrough of 1937:  Claude Shannon's insight, while he was at Bell labs, the phone systems relay circuits and George Boole's translation of logic into equations could be combined to "create the basic concept underlying all digital computers."  See Isaacson, pp. 47-50 (Audible 1:43:23-1:47:20).  We are again studying a case where specialized disciplinary questions, language and procedures stimulated, rather than impeded the sharing of ideas across disciplines and led to a key imaginative breakthrough in the development of computing. 

I will then introduce the idea of a research question (SLO-4) by going over Isaacson's survey of those who contributed to the development of modern computing in the 1930s and 40s:  Stibbitz, Aiken, Zuse, Turing, Atanasoff, and Mauchly and Eckhert (pp. 49-79).  Isaacson concludes this section with a question:  who created the modern computer.  To answer this question Isaacson not only summarizes the details of this history but makes an argument for the primacy of certain criteria in looking for and evaluating the evidence.  See Isaacson, pp. 80-85, especially the conclusion, pp. 84-85 (Audible 3:02:52).   Isaacson's question is appropriate for a longer study; for your own final research paper in this class, you will need to pick a more narrow and specialized question--either about the history of computing as seen by your discipline, or another question relevant to work in your major--to make the project manageable. 

At the end of class, we will watch and discuss The Machine That Changed the World Part II: Inventing the Future and Part III:  The Paperback Computer (35min).  Pay particular attention to ideas about computers as universal machines used by everyone–not just as calculating machines for scientists and engineers–and think about the possible consequences of this difference.  Make sure to take notes on the individuals and groups involved in this shift.  Begin your post with your view of why the development of computers was an important technical and social achievement.  Then  write an account of at least three of the most important figures, ideas or devices in this series of inventions (at least one for Part I, one for Part II, and one for Part III), giving the reasons why you think your choices are noteworthy.

Your posts must be completed by Sun May 31st at 11:59pm.  You should also leave comments on each others' posts by Wed June 3rd at 11:59pm.  See page/prompt 4 for details.    
Sat 
June 6		 Before class, read the following sections from Walter Isaacson, The Innovators chapter 8, The Personal Computer: 
  • pp. 263-268 (As We May Think, The Cultural Brew, skipping Stuart Brand)
  • pp. 272-294 (Douglas Engelbart, The Mouse and NLS, The Mother of All Demos, Alan Kay, Xerox Parc, skipping The Community Organizers )
    •
  • pp. 305-311 (Ed Roberts and the Altair).   

Post to the blog before class, what you consider the most interesting developments and questions raised by the reading.  See page/prompt 5 for details.  Think about our discussion last class of research questions last week as you work on this post.  During class you will comment on each other's choices, indicating what you think of your fellow students' questions and points and making suggestions on how these questions might be approached in a short first paper. 

Paper #1, due next week, is not a research paper--although you should draw on the assigned reading and cite/quote specific pages--but an exercise in finding an interesting issue to explore in the history of computing and an argument to make.   Think about what it is that a particular figure, idea or device covered in the assigned reading interesting and/or important, describe in detail the person, idea or device, and make a claim about why it is important.  Conclude in a new paragraph by proposing a research question (SLO-4) you could ask if you were to write a longer paper on this subject.     

As you are working on your first paper for next week, you will need to decide on a citation format (SLO-5).  Use the format you already know or have started using in your previous courses.  If you are not sure, quickly review Hacker chapter 29-46 and decide on a citation/documentation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE) and review the appropriate chapters. 

Most of you are using MLA or APA and so should review carefully the appropriate pages on:   citing online sources in MLA, pp. 157-166 (APA (210-211); on citing articles found using databases in MLA, p 143, 14C (APA 198-199, 13C and 14C); and citing articles from periodicals in MLA, pp. 142-147 (APA 198-203). For the online Hacker site that goes with our writing handbook, see Re:Writing 3.   

Rhetoric and Audience (SLO-3, SLO-6):  Today we will begin our comparison of papers and talks for different audiences--and for different purposes--by studying the following papers and talks.  Note that some of the following are intended for popular, non-specialist audiences but that there is some overlap.  These readings and our discussion begins the preparation for your rhetorical analysis assignment, due in two weeks.    

  1. Vannevar Bush's popular 1945 Atlantic article, As We May Think, available at the ACM Digital Library and the scan of the illustrated Life Magazine condensation that Douglas Engelbart read in the Philippines as a radar technician after WWII had ended.  

  2. Bush's report to President Roosevelt of July 1945, Science the Endless Frontier, available at the National Science Foundation website. 

  3. Douglas Engelbart's SRI (Stanford Research Institute) report of 1962, Augmenting Human Intellect, and the scan of the original report to the Director of Information Sciences, Air Force Office of Strategic Research. 

  4. The highlights of Douglas Engelbart's 1968 Demo (24 min), available at the Doug Engelbart Institute website.  The full demo is available on the Stanford University Mouse site. 

At the end of class, I will begin an introduction to finding scholarly articles in your discipline(s) through the GMU library databases.  Next week we will do in-class work using the library's Info Guides. 

Today, I will illustrate how to use the Databases by Subject listings using the subject Communication, then going to the database Communication and Mass Media Complete, and then searching for scholarly articles using the search terms "Engelbart" and "Augmentation."  One article we should find will be by Charlie Gere in the journal Visual Communication, titled "Genealogy of the Computer Screen."  We will then jump to Amazon, Google Books and Mason Library page to see what comes up when I enter Charlie Gere's name.  When we search for books by this author on the library site, we will note the Library of Congress subject links on the page for Digital Culture.  Mining one source to find others is a technique we will often return to over the course of the semester and that you should begin practicing now.      

You will then try out the listings for your own discipline(s).  Go to Articles & more on the main library page, then Articles and Databases by Subject for your discipline/major (BIS students can chose one of their disciplines), and start with one of the Core Resources.  Write down or email to yourself what you find.  We will continue this work next week.   

Sat
June 13

Paper #1 (2-3 pages, typed and double spaced) is due at the beginning of class.  Also post your paper to the class blog before class, checking your name and pap1 in the category boxes.  During class you will leave feedback on your fellow students' papers following the prompt at the end of the paper assignment.  Leave your feedback using the comment feature of the blog.     

You will then continue to look for scholarly articles in your discipline(s) through the GMU library databases (SLO-2).  Last week you began by doing a search using the terms Engelbart and Augmentation.  Today you will continue with the subject database listings in your discipline(s) and move on to the library's Info Guides. 

As we have seen, an excellent starting point for your research is to go to Articles & more on the main library page, then Articles and Databases by Subject, paying  particular attention to Core Resources.  (Note:  For some concentrations, CQ Researcher can be a useful starting point because of the overview sections of topic articles, lists of related articles with dates, and Pro/Con Debates.  Go to Articles & more, and look for Congressional Quarterly, CQ Press Library and the CQ Researcher.)  Then move on to the Info Guide from your discipline(s) and chose your own search terms but look for topics and research questions in Information Technology of interest in your field using the appropriate Info Guide below: 

  1. Mason Library Info Guide, Library Research Basics
  2. Mason Library Info Guides by Discipline
  3. Mason Library Info Guide, ENGH 302-N
    Mason Library Info Guides, Subjects
  4. Mason Library Info Guides, Sciences
  5. Mason Library Info Guides, IT and Engineering
  6. Mason Library Info Guides, Social Sciences
  7. Mason Library Info Guide, History
  8. Mason Library Info Guide, Business and Management
  9. Mason Library Info Guides, BIS
  10. Mason Library, Info Guides, Writing & Citation

If you are majoring in IT or a related field, you may want to write your final research paper on one of the figures or developments we have covered so far--for example,  Turing, Shannon, the ENIAC, Bush, Engelbart, Kay, Xerox Parc, or the Altair and the developments that followed from Ed Robert's kit computer.  If so, there are several places to begin, including other chapters in Isaacson and the documents and talks listed below.  I will introduce you to this material in class today.  If you are majoring in another area you will look for resources in your discipline/field on computing and the internet that you can share with your fellow students next week so we can see the range of questions raised in different fields on Information Technology.  But you can then move on and start a research paper in your major on another topic after next week. 

Rhetoric and Audience (SLO-3, SLO-6):  Today we will continue our comparison of papers and talks for different audiences--and for different purposes--by studying the papers and talks by Kay and Metcalfe below.  Note--as we discussed last class--that some of the following are intended for popular, non-specialist audiences, some for specialists in a particular field, and some for government officials or corporate executives in a position to provide funding.  Nevertheless, there is also sometimes overlap despite the differences in audience and purpose.  Our discussion of these readings and talks, which we began last week, is designed to prepare you for your rhetorical analysis assignment, due next week during class.           

  1. Vannevar Bush's popular 1945 Atlantic article, As We May Think, available at the ACM Digital Library and the scan of the illustrated Life Magazine condensation that Douglas Engelbart read in the Philippines as a radar technician after WWII had ended.   DISCUSSED LAST WEEK

  2. Bush's report to President Roosevelt of July 1945, Science the Endless Frontier, available at the National Science Foundation website.  DISCUSSED LAST WEEK

  3. The 1995 Brown/MIT Vannevar Bush Symposium talks, videos available at the Doug Engelbart Institute website.  FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

  4. J.C.R. Licklider's two seminal papers, Man-Computer Symbiosis (1960) and The Computer as Communication Device (1968) from Stanford Mouse site, reprinting Digital Equipment memorial publication by Robert Taylor from 1990. Licklider is discussed in Isaacson in a section I did not assign, pp. 221-229.  FOR FUTURE REFERENCE   

  5. Douglas Engelbart's SRI (Stanford Research Institute) report of 1962, Augmenting Human Intellect, and the scan of the original report to the Director of Information Sciences, Air Force Office of Strategic Research.  Engelbart is discussed in Isaacson, pp. 272-278.  DISCUSSED LAST WEEK

  6. The highlights of Douglas Engelbart's 1968 Demo (24 min), available at the Doug Engelbart Institute website.  The full demo is available on the Stanford University Mouse site.  The Demo is discussed in Isaacson, pp. 278-281.  DISCUSSED LAST WEEK

  7. Alan Kay's Design Summary of the NoteTaker-2, his 1976 proposal that Xerox Corporation fund the development of the first portable computer and his earlier Xerox paper of 1972, A Personal Computer for Children of All Ages.  ACM Digital Library has made available many of Kay's papers and talks but not his January 1969 PhD Dissertation at the University of Utah, The Reactive Engine.  Excerpts are available at Matthias Müller-Prove's website.  You read about Kay in Isaacson, pp. 281-294.  FOR TODAY

  8. To highlight the importance of memos and other more formal kinds of writing at Xerox Parc, we will look at two documents from the Ethernet Timeline: 1) Metcalfe's May 22nd Memo (click refresh page if the doc doesn't appear at first); and 2) Metcalfe and Boggs 1975 paper from the Association of Computing Machinery entitled Ethernet: Distributed Packet Switching for Local Computer Networks. FOR TODAY

 

Sat
June 20

Preliminary Annotated Bibliography on sources in your discipline on a key issue in your field or fields concerning information technology (SLO-2).  Find three articles in your discipline (or disciplines if you are in BIS/have a minor) using the Mason Library Databases by Subject and the Info Guides (see below), format the citation in MLA or APA format and following the model from Hacker, pp. 101-102, post your listing and annotations to the blog.  During class you will present what you found using the blog.  Make sure to keep track of how you found the articles--you are required to discuss your search strategies in your presentation and should note the databases you used in your citations.  See Hacker, pp. 143 section 13c (MLA) or pp. 198-203 (APA).  Note that in APA if you do not have the doi (digital object identifier) you should use the "Retrieved from http:// " format for the database you used.   Also be prepared to identify the discipline/area of expertise of the authors you cover.   

An excellent starting point for your research is to go to Articles & more on the main library page, then Articles and Databases by Subject, paying  particular attention to Core Resources.  (Note:  For some concentrations, CQ Researcher can be a useful starting point because of the overview sections of topic articles, lists of related articles with dates, and Pro/Con Debates.  Go to Articles & more, and look for Congressional Quarterly, CQ Press Library and the CQ Researcher.)  Also make sure to consult the Mason Library Info Guides below for your discipline. 

  1. Mason Library Info Guides by Discipline
  2. Mason Library Info Guides, Subjects
  3. Mason Library Info Guides, Sciences
  4. Mason Library Info Guides, IT and Engineering
  5. Mason Library Info Guides, Social Sciences
  6. Mason Library Info Guide, History
  7. Mason Library Info Guide, Business and Management
  8. Mason Library Info Guides, BIS

I highly recommend making an appointment with on of the GMU subject/liaison librarians to go over your research strategy and the resources available to you. See http://library.gmu.edu/liaisons for a list of the librarians and instructions on how to contact them. You will receive two points extra-credit for working with a liaison librarian and two points for seeing a tutor as you work on your final paper. Make sure to document your visit and include a statement in your final portfolio about what you went over and how the visit helped you on your paper.

Sat June 27

We will have the last annotated bibliography presentations left over from last week today.  We will then turn to the 2nd paper.  Before class, post parts 1-3 to the blog as one post, checking pap2 and your name.  Also bring a print copy of parts 1-3 or paper #2 to class.  The complete file of paper #2, parts 1-4 with transitions, is due Friday July 3rd at 11:59pm.  You can send me the complete paper as an attachment or post the attachment to the blog. 

By Sunday July 5th at 11:59pm, you should comment on at least 2-3 students papers, making sure everyone gets some feedback.  Focus your comments on part 1-2, indicating what you think of your fellow students' account of and argument for their discipline/major and its possible contributions to understanding information technology.  Conclude your comment with any questions you have or clarifications you would like to see. 

Paper #2 (SLO-2, SLO-3) will be 4-6 pages overall, typed and double spaced.  Parts 1-3 is due at the beginning of class.  The 4th part will be completed in class after we go over some preparatory material we did not get to last class.  You should add transitions between these sections when you put all four parts together.  I also suggest the use of headers to make these divisions clear. 

The first part of the paper should cover what your discipline/major studies, key questions in the field, methods used, how knowledge is distributed, influential figures in the field, professional associations, and kinds of employment.  (Note:  if you are in an interdisciplinary program like BIS, you can chose one or more of your disciplines).  Cite credible sources for your points on your discipline/major.  Start with Articles & More on http://library.gmu.edu, go to Databases by Subject, and then Reference Sources and look at Literati, Gale Virtual Reference Library and Oxford Reference and see what you can find.  Then go back to Databases by Subject and look for your discipline and try the Core Resources.  Then use the Mason Library Info Guides by Discipline you used for the previous assignment as well as other sources you know about.  You can consult Wikipedia or other non-peer reviewed web sites to orient yourself but do not make these sources anything more than a starting point. 

The second part of the paper is a personal and persuasive follow up to the factual account in the first part where you argue for the importance of your discipline/major. Why is it so important that you are spending a large chunk of your life studying it? What does your discipline offer the world and why is that important? What would be lost if people did not study your discipline? This assignment should aim to persuade a skeptical audience of the importance of your discipline/major. This section should be at least a page and does not require outside sources.  If you chose your major for pre-professional/vocational reasons, this is the section to emphasize that point.  But as Robert Metcalfe's case illustrates (see the last links in the Rhetoric and Audience section two weeks ago) it is short sighted to ignore the role of research in practical as well as more academic/scholarly fields.  

The third part of the paper is your preliminary annotated bibliography of sources in your discipline(s) on information technology drawing on blog post 07a.  Make sure to identify the discipline/areas of expertise of the authors in your bibliography.  Add a tentative conclusion on the contributions your discipline has or could make to understanding the development and impact of information technology and whether these contributions are central or peripheral to the discipline.  

The fourth part is the rhetorical analysis of an article from your discipline that we did not have time to set up last week.  We will discuss the following and then you will write blog post 07b in class, concluding by pointing to any connections you see between your account of the field (part 1 above) and what you found in your rhetorical analysis.   

You will write in class your rhetorical analysis of one of the articles from your annotated bibliography of last week.  See page/prompt 07b for details.  In preparation for the rhetorical analysis part of the assignment, read before class.  We will review Pinker in class (SLO-2, SLO-6).  

  • Read Rhetorical Situations on the Purdue OWL site and watch the associated Vidcasts on Ethos, Pathos and Logos. 

  • Steven Pinker, Why Academics Stink at Writing, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept 26th, 2014.  The article can be found at https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/  After you log-in, go to the link for courses on the upper right and find the folder for ENGH 302-SN2 (Summer 2015), then click on the link for Course Content on the left and click on the appropriate link. 

  • Finally, during class we will continue our comparison of papers and talks for different audiences--and for different purposes--by looking at Bill Gates blog today and his 1976 Open Letter to Hobbyists as it appeared in the Homebrew Computer Club Newsletter.  These are not examples of writing within the disciplines but do show the larger importance of looking at audience and purpose.

    (NOTE:  If you are interested in the early history of Microsoft and its relation to Ed Roberts and the Altair, see Isaacson, pp. 337-343.  For the relationship between Apple and the Homebrew Club, See Isaacson, pp. 344-354.) 

By Sun July 5th, leave comments on each other's blog post accounts, indicating what you think of your fellow students' account of and argument for their discipline/major and its possible contributions to understanding information technology.  Conclude your comment with any questions you have or clarifications you would like to see.  

At the end of class we will go over Finding a Research Question (SLO-4).   I will summarize Michael Hiltzik, Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age, pp. 329-345 (Steve Jobs visit to Xerox Parc), and pp. 389-398 (Did Xerox Blow it).  (Note:  you read about Xerox Parc in Isaacson, The Innovators, pp. 286-94.  Jobs' visit to Xerox Parc is discussed in a section of Isaacson I did not assign, pp. 363-366).  We will then discuss research questions that might come out of this reading. See Xerox Research Questions for further points. 

During class, I will also give you time to work on your very preliminary ideas about your research question for your final research paper while I talk to you individually about whether you want to build on the research questions at the end of your first paper (on a person, system, idea or device in the history of computing), pose a related question, or develop a question coming out of your major/discipline apart from information technology and business.  

We will also go over any questions you have about my comments on your first paper, an optional revision of which is due July 11th.  

Sat July 4 NO CLASS, 4TH OF JULY

Over break, read Walter Isaacson, The Innovators:  How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, pp. 217-261 (chap 7, The Internet) if you are thinking of writing your final paper on any question connected with the internet as seen by your discipline.  

Also over break, watch the inspiring video about doing research at Mason Libraries at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgSX-QiD3XU
Sat July 11

Optional Revision of Paper #1

Post to the blog and bring a print copy to class of

  1. 2-3 research questions for your final paper (review Hacker, pp. 91-2)

  2. A preliminary annotated bibliography for your final research paper.  Include at least 10 sources with at least 5 articles and 2 books.  You do not need to do a complete annotation at this point (as in paper #2, part 3) but note in a brief paragraph under each item in your Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page the disciplines/areas of expertise/professional qualifications of your authors, how you found the item, and how it might contribute to your final project.     

During class, if not before, provide feedback to your fellow students on their research questions using the blog's comment function.  Indicate which questions you find most promising, what points you think need more clarification or development and what evidence/sources you see as potentially relevant.  Finally, indicate whether it is clear to you what disciplinary community/conversations each question is tied to. 

Also make sure you have all the required posts completed by the end of class.   At this point you should have 8 posts up:  03, 04, 05, 06, 07a, 07b, 08 and 09.

Citing Sources in MLA or APA (SLO-5):  Most of you are using MLA or APA and so should review carefully the appropriate pages on:   citing online sources in MLA, pp. 157-166 (APA (210-211); on citing articles found using databases in MLA, p 143, 14C (APA 198-199, 13C and 14C); citing articles from periodicals in MLA, pp. 142-147 (APA 198-203), and citing books in MLA, pp. 150-151 (APA 205-207).    

While working on this assignment, read/watch the following.  I will review these in class with you, setting them up with a very concise but useful summary of some of  the key issues you should consider in disciplinary writing (UPenn library) as you begin your own research paper (SLO-2).  

During the second half of the class, I will meet with you individually to go over your 2nd paper and your plans for your 3rd paper.  While I am meeting with each of you individually, you should work on refining your research questions based on your continuing research and the feedback you have received from your fellow students to your blog post of your preliminary questions (due on the blog post due before class today; also bring a print copy). 

Sat July 18

Preliminary plan, outline, and annotated bibliography for you final research paper due at beginning of class in print form (intro paragraph optional). Include your tentative thesis, an outline, and an initial bibliography (SLO-2, SLO-3). The exact form of the outline is up to you (bullets, numbers, etc.). I will be looking for how you see the sections of the paper relating to one another--and to your thesis--as well as what kind of evidence you will use in each part.  For the initial bibliography due in print form at the beginning of class include at least one book, one scholarly article and one web page or other popular source and do a detailed analysis of each item.  You will post a revision to the blog by Sun at midnight (see below). 

Today in class you will explain your plans to each other and I will talk to you individually about your questions, annotations and final paper ideas.  You will then post a revision of your revised plan, outline & biblio by Sun at midnight.  Near the beginning of class, we will watch Simon Jones' lecture.   You will then explain your plans to one another and ask questions. 

In your annotated bibliography part of this assignment, use MLA or APA format for each item but then add paragraphs after each entry

  • summarizing the argument and information in the source

  • describing how you will use the source

  • analyzing how credible it is. Make sure to include the disciplinary affiliations of the authors and the status of the publication (audience, sponsor, editorial board, etc.). 

  • recounting how you found the source (library database, LOC subject heading, search engine, etc.)

  • review Hacker, pp. 101-102, on annotated bibliographies and
    pp. 109-110 on using sources in a research paper. 

For the printed version you bring to class you can include popular web sources but by Sunday when you post a revised version to the blog, focus your analysis on at least one book (specific chapters or sections) and at least three articles from refereed journals (or other peer reviewed sources you found using the library databases).  Consult the core resources in the Mason Library Info Guides by Discipline and the Articles and Databases by Subject.  You can include more popular sources (New York Times, web pages, etc.) but make sure to explain the credibility of these sources and how you will use them in your final paper. 

During class, we will begin a review the pages listed below in Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual.  We will continue this review next week and begin the exercises on the companion website in the areas where you have had difficulties and/or are not sure you understand the issues.  For the free companion website go to http://dianahacker.com/pocket, then to the bottom of the page and click Continue.  You do not need to log in on the first page but click Grammar Exercises and then Cancel to get to the Exercises page.  We will also use the Language Debates section on that initial list.  If English is your second language, the ESL help link is also very useful.  

Sat July 25

Paper workshop: you are responsible for bringing to class two copies of your research paper first draft. First, read your papers out loud to one another in pairs (or small groups), stopping when either you or your listener senses there may be a problem and discussing the issue. Then, exchange drafts and read the paper through once.  Then read the paper again as you are working through the questions on the editing sheet. Your draft should be 2+ pages. Take notes on what you discussed since you will need to include an account of what you learned from the session with your final paper. Note: keep the edited paper(s) and editing sheet(s) to hand in with your final paper on August 15th. During or after class post your paper 3 draft 1 to the blog.  See page/prompt 12a for details.  I will post responses to these posts (12a) by Mon so make sure to check back and study my comments as you plan and work on your revision and extension of your draft for next Sat (12b).

Make sure to bring a copy of the paper editing sheet to class.  It's available at
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/302-sn2-sum15/p-edit_3.doc

Before class, read

During class, we will go over the handout, Reading Scholarly Articles, which will help you as you review your existing research and do more as you revise your paper.

During class, we will continue our review from last week of the pages listed below in Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual.  After class, do the exercises on the companion website in the areas where you have had difficulties and/or are not sure you understand the issues.  To find the companion website to http://dianahacker.com/pocket, then go to the bottom of the page and click Continue.  You do not need to log in on the first page but click Grammar Exercises and then Cancel to get to the Exercises page.

  • Hacker, pp. 4-5, on wordy sentences and exercises 1-1 to 1-4 under Clarity  

  • Hacker, pp. 5-7 on Active verbs and exercises 2-1 to 2-3 under Clarity 

  • Hacker, pp. 7-8 on balancing parallel ideas and exercises 3-1 to 3-3 under Clarity.  Parallelism is particularly useful when writing for busy people who need to take in information quickly.  It is the grammatical structure closes to bullets

  • Hacker, pp. 10-11 on shifts in point of view and exercises 5-1 to 5-4 under Clarity

  • Hacker, pp. 13-14 on dangling modifiers  

  • Hacker, pp. 34-36 on pronoun reference and exercises 12-4 through 12-6 under Grammar 

  • Hacker,  pp. 42-47 on fragments and run-on sentences and exercises 14-1 to 14-4 and 15-1 to 15-4 under Grammar

  • Hacker, pp. 59-61 on restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and phrases.  We will also look at restrictive and non-restrictive clauses with the example from the Republican Convention in 1984 in the Language Debates section on that vs. which

  • Hacker, pp. 64-67 semi-colons and colons and exercises 18-1 to 18-3 under punctuation 

  • If there is time at the end of class, we will discuss Hacker finding a voice (pp. 17-20). Her glossary of usage (pp. 288-297) will be a useful resource as you work on your paper.

Sat
Aug 1		 Before class, post to the blog (SLO-7):   
  1. an updated and extended draft of your third paper (3-4 pages, page/prompt 12b)
    I will post responses to these paper/posts by Tues August 4th, so make sure to check back and study my comments as you plan and work on your 3rd revision and extension of your draft for next Sat (see page/prompt 12c).  Check your name and pap3-draft2 in the category boxes for part 1.
  2. an updated account of your final research paper plan including
  3. an updated outline and annotated bibliography
  4. responses to the questions you have received, both from Dr. Thompson and your fellow students. Your update should include a statement of what you have changed based on the responses you have received. Check your name and pap3 revised plan, outline & biblio in the category boxes for parts 2-4.

Before class, read

During class, you will comment on the research paper plan and updated draft of at least one student in the class.  Begin with the student whose paper you edited in class on July 25th. 

  1. Discuss what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the plan and 2nd draft.
  2. Does anything need to be added, cut or developed further? 
  3. Is the paper well organized, are there transitions between paragraphs, and ties to the larger argument at key points? 
  4. Note any improvements if you read the paper before and note areas that still need work.
  5. Point to phrases/sentences/paragraphs that are hard to understand and that need clarification or better phrasing. 
  6. Is the authors thesis debatable? 
  7. Can you think of counterarguments the author needs to respond to? 
  8. Does the author make claims, provide data or other kinds of relevant evidence, and provide warrants?  Be specific about each.
  9. Is their a introduction that sets up the rest of the paper and gains your interest.  Does the conclusion pull together the points made in the paper and sum up how the author has demonstrated his or her points?  Does the conclusion open up new areas to explore that follow from what the paper does cover? 
Optional Revision of paper #2. 

Whether you revise or not, make sure I have the complete paper, parts 1-4 in one electronic file. 

During class, we will finish our review from last week of the pages listed below in Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual.  During today's class, you will do the exercises on the companion website in the areas where you have had difficulties and/or are not sure you understand the issues.  To find the companion website to http://dianahacker.com/pocket, then go to the bottom of the page and click Continue.  You do not need to log in on the first page but click Grammar Exercises and then Cancel to get to the Exercises page.

  • Hacker, pp. 4-5, on wordy sentences and exercises 1-1 to 1-4 under Clarity  

  • Hacker, pp. 5-7 on Active verbs and exercises 2-1 to 2-3 under Clarity 

  • Hacker, pp. 7-8 on balancing parallel ideas and exercises 3-1 to 3-3 under Clarity.  Parallelism is particularly useful when writing for busy people who need to take in information quickly.  It is the grammatical structure closes to bullets

  • Hacker, pp. 10-11 on shifts in point of view and exercises 5-1 to 5-4 under Clarity

  • Hacker, pp. 13-14 on dangling modifiers  

  • Hacker, pp. 34-36 on pronoun reference and exercises 12-4 through 12-6 under Grammar 

  • Hacker,  pp. 42-47 on fragments and run-on sentences and exercises 14-1 to 14-4 and 15-1 to 15-4 under Grammar

  • Hacker, pp. 59-61 on restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and phrases.  We will also look at restrictive and non-restrictive clauses with the example from the Republican Convention in 1984 in the Language Debates section on that vs. which

  • Hacker, pp. 64-67 semi-colons and colons and exercises 18-1 to 18-3 under punctuation 

  • If there is time at the end of class, we will discuss Hacker finding a voice (pp. 17-20). Her glossary of usage (pp. 288-297) will be a useful resource as you work on your paper.

Sat Aug 8 Research Paper workshop.  Bring a print copy or your revised and expanded paper #3 to class for editing (5-6 pages).  Also post your revised paper to the blog before class (pap3-draft3).  Your classmates will do peer review of the print copy and I will do peer review of the post after class.  I will provide editing sheets in class but they are also available online (SLO-7). 

Brief in-class presentations, 5 min with questions (SLO-2, SLO-4, SLO6) on

  1. the question or questions you asked
  2. the research you have done
  3. the scholarly/professional community or communities you were addressing
  4. how your paper connects with issues being discussed in this community or communities
  5. why your points are interesting or important . 

Think of your audience as educated non-specialists and your purpose as explaining why the questions, issues and answers you developed in your paper are important, both to the specialist community or communities you were addressing but also to those outside it.  You can use PowerPoint or other visual aids but are not required to do so. 

Sat Aug 15

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER due today.  The paper must be 7-12 pages, not including your works cited/references pages (12-point font).

The paper must cite at least eight (8) sources, including substantial use of at least four (4) authoritative sources. The source break down for authoritative scholarly sources is: 1) at least three articles from authoritative, scholarly/professional, print journals (access may be online); and 2) at least one book or book chapter published by a credible academic press. 

The paper should be in MLA or APA format and include in-text cites and Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) at the end (check the sample papers in Hacker) without annotations.  

Remember that the final paper needs to be in a folder--or held together with a substantial clip.  The portfolio should include drafts (with editing sheets done by fellow students), your original paper plan, the paragraph structure sheet, and an account of what you changed as you worked on your project (including what you went over with your student editor and with me). If you see a tutor from the Writing Center, include a Visit Verification Form. I you saw a subject/liaison librarian, include his or her name, the date you met, and what you went over. Finally, indicate which citation format you used (APA or MLA or one of the Sciences listed on  Re:Writing 3.    Put your revised paper on top and your draft on the bottom with the other materials in between. 

You are also required to send me electronic copies (Word or PDF attachments) of

  1. The final version of paper #3

  2. The revised paper #2 with clear section divisions parts 1-4

  3. The QEP targeted Metacog Assignment on Learning Outcomes you will write in class today (SLO-1, SLO-2, SLO-3, SLO-4, SLO-6). 

At the beginning of class, we will finish the brief in-class presentations, 5 min with questions (SLO-2, SLO-4, SLO6) on

  1. the question or questions you asked
  2. the research you have done
  3. the scholarly/professional community or communities you were addressing
  4. how your paper connects with issues being discussed in this community or communities
  5. why your points are interesting or important. 

Think of your audience as educated non-specialists and your purpose as explaining why the questions, issues and answers you developed in your paper are important, both to the specialist community or communities you were addressing but also to those outside it.  You can use PowerPoint or other visual aids but are not required to do so. 

 

GRADING EXPECTATIONS AND POLICY:  You must complete all assignments including reading responses, annotated bibliographies, rough drafts, revisions, blog posts and peer reviews to receive a passing grade in the class.  The grading scale goes from A to F.  What this means in practical terms is that not everyone earns an A or B.  These marks are reserved for excellent or good work.  An A paper demonstrates not only a strong grasp of the material, but also shows complexity, originality, and independence of thought.   A C grade signals an acceptable but not impressive or thoughtful command of the subject matter.  Assignments that demonstrate only a rudimentary or one-dimensional grasp of the material, or that show serious weaknesses or flaws in the analysis and presentation of ideas, will receive a below-average (i.e. a D or F) grade.  Students in ENGH 302 must earn a grade of C or higher to complete the 302 requirement; students whose grades are lower than a C will need to repeat the class.