UN 1015-27 - Hingst

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

UN 1015-27 COMPOSITION: Written, Spoken & Visual Communication

Fall 2014 (Online)

Instructor: Lindsay Hingst, PhD. Candidate in Rhetorical and Technical Communication

Email: (Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.)

Office Hours: I will be available to “meet” with students for phone conferences and video chats on Monday and Wednesday by appointment only.

Required Materials:

  • Turabian, Kate. Student’s Guide to Writing College Paper. 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.
  • A home computer or lap top for taking notes, downloading PDFs, writing papers, etc.
  • A working MTU e-mail account that you check regularly.
  • Access to Canvas for announcements, homework assignments, discussions, quizzes, grades, etc.
  • Supplemental readings, web site links and PowerPoints will be available via Canvas.
  • A cleanly formatted flash drive (with at least 1 GB of free space) for text and PDF storage.

Welcome to UN 1015!

This handout is intended to give you a basic overview of class policies and procedures. You can only be successful at maximizing your full potential if the required work is completed and discussion boards are met with participation and enthusiasm. Completing the assigned readings and examining various audiovisual material in order to ask questions and engage in thought-provoking discussion are part of the requirements. Taking an online course provides students with the flexibility to work off campus. However, this is a reading and writing intensive class. The work load can seem overwhelming at times, and students are expected to put forth the same amount of time and effort for an online section of the course in comparison to one that meets on campus. Make sure that you are prepared to work hard so we can make this a wonderful learning and growing experience.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

UN 1015 is currently a freshman-level course that acquaints students with effective strategies for written, spoken, and audio/visual communication. Because students study, practice, and produce texts that are conveyed to target audiences through these multiple modes of communication, the course should be thought of as multimodal. You will utilize programmatic expertise in communication to build a participatory student culture and strengthen active learning. (MTU Course Outline)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

·  Create written and visual documents that demonstrate an effective use of various rhetorical devices

·  Read, interpret, and develop the ability to critique complex arguments through online interactions

·  Analyze, proofread, and revise written and visual elements of research drafts

·  Learn strategies for analyzing audiences, conducting research and using critical reasoning in order to craft effective arguments

·  Learn research skills including the ability to organize materials, use library resources, evaluate the validity of sources, and use logical reasoning to present research following standard MLA or APA format

·  Use the above skills to produce a correctly documented investigative research project

·  Understand expectations of academic integrity

TIME MANAGEMENT

To get the most out of this course, remember to participate regularly in online discussions, peer reviews, and small group tasks. Try to avoid procrastinating, and give yourself plenty of time to build on your research project. This is a “process-oriented” writing course, so each part is intended to help you use a technique referred to as “scaffolding.” Given the consideration that some of us are not on Eastern time, there will be a “window” during which I would like you to submit assignments. I will not create any “cut-off” dates or times, so you will still be able to submit work following the proposed submission date. However, if you would like to receive the benefit of receiving prompt peer and teacher feedback, it is in your best interest to work within a reasonable time frame.

CANVAS COMPONENT: Course information, handouts, and/or assignments will be available on Canvas. Canvas is web-based. The address is: http://mtu.instructure.com. The login and password are the same as the ones you use for accessing Banweb and your Gmail account. You will need to access Canvas frequently in order to participate in on-line discussions, download assignments and supplemental reading materials, and upload attachments.

COMPUTER LITERACY: By enrolling in this class, I assume that you are familiar with the following: operating word processing software (including downloading and saving documents to flash drives), surfing the web and emailing attachments.

ASSIGNMENT POLICY:

  • All assignments should be turned in within a reasonable amount of time pertaining to the designated due dates.
  • All written work associated with the research paper must be submitted using PDF format. You do not need to submit PDFs for the discussion board posts OR the multimodal project.
  • Students who do not turn in work within a certain time frame run the risk of falling behind in the class. It has been my experience that this creates a “snowball effect” from which it is difficult to recover. If you are experiencing a difficult time due to extenuating circumstances, please feel free to contact me for guidance.
  • It is crucial for students to produce quality work in this course. Make sure that all paperwork associated with your research project fulfills the expectations outlined in course assignments. This includes creating well documented research writing that follows proper MLA or APA format. Improper documented research is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade.
  • Wikipedia is not a credible source and may not be used in this class.
  • There may be a minimum of 100-200 pages to read every week. Reading assignments will be announced weekly on Canvas, so make sure you check the web site regularly for updates or any significant changes. It is recommended that you complete the readings before you participate in the discussions.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

ü  Read and reflect upon the assigned reading material before submitting posts to the discussion board.

ü  While preparing for discussions, mark in your text (annotate) and/or take notes in a separate notebook about what you find important or difficult in the assigned readings. This is the best way to ensure that you will be able to contribute to and benefit from online interactions.

ü  Ask questions. Students who can identify and ask about what s/he did not understand will receive the greatest benefit from the discussion boards.

ü  Re-read the assigned material for clarity or to prepare for quizzes and major written assignments.

ü  Proofread your work two or three times prior to submission. Avoid spelling and grammatical errors.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT: Academic integrity is critical in this course. The use of another person’s words, organization, or ideas (including published and non-published materials) without crediting the source is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is a waste of my time, and a waste of your mind. Do your own work. Cheating and plagiarism will result in automatic failure of this course and will be reported to the university. Give credit where credit is due – source and cite all use of another’s work, ideas, and materials. If you copy another student’s work from the discussion boards, this will result in automatic failure of UN 1015.

ADA STATEMENT: If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class, please register with Christy Oslund at the Student Disability Services Office. If you need any accommodations and have already registered, please see me as soon as possible so we can make the appropriate arrangements.

ANNOUCEMENTS: Every week, detailed instructions for assignments and upcoming due dates will be posted to the ‘Announcements’ tab. Please download and read all of the assigned readings and supplemental audio/visual materials noted in the instructions.

DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS:

  • The weekly discussion board is intended to supplement time spent in f2f courses as well as challenge students to apply knowledge using a variety of writing techniques. Each week, I will provide instructions for the format of our online discussion, and this will vary depending upon the nature of the material we are covering. You may be asked to write summations, critical thinking questions, critiques, analyses, or collaborate in small groups to perform certain tasks. The purpose is to raise discussion questions and synthesize relevant material so that students can build toward the Final Exam (Synthesis Paper).
  • Learning to respect the diversity of others is a crucial aspect of this course. It is vital that you make thoughtful language choices in your interactions with classmates. Avoid any language or discourse that could be considered offensive. You may challenge one another, but always do so in a respectful manner. Students who engage in inappropriate interactions may be restricted from the course.
  • Participating in the weekly online discussions is expected and essential to your success in this class. Missing more than two weeks of online participation is the equivalent of missing more than two weeks of class and is sufficient reason for failure of the course. You are expected to “attend” class regularly and maintain contact with your professor throughout the duration of the semester.

QUIZZES: There will be four quizzes (@25 points each) throughout the semester that will test your knowledge on the assigned reading and audio/visual material. These are untimed “open book” quizzes and will be available two days prior to the due date. Question format may include multiple choice, true/false, matching, and short answer.

FINAL EXAM (SYNTHESIS PAPER): Directions for the final synthesis paper will be accessible via Canvas with directions for completing the assignment. It will be available on December 14th (the first day of finals week). This is a special response paper that will integrate material covered throughout the entire semester, so make sure to take good notes and ask questions on the weekly discussion boards.

RESEARCH PROJECT: A completed research project should demonstrate a student’s ability to analyze a target audience, effectively implement library resources, organize ideas, and support a well-reasoned argument by incorporating the rhetorical strategies covered throughout the semester. This project must be documented using MLA or APA format and includes a 1-2 page proposal, an annotated bibliography with scholarly sources, a 3-4 page full-sentence outline with proper citations, a rough draft, an 8-10 page documented paper, and multimodal project. All components of the research project total 40% of your final grade.

PORTFOLIO: During finals week, you will submit a portfolio that features your research paper, multimodal project, and an additional piece of writing (your choice) along with a comprehensive cover letter for 10% of your final grade.

Course Assignments:

Research Projectᵠ 40%

Discussion Board (10 @ 30 points each) 30%

Quizzes (4 @ 25 points each) 10%

Final Exam (Synthesis Paper) (100 points) 10%

Portfolio*(100 points) 10%

TOTAL 100%

Grading Scale:

A 100-93%

AB 92%-88%

B 82%-87%

BC 81%-76%

C 75%-70%

CD 65%-69%

D 60%-64%

F 59%-0%

ᵠA completed research project includes a 1-2 page prospectus (25 points), annotated bibliography an outline (75 points), an 8-10 page MLA or APA documented research paper (150 points), and a multimodal project (150 points). All components of the research project will reflect 40% of your final grade. If you fail the research project, you cannot pass the course.

*A completed portfolio includes a revised research paper, final multimodal project, an additional writing assignment of your choice, and a cover letter that provides an overview of your work.

Grading Policy and Criteria

Compositions will be graded according to the following criteria: (1) freedom from serious writing problems, such as spelling errors, mistakes in usage, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices; (2) clarity of ideas; (3) relevance to the readings; (4) organization; (5) delivery; (6) visual elements; and/or (7) creativity.

Students will earn the following letter grades for the final outcome of your course work:

“A”: when you have demonstrated outstanding mastery of course material.

“AB - “B”: when you have demonstrated above average mastery of course material.

“BC” - “C”: when you have demonstrated average mastery of course material.

“CD” - “D”: when you have demonstrated minimal mastery of course material.

“F”: when you have demonstrated poor mastery of course material.

NOTE: Student work products (exams, essays, projects, etc.) may be used for purposes of university, program, or course assessment. All work used for assessment purposes will not include any individual student identification.

Any changes made to this syllabus will be made in fairness to the class as a whole. Syllabus is subject to change at discretion of the instructor.