English 302 B07: Advanced
Composition for Business Majors
Fall 2006: M/W 9:00 - 10:15
a.m.
Course Info | Required Materials | Course Description | Participation Requirements
Grades | Submitting Assignments | Revising Project #3 | Plagiarism
| Office Conferences
Students with
Disabilities | University Writing
Center | Schedule
Instructor:
Sara Mitcho
Office:
Robinson A422
Office Hours: M/W
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., R 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., and by appointment
Email:
smitcho@gmu.edu
·
Graff,
G., Birkenstein C. (2006). They say/I
say: The moves that matter in academic writing.
·
A Norton
Pocket Guide to Grammar and Punctuation
·
Portable
file storage device like a flash drive or floppy disk
This
course provides intensive practice in writing and analyzing written work with an emphasis on the
business environment. The course is designed to help you recognize how
knowledge is constructed in the business world and to practice writing using
typical business formats. You will learn to use research techniques and
documentation styles accepted in the business world, and explore useful ways of
breaking business writing tasks into smaller steps, including generating and organizing
ideas, investigating your topic, creating your first draft, receiving feedback,
and revising. When completing assignments for the course, you will make use of
computer technologies to draft and edit your work, collaborate with other students,
and create and execute an oral presentation. You will also have an opportunity
to learn more about your particular field, begin to form informed opinions
about some of the debates occurring among your field’s participants, and
identify sources that will allow you to continue your research about your field
in the future.
In-Class
Participation
This
is a class that requires your
participation. I expect that you participate in class discussions, peer
reviews, and all other class activities. Think of class as a small discussion
group and writing community.
During each class, you can receive up to one positive point (for being
prepared for and actively participating in class in a way that moves the
discussion forward) and as little as one negative point (for being disruptive). We meet twenty-eight times, so you can earn a maximum
of twenty-eight points.
At the end of the semester, your final participation grade will be
determined using the following point system:
|
28 points |
A+ |
|
26-27 points |
A |
|
24-25 points |
A- |
|
22-23 points |
B+ |
|
19-21 points |
B |
|
17-18 points |
B- |
|
15-16 points |
C+ |
|
12-14 points |
C |
|
10-11 points |
C- |
|
7-9 points |
D |
|
6 or fewer
points |
F |
Please turn your cell phone off before class begins. Letting your phone ring
during class will adversely affect your participation grade.
If you miss a class, contact a classmate first. After you’ve
done so, feel free to contact me with any lingering questions.
Lateness and Leaving Early
Being late to class is a sign of disrespect for your classmates and for
me. Just as you would not show up late to a job interview or a business
meeting, you should not be late to this class. When you are late, you not only
disrupt class and send the message that you are not a committed participant in it,
you also miss important information since I normally make announcements about
changes in our schedule and assignments at the start of class and do not repeat
this information later. Although I understand that sometimes life happens and
obstacles surface that are beyond your control, making you a few minutes late,
I will not tolerate regular tardiness. Therefore, I reserve the right to
award you zero participation points when you are late to class, regardless of
your participation in the remainder of the class meeting. I also reserve the
right to award you zero participation points if you leave class early.
General Technological
Requirements
You are expected to check your GMU email
account at least once a day since I will occasionally send important messages
about class to that account.
You are also required to ensure that you can access our course site on WebCT (https://webct41.gmu.edu) and must check it
often. We will use WebCT throughout the course; you must use this tool to
submit your major projects (see “Submitting Assignments” below), to access
course materials, and to collaborate with other students.
You must complete all class projects using Microsoft Word. This program is
available at a discounted student rate at the on-campus computer store and is
installed on the computers in the student labs throughout campus.
Finally, we will use a class wiki (http://engl302b07.pbwiki.com)
to complete a collaborative annotation exercise. You are responsible for ensuring
you can access and navigate this site early in the semester. I may change the
site password once or twice throughout the semester and will announce these
changes during class.
Final
Grade Breakdown
I
assign letter grades to each major project you complete for class. I will
determine your final grade by converting each letter grade into a number on an
amended 4.0 scale (where A+ = 4.33, A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.0, B-
= 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2.0, C- = 1.67, D = 1.0, and F = 0) and weighing the
grades you have earned throughout the semester using the following percentages:
|
Class
Participation |
12% |
|
Unannounced
Quizzes and Short Assignments |
6% |
|
Collaborative
Annotation Project |
7% |
|
Project
#1: Exploratory Memo |
7% |
|
Project
#2: Annotated Bibliography |
15% |
|
Project
#3: Report |
28% |
|
Project
#4: Proposal |
18% |
|
Proposal
Presentation |
4% |
|
Individual
Proposal Grade |
3% |
The
only 100-point scale grades you will receive will be on your individual unannounced
quizzes; these will be averaged and the resulting grade will be converted to a
number on the amended 4.0 scale above before being used to calculate your final
class grade. See the grade calculator posted on our class WebCT site for more
details.
Please
note that, since each major project is an important and integral part of this
class, you must complete all of the numbered projects listed above to pass
this course. If you do not complete all four projects, you will receive an
F for the course. I will provide descriptions for each major project on WebCT.
Students
in ENGL 302 receive a final grade of A+ (4.0), A (4.0), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B
(3.0), B- (2.67), C+ (2.33), C (2.0), C- (1.67), D (1.0), or F (0.0). You
must earn a C or higher to complete the university ENGL 302 requirement.
Quizzes and Short Assignments
I
will give several unannounced quizzes and short writing assignments
throughout the semester. The grades on these assignments will be weighted
equally and averaged at the end of the semester to determine 5% of your final
grade. I will drop your lowest quiz or short assignment grade at the end of the
semester before averaging your final grade.
Collaborative Annotation
Project
You will use a class wiki to annotate eleven student
and professional writing samples throughout the semester. See the description
for this project on our class WebCT site for more details.
The following
are general descriptions of my grading standards for your major writing
projects. Note that a grade earned for a particular assignment often depends on
the weight given to each aspect of the paper for that assignment. Also, a paper
that excels in one or two areas might receive a higher grade even if it has
some qualities of a lower-grade paper. Likewise, a paper grossly deficient in
one or two areas may receive a lower grade even if it has some qualities of a
higher-grade paper.
In addition to
the standards listed below, a grade on a particular project can be affected by
other factors like submitting the paper late or neglecting to include required
items when submitting the paper such as peer reviewed drafts. See the section
titled “Submitting Assignments” for more information.
An “A” paper
demonstrates an excellent sense of the rhetorical situation. Its aim is clear
and consistent throughout. It attends to the needs of its audience. The topic
is appropriately narrowed and clearly defined. The paper contains all required
elements. The content is appropriately developed, including convincing evidence
and a demonstration of the complexity of the subject. Interesting insights are
argued and supported. Sources are appropriate and properly cited. The
organization is clear and easy to follow and the writer successfully conforms
to the conventions of the format used. The language is clear, accessible, and
even eloquent. The paper has few errors, none of which undermine the
effectiveness of the paper.
A “B” paper
demonstrates a good sense of the rhetorical situation. It shows sensitivity to
its audience and awareness of purpose. Its topic is clearly defined. The paper
contains all or most required elements. The content is well developed, the
reasoning is usually valid and convincing, and evidence is adequate for the
audience. Sources are largely appropriate and properly cited. The organization
is clear and the writer conforms to the conventions of the format used with few
mistakes. The language is clear. The paper has few errors, and they do not
serve to severely undermine the effectiveness of the paper.
A “C” paper
demonstrates a slightly flawed sense of the rhetorical situation. Its aim is
generally clear but may be a bit opaque. The paper may be missing a few
required elements. The content is somewhat developed, the reasoning is
generally valid, and some supporting details are used to support the thesis.
The organization is mostly clear and the writer conforms to the conventions of
the format used with minimal errors. Transitions may be mechanical, but are
appropriate. Paragraphs may not be in the best order, but arrangement within
the paragraphs is generally logical. The language is generally grammatically
correct, although sentence length and structure may not be varied. The paper is
generally free of errors.
A “D” paper
has a limited sense of the rhetorical situation. Its aim may not be clear, its
topic may not be appropriate for its audience, and it may make few attempts to
accommodate its audience. The paper is missing multiple required elements. The
content is not adequately developed. The evidence is not sufficient. The
reasoning may be flawed. Organization is deficient and the writer does not
fully conform to the conventions of the format used. The arrangement of and
within paragraphs may be confusing. The language demonstrates a limited range
of stylistic options and is marred by numerous grammatical errors. Errors may
prevent comprehension in places.
An “F” paper
has no sense of the rhetorical situation. Its aim is not clear and its thesis
is difficult to determine. The paper is missing most required elements and/or
reflects a lack of understanding of the assignment. There are no or few
accommodations made for a particular audience. The content is not developed and
no or inappropriate evidence is presented. The reasoning is flawed. The
organization is difficult to follow and the writer does not conform to the
conventions of the format used. Transitions are missing or inappropriate.
Numerous grammatical errors obstruct comprehension.
Logistics
Submit each
major project by posting (as Microsoft Word documents) (1) your final draft,
and (2) all required peer reviewed rough drafts in your personal online message
board on the class WebCT site. I will announce in class the number of peer
reviewed drafts required for each assignment. If you were not present in class
during a peer review session, you are still responsible for obtaining peer reviews
and submitting all required peer reviewed drafts with your final paper. Final
paper grades will be docked one-half letter grade for each missing peer
reviewed draft.
Submit each assignment on time. Although you will not physically submit your
projects, you must submit them by the beginning of class on they day they are
due. Late papers will be docked one letter grade per day (not class). When
submitting your papers and peer reviews, always double check to make sure you
have successfully submitted these files. Just as a printer error is not an
acceptable excuse for submitting a late paper in hard copy, a posting error is
not an acceptable excuse for submitting a late paper electronically.
Keep in mind
that submitting a paper late not only affects your grade for that particular
assignment; it also affects your momentum and performance in the class as a
whole. The first three projects, for example, each build upon the work
completed in the preceding project. Getting behind on the first assignment can
affect the quality of the next two and cheat you out of the time allotted to
complete each project.
Dual Submission
All ENGL 302
students have the option of submitting for credit a project that they are
submitting concurrently in a course related to their major. Projects dually
submitted will follow the multiple-draft process standard in the course and
will be independently evaluated by me. Because criteria in ENGL 302 may differ
from those established by the professor in the major course, students should be
prepared to revise the projects differently in the two courses. Dual submission
is intended to help students learn how to develop and present information in
different ways to meet the standards of different readers. If you decide to
pursue a dual submission, you will need to complete and obtain my signature on
an official Dual Submission Form.
Assignment Comments and Grades
I will make comments on your paper electronically
using Microsoft Word’s editing capabilities and post those comments and your
project grade to the same message board you use to submit your assignments. It
is your responsibility to check your message board to read my comments and find
out your grade. I am happy to discuss my comments on your paper during office
hours, but you should wait at least 24 hours after reading my comments
before initiating such a discussion.
You
may revise Project #3 (Report) to improve your project grade. To be considered,
your revision must be significant, meaning you must make several
meaningful content-related and organizational changes based on comments
received from me on your original project. Simply correcting grammatical and
spelling errors and making other cosmetic changes does not constitute a
significant revision.
Before
submitting a revision, you must visit me during my office hours and outline
your plans for revision. This gives us a chance to discuss your general revision
plan and the specific changes you will make.
When submitting a revised paper, you must include a one-page memo outlining the changes you have made and explaining why you have made them. Submit your memo and your new draft by posting them on your message board and sending me an email to alert me of the posting. If I consider your revision significant enough to be graded, the new grade will be averaged with the original grade to create your new project grade. You may revise this assignment up to two times. The deadline for revising this project is Wednesday, November 29, 2006.
I
do not tolerate plagiarism of any kind.
During
the semester, I may use a tool called turnitin.com as one of several methods of
detecting signs of plagiarism. We may also use this program during class as a
learning tool.
Consider
my office hours an extension of class. Come by to discuss any aspect of your
writing process and/or questions related to class. You do not need to make an
appointment to meet with me during my regular office hours. If my office hours
conflict with your class or work schedule, I am happy to schedule an
appointment with you outside of my regular office hours. However, I have a “one
strike and you’re out” policy for these appointments: if you make an
appointment with me and do not attend that meeting, you will lose your
privilege to meet with me outside of my regular office hours for the remainder
of the semester.
Students with
documented disabilities are legally entitled to certain accommodations in the
classroom. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic
accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at the
beginning of the semester at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be
arranged through the DRC. I am happy to work with students and the DRC to
arrange for fair access and support.
Note: This syllabus is
tentative; I reserve the right to make reasonable changes to it throughout the semester.