Communications110 – Section A
Writing and Researching for Communication
Trinity Western University
Fall 2014
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3 semester hours
Prerequisites: Writing 100 (or exemption). (Course req.for all COMM majors)
Time: Tuesday & Thursday9:25 – 10:40 am
Room: STR 16
Course Material can be found online on MyCourses
Instructor: Kevin Schut
Office: 119 Strombeck
Phone (off.): 888-7511x3603
Email:
Office Hours: Mon. 1:30-2:30pm, Wed. 9-11am; other times by appointment
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Course Description
This writing-intensive course orients students to the demands of academic research and writing within the Communications major. By course completion the diligent student should be able to write lucid, academic, and researched prose in the genres of cultural critique, scientific reporting, and term papers. Central to the course are the twin emphases of critical thinking strategies and research methods in the information age.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students should leave COMM110 with a clear orientation to writing expectations in the department and confidence in their abilities to meet them. Students should develop:
1. An understanding of the different types of academic writing they will encounter in the communications program.
2. An understanding of and the ability to appropriately employ the standards and discourses of cultural criticism, scientific reporting, and term paper writing.
3. An improved mastery of grammar, style, organization, and documentation of academic prose.
4. Advocacy and argumentation skills through critical thinking and writing critically.
5. Knowledge of the full array of evidence and ideas available to them through online and traditional research methods, and to learn ways to guard against plagiarism in the handling of same.
6. An appreciation for the ethical requirements of research and writing within Christian and marketplace contexts.
More specifically, by semester end, students should be able to:
1. Articulate the types of academic writing expected of them in the TWU communications program
2. Understand academic research methods and documentation
3. Understand the sources and various forms of information available to them
4. Choose appropriate references sources to aid them in developing a working knowledge of their topic
5. Narrow topics and write focused research questions
6. Demonstrate the basic skills of Boolean controlled vocabulary searching, and be able to describe the differences between them
7. Use a bibliographic manager effectively to create a bibliography that conforms to the required style guide (MLA or APA)
8. Write well within three genres
9. Analyze documents through critical thinking and be able to articulate the difference between poor, average, and good writing
Required Texts
Badke, William. Research Strategies, 5th edition. iUniverse, 2014.
Little, Brown Handbook. You should have a copy of this handbook from English classes. Keep it! Use it!
Murray, Donald M. Writing to Learn. 8th ed. Toronto: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
O'Conner, Patricia T. Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to English in Plain English. 3rd ed. Toronto: Penguin, 2009.
Recommended Reading
Peterson, Lois J. 101 Writing Exercises. 2nd ed. Vancouver: Metta, 2007.
Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Grammar. New York: Penguin, 2004.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Everyone should read and possess a copy of Zinsser.
Course Requirements
This is very much a hands-on course. The personal assignments are designed to help you understand your strengths and correct your weaknesses as a writer. The following list breaks them down and gives brief descriptions. You will find assignment sheets on MyCourses with further details—do not attempt to do these assignments based on the overly-brief summaries given here!
Wiki article(s) - 10% of final grade
Everyone will contribute at least one article (250-500 words) to the class wiki on one of the 20 most troublesome elements of grammar (perhaps one with which you struggle). You will read each other’s contributions; critique in class; edit; and perhaps add to stubs of articles. The end result will be a custom textbook on grammar to which everybody has contributed a new-found “expert” knowledge. You will present your topics in class throughout the semester, preferably with PowerPoint presentation and/or online materials. Due: According to sign-up
Information Literacy Assignments - 20% of final grade
The following 5 assignments will be interspersed through the course. They focus on the information literacy skills needed to produce a high quality academic essay and will lead the student through the process required to complete the exploratory essay (see below). Detailed assignment information will be distributed and discussed in class.
Assignment 1: Specialized reference sources. Due: Oct. 2
Assignment 2: Research questions and catalog searches. Due: Oct. 9
Assignment 3: Scholarly journal articles. Due: Oct. 16
Assignment 4: Preliminary bibliography. Due: Oct. 23
Assignment 5: Response to instructor's comments. Due: Dec. 3
Personal essay - 10% of final grade
A short (500 word) essay that we’ll use as a way of getting to know you through casual, personal writing. You’ll use a variety of writing prompts to stimulate the process, like: “Failures to Communicate,” “Good/Bad Bosses,” etc. This may take the form of a rant about a pet peeve or passion. DRAFT due: Thursday Sept. 18 1 HOUR BEFORE CLASS; FINAL due: Thursday Sept. 25 at midnight
Journalistic Profile or Cultural Critique - 10% of final grade
A slightly longer assignment (500-750 words). Choose from one of these options, depending on your communication stream:
(a) Profile. Interview and write a journalistic profile of someone. You’ll focus on journalistic concerns and writing conventions.
(b) Cultural critique. Engaging with and critiquing culture by critiquing/reviewing a TV show, movie, video game, etc. You’ll use the vocabulary, format, style, etc. of media studies.
Due: DRAFT due Tuesday Oct.71 HOUR BEFORE CLASS; FINAL due Tuesday Oct 14 at midnight
Writing in the social sciences - 10% of final grade
You will read two or three scholarly articles in scientific journals and write a 500-word article suitable for a “Communication Science Gazette” summarizing the articles’ findings, or similar descriptive task. Example: a particular media effects model applied to television. Due: DRAFT due Tues. Oct. 211 HOUR BEFORE CLASS; FINAL due Thursday Oct 30 at midnight
Exploratory Essay - 20% of final grade
This final project will combine many of the lessons you have learned to this point in the semester. You will develop a paper of discovery based on the topic of your personal essay. As you explore, you will supplement your writing with appropriate research, which will be the subjectof the information literacy assignments, and an interview. You’ll be assessed on the quality of the prose, organization and structure, quality of research and interviews, and the overall impact of the essay. Everyone in the course will critique each other’s work, suggest research strategies, brainstorm topics, etc. Draft Due: Thurs. Nov. 61 HOUR BEFORE CLASS; FINAL due Tues. Dec. 2
Class Participation & Class Forum Posts - 20% of final grade
There are three parts to your class participation grade. First is attendance: you may have two unexcused absences this semester. Any more unexcused absences will result in a reduction of your class participation grade (see attendance policy at the end of the syllabus for more details). Second, we will have numerous exercises and bits of work that will not necessarily be graded, but will count toward your class participation grade. Finally, there will be a class forum on MyCourses that you must post on weekly (minimum 250 words) to comment on the assigned readings, post drafts of formal assignments, and comment on and offer constructive critique of each other’s work (comment on 2 posts). Postings due: Every week
Grade Breakdown / Grading system (Standard TWU system)The maximum # of points available in this class is 1000:
Wiki article100
Research assignments (cumulative) 200
Personal essay assignment100
Profile or cultural criticism assignment100
Writing for social sciences100
Capstone assignment (Parts I & II)200
Class participation 200 / A+ 90-100%
A 85-89%
A- 80-84% / B+ 77-79%
B 73-76%
B- 70-72% / C+ 67-69%
C 63-66%
C- 60-62%
D+ 57-59%
D 53-56%
D- 50-52% / F Below 50%
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I will use the following standards, developed by Loranne Brown, to inform what my grades mean:
AA superlative grasp of materials and concepts. Outstanding application of imagination and style. Publishable as is; meets professional standards.
A-Publishable with minor editing
B+Publishable with some editing
BAn above-average grasp of materials and concepts. Fundamentals are employed with flair. Publishable with moderate editing.
B-Publishable with significant editing.
CAverage grasp of material and concepts, consistent effort in weekly assignments, and an ability to incorporate the fundamentals of grammar and style. Publishable with major editing.
C- Same as above, but contains some minor grammar, spelling errors, etc. or one serious error.
DRequires extensive rewriting or contains multiple errors.
F Unacceptable work; contains serious factual errors. Or, failure to submit assignment.
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(Tentative) Course schedule
Important! The readings and class topics may change if necessary! Please keep current with the discussions in class. If you can’t be present for some reason, please contact another student in the class to find out what you missed.
WEEK / TUESDAY CLASS / THURSDAY CLASS1 / Sept 4 / Welcome to Writing and Researching for Communications!
2 / Sept 9 / Informal writing – personal essay
Getting started: writing prompts
Read: Murray, Chapters 1 - 3. / Sept 11 / Samples of published personal essays.
Starting the wiki. Assigning articles.
Read:Murray, Ch. 5 - 8
3 / Sept 16 / Developing the draft.
Structure: sentence, paragraph, essay
Read: Murray, Ch. 9, 13 - 15 / Sept 18 / Critiquing the draft. Guidelines for peer critique
Read:Murray, Ch. 16 - 18
Draft personal essay due 1 hour before class.
4 / Sept 23 / How to edit drafts.
Further Critiquing
Read:Murray Ch. 19 - 21
/ Sept 25 / Internet Research – Finding and Evaluating Information on the Web
Read: Badke Ch. 16
Final personal essay due today.
5 / Sept 30 / Journalism and cultural criticism. Structuring arguments and using/evaluating evidence. Storytelling & interviewing
Read: Murray Ch. 22, 25, 26 (up to p. 288 only) / Oct 2 / Informational Research Model & Writing Research Questions
Read: Badke Ch. 2
6 / Oct 7 / Critiquing & editing Profile/Cultural Criticism
Read: Badke, Ch. 8,9; Woe preface, intro, Ch. 1
Drafts of Profile or cultural criticism due 1 hour before class. / Oct 9 / Databases, the Library Catalogue and Boolean Searching
Read: Badke Ch. 4
7 / Oct 14 / Writing in the Social Sciences
Read: Woe Ch. 2
Final Profile/Cultural Criticism due today. / Oct 16 / Introduction to Journals, Journal Databases and Endnote Basic
Read: Badke Ch. 5
8 / Oct 21 / Critique Group meetings
Read: Woe Ch. 3, 4
Drafts of Social Science paper due 1 hour before class. / Oct 23 / Keywords, Controlled Vocabulary, Plagiarism
Read: Badke Ch. 3
9 / Oct 28 / Critique Groups or Catch-up day
Read: Woe 1st half Ch. 5 (p. 79-103) / Oct 30 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe 2nd half Ch. 5 (p. 104-127)
Final Social Science paper due today.
10 / Nov 4 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe Ch. 6 / Nov 6 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe Ch. 7
Drafts of Exploratory Essay due 1 hour before class.
11 / Nov 11 / Reading Break (NO CLASS) / Nov 13 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe Ch. 8
12 / Nov 18 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe Ch. 9, 10 / Nov 20 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read: Woe Ch. 11
13 / Nov 25 / Working on Exploratory Essays
Read Woe Ch. 12 / Nov 27 / Working on Exploratory Essays
14 / Dec 2 / Last class.
Exploratory Essay due
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Thereally small print: Policies and Procedures
TWU, of course, has far more policies and procedures than I can cram into this syllabus. I will not be held responsible for problems resulting from guidelines not mentioned here. However, for your convenience, I want to highlight a few important issues.
Campus Closure Policy & Disruption of classes
In the event of extreme weather conditions or other emergency situations, please consider the website the primary source of information, along with the TWU bulletin line (604.513.2147). The University will communicate information regarding the cancellation of classes to the following radio stations: CKNW (980 AM), CKWX (1130 AM), STAR FM (107.1 FM), PRAISE (106.5 FM) and KARI (550 AM). Should there be conflicting reports regarding class cancellations, the TWU website and bulletin line are to be considered correct. The first announcement regarding status of campus is made at 6:00AM and covers the period up to 1:00PM. The second announcement is made at 10:00AM that will cover afternoon classes. Students and faculty should assume that all night classes will continue to operate. A third announcement covering evening classes is made at 3:00PM. Although unlikely, it may be necessary to temporarily transition to MyCourses for online delivery. Please check MyCourses announcements periodically, and be prepared to transition to MyCourses if necessary.
Policy on late assignments
Most assignments will be due at midnight of the due date. Please look at the assignment details for each specific assignment, however, as some might be due at the time of class. Unless you can provide documented evidence of a valid excuse (as per the policy below), your assignment will lose ten percent of its value per day that it is late. That means I will grade the assignment normally, and then subtract ten percent per late day. I want to absolutely clear on this: weekends do not count as one day! Because you can send me your file via email, Saturday and Sunday are just as amenable to handing in the assignment as Thursday or Friday. In other words, each calendar day counts as a late day. For example, if a paper is due on a Friday, and you hand it in on the following Monday, it is considered three days late, meaning that after I grade the assignment, I will subtract thirty percent from your grade.
Attendance Policy
In addition to the attendance requirement (see Class Participation description above), the following policy from the Undergraduate Academic Calendar will be followed: “[The] instructor may bar a student from writing the final examination where a student has been absent without permission or legitimate cause for more than one-quarter of the classes.” If you miss more than one class in a row or you miss significant number of days, I will start carefully recording your absences. In addition, the instructor will not be held responsible for information missed on days the student is absent, including announcements that modify the syllabus.
Policy on excused absences & excused late assignments
Obviously, people get sick or get in car accidents or have deaths in the family, etc. and these are valid excuses for missing class or handing in assignments a day or two late. However, an excused absence requires two things. First, if possible it requires advance notification, which means telling me you about your problem before you skip or hand in something late. Second, it requires documented proof of the reason for the absence. If you’re sick, this means proof that you visited a doctor (this does not have to be a doctor’s note, which are highly irritating to many doctors)—the rationale being that if you’re sick enough to skip class, you’re sick enough to get help. If you have a death in the family, please produce some kind of document associated with the funeral (an order of ceremony, an obituary, etc.); this seems almost heartless, but there are unscrupulous students who will actually lie about death in their families, and if I require documentation across the board, then I don’t need to make any judgment calls. If there is some other kind of reason for missing, please talk it through with me.
Complaints and problems
You can find a very thorough set of procedures for lodging formal complaints in your Student Handbook. I hope, however, that you never need to use it. If you have a problem with me or with the class, please talk with me about it first before going to somebody else—I may not even be aware of the issue, and I would like to have the chance to resolve whatever you perceive as a problem. If meeting with me does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, or you feel the issue is too sensitive to discuss with me, then talk with Dr. David Squires, Dean of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC). If this fails to remedy the situation, Dr. Squires or your Student Handbook can provide guidance for further action.
Policy on Disabilities
There are many different learners at our university. You may face learning challenges—whether physical, emotional or mental—that many students do not experience or understand. If this is the case, I am able to make some accommodations that won’t make the course any easier, but will hopefully allow you to show me the full potential of your thinking abilities. Any student who wishes to arrange special learning accommodations needs to have documentation approved by the Equity of Access office. To do so, talk to the Director of Equity of Access, Dave Stinson, in the Learning Resource Centre (phone: 604.513.2025 ext. 3404). If you have any questions about this process, please talk to me; you may be certain that I will handle all such discussions with complete confidentiality. You may also find information at:
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
TWU has a strict policy on plagiarism (see My hope is that you will do your own work in this class. This means that with written work, you will 1) use quotation marks around quoted material from other sources, 2) include citations to indicate where you got a quotation, 3) use in-text notes to indicate where you found key ideas (even if you did not quote a source word-for-word), 4) that you will not hire or ask someone else to write your paper, 5) that you will not buy a paper online and 6) that if you hire a tutor to help with your English (which I encourage) you will keep evidence of this editing and that the tutor will not re-write any of the paper for you. If you do not follow these guidelines or if I have other evidence of cheating, I will most likely give an “F” for the assignment in question, and if the cheating is serious or repeated, I may pursue more serious consequences, such as failure of the course and possible expulsion from TWU. I will, at the very least, report all evidence of plagiarism and cheating to the Dean of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC) and the Provost’s office. All written subjects are required to be submitted in electronic format via the online anti-plagiarism software service called “TurnItIn.” An excellent resource describing plagiarism and how to avoid it has been prepared by TWU Librarian William Badke and is freely available for download (PPT file) or used as flash (self running) tutorials of varying lengths from: (14 minute flash tutorial); (8 minute flash tutorial).