English 1101: Composition I

"A"-Level Revision of Papers

2019-12-04T08:53:00.001-05:00

If you are trying for the "A" grade in the course, according to the contract, the most important labor addition is to revise Paper One and Paper Two again after I have evaluated the final draft. Note: You cannot begin this revision if you have not first received credit on your Revised Draft and Final Draft when we first did the papers.

The "A"-level revision must be total and complete. You must rethink your paper, change your approach, add content (sentences and paragraphs), refine your word choice and style in any sentences you decide to keep, avoid all generalization, use sophisticated logic, and fix all typos and grammar errors that you might introduce when composing new content.

Do not make the mistake of simply editing your paper "to fix mistakes" or "to make it better." Your paper, in its current version, might already be as good as you can make it, right? But the goal is not just to make it better, but to make it substantially different. Your labor task is to produce a new VERSION of your paper and then to edit and refine that new version. What you are trying to demonstrate is your ability to move on from your earlier product to a new one. If you are not sure how to do this, or you don't feel up to the task, be sure to talk to me today so that you can be on the right track.

Remember, this is for an "A"--and an "A" should mean something.

Final Week and Final Exam Session

2019-12-02T08:58:00.000-05:00

This week and next, you have the following responsibilities:

Finish all missing or incomplete assignments. Whether I have already looked at all of your assignments and you see ZEROS or you still have ungraded assignments that you know are incomplete or missing, you need to complete all of them to have a chance at a "C" or better. After finishing an assignment, please email me to let me know.
Start and finish you Self-Assessment essay.
Revise Paper 1 and Paper 2 if you are going for the "A" grade in this course.

Self-Assessment

2019-12-02T08:53:00.002-05:00

This self-assessment will explain, in a professional and formal way, what you think of yourself as a student writer and your achievement now that you have finished this course. To do this self-assessment, based on a realistic view of your performance, please compose, revise, and proofread a 1000-word essay on the following topic: "How I Earned an A in this course . . . or not." This topic requires you to look at yourself for responsibility for your grade, how you fell short or measured up. Complaints about the course or any comments blaming the course or your professor will be considered off topic, and you'll then have to redo your self-assessment to earn credit on it. If you are going for the "A" grade in this course, this final task, along with your revisions of Paper 1 and Paper 2, will show me how sophisticated your content, style, and grammar have become. Show me what you can do!

Use this filename: LastName.FirstName.SA.F19

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better.

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the example above (2 mins)
Brainstorm about what you did or did not do to earn or not to earn an "A," depending on your situation (30 mins)
Write your response according to the instructions above (2 hours)
Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (1 hour)

Missing Assignments

2019-11-22T08:26:00.001-05:00

If you have a grade of "0" on your grade report in D2L, you need to do that assignment so that it does not count as "ignored" on your grading contract. This includes "Revised" drafts and "Final" drafts. Keep an eye on your grade report in D2L over the next few days so that you can stay up to date on your grade status.

Paper Revision for the "A"

2019-10-25T08:06:00.001-04:00

If you are trying for the "A" grade in the course, according to the contract, the most important labor addition is to revise Paper One and Paper Two again after I have evaluated the final draft. This revision must be total and complete. You must rethink your paper, change your approach, add content (sentences and paragraphs), refine your word choice and style, avoid all generalization, use sophisticated logic, and fix all typos and grammar errors.

Here are the steps to take if want to do this revision:

Open "Paper.1.Evaluated" and "Paper.2.Evaluated" in your Google Drive folder. If you see a grade above "O" in your D2L gradebook for "Paper 1 Final" or "Paper 2 Final," then you should see the word "evaluated" in your document names. A grade of "O" means you have yet to finish your final draft. A "--" means that I have not evaluated the final draft yet.
"Make a copy" of the evaluated paper. Do not make any further changes in the document. Just "make a copy" of it and name it "Paper.1.Revised" or "Paper.2.Revised."
This new version will now be in your folder, and this copy is the one you should revise and edit until the end of the semester.
As you revise, you may ask me for feedback on your original paper or on the new version. When you ask for feedback, be specific about the issue you want advice about.

First Day

2012-05-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to your English 1101 course! Your professor is Dr. Matthew Horton (that's me!). You can call me "Dr. H." Please ask me questions about the course and how I teach it! Not every 1101 course is the same, and getting to know your professor will help you succeed in this class.

How to do well in English 1101
Read the syllabus
Read the Grading Contract
(for 0999 students, read the 0999 Grading Contract also)
Check the calendar
Learn how to use Google Drive
Resources on Google Drive (I will share this with you)

You can access other resources by clicking the tabs above and the links on the right. Take some time to look around in this website. All the resources can help you, and there are policies and requirements to learn. My contact info is also in the right-hand margin. Always use UNG email to send me questions and the reason you might not be able to attend class.

This course is mostly about writing, but you will also learn new technology. In fact, this course strives to be as PAPERLESS as possible, so you will use Google Drive to write and share your papers! This might be a little scary, but technology skills are important to your future job!

Try one of these for a better browser: Internet Explorer and Safari don't play well with Google Drive. Chrome is best! These buttons will take you to portable versions of the Firefox and Chrome that you can put on a USB drive, or you can search for a full install version in Google.

You will use Google Drive to write and share papers:

You can keep track of online resources using this tool:

You can keep track of when you'll work on assignments using this tool:

You can learn how to type faster using this tool:

How to Do Well

2012-05-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

First, I don't want you to stress about grades in this course. I know they are important to you, and I care that you care about them. This course is designed for everyone to make an "A" or "B," and this can happen if you strive to do your best. If you come to class every day, turn in work on time, revise your writing, and follow assignment instructions, you should make at least a "B"!

That being said, let yourself make a "C" if that's what you need, or if that is a realistic grade given your life outside of school. It is okay to make a "C" in this course, but be careful of the borderline between a "C" and a "D"--keep safe by being diligent about finishing assignments on time.

Whatever grade you'd like to earn, doing well in this course depends on your mindset as a student. Actually, one goal of this class is to figure out what kind of student you are and what kind of student you want to be. Here is some important questions to ask yourself:

"Why am I here, in school?"
"What can I achieve in this writing class?"
"How will the skills I practice here help me later?"

I encourage you to come talk to me if you are not sure how to become the kind of student you want to be. It can be difficult to adjust to a college mindset, but you can do it!

Syllabus - Fall 2019

2012-05-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Instructor Information

Name: Dr. Matthew Horton
Office: 704 - Faculty Center
Email: matthew.horton@ung.edu
Office Hours: MW 11-12, W 1-2, F 11-2, TR 11-12:30

Description of Course

English 1101 is English Composition I, a 3-credit hour course offered by the English Department in the College of Arts and Letters that fulfills the first of two Area A "Communication Skills" requirements. You must earn a "C" in English 1101 in order to move on to English 1102.

"The Practice of Preparation"

Over the past few semesters, students have told me that they wish they had a class where they could talk about their struggles and get advice about dealing with them. I don't mean struggles with writing, math, or any other school subject. I mean struggles in life. Like how to earn and save money. How to secure good living conditions. How to deal with a bad roommate. How to manage time better. How to deal with having a job and going to school. How to cook. How to exercise. How to be healthy. How to build credit. How to "move out." How to live your own life. How to make good decisions about education. How to decide on a career. How to move on from people who mistreat you. How to interact with people in healthy ways. How to address the social problems around you. How to make yourself a good job candidate. And I am sure there are many more I have not thought of. Do these sound like things you think about? What a major mess of stress it can all accumulate into! Now, add school! Add English 1101 and your other classes. Add "first semester" woes. Add essays and reading. That's what classes are, right? More stressors to add to the mess. Trust me, I sympathize.

So what I hope we can do is give you a chance to exercise your reading, thinking, and writing skills by engaging in a bit of practical problem solving that might actually make your life better. It's up to you what problems you'd like to look into solving in your life, up to you what areas of your life you'd like to improve, but I promise you that this class will make room for discussions about issues that actually concern you and your classmates personally. Each area of concern is something you can pursue knowledge about. You can become more "literate" in that area. That is, you can come to understand MORE and understand BETTER about the areas of your life in which you struggle and worry. And by gaining competence in these areas, by becoming more literate in them, hopefully you can gain some power over them and worry less. It is the future that is ahead of you, but you need not worry that you won't be ready for it if you prepare and learn how to deal. Let's do some of the "getting ready" this semester. What do you need to be more "literate" in? Money, fitness, time, relationships, education, career planning, food, technology, information? You'll read and write plenty in college, but let's make sure you make progress in your life and your health as well! What else is more important?

To pass this course, you must achieve the following goals:

Submit all writing assignments, without turning in too many late or incomplete
Type all of your writing, without copying and pasting, in Google Drive

To make a strong grade in this course, you should pursue a mindset that

Values good, thorough work more than earning a particular grade
Views a college education as your purpose, not an obstacle
Approaches writing as a skill to develop rather than busy work
Promotes thinking about ideas, activities, and relationships that are important to you
Helps you develop a productive writing process
Follows the parts of an essay to compose smart, lively papers
Accepts criticism from others as a path to stronger performance
Motivates you to attend class and participate in our activities

Texts and Materials

Our text is available at the UNG Bookstore. You must purchase a paper copy and bring the text to class every day.

The Transition to College Writing, 2nd ed., by Keith Hjortshoj
Purdue University Online Writing Lab
Online articles about various topics
Google Drive account

Course Grading

To learn about the work you will do and how your course grade will be determined, please read how your grade is calculated. The basic idea is that you will earn your grade by completing a variety of labor tasks:

Reflections
Reading Responses
Peer Responses
Self Responses
Paper Topics
Rough drafts of papers
Revised drafts of papers
Final drafts of papers

Stress Reduction Policy

Emotional stress in academic situations can hinder learning and make you anxious. To minimize this type of stress in this class, we will enact the following policies:

Writing assignments in this course will allow you to discuss matters that are personally relevant to you as a human being.
Writing assignments in this course are designed to help you work on skills that you are developing/improving (see Course Objectives for 1101).
I will say only positive comments about your writing during class. Any comments to help you improve will be typed as comments on your documents or in a digital chat session. In addition, you can visit my office for a private conversation to help you improve.
Course grades will largely be determined by timely completion of writing tasks, both in and out of class, not how sophisticated your writing happens to be on those assignments. Please see the Grading Contract for this course.
If you feel stressed or worried about a grade for any assignment or the overall course, you may talk with me about your concerns and options for moving your grade to where you would like it to be. You can email me your free times to meet, even outside my stated office hours.

Conduct Policies

Seek help from Dr. H first. If you are struggling or need help, send me an email—we can meet for tutoring in my office. You can also use workshop time in class to ask me questions. You may seek help on assignments before they are due. Be sure to use your UNG email account and send me an email at matthew.horton@ung.edu, my UNG email address.
Visit the Writing Center. Getting extra help from the writing tutors could be good for you. It all depends on the kind of help you are seeking. If you are not sure, you can talk to me about the best way to use the Writing Center.
Be present. Arriving on time goes a long way to staying on track. I want you to succeed--time in class is essential to that success.
Keep your phone in your bag. Part of "being present" is staying engaged with me, your classmates, and your assignments while in the classroom. If I see your phone or see you using your phone, you will get a non-participation mark for the day. This policy comes into effect as soon as I arrive, even before class begins, so only use your phone in the hallway.
Make-Up Work. Some assignments will be homework, and some will be done in the classroom. When you are absent, show me proof of excuse to avoid the penalty for late work. Attendance will often be required to complete an assignment on time because of an assignment-related workshop. Being here every class period, with all assignments ready, is the best way to earn the grade you want. Always email to notify me about an absence. And if you know you will be absent ahead of time, please let me know so you can finish your work ahead of time and figure out another way to participate in our planned activity.
Turning in work. All assignments for credit will be done in Google Drive. Writing assignments have length requirements stated in the instructions. You will need access to a working computer with reliable internet. The computers in the labs here on campus work great if you don't have one at home. Never use email to turn in work.
Email. The official form of communication at UNG is email. This UNG policy protects the privacy of all of us in the exchange of information. If you need to ask me a question about anything, whether personal or class related, please use your UNG email account to send a message to matthew.horton@ung.edu. This is my official UNG email address. Check your email two or three times a day.
Computers. Please log on as soon as you arrive and come to this website. Review the calendar, look over the resources, reread assignment instructions, work on your writing. All communication with people outside the classroom needs to happen outside the classroom. If you have an emergency that requires you to use your phone during class, please ask to be excused.
Printers. To avoid distractions, do not print any documents in the classroom during class.
Disruptive behavior. Sensitivity and respect in and out of class between you and me and between you and your classmates is important. Do not be intentionally base, insulting, or provocative. I like debate during class when we are discussing issues or reading material, but please do not publicly criticize me, my class, or your classmates. We can speak privately in my office, or you can send me an email. Disruptive behavior includes leaving class (except for emergencies) and eating in the classroom. You may have bottled water in the classroom, but no food (UNG policy).
Academic honesty. All work to fulfill requirements of this class must meet UNG standards of academic honesty. Violations of these standards include receiving or giving assistance on any graded assignment without my permission (aka, cheating), fabricating evidence for use in an essay (aka, lying), and using another person's words or thoughts in your paper without giving that person credit (aka, plagiarism). Penalty for committing these acts could range from a zero on the assignment to an "F" in the course. For instance, in a class like this one, having someone proofread your paper or write any part of it for you would be considered cheating. I know that might seem strange to some of you, but it is even more strange to think that you should pretend to have skills that actually belong to someone else. Instead, develop YOUR skills.
Withdrawal. Remember that you cannot withdraw from a class simply by not coming anymore. You have to withdraw yourself through Banner Web before the midpoint. Please be familiar with the University Attendance Policies.
Disclaimer. This syllabus is subject to change to meet the needs of the course.

Supplemental Syllabus
Student IT support

Calendar

2012-05-23T11:30:00.000-04:00

Each item on the agenda can be clicked to reveal a description, if any. All assignments are due on their deadline days, but the times will vary depending on the assignment. First, click on the time your class meets, and make sure it is highlighted:

Readings

2012-05-23T11:00:00.002-04:00

In addition to the book we are reading, The Transition to College Writing, your reading material will be texts that you identify as relevant to areas of struggle and improvement that you would like to explore, which will help you analyze your own experience for Paper Topics.

Here are some articles. I will help you find others as you share the topics you'd like to explore:

The World Might Be Better Off Without College for Everyone
The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans
What 10,000 Steps Will Really Get You
The Consumerist Church of Fitness Classes
Eat Food. All the Time. Mostly Junk.
Can You Cure Chronic Lateness?
"Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?"
"How to Sleep"
"How Kids Learn Resilience"

Check out these articles related to college and writing: Coming soon! Death to High School English
Office Hours
The Ivy League, Mental Illness, and the Meaning of Life
Spirit Guides
The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher
Why Teach English?
Inescapably, You're Judged By Your Language
The Perfect Essay
In College, Nurturing Matters
My Little Bag of Writing Tricks
Young Minds in Critical Condition
The Streamlined Life
The Value of College: It's Not Just Correlation
College, the Great Unleveler
Class, Cost and College

You are free to choose a significant magazine article or a book (non-fiction or fiction) that has been particularly important to you and that deals with a serious issue that pertains to your life. I will need to approve your choice ahead of time if you do not choose one of the articles below:

The following magazines have free and interesting reads. If you choose an article that is not on the list above, be sure that it has a similar length and clear it with me first.

How Your Grade Is Calculated

2012-05-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

I use a flexible system that gives you control over the grade you earn in this class. My goal is to change your view of grading, at least as it relates to improving writing skills. Your grade in this course will reflect how diligently you complete assigned writing tasks, both in and out of class, on time. Through practice, your writing skills will improve. Please read the Grading Contract for this course.

You'll produce three longer writings (1000+ words) and many smaller writings (200-300 words each). Timely and accurate completion of all assignments can earn you the default grade of a "B" for the course. If you turn in assignments either late or incomplete, I will mark them as such. As explained on the Grading Contract, there is direct relationship between timely completion of assignments and your course grade. This includes assignments done in class as well as out of class.

I will still grade each individual assignment as feedback for improvement. A grade of 16 or better (out of 20) counts as "full credit." You will only get less than 16 for late work, incomplete work, or really poor effort in content or proofreading. As long as the number of grades under 16 you make is within the limit stated on the Grading Contract, you still have a chance to make an a "A" or "B" in the course. However, you can take any grade under 20 as an indication that you are falling short in some way. If I give you a grade less than 20, you should look into it. Here are some reasons you could get a grade less than 20:

Not following instructions
Incorrect MLA or title formatting
Missing parts of the assignment
Generalizing
Typos
Incomplete or confusing sentences
Punctuation or grammar errors
Vague or uninteresting titles

Here are some example situations:

A little slip up or two will get you a 19 if you are otherwise impressive in content and logic.
If you want a 20, then be "perfect"--do you deserve a 20 otherwise? No complaining if you don't put the time in to produce a stellar piece of writing.
If you want an 18 or 19, then you better impress me with your content and expression. If I read a dull, uninspired assignment, I will give it a 16 or 17, if it is otherwise decently proofread and clear.
Poor proofreading is an automatic 16 or less. I will not trudge through a bunch of typos and grammar mistakes just to follow your thoughts.
Generalizing, next to poor proofreading, is the true mark of low effort. If your sentences are not specific, you can expect a 16 or less.
If you make enough proofreading mistakes or leave too many typos, then you will get a 15 or less. It's about time and effort. If you are not confident in your proofreading, make an appointment with me to work on your weaknesses.
A 16 or 17 means that your writing quality is not where it will need to be to make an "A" in the class at the end of the semester. Getting an "A" requires a strong final revision effort on Paper One and Paper Two after your "final draft" is complete and graded, so if you are making 16 or 17 on any writing assignments during the semester, you should take it as a heads up if your plan is to prove that you are an "A" writer by the end of the semester. Again, see the Grading Contract
Generalizing, poor proofreading, ignoring instructions, failing to brainstorm, putting minimal time into your composing, showing low interest, taking shortcuts--these would be signs of your not caring about your improvement as a writer. Show me that you care. Impress me with your effort. Surprise me with your ideas. Make reading your work a joy. As your teacher, I expect you to show concern in your work. If you don't, it won't be an accident. It will be a choice. So, again, no complaining if you make a 16 or 17--just step up your game. Raising your effort level is the only way to make a difference in your product.
A grade of 15 or less should be unacceptable to you. Too many of them will take away your chance at an "A" in the course.
A late assignment that is still incomplete will have a grade of 0 until you complete it. After you complete it, the highest grade will be a 15, no matter how good it is otherwise.

So if you see a low grade, you should have an idea what it means. If you really want to understand why you made a certain grade and you cannot figure it out, then you can make an appointment with me to go over it. But the examples above should help you take stock of your performance.

Below is a list of tasks you will do this semester. Remember, assignments turned in late or incomplete will still receive grades, but they will marked as late for course grading purposes:

Reflections
Paper Topics
Assigned Reading Responses
Peer Responses
Self-Responses
Rough drafts of papers
Revised drafts of papers
Final drafts of papers

Please always feel free to ask me how things work. The Grading Contract is designed to help you earn the grade you want.

You can gain full credit on an assignment by (a) meeting deadlines and content/length requirements for assignments and (b) participating in classroom activities designed around completion of these assignments. Why? Most students want a course grade to reflect their effort in a course; this approach to grading rewards effort, the labor that you put into completing tasks on time.

Using Google Drive

2012-05-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

You will do all your writing this semester in Google Drive. This online document creation and storage tool allows you to compose without any word processing software on your computer. The sharing feature allows you to collaborate with me and your classmates as you write your assignments and receive feedback. You can also comment and make suggestions on assignments shared with you.

In order for this tool to work for us, we will all have to cooperate, learn some new skills, and follow some rules. You might not yet know how to use it, but it won't be too hard, and I think you'll be pleased with the results!

First, you'll need a Google account. If you have a Gmail account, then you already have a Google account, so all you need to do to get started is to sign in to Google Drive! If you don't have a Google account, the easiest way to start one is to sign up for Gmail! This link will allow you to designate a username for a Gmail account.

Once you have your Google account, click here to let me know your Gmail address for signing into Google Drive.

Then, sign into Google Drive, and we'll configure some things together during class. After you sign into Google Drive, follow these steps:

Create a folder called Lastname.Firstname.1101.Writing.F19
Share the folder with me and grant me "edit" privileges (ask for my sharing address)
Create a document in that folder and name it Lastname.Firstname.Email.to.Dr.H.F19
Create another document in the same folder and name it Lastname.Firstname.My.Interests.F19
Create another document in the same folder and name it Lastname.Firstname.My.Goals.F19

Future writing assignments will also go in this folder with an appropriate filename. Here are examples:

Lastname.Firstname.Paper.1.Topic.F19
Lastname.Firstname.Paper.1.F19
Lastname.Firstname.Paper.1.PR.for.Susan.F19
Lastname.Firstname.Paper.1.SR.F19
Lastname.Firstname.ARR.1.F19

Remember, if you create a document in Google Drive but forget to place it in your writing folder, I will not be able to see it.

Important: All assignments for this class must be composed and revised within Google Drive. You may not type your work elsewhere or copy and paste any text into a Google Document from another place. Also, you may not upload a finished document to your Google Drive folder. Google Drive has a revision history that keeps track of the work you do and the time you spend on a document. Make sure that your revision history is a record of the actual work and time you put into your assignments. No copying and pasting into a Google document, no matter what (even assignment instructions should not be pasted in).

Parts of an Essay

2012-05-09T11:18:00.001-04:00

In the color-coded sections below, the various parts of an essay are laid out for you. Use this as a guide for crafting effective essays. There are many ways to put an essay together, but the suggestions I make here are applicable to writing in many subjects. Students in the past have appreciated this guide because it offers structure without stifling creativity.

Beginning: (Generate interest, orient the audience) [2 paragraphs]

Reach out to your audience

Start with a specific detail and open your reader's mind by discussing an interesting idea. You could introduce and explain a striking statement from an article or tell a story that sets the stage for your topic. Your audience needs something real to feel involved. Writing general or opinionated ideas will only give the impression that you are not a thinking person. "Reach out to your audience" should be the first paragraph of your paper.

Prepare your audience

In your second paragraph, start setting up your paper by bringing focus to your actual topic. Imagine your reader asking, "Okay, interesting beginning, but what is THIS paper going to be about?" Give background information that your audience needs to know and create the impression that you have a serious purpose. Convince the audience to feel that you are leading them to an important insight, an insight that matters, that will change how they think. This part of the paper should naturally follow the concrete detail you discussed for "reaching out."

Preview your argument

In the same paragraph as "Prepare your audience," give a short version of your stages of thought for the paper. These stages should NOT be IN your thesis, like a list of different ideas, but can be mentioned BEFORE your thesis. The stages are the logic that will explain the main idea you want to get across to the reader. The middle section of the paper (see below) will contain the actual stages--they should work TOGETHER in SEQUENCE to develop ONE argument, which is your thesis. Laying out your stages in the beginning will keep your thesis statement from sounding like it comes out of nowhere.

State your thesis, the MAIN argument of your paper

Immediately following your preview, make a statement that you think is both true and persuasive. It should direct the audience toward a way of thinking that you imagine they might not already understand or agree with. So your thesis cannot be a statement of fact or an obvious truth. A great thesis will be a single idea--it brings the topic to focus and tells the reader your position. To get a thesis that works with your stages, you will have to go through some trial and error. Avoid the most common temptation: to state a conclusion instead of a persuasive claim. Conclusions are thoughts for an ending, not the beginning.

Middle: (Present stages, at least 1 paragraph per stage) [3-4 paragraphs]

For EACH middle paragraph:

Transition and topic sentence

The topic sentence starts the paragraph and represents one (or part of one) of your stages. If you need a transitional hook, ask yourself, "what is the relationship of THIS stage to the PREVIOUS one?" The answer is your transition. Of course, if your mental transitions are solid and true, you won't need to write a hook.

Details to support topic sentence

Illustrate using concrete examples from real life, details that help the reader experience what you know, logical deduction, etc. In some papers (not for this class), you might have to analyze other people's writing. In that case, concrete examples would include quotations from texts, but when you are trying to explain your own experience, the only evidence that matters is detail from your memories and logic.

Closing statement to explain your support

Giving evidence is not enough. Every paragraph should have a closing sentence or two to show that the topic sentence has actually been proven. No claim is self-evident, so proof must be demonstrated AFTER evidence is given. The question to ask yourself is "How is this stage tied to your thesis?"

Sometimes, one of your middle paragraphs can acknowledge a different point of view that questions your thesis or one of your stages. First, you state the other point of view and explain how it is reasonable. Then disagree, offering NEW evidence in response to this opposing point. But mentioning a counter-point at the beginning of your essay is counter-productive.

Ending: (Answer the crucial question "so what?") [1-2 paragraphs]

Explain importance of proving your thesis

Begin explaining why the point of your essay is important. In other words, discuss the significance of your thesis. Why is it relevant? Why does it matter? What does it apply to? The WORTH of your thesis is not self-evident. But do NOT just repeat your thesis.

New information to help apply the thesis

Save some recent developments or information to add content to your ending. Keep the attention of your reader with real details instead of rehashing what you've already said. Using general conclusion cliches to finish your essay will leave your audience with an empty feeling. Instead, apply the relevance of your thesis by extending your attention to a new but related idea. Apply what you have already said to an idea beyond your thesis.

Satisfy reader with a closing statement

Discuss the benefits of taking your position; give a warning or call for action; suggest a solution or another problem. Or you can raise issues that leave your audience thinking and wondering. At the same time, do not address your audience directly (this is true for the whole paper). Imagine that they are listening to you think. They stand to gain from your thinking, but this is less likely to happen if you write directly AT them.

Assignments

2012-05-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

All writing assignments should be typed in Google Drive using 12 pt. Times New Roman, 1" margins, and double-spacing. Click on each link below for further instructions for each type of writing assignment.

Reflections

2012-05-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

These short writings are meant to help you think about your goals and mindset as a student writer in college. It is not easy being a student, and it is certainly not easy being a student writer! But you are here because you have a goal of success. It's important that you reflect on that goal and how you can reach it.

Here are the reflection writings you will do. Each one has specific instructions for staying on topic. Click each one to access those instructions:

Assigned Reading Responses

2012-05-09T10:30:00.004-04:00

For certain assigned readings, you will compose thoughtful and thought-provoking responses that show your understanding of the content and your interest in extending the discussion. You will write these responses on Google Drive. Make sure the two paragraphs you write are equal in length and that their total length is 200-300 words. "Equal length" means that when I count the lines of your two paragraphs, they are within one line of each other.

For the first Assigned Reading Response, use LastName.FirstName.ARR.1.F19
For the second Assigned Reading Response, use LastName.FirstName.ARR.2.F19

For full credit on this assignment, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
Read the portion of the book that you plan to write about and choose one direct quote for focus (15 mins)
Type the full citation of the chapter in the book from which you took the direct quote (5 mins)
Write your first paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
Write your second paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm (if you want), write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other if you have more than one.

Guidelines for Doing an Assigned Reading Response

When typing out the citation of the reading assignment, use proper MLA formatting
In the first paragraph,
1. start by highlighting ONE idea from the reading that caught your eye and made you think. To do so, introduce a statement made by the author and then quote it word for word. You must introduce a specific idea and then directly quote the author.
2. explain what the author is trying to communicate to the audience with this idea.
In the second paragraph,
1. start by writing ONE idea of your own that the author's statement made you think about. This idea should be about a significant incident that you experienced. The first sentence should include the incident and an idea about it.
2. explain your idea so that your reader can see how you are extending the discussion started by the author.
When typing your title at the top of your assignment, use proper title formatting

Peer Responses

2012-05-09T10:30:00.002-04:00

As your peers make progress on their own papers, you will offer advice about their content to help them (and you) continue to improve. On the day a revised draft is due, you will comment on paper of a classmate (and one will comment on yours). Arrange with your group how you will distribute the sharing evenly.

This assignment has two main parts: (1) commenting on the paper and (2) writing a response to the student.

Commenting on the paper:

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements)

Share your paper with everyone in your group (2 mins)
Decide as a group who will comment on whose paper (2 mins)
Read the paper all the way through, multiple times (15 mins)
Make at least 4 comment boxes and fill each one with detailed suggestions for improvement: one comment for the beginning, two for the middle, and one for the ending (30 mins)

Your comments should be about ideas and logic, not grammar and style. As you read, ask yourself, "How can the writer help me see the meaning better? How can the writer improve connections through the paper?" Remember, the standard we want is effective communication. As Keith Hjortshoj tells us, "Effective writing, therefore, facilitates continuous reading from beginning to end" (115).

Writing a response to the student:

For the first paper, use LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.PR.for.Sally.F19
For the second paper, use LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.PR.for.Sally.F19
For the third paper, use LastName.FirstName.AB.PR.for.Sally.F19

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better.

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
Reread the student's paper and your comments again (15 mins)
Write your first paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
Write your second paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
Type "Dear NameofStudent" above your paragraphs and "Sincerely, YourFirstName" below them (1 min)
Share the response document with the student when you are finished (1 min)

Type a 200-300 word response to your peer's paper. In the first paragraph, offer a comment of approval about a particular paragraph that had a positive effect on your reading experience and why. In the second paragraph, offer a suggestion about a particular paragraph would improve your reading experience and why. Do not discuss grammar or word style. Instead, grapple with the writer's ideas and logic. For top grades, use specific examples from the paper of good content and poor content. You must identify one strength and one weakness in content and suggest improvements. Only write about 2 specific parts of the paper--elaborate on each one in a separate paragraph.

Refrain from superficial comments such as "I really enjoyed your paper!" or "If you make these changes, you could have a great paper!" Keep your focus on TWO specific parts of the paper only, one in each paragraph you write.

Self Responses

2012-05-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

When you submit papers for evaluation, you will also submit your own evaluation of the struggles and achievements you've encountered in the writing process. Create a new document in your Google Drive writing folder for this course

Use these filenames:

LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.SR.F19
LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.SR.F19

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better.

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
Brainstorm about frustrations and achievements you experienced while working on your paper (15 mins)
Write your response according to the instructions below (15-30 mins)
Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)

The content parameters of this assignment are pretty wide open, but your discussion should revolve around your impressions of your experience working on your paper. Points might include what you felt successful doing, what you felt frustrated by, areas in which you needed help but did not ask, and areas in which you felt confident. What was it like to write this paper, and how can you apply the lessons you learned to future papers? To what extent have you improved yourself as a writer through the process of writing this paper?

Like all responses, be sure that your paragraph(s) total 200-300 words.

Center a thoughtful and intelligent title at the top that accurately reflects your attitude about your performance on your paper.

My Goals

2012-05-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

For this refection, I would like you to discuss, with examples, your goals as a WRITING STUDENT this semester. Please limit your attention to the following questions (one paragraph per question):

What can you do to make progress as a writer?
How dedicated are you to making this progress?

For full credit on this reflection, you must stay on topic and be specific. Follow these steps and work for the amount of time in parentheses:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it "Lastname.Firstname.My.Goals.F19" (2 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about your struggles with writing, what you need to do to OVERCOME one or two problems, and your dedication to doing so (20 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about the details you plan to include in each paragraph (10 mins)
Write a paragraph in response to each question above (30 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm, write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other.

My Interests

2012-05-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

For this refection, I would like you to discuss, with examples, your interests that might serve as topics of discussion in your papers this semester. Please limit your attention to the following questions (one paragraph per question):

What areas of your life occupy your mind the most intensely?
For what reasons would you be inclined to communicate with others about those concerns?

For full credit on this reflection, you must stay on topic and be specific. Follow these steps and work for the amount of time in parentheses:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it "Lastname.Firstname.My.Interests.F19" (2 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about areas of concern you spend a lot of time thinking about and who might benefit from hearing your thoughts about those concerns (20 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about the details you plan to include in each paragraph (10 mins)
Write a paragraph in response to each question above (30 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your brainstorming and your paragraphs and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm, write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other.

Moving Beyond School Writing

2012-05-09T10:15:00.000-04:00

At the bottom of p. 197 in Transition to College Writing, the last paragraph begins with a question: "In other words, how can you move beyond "school writing" . . . ?" It is not an easy question to answer, so your response will have to be, fittingly, an attempt to move past "school writing": you'll have to think about your point of view, think about your limitations and struggles, and then communicate your thoughts. Do you not have a definite answer? No problem. Communicate your uncertainty about what to do. But consider what you COULD try, how you might look for guidance, etc. If you do know what you need to do to move beyond "school writing," GREAT! Communicate it in your own voice--demonstrate your commitment to communicating honestly.

For full credit on this reflection, follow these steps and work for the amount of time in parentheses:

Complete the reading assignment from Transition to College Writing on the agenda for today: "Orientation" (pp. 1-16) and "Conclusion: The Whole Point of Writing" (pp. 193-200) (30 - 60 mins)
In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it "Lastname.Firstname.School.Writing.F19" (2 mins)
Reread pp. 197-198 of Transition to College Writing (10 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about what you could try to do in order to move past "school writing" (20 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about the details you plan to include in your paragraph (10 mins)
Write a paragraph in your own voice to explain your point of view on the topic as explained above these steps (30 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm, write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., one or two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other if you have more than one.

How I Earned an A in This Course

2012-05-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here at the start of the semester, I'd like you to imagine that you have actually finished the course and earned an "A." You know enough about this course to imagine yourself at the end of the course, knowing what you needed to do to earn your A. Think carefully about how you did it. I'm sure it wasn't easy. It must have required a certain level of diligence and sacrifice. You might have even had to outstretch what you thought you could do. How did you do it? Try to explain how you exceeded expectations and earned the A.

For full credit on this reflection, follow these steps and work for the amount of time in parentheses:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it "Lastname.Firstname.Earning.the.A.F19" (2 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about the actions you took to earn an A in this course (20 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about the details you plan to include in your paragraph (10 mins)
Write a paragraph in your own voice to explain your point of view (30 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm, write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., one or two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other if you have more than one.

Email to Dr. H

2012-05-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

Communicating with your professors is really important, and email is the most common way that you will touch base with a teacher or ask a question about class. So, for this reflection, you will pretend that you are writing an email to me about an issue or question you have. Try really hard to write about an actual issue or question you have, even though you won't actually be sending the email to me as part of the assignment. How will you go about writing the email? What do you need to consider when writing it? What will make your email effective and impressive?

For full credit on this reflection, follow these steps and work for the amount of time in parentheses:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it "Lastname.Firstname.Email.to.Dr.H.F19" (2 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about issues or questions you need to communicate to me (10 mins)
Brainstorm in your Google Document about HOW you need to communicate to me. What will my expectations be? (10 mins)
Review the guidelines for How to Write an Email to Your Teacher (5 mins)
Type "Subject:" and then type the subject line, as you would in an actual email (2 mins)
Type "Message:" and then type the content of an email you would be comfortable sending me (10 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
Revisit your subject line. Does it still fit your message? (2 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm, write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment, not including the brainstorming, should be at least 100 words but no more than 200 words.

Papers

2012-05-08T17:08:00.002-04:00

You will write THREE papers this semester:

Paper 1
Paper 2
Annotated Bibliography

Your topic for each of the first two papers will hopefully be an idea that you feel a strong need to communicate to an audience who needs to understand something about you. You will use an outside reading and your own experience to help you think about your struggles and goals as a college student and the obstacles in your life that are making those goals difficult to accomplish. The topics of your essays should come from your own experiences, your devotions and frustrations. Think about some of your recent issues in life. What do you care about right now? What are you frustrated about right now? What do you need to explain to someone who is misunderstanding you? Some kind of experience that you have had and want to explain will be your topic.

In paper topics, you need to avoid generalizing. You may not make claims about "people" or express opinions that are based on general assumptions. You might be biased, but you may not pretend that your bias is truth. So, instead of writing a paper that sounds you are trying to change how others think, write a paper that explains an important idea about first-hand experience. If you know you are struggling in life, or you know there is some progress you want to make in life, then you "know" that experience. You are an authority on it, and you can explore it for even greater understanding. But you are not an authority on general issues. You've got to find a way to communicate about an area of your life that has your devoted attention or that is a cause of frustration. Remember, personal experience is the name of the game. Write only what you know and about people you actually know. You must be at the center of your paper, and your paper should be a genuine and eager attempt to say something you really need to explain to an audience you are invested in making understand you better.

The annotated bibliography (your LAST paper) should be based on an idea that you take an interest in early in the semester so that you have time to look up various sources that relate to it. The topic of your first or second paper would be a good starting place. You won't need to write a paper using the sources you collect; instead, you will write commentaries on each one, showing how they address a certain factor that is relevant to a debatable question. The number of sources you collect depends on the course grade you are shooting for. For the default "B" grade, you need three sources. For the "A" grade, you need four sources. And those sources need to be journal articles, book chapters, or long magazine articles. For details on how to write commentaries for the Annotated Bibliography, see the instructions.

Each of you will store your papers in your Google Drive writing folder; please grant me "edit" access to the entire folder so that I have automatic access to every document you put in the folder. You will also share individual documents with other select students, who will make suggestions and write responses to your work. In addition, the first two papers will be typed using standard MLA formatting. You can use this template, which has the MLA formatting already set up for you.

Paper Topics

2012-05-08T17:06:00.000-04:00

Part of the process of writing a paper is writing a paper topic, a kind of plan for an essay. When you write a topic, you are writing a report about the essay you plan to write. This report will be 200-300 words and contain certain criteria to explain your approach and intention. You will eventually share this document with your classmates, so you must be finished writing your report by the beginning of class when we have a paper topic workshop.

For Paper 1, use this filename: LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.Topic.F19
For Paper 2, use this filename: LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.Topic.F19

For full credit on this assignment, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better:

In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
Brainstorm in your document about incidents and experiences in your life that are relevant to an issue you want to spend time thinking and writing about (15 mins)
Write a paragraph in your own voice that follows the contents listed below (30 mins)
Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)

When you write a paper topic, you need to be upfront about the following elements:

Introduce a recent experience or problem relevant to you that you want to explore (1-2 sentences).
State the specific idea you want to explain about this experience or problem (1-2 sentences).
Describe the stages that will logically develop your idea (5-6 sentences).
Write a thesis statement for the idea you want to explain (1 sentence).
Describe how reading your essay will help a particular audience (1-2 sentences).

So, your Paper Topic should include five components, in this order, all in one paragraph (200-300 words):

1. Introduce a recent experience or problem relevant to you that you want to explore.

Instead of starting with a general issue or a summary of your life, announce one particular experience or problem that bears explanation because it is complex and thought provoking.

2. State the specific idea you want to explain about this experience or problem.

Your essay should not cover a list of concerns. In order to analyze your first-hand experience, you need to look at one concern. For example, why is this problem happening, or what do you hope to achieve by overcoming or treating this problem? Focus on one particular concern.

3. Describe the stages that will logically develop your idea.

This step will take up the most of your report because you will describe each stage. The ultimate goal of your paper is to discuss an experience or problem that matters to you. Whatever your topic is, the discussion has to lead the reader through a sequence of stages. When each stage builds on the one before it, you can make a complex discussion.

4. Write a thesis statement for the idea you want to explain.

The thesis statement has to give a reason for some idea that you think is true and want to explain--just be sure that your thesis is about your particular experience or problem, NOT your opinion about how people should live in general.

5. Describe how reading your essay will help a particular audience.

This step allows you to state the relevance of your idea to an audience YOU define. Even if your topic is well-developed, its importance will not automatically be clear, so make sure you identify your audience and offer a reason they might benefit from reading your paper. The relevance of a topic needs to be openly stated in this report. In the actual paper you write, the relevance will NOT be openly stated.

Rough Draft Conferences

2012-05-08T17:03:00.000-04:00

For each paper, you will meet with me for 15 minutes to look at your rough draft together. Your rough draft will be due at the time your conference begins. In order to receive full credit on a rough draft, you must come to your conference on time and have a complete rough draft in your Google writing folder for this course.

For regular essays, rough drafts must be complete drafts, so be sure that your rough draft is 1000+ words and has a finished beginning, middle, and end. All of your paragraphs should be written and complete: TWO for the beginning, at least THREE in the middle, and at least ONE at the end. No short paragraphs--all must have developed content. Failure to have a complete draft will result in a "late" assignment, but if your draft is truly complete, you don't need to worry about how "good" it is. It is a rough draft; however, "rough" does not mean "partial"--it just means "first attempt." You can create your document for a paper by opening "1101.Paper.Template" in our Shared Course Documents folder. Once it is open, "make a copy" of it by selecting this option in the File menu. Rename the new copy and place it in your writing folder. You will type your rough draft in this new document. Your draft must be finished by the time of your scheduled rough draft conference.

For Paper 1, use this filename: LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.F19
For Paper 2, use this filename: LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.F19

The annotated bibliography (Paper 3) is different. For practical reasons, we will not do conferences for the AB, and the rough draft for that paper will actually be ONE of your three or four required commentaries you write about one of the articles or book chapters you selected when researching. For the AB rough draft, you need to have your AB Introduction and ONE of commentaries finished; the commentary should be labeled, start with a properly formatted citation for the source, and contain two equal-length paragraphs that TOTAL 200-300 words. The introduction, like your AB Topic, should have three equal-length paragraphs that total 200-300 words. The content of your introduction will be the same as your AB Topic, except for the third part. In the third part, instead of describing what you hope to find, you will describe what you DID find (so far).

For the AB paper, use this filename: LastName.FirstName.AB.F19

Revision and Paper Grades

2012-05-08T17:02:00.000-04:00

There is a grade for the Rough Draft, a grade for the Revised Draft, and a grade for the Final Draft, but they are all the same document in Google Drive. You are working through a process and showing me your progress at each point along the way.

After your rough draft conference, you will begin revising your paper in preparation for Peer Responses. In order for a paper to count as a "Revised" draft, you must show evidence that you substantially changed and improved the previous draft from top to bottom. Google Drive has a revision history for each document you store in your writing folder, so I will be able to check to see how much time you put into revision and the extent of your changes. Light editing will not count as completion. To achieve a minimum standard of revision, make sure you do the following:

Add to and delete from every existing paragraph in big, meaningful ways.
Add entirely new sentences to each paragraph, especially when deleting existing sentences for containing vague language
Add entirely new paragraphs to your paper, especially when deleting existing paragraphs for being off topic or generalizing
Proofread for typos and grammar confusion

If you are not sure how much time to put in, I would estimate about an hour of deleting and typing. There is no exact time requirement, but too little time will sometimes lead to too few changes.

Then, after Peer Responses are done, you will revise your paper in these ways again to make it a "Final" draft. I am putting "final" in quotation marks because there really is never a final final draft. You can always make a paper better, just like you can always make your life better. But the same revision standards apply between Peer Responses and the "Final" draft: substantial change and improvement throughout every paragraph, adding new and better ideas, removing stale, general ones. Meeting these revision standards is how you earn full credit on the "Final" draft.

Those of you who are shooting for an "A" in the course will substantially revise your papers because you know that substantial revision is the only way to get the feedback you need from me in order to do a good job on your final revision of Paper 1 and Paper 2. Most of you will likely be happy with the default "B" grade and will, therefore, not need my feedback after your final draft. Still, you need to put a lot of effort into revision because failure to revise your papers fully and substantially (after your Rough Draft conference AND after Peer Responses) could result in "late" work for being incomplete--too many of those marks can lower your course grade from the default "B" grade.

Here's the basic idea: Revise substantially and you will get full credit on your final draft and earn additional feedback from me that you can use on your revision work for an "A" in the course.

Annotated Bibliography Instructions

2012-05-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

For your annotated bibliography, you will develop a debatable research question on an issue in which you are personally invested, look up secondary sources on Galileo or GIL, and write commentaries that explain how an idea from each source raises a factor to consider in the debate. The number of sources you collect depends on the course grade you want. For the default "B" grade, you need three sources. For the "A" grade, you need four sources. And those sources need to be journal articles, book chapters, or long magazine articles. Each source must be of significant length (I would shoot for ten pages or more, but if you are in doubt, you can ask me). Also, one of your sources must come from a physical book that you check out of the library and bring to class.

Steps for Doing the Annotated Bibliography

For each source, you will write a two-paragraph commentary.
Before you write any commentaries, you will use Galileo or GIL to find potential sources (not the Internet), but you first need an idea to guide your source selection. Construct a research question that targets your personal interest in a controversial issue. The sources you choose should bring up different factors related to your research question.
You'll know a source is worth writing a commentary on if it brings up an idea that your debaters need to think about. The connection does not have to be direct--you will not find answers to your question. You need to stay open to connections that are indirect and insightful. Then you use your own intelligence to explain how the author's idea is important to the debate.
Each commentary will start with a citation of the source (MLA style) and then have exactly two equal-length paragraphs that total 200-300 words.
1. The first paragraph should identify a point that the author makes related to your research question. As you do in ARRs, explain this idea as the author presents it.
2. The second paragraph should explain how that idea can help the debaters consider your question from a different angle without actually answering it. In other words, what factor does this idea bring to a discussion of your question?
Above your set of commentaries should be a 200-300 word introduction that includes and explains your research question. How did you arrive at it, why is it important, and what some of the interesting and surprising findings from your sources?

Not including citations, total word count for the "B" Annotated Bibliography is 800-1200 words.
Not including citations, total word count for the "A" Annotated Bibliography is 1000-1500 words.

Citation Examples

2012-05-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

Remember that, in addition, to having the correct elements, order, punctuation, and spacing as the examples show below, each reference citation you write in your assignments must feature a hanging indent (also shown in the examples below). To make sure your indenting works right in Google Drive, do not use "enter" or "tab" to make multiple lines in the same citation:

Magazine/Journal Article from Magazine/Journal Website:

Branch, Taylor. "The Shame of College Sports." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, Oct. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/308643. Accessed 4 Jun. 2012.

Magazine/Journal Article from Galileo Database:

Diffie, Whitfield, and Susan Landau. "Brave New World of Wiretapping." Scientific American, vol. 299, no. 3, 2008, pp. 56-63. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0908-56. Accessed 29 Oct. 2010.

Magazine/Journal Article from Paper Version:

Diffie, Whitfield, and Susan Landau. "Brave New World of Wiretapping." Scientific American, vol. 299, no. 3, 2008, pp. 56-63.

Book from eBook Collection (ProQuest ebrary):

Dulworth, Mike. Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks. ProQuest ebrary, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008, site.ebrary.com.libproxy.ung.edu/lib/northgeorgia/detail.action?docID=10205950.

Book from eBook Collection (EBSCOhost):

Cohen, Daniel. Our Modern Times: The New Nature of Capitalism in the Information Age. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), MIT P, 2003, libproxy.northgeorgia.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=75021&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Book in Print Form:

Cohen, Daniel. Our Modern Times: The New Nature of Capitalism in the Information Age. MIT P, 2003.

Book Chapter from eBook Collection (ProQuest ebrary):

Dulworth, Mike. "Entering the Network Zone." Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks. ProQuest ebrary, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008, pp. 75-88, site.ebrary.com.libproxy.ung.edu/lib/northgeorgia/detail.action?docID=10205950.

Book Chapter from eBook Collection (EBSCOhost):

Duff, Carolyn S. "Extending the Wisdom." Learning from Other Women: How to Benefit from the Knowledge, Wisdom, and Experience of Female Mentors. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), AMACOM, 1999, pp. 139-158, libproxy.ung.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=43909&site=ehost-live.

Book Chapter in Print Form:

Duff, Carolyn S. "Extending the Wisdom." Learning from Other Women: How to Benefit from the Knowledge, Wisdom, and Experience of Female Mentors. AMACOM, 1999, pp. 139-158.

Work from an Anthology:

Weiss, Loel M., and Mark Itzkowitz. "Unholy Waters." Tempest in the Temple: Jewish Communities and Child Sex Scandals, edited by Amy Neustein, Brandeis UP, 2009, pp. 13-42.

Peer Responses for AB

2012-05-08T09:35:00.000-04:00

You know the basic guidelines for writing Peer Responses, but for this assignment, you have to approach commenting a little differently. Even if your classmate has done more than two commentaries, please focus only on the first two. Each commentary should have two equal length paragraphs, so you should comment on each one. Leave one comment on the first paragraph and one comment on the second paragraph, for a total of four comments over the two commentaries. When leaving comments, remember the requirements for the commentary paragraphs:

The first paragraph should identify ONE idea in the source (some point the author makes) that pertains to your research question. Explain this idea as the author presents it using additional examples from the article.
The second paragraph should explain how that idea points to an important factor that the debaters should consider. How does the author's idea help that group of people think more carefully about the question, without actually answering the question? What does this idea contribute to a discussion of the question you raised? Remember, the writer is not the debater and should not be trying to argue a position or answer the question.

As usual, in your 200-300 word letter to your peer, highlight one specific strength of the draft and one specific way to improve the draft. Do not waste words simply pointing out what you liked or what was done incorrectly. Elaborate on each highlight, helping your classmate fix the problem the way you would on your own work.

AB Topic Workshop

2012-05-08T09:31:00.001-04:00

Your Annotated Bibliography topic will include your finished research question and a 200-300 word explanation.

When you review your peers' AB topics, focus on these criteria:

how they arrived at their question (personal significance, how they narrowed it down, etc.)
the specificity of the research question
why the question is important to ask (not to them personally, but why it is significant to the target audience)
what they expect/hope to find in their search for sources (they have to speculate about the factors they might discover)

Sharpening Your Paper Topic

2012-05-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

The best way to sharpen your own topic is to help your classmates sharpen theirs. For this in-class workshop, I would like you to read the topic of one other student, typing comments in the margin according to the guidelines for paper topics. This means that you will have to share your document in Google Drive using the sharing addresses in your group. When inviting others to your document, choose "can comment" instead of "can edit." Also, be sure that you share in such a way that each person in the group has a reviewer.

Comment on your classmate's document with elaborate and detailed suggestions. Do not say anything about style or grammar; focus only on the FIVE criteria below. After you have evaluated the topic of another student, please look at your own topic again and revise it by applying what you have learned.

Your own topic and the topics you look at should have these five components, in this order, in one paragraph:

Introduce a recent experience or problem relevant to you that you want to explore
State the specific idea you want to explain about this experience or problem.
Describe the stages that will logically develop your idea.
Write a thesis statement for the idea you want to explain.
Describe how reading your essay will help a particular audience.

How to Write an Email to a Teacher

2012-05-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

Be mindful of your teacher's inbox

Use your UNG email account
Start with a new message instead of replying to an old email message
Put a clear and proper title in the subject line

Structure the content your email message in a professional way

Use a respectful salutation
Immediately say what class you are in, indicating the day and time it meets
Make your message as clear and concise as possible
- State your problem or interest
- Ask a question that is relevant to that problem or interest
- Justify the question (why do you need an answer)
- Request a response (if you need one)
Express genuine gratitude
Type your full name after saying “Sincerely” or “Regards,” etc.

Before you send the email, save it as a draft so you can check over it

Only ask questions that are not otherwise answered in the course materials
Polished grammar is a must; use complete sentences and complete words
Your entire message should give an impression of consideration and care
Email is NOT an informal means of communicating with a teacher

Reasons to email (know your rhetorical situation)

Alert your teacher about an absence
Request an office appointment by detailing all of your free times
Ask a question about some of the course material that is confusing you
Share something of interest that is relevant to a recent class meeting
Express thanks for an appointment you had with your teacher
Apologize for something inappropriate or irresponsible you might have done

Important considerations

Use email with your teacher in a way that follows the course policies
When you email or visit a teacher, your demeanor says a lot about your character
Credibility is an image that you project to another person
Deference is generally an effective strategy when communicating with a teacher

Writing Guides

2011-08-13T11:28:00.000-04:00

Research Guides

2011-08-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Other Tools

2011-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

How to Cite Sources

2010-06-05T13:54:00.000-04:00

For Guidelines and Examples, please see the section called "Research and Citation Resources" at the Purdue Online Writing Lab. You should look through that entire resource for advice.

Using a Source

Using a source means putting someone else's words or thoughts in your paper, whether you quote or paraphrase. Most of your work should be your own ideas and words. Use sources for background and for opinions that differ from your own (so that you can disagree or add to what they say), but don't fill up all of your pages with the ideas of other people. All but a few sentences should be your own thoughts.

Citing a Source

Citing a source means telling the reader who authored the outside information and where you found it. Your citation should point the reader to the correct entry on the Works Cited using MLA style.

Using a Quote (exact words of the source)

State Rep. Roger Williams has recently argued that alcohol sales restrictions on Sunday in Georgia promote economic inequality: "It is unfair for the state to create an uneven playing field where some types of business are allowed to profit from Sunday sales while others are not."
According to State Rep. Roger Williams, "It is unfair for the state to create an uneven playing field where some types of business are allowed to profit from Sunday sales while others are not."
State Rep. Roger Williams has argued that "It is unfair for the state to create an uneven playing field where some types of business are allowed to profit from Sunday sales while others are not."
The argument that the state should not "create an uneven playing field where some types of business are allowed to profit from Sunday sales while others are not" implies that alcohol should not be treated differently from other products (Williams).
The attendance policy at Gainesville State College is clearly stated in the catalog: "Attendance at all scheduled classes is expected. The individual instructor's 'Absence Policy' is specified on the course syllabus. Questions regarding an instructor's attendance/absence policy should be directed to the instructor."
The attendance policy in the GSC catalog vaguely states that "Attendance at all scheduled classes is expected. The individual instructor's 'Absence Policy' is specified on the course syllabus. Questions regarding an instructor's attendance/absence policy should be directed to the instructor."

Using a Paraphrase (only your own words)

State Rep. Roger Williams has recently argued that alcohol sales restrictions on Sunday in Georgia unfairly handicap businesses who deal exclusively in alcohol.
According to State Rep. Roger Williams, alcohol sales restrictions on Sunday in Georgia unfairly handicap businesses who deal exclusively in alcohol.
The argument that alcohol sales restrictions on Sunday in Georgia unfairly handicap businesses who deal exclusively in alcohol implies that alcohol should not be treated differently from other products (Williams).

Signal Phrases

According to Michael Smith, "insert quote" (45).
Michael Smith argues that "insert quote" (45).
In an attempt to define financial wisdom for college students, Michael Smith writes, "insert quote" (45).

How to Use Sources

2010-06-05T13:53:00.015-04:00

Based on what criteria would you include a source in your bibliography? The main requirement is that the point of view of the author be useful in some way for thinking about your research question. There are various ways that someone might think about your topic, so you don't need to find "for" and "against" opinions. Conversations among intelligent people are not as simple as "for" and "against"; besides, your topic is a question based on personal experience, so you might be more interested in points of view that help you explain your own observations. And one cannot be "for" or "against" a question.

So try to think more in terms of how someone else might respond to your question, not necessarily agree or disagree with a claim. The point of view of the author of a source you include is useful if it helps your reader better think about the question you are raising. But this point of view can be useful on various different levels. This page explains those different levels.

Provides intelligent insights about an issue

An intelligent insight is one that is both thought provoking and well supported
The most noteworthy insights are ones that address your research question in surprising, challenging, even indirect ways
Accumulate multiple insights in order to show where the controversy is

Here is a way to use an insight

State Rep. Roger Williams has recently argued that alcohol sales restrictions on Sunday in Georgia promote economic inequality: “It is unfair for the state to create an uneven playing field where some types of business are allowed to profit from Sunday sales while others are not.” His concern seems to be more practical than moral. If alcohol is legal on every other day of the week, and someone happens to run a store that deals exclusively in alcohol, should his revenue be held back on a day of the week when restaurants are permitted to sell drinks? This point of view elevates the importance of economic fairness over religious considerations.

Clarifies terms using valid definitions

Definitions inform the reader of standard meanings of terms
Definitions are useful for discussions about laws, policies, scientific concepts, etc.
Definitions are not useful for proof of an idea, but they help establish background for a discussion

Here is a way to use a definition:

The attendance policy at Gainesville State College is clearly stated in the catalog: “Attendance at all scheduled classes is expected. The individual instructor's "Absence Policy" is specified on the course syllabus. Questions regarding an instructor's attendance/absence policy should be directed to the instructor.” A potential problem with this policy is that it leaves quite a bit of freedom to instructors to handle attendance however they want. Even the word “expected” is ambiguous.

Illustrates ideas using examples from the real world

Anecdotes from articles and books ground an abstract idea in reality
Examples help validate claims that would otherwise be speculative and unfounded
Examples alone will not validate an insight, but they will make one seem informed

Here is a way to use an example:

One example of using innovative education to curb drunk driving among high school students was reported by Emilie Doolittle: “Every four or five years, Saratoga High School stages a car accident simulating what actually occurs every 15 minutes: Someone dies in an alcohol-related collision in the United States.” This dramatic approach apparently has a profound impact on the way students at that school think about the consequences of irresponsible drinking. . . .

And another way to word the same thing:

Giving an example of innovative education to curb drunk driving among high school students, Emilie Doolittle reported that “every four or five years, Saratoga High School stages a car accident simulating what actually occurs every 15 minutes: Someone dies in an alcohol-related collision in the United States.”

Incorporates hard facts and statistics when needed

Statistics show trends in large groups of people over time
Dates, events, names of important individuals and organizations are also facts
Be careful not to confuse facts with insights or opinions. No one will dispute a fact . . .

How to Find Sources

2010-06-05T13:53:00.014-04:00

Look for specific sources that deal with your topic or issue, either directly or indirectly

Exactly what search terms to use will depend on your topic
Think about related issues to help expand your search terms
Keep in mind that you can use journal articles, book chapters, and long magazine articles as your sources

Learn about resources in the UNG-Oconee library

GIL: UNG-Oconee Library Catalog
GIL Universal Catalog
GALILEO
Academic Search Complete
UNG-Oconee Library
GIL allows you to search through the physical contents of the library
GALILEO allows you to search through various electronic databases
You can request books from other campus libraries if it is not on the Oconee library shelf
Look for books FIRST because they take the longest to find

Consider related issues that might shed light on your topic

Open your mind to the bigger concerns to which your topic points
Think about how different issues are interconnected
Talk to your peers and friends about your topic to see if they can open your mind further

Revision Guide

2010-05-18T17:45:00.000-04:00

Double-Check the Content

(Make sure you have written sentences that correspond to each section of your outline)

Beginning
- Reach out to your audience (engaging hook)
- Prepare your audience (relevant background)
- Preview your argument (interrelated stages)
- Thesis statement (topic and position)
Middle (look at each paragraph)
- Topic sentence (main idea of paragraph)
- Supporting details (concrete evidence)
- Closing statement (demonstrate proof)
Ending
- Explain importance (why thesis matters)
- New information (extend the discussion)
- Final comments (satisfy the reader)
Counter-argument paragraph (if used)
- Statement of the opinion that differs from yours.
- How or why this opinion makes sense.
- Rebuttal of this opinion.

Double-Check the Organization

Put a * by your thesis, each topic sentence in the middle, and the first sentence of the end.
The logical progression of these sentences should be an orderly thought process.
Make sure your thesis clearly and directly focuses your topic and states your position.
Make sure your stages are not three unrelated ideas but sequential steps in ONE argument.
Make sure the last sentence of each middle paragraph DOES NOT bring up the topic of the next paragraph.
From beginning to end, your essay should be persuasive, not a summary of events or facts.
Make sure that each of your paragraphs is the same length.

Write a two-part title to catch attention and be informative

Sitting in the Stands: Disappointment on Graduation Day
Telling the Boss Off: How I Learned to Stand Up to a Tyrant
Lower Test Scores: How No Child Left Behind Leaves Every Child Behind
Turning Our Backs on Spirit: A Defense of Senior Class Disrespect
Let them Fight to the End: An Alternative to Our Present Form of Capital Punishment
Keep Them Off the Roads: How to Improve DUI Law Enforcement

Editing Guide

2010-05-18T17:43:00.006-04:00

Fixing the Text

Circle all instances of “you,” “your,” “yours,” “yourself,” etc. Delete them and rewrite the sentences so that no vague words appear.
Circle all subjects; put a box around all verbs; check for agreement and tense errors.
Check that all of your pronouns agree in number with the nouns they represent.
And be sure the pronoun cannot possibly represent two different nouns.
and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so: use commas with coordinating conjunctions (SV, and SV.)
- The oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof, so we will have to move.
- Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM, yet he still managed to get stuck in traffic.
however, therefore, instead (vs.) although, because, whereas
- The oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof; therefore, we will have to move.
- Because the oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof, we will have to move.
- Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM; nevertheless, he managed to get stuck in traffic.
- Although Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM, he still managed to get stuck in traffic.
introductory clauses and phrases (comma before the subject) (Intro, SV.)
- With no roof to keep the rain out, our house needs serious repair.
- Whereas GSC offers a personal environment, UGA is more socially challenging.

Errors to avoid

Any form of the lazy cliche “As I said before” or “In summary” or “In conclusion”
“This” and “that” used by itself as a pronoun (especially as a subject)
- This shows that I needed to sleep more often.
- That was the worst day of my high school career.
- Mr. Clark proved this to me in sixth grade.
- I believed that for a long time.
“it” used as a subject
- Confusing: It is scary to walk in the dark.
- Clear: Walking in the dark frightens me.
“By doing this . . . it will improve”
- Confusing: By Mr. Horton reviewing my outline, it will help me improve my paper.
- Clear: By reviewing my outline, Mr. Horton will help me improve my paper.
dangling modifiers
- Confusing: As a GSC college student, textbooks are expensive.
- Clear: As a GSC college student, I spend a lot of money on textbooks.

MLA Formatting

Use 1” margins
Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font
Double-space the text
Put last name and page number in upper right header.
Use four-line heading on first page
Leave out extra spaces between paragraphs or around title
Are all sources cited, either in the sentence itself or in parentheses?
Double-check the punctuation of your citations in the text.
On Works Cited page, center the title Works Cited at the top (no italics).
Put works cited entries in alphabetical order and double-spaced.

Outline and Write

2010-05-18T15:27:00.015-04:00

The Outlining Stage

Use this outlining template to fill in all the parts of your essay before you begin writing your rough draft.

A few points to remember:

This template is NOT an exact structure for your paper. You might not have THREE stages—-you could have four. Also, sometimes you can dedicate more than one middle paragraph to a particular stage, when more elaboration is needed, so their number might vary as well.
Sometimes one of your middle paragraphs might not correspond to a stage in your argument. You might include a paragraph acknowledging a counter-argument to your thesis. But you will not include this counter-argument in your preview in the beginning section.
When you fill in this outline template, abbreviate the CONTENT of what you actually plan to write in your paragraphs; each part of this outline should be in your paper.

The Writing Stage

Use this paper template to start your rough draft. All the MLA formatting you'll need is already set up.

For some, writing the paper is the easiest stage of all, but for others it is the most intimidating. Here are some pointers to help you compose your paper with less stress:

Write in your natural voice instead of forcing yourself into "essay" mode and trying to sound smart. If your natural voice leads to grammatical errors, you can deal with them during the editing stage.
Use your outline as a guide for writing your paragraphs. Free yourself from holding all of your ideas in your head at once by referring to the ideas you have already laid out in your outline. If you feel more comfortable writing your draft before you compose your outline, you should write your draft first. But then come back and write an outline afterward and make adjustments to your draft if you discover gaps or find that your ideas need to be in a different order.
Try not to overwhelm yourself with grammatical concerns at this stage. Over-monitoring yourself can lead to a robotic style of writing, which will be more harmful to your paper in the long run than grammar errors, which you can fix later on anyway.
Focus on writing complete paragraphs and making your paragraphs connect to each other logically.

The Writing Process

2010-05-18T15:26:00.028-04:00

Most importantly, find a method that works best for your learning style. Here are some suggests for different stages of writing:

Pre-Writing: Discover valuable ideas by opening your mind to ALL ideas. Ask thought-provoking questions about your topic.
Thesis Statement: As the main idea of your entire essay, this statement should be truthful and persuasive.
Organization / Outline: Arrange your stages and details into the beginning, middle, and end of the paper.
Rough Draft: Focus on content, organization, and style. As you write, ask yourself, "who is my audience, and how should I write for them?"
Revising: Fix Logical mistakes, missing steps, clumsy transitions, confusing organization before fixing grammar and formatting. Use this guide.
Proofreading: Using a list of your common mistakes, read the paper BACKWARDS one sentence at a time and LOOK FOR ONE ERROR AT A TIME. Then read the paper OUT LOUD while following the text with your pen. Use this guide.
MLA Formatting: Now make your essay PERFECT. Make sure the essay is formatted correctly and meets the MLA style requirements.

All of the steps are important, but you do not HAVE to do them in this order. In fact, you might go back to certain steps several times. You can write your rough draft and then reverse outline, for instance. Or what if you have writer's block? Most important is making sure that you include all the parts of an essay in your final draft.

MLA Conventions for Essays

2010-05-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, they are arbitrary, but so are all rules, right? In the world of college writing, MLA is not the only standard you'll have to learn, but it is definitely quite common.

Use 1" margins
Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font
Double-space the text
Put last name and page number in upper right header
Use four-line heading on first page
Leave out extra spaces between paragraphs or around title
Are all sources cited, either in the sentence itself or in parentheses?
Double-check the punctuation of your citations in the text.
On Works Cited page, center the title Works Cited at the top (no italics).
Put works cited entries in alphabetical order and double-spaced.

Click here to see what the first page of an MLA paper looks like.
Go here to read more about MLA conventions.

MLA Title Examples

2010-05-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

When you are required to have a title on an assignment, it should have two parts separated by a colon, be centered (not indented), follow MLA capitalization rules for titles, and contain no special font style or different font sizes from the rest of the assignment. The examples below should give you sufficient demonstration of these formatting requirements. Please ask about them if you are not sure about some of the features:

Sitting in the Stands: Disappointment on Graduation Day
Telling the Boss Off: How I Learned to Stand Up to a Tyrant
Lower Test Scores: How "No Child Left Behind" Leaves Every Child Behind
Turning Our Backs on Spirit: A Defense of Senior Class Disrespect
Let Them Fight to the End: An Alternative to Our Present Form of Capital Punishment
Keep Them Off the Roads: How to Improve DUI Law Enforcement

Check My Grades

2010-03-05T19:04:00.003-05:00

Go to UNG eLearning to view your grades:

Log on with username and password
Choose our course from the "My Courses"
Click on "Grades"