Koç Üniversitesi
COMMUNICATION 101 (COMM. 101)
FALL Semester 2012
Instructor:Jason M. Ward
Office: SOS115
Phone: 0212 338 1806
Email:
Website: http://home.ku.edu.tr/~jward/
Office Hours: Friday 9-12 noon or by appointment
Course Description:
Comm. 101 leads students to write text-based essays in the context of a particular academic theme, in other words, to do what we do in an academic community—participate meaningfully in a discourse that is already on-going. As apprentices, they read texts from various authors to become familiar with what the issues are, how we talk about them, and what positions we might take. Further reading helps them to explore and understand how an argument is effectively constructed. Through summary, paraphrase, and personal response they develop the skills to formulate their own perspective. This process leads to an analytical essay grounded in one academic text, an assignment for which students plan, draft and revise. The second assignment asks students to apply their reading and writing skills as well as their familiarity with the discipline to an essay synthesizing material from two texts. By the end of the course, they should be prepared to move on to Comm102, in which they continue to participate in an on-going academic discourse. They should be able to apply the skills they have learned to any number of academic fields.
Among others, these skills should include:
· Developing a process-based approach to academic writing.
· Learning to organize and express ideas in a manner appropriate to audience and purpose.
· Understanding the importance of grammatical accuracy.
· Becoming familiar with strategies for different kinds of writing.
· Being introduced to and beginning to accurately use summary, paraphrase & quotation.
· Being introduced to and beginning to accurately use academic vocabulary.
· Writing formal papers using basic word processing and proper formatting.
Course Theme: Dreams
Scientific research has proven that we all dream every night for two hours. Why do we spend so much of our lives dreaming? What is the function of dreams? Why are they often so bizarre or unpleasant? Why do we forget them? Are they merely our mind’s ‘screensavers’ during ‘sleep mode’ or do they have a deeper significance? What, if anything, are dreams trying to tell us? Is there a language of dreams? Can and should we interpret dreams? What is the connection between dreams and psychoanalysis, myth, religion, creativity and the paranormal?
To gain a deeper understanding of this topic, enhance reading skills and provide topics for discussion and writing, we will look at a broad range of readings discussing the various theories, perspectives and arguments to be found in books (ranging from popular psychology to mysticism), academic journals (scientific to literary), and online communities (of experts and enthusiasts).
Course Requirements & Grading:
Two Academic Essays: drafts, revisions, drafts 40%
Essay One: Summary and Analytical Response 20%
In-Class First Draft: 5%
Second Draft: 5%
Final Draft: 10%
This 2-3 page essay should demonstrate understanding of a specified text and provide a thoughtful response to that text. It will focus on one main text, but may require the inclusion of, or response to, knowledge gleaned from additional course materials. The essay should selectively summarize material from the text, based on the task presented, provide a response, and must refer substantially to the text. The response should provide a comprehensive, concise and coherent summary of the selected text and provide an analytical response where the main arguments are considered in terms of their content, style and persuasiveness.
Comprehension of the key points of the reading will also be illustrated with anecdotal examples from personal experience, which can be used to express agreement or disagreement with the ideas put forth in the text.
A detailed assignment prompt will be provided for this essay, which will include a word-count, draft and final deadlines, grading criteria and formatting requirements.
Essay Two: Analytical Synthesis 20%
First Draft and/or Peer Review: 5%
Final Draft: 15%
In this essay, the response should focus on a synthesis of two main texts. The essay should summarize the relevant parts of two sources, and then consider the persuasiveness of each, in terms of the content and rhetorical style, considering how certain points complement, comment upon or contradict each other/
To engage with the content of these two readings and the course content, a personal experience, such as a dream, will be used for illustration, elaboration or refutation.
A detailed assignment prompt will be provided for this essay, which will include a word-count, draft and final deadlines, grading criteria and formatting requirements.
In-class Writing Assignment: 20%
This short writing assignment is an in-class summary of an unseen reading, which is related to the course content. All of the reading and writing for this work will be completed during the allocated lesson time. The assignment prompt will provide comprehensive instructions, a strict word-count and detailed grading criteria.
Formal Writing Exercises and Homework 20%
Homework tasks worth a total of 10% will involve writing summaries, an MLA works cited exercise and designing multiple-choice quizzes.
To test your writing in class, there will be a quiz on Grammar, Punctuation and Vocabulary worth 10%. The 33 questions for this multiple-choice quiz will be compiled from the best of the questions designed and submitted by the students as part of their homework tasks. This assignment will be explained in a specific prompt, which provides a demonstration of how to write the questions and a practice quiz to prepare for the real thing.
Oral Component 10%
Small groups of three students will be responsible for introducing the readings in the pack and connecting them to the readings presented in the previous weeks. These students must produce a PowerPoint presentation containing a summary, three discussion questions with answers, three multiple choice questions with answers, three new vocabulary words with examples and the page numbers they were taken from. The assignment prompt will provide comprehensive instructions and detailed grading criteria.
Participation / Quizzes 10%
There will be five regular pop quizzes worth a total of 5% to check that you are keeping up with the homework readings in order to participate fully.
Participation is worth 5% and will be assessed in every lesson but particularly in the classes when other students are presenting. Your participation grade will start at 70% and go up or down depending on your conduct in class. Students who come to class prepared and participate in a mature respectful matter will gain points and students who are disruptive, unprepared or misuse phones / computers in class will lose points. Please see Course Guidelines and Expectations for details.
Grading Criteria:
Compositions will be graded based on the following criteria:
Content: 40%
Organization and Development: 30%
Grammar and vocabulary 30%
This will be expressed in a specific rubric for each assignment.
Note: All assignments done outside of class must be typed, double spaced, spell checked, printed on A4 paper, completed on time AND be your own work.
Required Course Materials:
1. Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker, updated 6th edition, (available at Pandora bookstore)
2. Course Packet – This is available at Copyland (located in the student center). Your course packet will be under your instructor’s name.
3. English/English dictionary
4. Binder
5. Writing Implements: pen or pencil, eraser, notebook
6. Stapler
Class Attendance and Participation:
Class attendance is required, and any absences will negatively impact your participation grade. If you accumulate more than 5 unexcused absences, it will result in a reduction of your final grade for the course: 6 unexcused absences = 5% penalty, 7 = 10%, 8 = 15%, 9= 20%. If you accumulate more than 9 unexcused absences, you will automatically fail the course. Consult with your instructor if you believe there are extenuating circumstances that have made it impossible for you to regularly attend class. Please come to class on time; each three times you arrive to class more than five minutes late will count as one absence.
Policy on Late Work
No work submitted after the deadline for the next assignment has passed will be accepted. For example, the first essay submitted on or after the deadline for the submission of the second essay will not be accepted. No student work will be accepted unless all previous stages of the assignment have been completed. For example, a student who has not submitted a first draft on or before the deadline for the final draft may not submit the final draft. An instructor may accept work submitted late, but before the next deadline, in order to validate the grading of the next stage, but the instructor is not obliged to award a grade, read, or provide feedback on work that is excessively late (see below).
Students may hand in late work, but the student’s grade will be deducted by 5 points for each day late. No work will be awarded a grade after 5 days late. If you are not able to hand in work due to an emergency situation, please see your instructor as soon as possible.
Plagiarism and Collusion Policy:
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own, without proper reference. You are graded on your own individual work, not another's masquerading as your own. Any student found plagiarizing on or colluding in writing assignments may fail the assignment, fail the course, and/or be referred to the university's disciplinary council. This may result in suspension from the university. You commit plagiarism when:
· You copy someone else's writing and do not put it in quotation marks and identify the source.
· You take someone else's writing, change some of the words, and do not identify the source.
· You take someone else's ideas or sequence of ideas, put them into your own words, and do not identify the source.
· Someone else writes your assignments or changes your writing and thus creates a false impression of your abilities.
You engage in collusion when:
· You receive unauthorized help with your writing by paying or otherwise inducing another person to do the writing for you.
Grading Scale:
A = 100 – 90% B+ = 86 – 83 % C+ = 76 – 73 % D+ = 66 – 63 %
A- = 89 – 87% B = 82 – 80 % C = 72 – 70% D = 62 – 60 %
B- = 79 – 77% C- = 69 – 67% F = 59 – 0%
Course Guidelines and Expectations:
· Come to class prepared! Do not come to class without your course-pack, a pen, pencil and notebook. If you are warned and forget again, you will be marked absent.
· Behave respectfully toward the instructor and fellow students. Students who are rude or insulting will be asked to leave and marked absent.
· Submit neat and Professional work
· Keep up with work and expectations
· Do the reading for class or you will lose points in pop quizzes and be unable to participate.
· Speak English in this class – if you do not practice English in your English class, when will you be able to practice to improve?
· Turn off your mobile when entering the class. If you use your mobile during a presentationby the teacher or other students, you will be asked to turn off and hand over the phone, which will be kept on the teacher’s desk until the end of class.
· If you do not participate in class by, for example, sleeping or chatting during presentations, not working in group activities, or not attempting to answer questions when called upon, you will be asked to leave and will be marked absent.
· If you do not sign in when you enter the class, you will be marked absent. It is your responsibility to remember to sign in.
· If you arrive five or more minutes after the start of class, you will be marked late and three late marks count as an absence.
· If you arrive twenty minutes after the start of class, you should not sign the attendance sheet as arrivals after this time are counted as absent.
· Submit neat and professional work that you are proud to share.
· Ensure that your Koç University email and Turnitin.com accounts are fully functional and you know your passwords.
You should only email the teacher if you have a communication that cannot wait until class time. Do not expect your teacher to respond to email sent after 6pm or before 9am.
If you email the instructor, please follow these guidelines. If you do not, your email will not receive a response:
· Ensure that your email has a specific Subject Line with a clearly specified question, suggestion or piece of information
· If you need to communicate more than one point, number your points for clarity
· Always be specific. Don’t say, “I do not understand the assignment.” Instead, think about specifically what it is that you need to know. For example, “Can I write about x?,” “Can I format my essay like y?,” “To support my argument, can I z?”