Blazeview email

II. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Laura Retersdorf -- laretersdorf@valdosta.edu

Office hours: by appointment via email or Skype. *(All VSU-related correspondence should be conducted through VSU email or BlazeVIEW)

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I. Basic Information

• Section PO2 • CRN 20711 • Credits: 3hrs. • Online

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Course Description:

Prerequisite: ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101H. A composition course focusing on writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL1101 that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research skills. Students will learn to organize and present ideas and information effectively in research essays.

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Required Text

Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin’s Handbook, 8th edition. This text is available at the VSU Bookstore. You may choose to purchase a license for the digital version of this text (Writer’s Help 2.0). If you choose this option, you will purchase the license through our BlazeVIEW site (see instructions in a following file in this module).

English 1102 (SmartPath Core): composition II Valdosta state university, college of arts and sciences

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General descriptions Of each grade:

III. GRADING POLICIES AND INFORMATION

An important note: Students must earn a course grade of C or better in ENGL1102 to pass; students earning a grade of D or lower in ENGL1102 must repeat the course. Furthermore, while final grades may be raised or lowered by your performance in online and in-class work, in order to pass the course you must average at least a D on the formal writing assignments described below (Assignments 1-4) to earn a C for the course. Grades will be based on the following kinds of criteria: ∗ Ideas (subject, purpose,

main/central idea, focus, thesis, and audience awareness)

∗ Development (details, examples, points, reasons, evidence, arguments, critical/logical thinking, and tone)

∗ Organization (structure, paragraphing, coherence, unity, plan, and transitions)

∗ Style (sentence structure, word choice, diction, and vocabulary)

∗ Grammar (usage, mechanics, editing, punctuation, spelling, conventions, and Standard English)

∗ Format (presentation, Modern Language Association [MLA] style, and documentation)

Writing that earns an A is distinguished by clear, thoughtful, and significant ideas expressed with an awareness of audience; logical, detailed, and relevant development; coherent and effective organization that supports the development; sophisticated style (varied, readable, and skillfully constructed sentences, as well as diction that is fresh, precise, economical, and idiomatic); correct grammar; and correct format. Writing that earns a B is distinguished by most of the qualities listed above. However, it may be distinguished by somewhat less insightful ideas and occasionally less pertinent and detailed development for an audience; some paragraphing and transitions that may not aid the audience as they might; style that is competent but not distinctive; generally correct grammar; and generally correct format. Writing that earns a C is characterized by generally clear but conventional ideas; overly general development; clear but mechanical organization; unremarkable style (restricted vocabulary and sentences that lack variety); occasional problems in grammar that hinder the writer's purpose; and minimal adherence to correct format. Writing that earns a D is characterized by ideas that are sometimes unfocused and confused; development that is sometimes irrelevant or altogether lacking; organization that sometimes lacks order or paragraphing; sometimes incoherent sentence structure and inappropriate word choice; grammatical mistakes that often distract the audience; and major deviations from correct format. Writing that earns an F is characterized by unfocused ideas expressed with seemingly no concern for the audience; little or no development; little or no organization; frequent incoherent sentence structure and inappropriate word choice; frequent grammatical errors that make the writer's purpose impossible to achieve; and little or no adherence to correct format.

The activities in this course total 1500 points; letter grade equivalents for

total points earned are as follows:

A: 1343-1500 | B: 11093-1342 | C: 1043-1192 | D: 893-1042 | F:0-892

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IV. Assignments

Papers: Individual assignments are explained in more detail on assignment sheets posted in BlazeVIEW. All essays (unless the assignment sheet says differently) must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in the appropriate assignment on BlazeVIEW with a self-assessment (submitted as a separate file). Each paper builds upon skills practiced in prior essays, and all class work prepares you to succeed. Thus, all work for this class is cumulative. The first paper asks you to summarize and analyze two articles discussing social uses of the Internet. The second paper asks you to define, explain, justify, and begin researching your research project. The third paper asks you to compile an annotated bibliography summarizing your research and predicting how you will use sources. The final assignment asks you to create a researched argument via a traditional research paper, a Ted Talk, or a series of related blog posts. Discussions: You will interact with classmates on BlazeVIEW by posting at regular and frequent intervals to discussion boards and then responding to two classmates’ posts as listed on the schedule. Your initial posts must follow the instructions for each discussion board carefully and completely. Because the discussion boards typically ask you to create portions of the paper currently in process, your first posts will often be several hundred words long. Responses to other students’ posts must follow the instructions for the relevant discussion board carefully and completely. Often, the instructions for replies ask you to use your word processor’s commenting tool to respond in depth to your classmate’s draft, and you should budget substantial time for your replies. There is no maximum word count for posts or responses. The writing in your first posts should be thoughtful and relatively polished; spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness writing will not suffice. Posts and responses are due as stated on the calendar. Discussion threads will stay up all semester, but posts and responses added more than 24 hours after the posted due date will earn no credit, and late posts and replies will receive only partial credit. Grading rubrics, which show what I’m looking for as I grade, are attached to each discussion board. Short Assignments: You will submit five shorter writing assignments to specified assignment destinations during the course. Each of these assignments has a specific, focused purpose. Often, you will need to do some reading in Writer’s Help 2.0 before you can complete the assignment. Research Logs: At four intervals in your research, you will submit research logs, which have several purposes. First, they encourage you to research steadily and incrementally, responding to the sources you find as you encounter them, rather than waiting for the last moment to do your research (a method that almost guarantees inadequate research and a low grade for the resulting paper). Second, these records of your research help you recognize what you’ve already done and what you need to do next, which makes your research more efficient; for example, keeping a careful log of your research prevents you from repeating searches you’ve already tried that didn’t work. Finally, the logs help the instructor and the embedded librarian recognize concrete ways we can help you by suggesting specific strategies tailored to your research needs. Each of the research log assignments has specific instructions that you will need to read carefully. As I read and grade these logs, I will be concerned more with their content than with their language.

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