Assignment Outline
Seminars (5% of grade)
You will conduct a seminar in class with a group of classmates, leading a discussion on a reading (you'll select a reading as a group). The seminar will include a reading quiz (provided by me), and discussion questions about the reading (provided by your group).
Reading Responses (10% of grade)
You will read the documents chosen by your classmates for their seminars. Your reading will help you take a quiz on the document and participate in the class discussion. It will also be the basis for a short response assignment (1 page of writing, a Works Cited page), all of which will add up to 10% of your grade.
Writing Conferences, In-Class Work, Attendance (10% of grade)
You'll do various writing conferences throughout the semester to help you improve your writing on early drafts. This will be with your peers and me. In addition, you'll received points for attendance and in-class work (reading quizzes, in-class writing, etc.).
Works Cited and In-text Citations Quizzes (5% of grade)
These quizzes on Canvas will teach you and help you practice to use MLA formatting in your Works Cited page and in-text citations.
Topic Proposal (10% of grade, includes prewriting)
You'll write a proposal to convince me that your chosen topic is interesting, narrow enough for the assignment, and doable. You'll be required to include several sections, including a timeline to complete your research project. 2-4 pages, Minimum of 3 sources, MLA formatted.
Annotated Bibliography (20% of grade, includes prewriting)
An annotated bibliography is a document written for other researchers, and serves to help you determine if your chosen sources are good enough for the research project. 6-7 pages, Minimum of 5 sources, MLA formatted.
Research Progress Report (10% of grade)
Present to the class what you have completed on your research project, what you have left to do, and what changes you have had to make to your research project since you initially proposed it. Should include reporting on the minimum of 6-7 high-quality academic sources you've found for your project so far and how you plan to find the remaining required sources (you'll need 8 for your Research Paper Draft 1). This presentation will be in class, completely verbal (no visual presentation) and should be 4-6 minutes long.
Research Paper (30% of grade, includes prewriting)
A research paper making an argument about a topic related to our theme of Time. 10-12 pages of writing with at least 8 high-quality academic sources. MLA formatted.
Grade Scheme
The following grading scheme will be used in this class:
| Grade |
Range |
| A |
100 % to 94.0% |
| A- |
< 94.0 % to 90.0% |
| B+ |
< 90.0 % to 87.0% |
| B |
< 87.0 % to 84.0% |
| B- |
< 84.0 % to 80.0% |
| C+ |
< 80.0 % to 77.0% |
| C |
< 77.0 % to 74.0% |
| C- |
< 74.0 % to 70.0% |
| D+ |
< 70.0 % to 67.0% |
| D |
< 67.0 % to 64.0% |
| D- |
< 64.0 % to 61.0% |
| F |
< 61.0 % to 0.0% |
Final Exam: You will not have an in-person final exam. Instead, you will turn in your last essay draft on Canvas during finals week.
English Department Requirements
| Requirement |
Course Assignments |
|
Multiple drafts on all major papers that include instructor and peer response to student writing, as well as student revision.
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All major writing assignments
|
|
18-20 pages of polished writing, which must include:
- A persuasive writing project of 3-6 pages that includes at least four cited sources
- At least one other short writing that requires multiple drafts, which could include narrative work or annotated bibliography
- A research paper of at least 10 pages of text with at least seven appropriately documented sources (according to an appropriate style guide)
|
All major writing assignments
|
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Assign approximately 10-15 pages of informal writing, which might include exploratory writing, journal writing, annotated bibliography, and responses to assigned readings.
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In-Class writing, Pre-writing
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At least 150 pages of reading, including authors representing diverse perspectives that contribute to a student’s understanding of the course content but should not be the focus of the class.
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Readings, Research Sources (some listening material will replace some of these pages of reading)
|
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2-4 pages of formal or informal writing that reflects the student’s understanding of the writing process.
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In-Class writing, Pre-writing
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