Com_156_Syllabus

Syllabus Axia College/College of Humanities COM/156 Version 4 University Composition and Communication II Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course builds upon the foundations established in COM/155. It addresses the various rhetorical modes necessary for effective college essays: narration, illustration, description, process analysis, classification, definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and argumentation. In addition, requirements for research essays, including the use of outside sources and appropriate formatting, are considered. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials McLean, S. (2011). Writing for success (1st ed.). Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc. Axia College’s Short Form Writing Style Handbook, available online via your student web page. Axia College’s Writing Style Handbook, available online at https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CWE/pdfs/Axiawriting_style_handbook.pdf. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: Writing Basics: Audience, Purpose, and the Process Details Due Points Objectives 1.1 Identify strategies for successful writing. 1.2 Determine appropriate purpose, audience, and content for the writing process. Course Preparation Read the course description and objectives. Read the instructor’s biography and post your own. Readings Read Ch. 6 of Writing for Success. Readings Read Ch. 12 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation The Writing Process Watch the video on The Writing Process located on your student website. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Short Form Axia Writing Style Handbook Read the Short Form Axia Writing Style Handbook. Individual Challenges of a Paper Write a paragraph of at least 200 words identifying three challenges that might arise when writing a paper. Write a second paragraph of at least 200 words explaining the strategies you will use to overcome those challenges. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 5 Week Two: Topic Selection, Writing a Thesis Statement and Introductory Paragraphs Details Due Points Objectives 2.1 Determine the topic of an essay assignment. 2.2 Explain effective practices for developing a thesis statement. 2.3 Explain effective means for establishing an introductory paragraph. Readings Read Ch. 9 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Thesis Review Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Grammar Mechanics section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Writing Style. • Finally, click Thesis. • Review the information provided. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question How does the communication tone and style in the field of media compare with standard academic communication' Is it similar or different' Explain how so. Individual Select a Topic for Your Final Paper Resources: Axia College Material: Appendix A; EXPANDED APPENDIX B Read Expanded Appendix B (located under the Course Materials forum). DO NOT USE Axia College Material: Appendix B, (located under the Materials section of your class) as those are NOT the topics we will be working with.Expanded Appendix B (located under Materials. Do NOT USE Axia College Material: Appendix B, as it is not the one that we are using). Choose a topic for your final paper, due in Week Nine. Write two paragraphs, with a total minimum word count of 350 words, explaining what your point of view will be and what you plan to accomplish in your paper. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 5 Week Three: Organizing Ideas and Topic Sentences Details Due Points Objectives 3.1 Create an outline to organize ideas. 3.2 Identify topic sentences for key paragraphs from an outline. 3.3 Identify supporting points for your topic sentences. Readings Read Ch. 8 of Writing for Success. Readings Review Section 2.1: Developing a Topic Sentence, in Ch. 6 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Developing Outlines Watch the video on Developing Outlines located on your student website. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question How has the reality of college matched your initial expectations about college' Is it what you expected' What’s working for you' What’s still a challenge' Individual Complete an Outline Resource: Axia College Material: Appendix A Complete an outline. The outline will be related to the topic chosen in Week Two and will help you as you complete the final paper in Week Nine. Use the textbook to help you format your outline appropriately. For example: o Every A in the outline includes a B, and every 1 includes a 2, etc. o Format should be appropriate for an outline Explain why you decided to sequence your paragraphs as you did. Your paragraph must be no less than 150 words. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 8 Week Four: Supporting Paragraphs Details Due Points Objectives 4.1 Identify appropriate sources for an academic paper. 4.2 Distinguish between fact and opinion. 4.3 Select primary support most related to a thesis. Readings Read Ch. 11 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learnscape Activities Access the Toolwire® Learnscape: Academic Credibility: Proving Your Point through the link located on the student website. Complete the Learnscape Activities. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Practice Quiz Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Plagiarism section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides on the left. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides under Grammar Tutorials • Then under Plagiarism click Plagiarism. • Click Evaluating Internet Sources. • Review the information provided. • Complete the following practice quiz: Skill-and-Drill: Evaluating Internet Sources Quiz. Post your assignment for faculty review. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question How do you think the content of this course will be applicable to your professional development and career plans' Individual Write Your Thesis Statement Resources: Weekly Readings; Axia College Material: Appendix A, rubric located under Course Materials forum. Write your thesis statement. This should be declarative, stating your topic and point of view. Write paragraphs that support your thesis statement. The minimum word count for this assignment is 450 words. These paragraphs may be used in your final paper. Include one source per paragraph. Write only from the objective, third person point of view. Cite all sources used according to the Short Form Axia Writing Style Handbook. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 5 Week Five: Learning the Revision Process Details Due Points Objectives 5.1 Explain the role of feedback in the revision process. 5.2 Describe how to use feedback objectively. 5.3 Revise a draft of an essay. Readings Review Section 4: Revising and Editing, in Ch. 8 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Writing Academic Papers Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Writing Wizards section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides on the left. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides under Grammar Tutorials • Then on the left under Wizards and Tutorials click Writing Wizards. • Click on Guidelines for Writing Academic Papers. • Finally, click on the link Download the Complete Guidelines for Writing Academic Essays. • Review the information provided on page 11. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question Maintaining a healthy lifestyle during college is often difficult. Develop a list of strategies that might help you maintain good mental and physical health. This list must be a minimum of 150 words. Individual Revision Practice Resources: Axia College Material: Appendix C; Axia College Material: Appendix D Read the sample student paper in Appendix C. Write two paragraphs explaining the changes that you would make to revise the paper. The minimum word count for these two paragraphs is 400 words. Read the faculty’s rubric comments and the Turnitin® report provided in Appendix D. Write one paragraph of at least 200 words explaining what the student could have done differently to avoid the plagiarism concerns raised by the faculty member. How could the use of Plagiarism Checker have helped the student' Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 10 Week Six: Using Persuasion Effectively Details Due Points Objectives 6.1 Describe elements of a persuasive essay. 6.2 Identify negative aspects of biased writing. Readings Read Ch. 10 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learnscape Activities Access the Toolwire® Learnscape: Citing Your Authoritative Sources through the link located on the student website. Complete the Learnscape Activities. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Writing Wizards Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Writing Wizards section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides on the left. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides under Grammar Tutorials • Then on the left under Wizards and Tutorials click Writing Wizards. • Click on Guidelines for Writing Academic Papers. • Finally, click on the link Download the Complete Guidelines for Writing Academic Essays. • Review the information provided on page 14. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question Using all of the resources available to you, identify two strategies to reading academic articles, textbooks, and other college literature. After identifying the strategies, discuss how they would relate to time management. Individual Effective Persuasion Resource: Weekly Readings Review the sample persuasive essay in Ch. 15 of the text. Read the essay and write a paragraph of at least 200 words in which you discuss how effectively the author persuaded you. Submit the current version of your paper to WritePointSM and retrieve the results. Write one paragraph explaining how you might use the feedback received from WritePointSM to make your persuasive essay more effective. Write a third paragraph in which you discuss how effectively you think your essay will persuade your readers and whether you believe it may be interpreted as biased. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 10 Week Seven: Explaining Results and Learning to Create Cause, Effect Details Due Points Objectives 7.1 Explain the purpose of process analysis writing. 7.2 Analyze cause and effect in writing. 7.3 Describe supporting elements in a cause and effect essay. Reading Review the following sections in Ch. 10 of Writing for Success: • Section 5: Process Analysis • Section 8: Cause and Effect Reading Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Cause and Effect Essays Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Writing Wizards section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides on the left. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides under Grammar Tutorials • Then on the left under Wizards and Tutorials click Writing Wizards. • Click on Guidelines for Writing Academic Papers. • Finally, click on the link Download the Complete Guidelines for Writing Academic Essays. • Review the information provided on p. 1. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question How are your stress management strategies holding up for you' Is the stress you are experiencing what you expected it to be' What did you not expect' How are you handling those stressors' What stress management techniques have you found to be particularly useful for yourself' Individual Rough Draft of Your Final Paper Resources: Weekly Readings; Axia College Material: Appendix A, rubric located under Course Materials forum Complete a rough draft of your final paper on persuasion. The rough draft must be at least 900 words and expand on the submission posted in Week Four. Address the following questions: • Process analysis is used in some, but certainly not all essays. Did you use process analysis in your rough draft' If you did, then explain why. If not, explain why not. • Do you have cause and effect statements in your rough draft' If so, identify which statements are cause and effect statements. If not, explain whether you think they would help improve your paper or not. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 5 Week Eight: Learning to Define, Compare and Contrast in Essay Writing Details Due Points Objectives 8.1 Explain the four basics of effective definition in writing. 8.2 Describe appropriate uses of compare and contrast essays. 8.3 Explain organizational methods used when comparing and contrasting. Readings Review the following sections in Ch. 10 of Writing for Success: • Section 6: Definition • Section 7: Comparison and Contrast Readings Review Ch. 15 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learnscape Activities Access the Toolwire® Learnscape: Plagiarism Review at the CWE through the link located on the student website. Complete the Learnscape Activities. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Definition Essay Review Section 6: “Definition” in Ch. 10 of the text. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Feedback Question How might understanding what makes an effective definition essay help you in college or the workplace' Individual Compare and Contrasts Paragraphs Resources: Weekly Readings, rubrics located under Course Materials forum Review the outline posted in Week Three and the paragraphs posted in Week Four to determine what terms, if any, you may need to define. Determine if compare and contrast paragraphs are applicable for your paper. Write three paragraphs, which combined will be at least 500 words, explaining why you will or will not use definitions and compare and contrast paragraphs in your final paper. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 5 Week Nine: Comprehensive Writing Skills and Strategies Details Due Points Objectives 9.1 Demonstrate comprehensive writing skills. 9.2 Identify writing strategies for use in future classes. Readings Review Ch. 9 of Writing for Success. Readings Review Ch. 12 of Writing for Success. Readings Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation and DQs Participate in class discussion. Respond to Discussion Questions. 3 Nongraded Activities and Preparation Writing Academic Papers Resource: Center of Writing Excellence Access the Writing Wizards section of the Grammar and Writing Guides. • Click Library. • Go to the Center for Writing Excellence. • Click Tutorials & Guides on the left. • Click The Grammar and Writing Guides under Grammar Tutorials • Then on the left under Wizards and Tutorials click Writing Wizards. • Click on Guidelines for Writing Academic Papers. • Finally, click on the link Download the Complete Guidelines for Writing Academic Essays. • Review the information provided on p. 11. Individual Persuasive Essay Final Paper Resources: Weekly Readings; Axia College Material: Appendix A Write a persuasive essay on the topic chosen in Week Two with a minimum of 1000 words in length, and no more than 1200 words. Be sure to use the rubric located in the Course Materials forum. Include the following elements: • A title page • An introduction and a thesis statement • A body with supporting evidence and in-text citations (one citation per paragraph, three credible sources) • A conclusion • A reference list • Written solely from third person/objective point of view. Format your paper according to the Short Form Axia Writing Style Handbook. Post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment. Sunday, Day 7 20