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First, here is your EN112 Winter '10 syllabus

WEEK ONE: Let's get started! Let's see what's in this class, how you can do research and how you write! This wk1 handout will help you get started with thinking about the class, research, your experience with research and your plans to learn about research. Remember to write an informal piece(300 words) about your research experience and plans to learn more!

WEEK TWO: Let's get started! We will read the introductory chapter from Atwan's book. Here is the handout to read "The persuasive writer". We will cover this chapter in class discussion, and then in-class writing will be done as a follow up on Wednesday/Thursday. The reading is long and challenging, so take your time!

It's time to show what we learned and write away! In-class writing, mini quiz and a bonus question are done in class on Wednesday and Thursday. It is also recommended that you start working on your grammar and take home a practice sheet. Homework for next week is to read Beth Skwarecki's "Mad science" (p.149). An organizer worksheet is here to help you make notes and prepare for class.

WEEK THREE: Monday-Wednesday class got a little extra time to catch up with notes from the article, but we will try and stay on target: The goal for this week is to understand formal outlining for summary-response essays, and the basics of summary, paraphasing and quotations. Tuesday-Thursday class will proceed as planned and have a first draft of the summary-response essay by Thursday. Monday-Wednesday first draft is due on Week Four Monday.

Handouts for the week: Summary-response essay assignment, and summary-paraphrasing-quoting execise.

When first drafts are ready, it is time to do peer response on your summary-response essay.

WEEK FOUR: Slowley but surely we are progressing toward finishing the first summary response essay on Skwarecki's "Mad science" article, and most of you have reached the point of beginning work on the second summary response, which on a reading you selected. Please, reinforce the good skills you developed in the course of the first assignment: Clear and careful explanation of what you read, frequent attributions to remind the reader that it's a summary; few but well-selected quotes nicely sandwiched into your words, and proper APA documentation (parenthetical page numbers, Reference at the end).

In every class section, you have a list of articles that were presented by students. Keep this list at hand because several shorten pieces of writing will be devoted to questions that are related to them. Some of these will be in-class, some may be written as homewrok. Word limit is around 600.

WEEK FIVE: First steps toward web page evaluation. There is no magic bullet or fool proof BS detector, but if you look at a few things on a page, you can make a good decision whether to use a web site as a source or not when you write a scholarly paper. Here is the web site evaluator handout.

Happy Valentine's Day!

WEEK SIX: Class meets in the Library. Library technicalities out of the way, we are ready to start that reserach paper. Here are two Power Points to sum up what you need to know:

The research paper

The art of summarizing

WEEK SEVEN: Befor spring break, we finish up all work. Remember to turn in your final drafts and the process leading up to it in your folder. Don't forget about the smaller assignments either: the quotation-summary handout, the library handout and quiz, your peer reviews (in someone else's folder), your 600-word response to other students' readings in class (with evaluation attached) and a well-phrased paragraph on your webevaluation.

Your next challenge is your research assignment. You were supposed to have found 2 good sources on your topic, and now start brainstorming with your group on your topic: Brainstorming for research.

WEEK SEVEN: Have a great Spring Break!

WEEK EIGHT: Back to business! Work on your research, finish your research notes, self-evaluation, class evaluation, midterm grades. What's new? APA Reference exercise, and some fun grammar: Modifier issues.

WEEK NINE: Back to thinking, and to some seemingly scary stuff: Universal Intellectual Standards

WEEK TEN: Next grammar challenge after modifiers: the relative clauses. Finally, we need to keep writing. Here it is, a little mind jogger: pre-writing for research paper.

And finally, we can talk a little bit about argumentation. Assignment: Groups decide on what would be the best to do with 15% of their class grade. A short report summarizing 3 major support for the proposed claim should be written up as a group product. Grade will be assigned on the quality of writing; action will follow based on what was the most persuasive for instructor. First drafts are due on Wednesday-Thursday, April 14-15. WARNING: I switched the dates to get the in-class out of the way before we focus on the research paper.

Here is a good reminder of what you need to do on the in-class writing day: scoring guide for in-class writing

WEEK TWELVE: Last common grammar topic: Other punctuation. Practice sheets in class, quiz when you are ready, preferably on Monday. Make sure you finish up your selected grammar work, too.