Course Syllabus
Writing 50: Writing and
the Research Process
"Work and the Twenty-First Century"
Fall 2006
EnrlCd: 47167
Instructor: Chris Dean
Class
Meeting Days: Monday and Wednesday
10-11:50 a.m.
Class Location: HSSB 1214
Office Location: Girvetz 1314
Office Hours
Monday: 9-10 a.m.
and 3-4 p.m.
Tuesday: 1-3 p.m.
Wednesday: 9-10 a.m. and 5-6 p.m.
And By Appointment
Phone: 203-313-1343
Email: cdean@writing.ucsb.edu
Required Textbooks
ˇ
Course Reader:
Available from Graphic Arts in Isla Vista.
ˇ
Academic
Writer's Handbook by Leonard Rosen.
Available from Chris
ˇ
The
class website, located at http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/faculty/dean/Writing50-Sum06.html.
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Rosen’s Text
Looks Like This
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Drop Deadline
The last day to drop Writing 50 is
on Wednesday, October 4 2006. You
can drop the course via Gold. Students who miss the drop deadline must petition
the Writing Program director to drop, and requests are
not easily granted.
Course Description
and Contribution
The University of
California Santa Barbara general catalog describes Writing 50 as a
"writing course addressing the analytical skills underlying the research
process of academic and professional communities. Writing 50 emphasizes the
thinking and writing skills involved in independent research, including
developing questions, designing and planning research, analyzing, contrasting
and synthesizing multiple sources, and drawing conclusions." This section of Writing 50 focuses on what
it means to be a worker in the 21st century, and our principal
interest will be in helping you do collegiate research in a way that will help
you learn about something that you are
interested in and help you think about what
you want to do after your undergraduate career.
You will
learn how move from initial thoughts (a research proposal); to field and
library research (including surveys and working with online databases); to
writing a draft (which is always open to change); to finalizing your writing
(creating a final draft); to, finally, presenting your research to your
colleagues in a sharp, polished way.
Ultimately, the goal here is simple: for you to understand how to research, to write
from research
that you are interested in¸ and then to present your research in a way
that you will be proud of—via a PowerPoint presentation and a final paper.
Finally,
I believe that research, and learning about how to do it, should be fun,
engaging, and rewarding. Therefore,
I will work as hard as I can to make class interesting (via the use of
computers, debates, presentations, and even online games). In return, I ask this one little thing: do not allow yourself to be bored. You will be writing about a future
career or course of graduate study in this class—and you will choose what you research, so
please, by all that’s holy, make sure that your topic does not bore you. I guarantee that if you are not bored,
then I will not be bored.
Outcomes
After taking Writing 50, you
should be able to:
1. Conduct a significant independent research
project, including developing questions; designing and planning research;
analyzing, contrasting and synthesizing multiple primary and secondary sources;
and drawing conclusions.
2. Recognize differences among disciplinary
approaches to a topic.
3. Analyze the theoretical and disciplinary
perspectives and rhetorical strategies underlying texts through critical
reading and thinking.
4. Identify and use the full range of
university library services.
5. Use both general and specialized catalogs,
indices, and bibliographies.
6. Build discipline-specific search strategies.
7. Conduct Web-based research efficiently and
selectively.
8. Locate books, reference texts, journal
articles, and other resources in the library.
9. Distinguish among various types of
sources--such as primary and secondary, popular and peer-reviewed, reference
and circulating--as they evaluate those sources.
10. Integrate, cite, and document sources
correctly.
11. Offer generously and receive readily
assistance in collaborative projects.
12. Present the results of their research in a
poised and professional manner without the fear of public speaking.
13. See a bridge between the world within
academe and the world beyond
it.
Online access to course materials
The syllabus, schedule, assignments,
readings, and resources for the course can be found on the Web @ http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/faculty/dean.
Grading
ˇ
Attendance
and Participation: Since this is a class where attendance is a
necessity (due to peer feedback, in-class activities, out of class conferences,
and in-class writing assignments), I will take roll. In addition, your drafts and your participation will factor
into this part of the grade. In
addition, to do well in this area of the class you need to keep your absences
to two absences in conferences or class. We will meet two times outside of class to conduct
one-on-one conferences. This will
be an opportunity for you to ask questions about papers, the conduct of the
class, and even more far ranging questions, like “What’s the secret to a happy
life?” (The answer to this, by
the by, is chocolate—lots of chocolate.)
o Percentage of Grade:
15%
ˇ
Résumé: You will actually
create a real live résumé that will allow you to look for work. If you ever
wondered if your work in a writing class mattered, wonder no more. You will write a résumé that will be letter perfect. The résumé is a document that you can
use repeatedly as you actually apply for jobs you want to hold.
o Percentage
of Final Grade: 10%
ˇ
Research Proposal and Research Question:
Contrary to popular belief, research is not about having a result in
mind and then finding research that supports your presupposed ideas about a
topic. No my friends, research is
really about coming up with a question that you want to pursue and following it
through in a way that makes sense.
Thus, for this assignment, you will write out a research question, plot
out an approach, and even do a little preliminary research to see what you
actually want to discover, not
prove. You will also narrow
down a topic so that is manageable.
Thus, you will not do your research on “becoming a lawyer”; you will
narrow your topic to looking at something particular about becoming a
lawyer—such as what does a lawyer actually need to study in law school to be
ready to get a job after law school.
o Percentage
of Final Grade: 5%
ˇ
Information Interview or Survey: Transcription and Abstract or
Questionnaire. You will need, for
your research, to talk to a live human being about what a career or course of
study is all about. To accomplish
this, you will interview a professional in a field that you are interested in,
and you will transcribe his/her comments.
Also, you will write up an abstract of what he or she says. (The abstract being a central part of
many academic texts.) This
information will be directly relevant to your research report. This interview should be part of your final paper and presentation.
o Percentage
of Final Grade: 5%
ˇ
PowerPoint Presentation:
To work in the 21st century is to be assured of three
things: death, taxes, and having
to do a PowerPoint. Thus, you will
learn how to create a PowerPoint Presentation—based on the research that you
have done on your topic—and present said PowerPoint to the class. This maybe your first PowerPoint
presentation, but it will not be your last. Also, as a side note, these things are totally fun to put
together.
o Percentage
of Final Grade: 20%
ˇ
Final Researched Essay:
This is a 10-15 page piece (with at least ten different sources in your
works cited/references), and it will not
be a regurgitation of your research.
You will get to choose from several formats for your piece, but they
will all involve you reflecting,
thinking, and doing more than simply throwing out facts. Your paper must have a purpose and
a point to it—past “this is what I learned.” This is the major
assignment of the class, and the percentage of the grade that is tied to
this piece reflects this. Rest
assured you will have lots of time to work on this, and I will do everything in
my power to help you write a fine paper.
o Percentage
of Final Grade: 45%
Additional Help
I strongly
encourage you to get help with your writing from friends, family, and the
tutors (which you pay for through tuition and student fees) from CLAS (Campus
Learning Assistance Services).
CLAS is located just across from South Hall. Their physical locations are Buildings 300 and 477, and you
can see more about CLAS by checking out their website located at http://www.clas.ucsb.edu/Info.htm. Remember every good writer uses
others to help them make their writing better. You can also call and set up an appointment with CLAS by
calling893-3269. There are also
two other organizations on campus that might prove helpful to you, and they are
Counseling & Career Services (893-4411) and Disabled Students Program (DSP)
(893-2668). Counseling and Career
Services can help you many questions you might have as a student and person,
and DSP is a place that can help you if you have a documented disability that
might impinge on your ability to academic work at UCSB.
Notice to
Students with Disabilities
If you are a
student with a documented disability and would like to discuss special
accommodations, please contact me during office hours, after class, or in
whatever way would be best for you to talk to me privately.[1]
Rewrites
You can rewrite any piece for this class. All rewrites, though, are due by the last day of class. I will not accept rewrites after out
last class meeting, so do not ask me to.
Plagiarism
As my colleague and
officemate Professor Doug Bradley writes, “Plagiarism is the copying of a part
or whole of another person’s work while representing the work as your own; it
is an extremely serious academic offense.” (Read more of Professor Bradley’s views on plagiarism at http://www.1startists.com/courses/writ2e/syllabus.html.) The best way to avoid plagiarism is to
cite all the sources you use in a paper correctly and never ever
try to pass off someone else’s writing as your own—period. I will teach you everything I know
about properly citing sources, so that you will never face charges of
unintentional plagiarism, but I have no patience with people who engage in
intentional plagiarism. Plagiarism offenses are
treated seriously by the University, and may result in failure of the paper and
of the course, in addition to further potential sanctions by the Student
Faculty Conduct Committee.
Access to an
email account
You will have one
by virtue of being a UCSB student, but make sure that you know how to use
umail—since this is the email I will be using for you in this class.
Storage
Since we will be
working in a computer lab quite a bit, you need to make sure that you have
something (like a flash drive) to store your work on. Make sure that you bring your computer storage device to every class we have in the lab.
Final Note
I teach writing
because I love it, and I also teach because I care about students. I want you to succeed in this class,
and I also want us all to learn how to research in ways that will, I hope,
strike you as fun. I’m serious
about a lot of things (being on time, late work, and even making sure that
résumés are free of grammatical errors); however, I believe that learning about
researching and writing is fun too.
My hope is that you will exit this class having written something you
are proud to have written, that you will be a more confident researcher and
writer, and that you will have laughed and learned while laughing.
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
Many thanks to Paul
Rogers, Doug Bradley, Michael Petraca, and Brian Loftus in helping me think
through this course. Particular
thanks to Paul and Michael for their syllabi, which have helped me construct
the very syllabus you have before you.
(Remember friends: we must
all acknowledge the sources that inspire us to write.)
Course Calendar For Writing 50 (MW 10-11:50 a.m.)
(The Calendar is subject to
change at the discretion of the instructor.)
Week One: What it Means to Work in the 21st
Century—an Overview
MONDAY: 10-2-06
ˇ
Reading: Introduction
to What Should I Do With My Life by
Po Bronson. (In Class.)
ˇ
Writing: What do
I like to do and why?
ˇ
Class Activities: Introductions,
in-class reading, in-class writing.
WEDNESDAY: 10-4-06
ˇ
Reading: Introduction
to Robert Reich’s The Future of Success and
Chapter One (in packet) and “The
Chemical Engineer Who Lacked a Chemical” from What Do I Want to Do with My Life (in packet).
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, discussion of texts, “What do you Want from Life” exercise, and
brainstorming for possible careers and courses of study to research.
Week Two: What it Means to Work in the 21st
Century—an Overview
MONDAY: 10-9-06
ˇ
Reading: Introduction
to Gig and self-chosen selection (in
packet).
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, peer review, work with Gig
readings, and introduction to résumé
WEDNESDAY: 10-11-06
ˇ
Reading: Robert
Reich’s “The Lure of Hard Work” from The
Future of Success (in packet).
ˇ
Writing: First draft of résumé due today.
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, discussion of Reich, introduction to résumés, and work on what you
might research.
Week Three: Your Friend the Computer and the Résumé
CONFERENCE WEEK
MONDAY: 10-16-06
ˇ
Reading: Introduction
and “Serving in Florida” from Nickel and
Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (in
packet).
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, editing work, discussion of Nickel
and Dimed reading, and beginning of résumé work—including “Dream Résumé
Creation.” ALSO, SIGN-UP FOR CONFERENCES.
WEDNESDAY: 10-18-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: “The Summer
of the Death of Hilario Guzman” by Mark Arax (in packet).
ˇ
Writing: Final draft of résumé due today.
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, working with online databases, creation of research question and
preliminary research, “30 Days Episode,” and selection from “The Colbert
Report.”
Week Four: Beginning Research
MONDAY: 10-23-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Online
reading on creating interview and survey questions. Located at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/01/
ˇ
Writing: FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL DUE TODAY.
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, peer review of research proposal, more preliminary research, and
designing interviews and surveys.
WEDNESDAY: 10-25-06 (Library)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: FIND AN INTEREVIEW SUBJECT OR CREATE SURVEY. DRAFT OF QUESTIONS OR SURVEY DUE ON
MONDAY 10-30-06.
ˇ
Class Activities: Library
orientation. Library
assignment. Note-taking. Debreifing.
Week Five: The Library and Drafting
MONDAY: 10-30-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: Questions for interview or survey due today.
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, peer review of survey or interview questions, work on research
project, and note-taking work.
WEDNESDAY: 11-1-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: Work on survey or interview write up—FIRST DRAFT DUE ON
MONDAY 11-6-06.
ˇ
Class Activities: In-class
writing, research questions and concerns, research time, and writing exercises
designed to get you writing.
Week Six: Writing and Preparing for Presentations
MONDAY: 11-6-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: First draft of survey or interview due today.
ˇ
Class Activities: Peer
review of interview, PowerPoint samples, PowerPoint exercise, Check in on
research.
WEDNESDAY: 11-8-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your own
research reading and The Academic Writer’s Handbook, pages 117-126.
ˇ
Assignment: In-class
writing. Viewing of really cool PowerPoint in class. PowerPoint work.
Plagiarism work.
Week Seven: Writing and Presentations
MONDAY: 11-13-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading. Sample
Researched Essay (from website).
ˇ
Writing: Final draft of interview or survey.
ˇ
Class Activities: First
four to six presentations (extra credit for those who go first). Work with sample essay. Introduction to final essay.
WEDNESDAY: 11-15-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading. Sample Researched Essay (from
website).
ˇ
Class Activities: Six presentations. Work with sample essay. Citation work.
Drafting of essay. Sign
up for conferences with Chris.
Week Eight: Writing and Presentations
CONFERENCE WEEK
MONDAY: 11-20-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: First Draft of Researched Essay (four pages, works cited,
in-text citations, and plan for remaining writing).
ˇ
Class Activities: Presentations. Peer review.
WEDNESDAY: 11-22-06
NO CLASS. YOU WILL HAVE MET WITH CHRIS FOR
CONFERENCES PRIOR TO WEDNESDAY.
Week Nine: Writing and
Presentations
MONDAY: 11-27-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Class Activities: Presentations. Common errors work. Citation work.
WEDNESDAY: 11-29-06 (Meet in Computer Lab: Miramar-Phelps 1526)
ˇ
Reading: Your
research reading.
ˇ
Writing: Second, and
final, draft due today. (10-15
pages, complete works cited, and all notes.)
ˇ
Class Activities: Final presenations. Peer review.
Week Ten: Writing and Wrapping Up
MONDAY: 12-4-06 (Meet in HSSB 1214)
ˇ
Reading: Sample
researched essay (from website).
ˇ
Class Activities: Common
errors work on researched essay.
Beginnings and endings.
Sample researched essay work.
Evaluations.
WEDNESDAY: 12-6-06 (Meet in HSSB 1214)
ˇ
Reading: None. Listen to “Marketplace Report: Worker Pay Not Keeping
Pace”. Located at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5589441.
ˇ Writing: All rewrites due today.
ˇ
Class Activities: Peer review of rewritings. Final discussion of the quarter. Reminder of when to pick up materials and grades.
On
the date of our final, you will be pick up your final papers and final grades.