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COURSE DESCRIPTION

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing (beginning Winter 2002) and at least a "C" grade or better in English 111 or satisfactory performance on Course Placement Test in writing.

ENGLISH 212 - CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITINGONLINE  carries 3 hours of credit, is taught online with exception of scheduled in-lab meetings, and is capped at 15 students.  English 212 merges former English 112 goals and objectives with those of the GenEd Category 10 to create a research-based, communication-intensive course stressing:

• critical reading and writing
• rhetorical strategies directed toward a variety of audiences
• written, oral, visual, online and face-to-face forms of communication
• understanding and implementation of useful forms of argumentation
• the importance of visual literacy

adherence to standards and conventions of the academic discourse and research methods of the discipline

This section of English 212 is thematically-based around principles of Critical Thinking.  Using Critical Thinking as basis for critical reading and writing assignments adds a valuable perspective to the course and enables students to gain insight into thinking processes, ways of perceiving, questioning, and analyzing information encountered not only in the course, but also in the content of their academic and personal interactions.

The course expands academic writing practices begun in Composition I, especially processes of critical reading and writing.  Students complete frequent writing assignments for different audiences, with attention to disciplinary conventions and rhetorical strategies. Online collaborative and workshop approaches are used.
 

Students study principles of argumentation, read texts written by professionals and peers.  They develop research questions and make extensive use of library and electronic sources as they create their own arguments. Computer-mediated instruction makes clear the importance of source evaluation in both print and electronic forms.  Through use of various technologies while creating academic discourse and conducting research, students learn the value of both synchronous and asynchronous communication as employed in various writing tasks. Efforts are made to refine students' abilities to analyze both student and professional work.   Oral presentation takes place during scheduled on-site meetings.
 

• Hairston, Maxine and John Ruszkiewicz.  The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers,  Allyn and Bacon, 2002.

• Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer.  Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments.  Allyn and Bacon, 2002

• Marlys Mayfield.  Thinking for Yourself.  Harcourt Brace, 2001

A good quality desk-size dictionary such as the American HeritageDictionary OR the Oxford Dictionary of Current English.   Spelling Counts !

ATTENDANCE

On-site Attendance is required seven times at SVSU for purposes of orientation, library and web research, required GenEd oral communication, and final exams.  These meetings are mandatory and you must build time in your schedule immediately to ensure your attendance at those meetings.  The dates follow:

Virtual Attendance is also an extremely important part of your performance and success in the class.  You will attend class at times which are convenient to you, but you will attend a minimum of twice a week at which times you will make thoughtful and responsive posts by certain dates, to our class Discussion Board located in our Blackboard Web Site.  I will know when you are in our virtual space simply because I will see you there and read your Posts,  Assignments, and Formal Papers    :-)

Although you do not need to post each time you enter, it is to your great advantage to check mail and responses each day or two.  This will make you feel a more integral part of the class, and it will help us as we endeavor to establish a sense of real community.  This will also help to aleviate the feelings of disconnect and confusion that sometimes arise at the beginning of an online experience.  There will be an ongoing thread for discussion of problems such as these that you may experience.

I will personally check on anyone who is absent for a week.  If you are absent for two weeks I will assume that you have decided to drop the course.
 
 
 

ESSENTIALS

Personal Work Ethic
It is imperative that you have the following:
   1.   an enthusiasm for learning
   2.   an ability to cope when things don't go as planned - a lack of rigidity in your thinking
   3.   an ability to work without face to face supervision
   4.   the confidence to ask questions when confused
   5.   an ability to shoulder responsibility in group situations - to be a team player
   6.   enough self control to reallize when you are procrastinating and to get yourself back on track
   7.   the desire to finish what you start

Minimal Technological Expertise

Note that the following are essential for you to do the kinds of work we will be doing online:

Computer: Pentium-class processor or equivalent MAC capability

Operating System:  MAC OS/7.61, Windowws 95, 98, or NT    (Note that Windows 3+ is not adequate)

Communications:  28,800 or faster modem, cable modem, ISDN, LAN   (Note that Web TV is usually not adequate)

Internet Service Provider (ISP):  SVSU (free), many commercial services offer unlimited access to the Internet;  others offer limited access.  Check your local telephone directory and ask your friends for recommendations.  lAs a backup, not as your primary connection, you might consider a free Internet Service Provider

Software:  Word 6+ for MAC or Word 97+ for PC or WordPerfect 8+   (Note that Microsoft Works is not compatible with Microsoft Word and will not be acceptable)
E-mail that supports the requirements listed at http://onlinelearning.tc.cc.va.us/students/emailreq.htm

You should have basic email expertise, being able to initiate, receive, reply to and forward, establish
folders, cut and paste messages, and use attachments when necessary.  You should have a sentmail
folder that is operative or be able to otherwise save copies of all sent mail.

Word Processing skills
    1.   Edit:  copy, cut, paste, find, replace
    2.   Format:  set margins, set tabs, set headers, set automatic page numbering, insert page break
    3.   Save documents as plain text or Rich Text Format as well as the default document type
    4.   Manage files using the directory system of the operating system
 
 

EVALUATION

Evaluation will be based primarily upon the quality of written work as well as the progress made.  I will be looking for evidence of growth and maturity of thought as well as good command of skills.  Assigned papers will constitute  75 % of the final grade.  As an advocate of the process method of teaching writing, I will evaluate your process, not just your product.  Therefore, the final grade on any paper takes into consideration your total effort - invention through revision. Students who do not have a draft on the day drafts are due or who miss class on that day will receivn on the final product.  It is important to keep up with your work. Retain backup copies of all work.  You must be able to produce a copy of your work at any time, even after it has been submitted to the Discussion Board or Drop Box. Therefore, all formal papers/projects should be composed and saved on disk and backed up on a backup disk. You are responsible for having copies of all your work.

Retain backup copies of all work.  You must be able to produce a copy of your work at any time, even after it is handed in.  Therefore, all work should be composed and saved on disk and backed up on a backup disk. You are responsible for having copies of all your work.

The class is not built around tests or quizzes.   Quizzes are put online for your own use, and the answers will be found in Blackboard so that you can check your progress and review any concepts you are unsure of.  In-class writings may be unannounced.  If a test is given, it will count the same as a written assignment.

All Posts, all written Assignments and Activities both individual and collaborative, will constitute the remaining 25% of your grade. Participation in class discussion and collaborative activities is important. Our classroom is at all times democratic. All opinions are valued and respected, as are all questions. The "dumbest" question is the one not asked. Obviously, if you are not virtually in class, you are not participating and will be graded accordingly. More than two absences in the term will lower your grade, and if you miss five or six times, you should expect to fail the course. You alone are responsible for completion of your work by assigned Due Dates.

I make a conscious effort to make your reading significant and thought provoking. The amount of reading is considerable, but all of it is crucial to your development as a thinker, a writer, and a researcher.  Therefore, do not allow yourself to fall behind in this area. Weak readers need to build extra time into their study schedules.  You will also need to plan for SVSU library time to do your required research. Small municipal libraries do not replicate a university library's facilities. This may require you to make extra trips to campus that you had not planned on, but these are aspects of the university experience that you cannot avoid. Planning a schedule which allows you time only to attend class is extremely unrealistic and ill-advised.

Scale used in compilation of grade:

94 to 100 = A      90 to 94 = A-      87 to  89 = B+      83 to 86 = B      80 to 82 = B-
77 to 79 = C+      73 to 76 = C       60  to  72 = D         <60 = F
 
 

GROUPWORK
 
 
 

JOURNALS

The electronic journal is required; it is not an option. The online journal consists of the Posts you do each week.  Two entries per week are required, and occasionally you will have three.   Specific instructions for the journal posts appear in your Unit Overview which will be available in COURSE DOCUMENTS  in Blackboard.  I suggest you print out a hard copy. Anyone who decides not to submit timely required journal entries will receive no higher than a D in the course.  You can see that the journal is important.  It is also fun, however, and will become one of the most meaningful aspects of the course. This is where much of your discussion will take place and where much of your thinking will evolve.
 

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is academic theft - the use of someone else's words or ideas without proper acknowledgement of the source. Even when unintentional, the act of plagiarism has serious consequences. The SVSU stance on plagiarism can be found in the Student Handbook. The university has its penalties, including dismissal.  In my composition classes, everyone is entitled to one mistake.  After that I will fail any paper that is plagiarized (partially or completely, knowingly or inadvertently). Course failure would be likely. We will spend considerable time learning proper documentation in this class, but you should always ask when in doubt in order to avoid a possible problem.  Academic integrity is imperative.  You  will learn how to recognize and avoid plagiarism in your own writing and should be able to avoid both inadvertent and intentional use of it.  Special attention will be given to web site evaluation and the incidents of plagiarism which occur in cyberspace.

SVSU PLAGIARISM POLICY

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism/Cheating Policy: The official school policy, as stated in the Code of Student Conduct, is as follows:
1.8.1 No student shall cheat, plagiarize or facilitate academic dishonesty by another student. Students are responsible for completing all kinds of assigned academic work
without unauthorized aid of any kind.
1.8.2 The imposition of regular disciplinary penalties does not preclude an academic penalty imposed by an instructor. If a failing grade in a course is given for academic
dishonesty, the Coordinator of Student Conduct will be notified in writing by the instructor or academic dean.
 
 

REAL-TIME CLASS

Attendance at real-time classes is mandatory.  Unless you are told otherwise, we will meet in B 213.
 
 
 
 

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES       (taken from the former 112 Framework)

English 212 will refine students' abilities to:

1. Employ rhetorical strategies which communicate an academic voice. Students should

• Move from writer-based prose to reader-based prose
• Use specific and concrete methods to support positions in a manner convincing to targeted audiences
• Understand and choose effective strategies for argumentation and persuasion
• Use cited materials responsibly and effectively
• Review, critique, revise their own and others' texts.

3. Conduct academic research:

• Develop focused questions for research
• Use a variety of research modes, including print and online tools
• Critically evaluate source materials
• Select, cite, and document primary and secondary evidence appropriately for purpose and audience.

5. Use electronic technology to aid research and writing processes, which may include:

• Word processing
• Internet, e.g., e-mail, WWW
• Electronic databases and search tools available in libraries.

7. Extend and refine editing skills.
 

STANDARDS FOR STUDENT WRITING IN ENGLISH 212    (taken from the former 112 Framework)

In order to receive a "C" in English 212, students should write papers that demonstrate a working knowledge of the following:

1.Content and Development

• The writer's purpose is evident early on.
• The paper fulfills the assignment.
• A single focus, purpose or thesis runs through the paper.
• The writer presents ideas and descriptions with an audience in mind.
• The focus, purpose or thesis is developed and supported with research and logic.
• Source materials are integrated in order to enhance, not dominate, the arguments.

• The writer establishes an appropriate organizational structure.
• The paper progresses coherently and logically.
• Paragraphs are well-organized.
• Transitions guide the reader through the paper.
• Openings and closings show awareness of audience and task.

• Sentences are constructed in a variety of ways.
• Word choice and phrasing are carefully managed.
• The overall tone of the paper is appropriate to the writer's purpose and audience.

• Format is correct and appropriate.
• References to outside souorces are introduced and documented appropriately.
• Surface features of writing - the conventions of spelling, punctuation, usage, etc. - are under control.

DUE DATES

Due dates are thoughtfully considered before they are issued.  I try to create your workload in an equitable, reasonable manner.  Due dates are necessary for all of us and keep us focused in our work.  They must be strictly adhered to in order for the class to function as it should.

You will receive an assignment's due date when the assignment is made.  A complete list of due dates will appear on the calendar section of your syllabus  You will find the syllabus in Course Documents. THERE ARE NO LATE PAPERS.   Papers may not be handed in late for a lowered grade. Papers not turned in on time are not read and receive a 0 (zero). If you are having difficulty of any kind and anticipate that you cannot make a deadline, see me in advance of the due date to determine if an extension can be granted. This cannot occur except in an emergency situation and is in reference to death, earthquake, plague, not oversleeping, all night fights with  girlfriends, boyfriends, parents; sudden onset of pneumonia; writer's block; etc. If a paper is due and you cannot be in class to turn it in, you must somehow get it to third floor Brown and personally give it to either of the two English faculty secretaries. Your paper will then be stamped and put in my office. Your other option is to mail the paper to me, making sure it is postmarked at a post office on or before the due date.  Do not slide major papers under my door. They may not be recognized as important by the many feet that trod that path.  Inappropriately marked papers left on my desk may, unfortunately, inadvertently be misplaced or lost.

If all this seems a bit heavy-handed and authoritarian, please understand that we all need guidelines in order to function effectively. As a reformed procrastinator myself, I tend to build a course with that type of student in mind. If I don't allow you to procrastinate, you won't :-) You should regard the class as a non-threatening, informal and fun place to be.  You will soon become an integral, contributing member of the group and have quite a good time in the process.  I believe you will emerge a more critical thinker and writer who realizes that while writing is very hard work, it can also be fun and exciting. The class requires considerable time and effort on your part, but the rewards will last long after class ends.
 
 

UNIT ONE	14 January, Monday Meet On-site B-213  8:30  Blackboard file sharing  16 January, Wednesday Meet On-site B-213 8:30Course overview,Groups  23 January, Wednesday Post #1 to DISCUSSION BOARD Assignments  1, 2, 3 , and 4 to appropriate threads in GROUPS db  25 January, Friday Deposit Paper #1 Draft in GROUPS File Exchange where it will come up from your disk as lastnameobsdraft.rtf.  28 January, Monday Peer Responses must be sent to your peers by noon today!  cc: to lrgraft@svsu.edu  Send as an ATTACHMENT.  Your peers' email addresses can be found in Roster in COMMUNICATION.  Be sure you have filled out the information in Personal Information, located in TOOLS.  Use the email address you want everyone to use. 29 January, Tuesday Review pp. 28-36 Study Chapter #1 Summary, take Quiz when ready.  Record results in your own notes.  Answers will be found in DOCUMENTS 31 January, Thursday Post #2 to DISCUSSION BOARD Begin your UNIT 2 Reading now.
UNIT TWO	5 February, Tuesday send Final copy of Paper 1 to Digital Drop Box labeled as LastnamePaper1Final.rtf Post #1 to DISCUSSION BOARD Begin group Planning of Activity #1, due Thursday Begin Activities 2, 3, 4, and 5,  due next week 7 February, Thursday Activity 1 Activity 3  email to lrgraft@svsu.edu
UNIT TWO	12 February, Tuesday Paper #2 Extended Definition draft due to GROUPS File Exchange Activity 2 in GROUPS db Activity 4 to appropriate db threads in GROUPS Begin UNIT  3# Chapters and Lecture reading now.  Lecture is found in COURSE DOCUMENTS 15 February, Friday Post #2 Peer Responses returned to writers via email today, cc: to lrgraft@svsu.edu Chapter #2 Summary and Quiz Synonym Assignment #5 to Digital Dropbox (TOOLS) lastnamesyn.rtf 19 February, Tuesday Open Book Test, in Assignments, send to Digital Drop Box Paper #2  Extended Definition final copy due to Digital Drop Box
UNIT THREE	21 February, Thursday Post #1  Activity 1  Begin Group planning for Activity #3, due Tuesday Read directions for Topic Proposal and Rhetorical Analysis Paper #3 in ASSIGNMENTS Read the necessary editorials in EXTERNAL LINKS, begin thinking 5 March, Tuesday Topic Proposal to lrgraft in D. Drop Box  lastnameTopProp.rtf Begin drafting your Rhetorical analysis, plan who will read whose, 2  reads for each paper. Ch. #3 Quiz, Mayfield pp. 93-4 Read UNIT FOUR Readings (documentation info needed for Paper #3)             Good Reasons - Ch. 2, pp. 31-52  The Basics of Arguments            Scott  Foresman Handbook- Ch. 11, pp. 153-175, Argument            Thinking for Yourself - Ch. 1, p. 33; Ch. 2, p.63; Ch. 3pp. 75-103,                                      Facts:  What Is Real?
	7 March, Thursday Unit Three, Post 2 Activity 2 to appropriate threads 8 March, Friday Rhetorical Analysis drafts sent for Peer Response to GROUPS, file share as lastnamePaper3draft.rtf SEND ANOTHER COPY TO ME IN THE DIGITAL DROP BOX.  LABEL IT, MLA STYLE, WITH NORMAL FTF PAPER INFORMATION AND MARK CLEARLY AS A DRAFT Activity 3 to appropriate thread in Group d.b. 12 March, Tuesday Respond to two pre-arranged peers by 8:00 p.m. Send properly labeled copies to instructor's Digital Drop Box 14 March, Thursday Rhetorical Analysis (final copy) sent to digital drop box as lastname Paper3final.rtf Review reading for Unit 4 A - Claims and Reasons, found in COURSE DOCUMENTS Begin reading new chapter in Faigley, Ch. 5
UNIT FOUR	21 March, Thursday Activities 1,2,4,5, of Unit 4A 26 March, Tuesday Activity 3 of Unit 4A second response to Activities 1,4, & 5 Post 1, 4A  due during this week Download Unit 4 B Definition Arguments from COURSE DOCUMENTS 29 March, Tuesday Post 1, Unit 4B Activity 1, Unit 4B 2 April, Tuesday Post 2 Unit 4B  Activity 2, Unit 4B Post comments on Activity 1 in Activity 1 thread, as Comments Topic Proposal for Paper 4 to Drop Box as lastnameTopProp.rtf Begin gathering sources for Researched Definition Argument  9 April, Tuesday Activity 3, Unit 4B Post 3, Unit 4B Access the WebEvaluation Links in EXTERNAL LINKS and print out copies of each for Paper 5, an Evaluation Argument.  These Web sites contain extremely valuable and highly regarded information on evaluating Web sites.  Unit 5 will be placed in COURSE DOCUMENTS and ASSIGNMENTS.  In addition, another document will be placed there, entitled "Using Your Links Page."  This Evaluative Argument is the paper which will be the basis of your oral presentation.  You will work on this paper independently, with no peer response requirement, concurrently with the remainder of Paper 4. arrange peers (2) for peer response of Paper 4. 11 April, Thursday drafts to lrgraft in digital dropbox Send draft today to 2 peers, begin work on peer response 15 April, Monday Return peer responses to writers by this evening 18 April, Thursday Final Definition Argument due to digital dropbox
UNIT FIVE	19 April, Friday lastnameTopProp5.rtf  to digital drop box - watch for reply via email 25 April, Thursday draft of Web Evaluation to digital dropbox 29 April, Monday Paper 5 due to lrgraft, digital drop box drafts and copies of all web sources turned in in class Oral Presentation On Campus, Brown 213

 
 
 
 
 
 

  N.B.: Disabilities: Students with disabilities that may restrict their full participation in course activities are encouraged to meet with me or to contact the SVSU Office of Disability Services, Curtiss 112, for assistance (790-4168). SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, physical impairment, disability, or veteran status in the provision of education, employment, and other services.

Any student with a disability that may restrict her or his full participation in course activities is
encouraged to meet with me during the first week of the semester or contact the SVSU Office of
Disability Services, Wickes 145, for assistance.
 
 
 
 
 

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