University of Waterloo
Department of English Language and Literature English 109- Section 10
Introduction to Academic Writing
Winter 2020
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30am to 12:50pm; EV3 3406
Instructor Information
Instructor: Vanya Rachel
Office: PAS 1238
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays (10:00am-11:15am)
Email: vrgnania@uwaterloo.ca
Course Description
Writing has always been an essential form of expression. Writing within an academic setting requires the development of specific ways of reading, writing, editing. In short: writing is always a process. This course is designed to help you learn ways to understand this process of writing, to develop your own unique style, to develop coherent and strong arguments. These skills will help you navigate the writing requirements in an academic context and also help you change your writing style depending on various contexts and genres you are required to write in the future.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: To think critically and communicate effectively
-
To learn and practice a variety of strategies for inventing, drafting, and editing texts
-
To learn and practice writing in a variety of academic genres
-
To learn to read critically
-
To learn to write persuasively by effectively employing elements of formal argumentation
-
To give and receive useful feedback on writing for the purposes of revision
-
To learn and practice communicating to a variety of academic audiences
-
Identify various moves in academic writing and to execute your writing within various genres of academic writing
-
Understand basic academic writing practices at both structural and ideational levels
-
Appraise other texts and formulate your own arguments
Required Texts
-
Ruszkiewicz and Dolmage’s How to Write Anything, 4th Edition (UW bookstore)
-
Booth et al’s The Craft of Research, 3rd Edition (available online on UWaterloo Library)
Course Requirements and Assessment
| Assessment | Date of Evaluation |
Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Assignment 1 | February 13 | 15% |
| Mini Assignment 2 | March 12 | 20% |
| Peer Review | March 24 | 10% |
| Peer Review Reflection |
March 26 | 10% |
| Final Essay | April 13 | 35% |
| Class Attendance |
5% | |
| Class Participation |
5% | |
| Total | 100 |
Mini Assignment 1
The purpose of this assignment is to help you identify the ‘moves’ in a genre and to apply them to your own writing. Begin by picking a genre that you want to write your final assignment on. You can choose the genres we have already covered in class or any other academic genre. This link will give you more genre options to choose from. Next, pick a topic you want to write about and conduct some preliminary research. You are then expected to submit a 2-3 page write up on the genre you have, what is expected of that genre (the ‘moves’ you have identified) and the topic you intend to explore. You can also add in the notes of the research questions or problems you have identified. The assignment should be in Times New Roman font with 2.0 line spacing.
Peer Review and Reflection
Peer Discussion and Review is an important part of the writing process. After receiving and giving feedback to your peer, you are expected to write your peer review. You will have to write a one-page feedback on your peer’s mini assignment 2 and send it to them (don’t forget to CC me). You will then write another 200-250 words on how you plan on incorporating your peer’s feedback into your final assignment. This review should be sent to me.
Mini Assignment 2
The second mini assignment is intended to get you started on your writing process early. This begins by incorporating primary and secondary research into crafting your own argument within the genre you wish to write. In the second mini assignment, you are required to choose atleast 3 primary or secondary sources and generate a critical discussion on it. This not only involves summarising, paraphrasing and quoting from your sources, but also providing your own insights on the matter. The length of this assignment is a maximum of 4 pages in Times New Roman (double-spaced). It is also expected that you use MLA citation conventions to cite your sources.
Final Assignment
After having written your Mini Assignment 2, you have already made a lot of headway in your writing process. The length of you final assignment should be 8-10 pages, Times New Roman, double spaced. Your assignment will be graded on how effectively you write within the genre you have chosen, the structure of your writing, use of MLA citation conventions and how effectively you have incorporated other sources into your own work.
Class Participation
Your attention and participation in class in crucial for this course. There will be multiple in-class writing/reflection sessions. Please make sure you save them digitally or physically. You will be asked to submit them at the end of the term as a way of marking participation. Attendance will be taken in the beginning of each class and a lot of the classes will involve activities (both individual and group) where your participation is required. Involvement in group discussions, participating in class activities, raising questions or comments in class and sharing helpful content with your peers on Learn all count as class participation.
Course Outline
|
Date |
Readings |
Topic |
Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
|
January 7 |
Introductory Class |
||
|
January 9 |
• Becoming a Researcher and ‘Thinking in Print’ From The Craft of Research (pg 3-15) |
What is academic writing and where do I begin? |
|
|
“Reading The Genre” |
|||
|
January 14 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 144-168; 732-738) |
Proposals |
|
|
January 16 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 38-64; 598-605) |
Reports |
|
|
January 21 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 65-88;703-707) |
Explanations |
|
|
January 23 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 89-119;681-684) |
Arguments |
|
|
January 28 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 197-220;785-789) |
Rhetorical Analyses |
|
|
Writing the Genre |
|||
|
January 30 |
|
Focus on a Topic |
|
|
February 4 |
|
||
|
February 6 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 428-441; 661-669; 686-690) |
Beginning Research |
|
|
February 11 |
|
Writing for the Reader |
|
|
February 13 |
In class Writing Workshop |
Mini Assignment 1 is due (deadline: 11:59pm) |
|
|
February 18 |
READING WEEK- NO CLASS |
||
|
February 20 |
|||
|
February 25 |
• How to Write Anything (page 452-469) |
` |
|
|
February 27 |
|
Developing a writing style |
|
|
March 3 |
• How to Write Anything (pg 463-509) |
Following MLA citation conventions |
|
|
March 5 |
• Smart Reading and Critical Thinking , from How To Write Anything (pg 324-332) |
Shaping and Drafting |
|
|
March 10 |
• Organisation and Outlines from How to Write Anything (pg 333-349) |
||
|
March 12 |
• Paragraphs, Transitions, HTWA (pg 387-401) |
Mini Assignment 2 is due |
|
|
March 17 |
• ‘Grammar’ from How To Write Anything (pg 536-540) |
||
|
March 19 |
• Revising your Own Work and Peer Editing from HTWA (pg 350-365) |
Peer Review and Editing |
|
|
March 24 |
• Your peer’s Mini Assignment 2 |
Activity: Peer Discussion and Feedback |
Peer Review (deadline: 11:59pm) |
|
March 26 |
• Your Peer’s mini assignment 2 |
Activity: Peer Discussion and Feedback |
Peer Feedback Reflection is due |
|
March 31 |
|
Avoiding common errors |
|
|
April 2 |
|
Avoiding common errors |
|
Late Work
In consideration of the great breakdown for this course, the policy for missed or late work is simple: don’t be. There will be a 2% reduction on your grade each day in the case of a late submission with a maximum of 20%. In the case of a medical emergency it is necessary to provide medical documentation. If you cannot provide documentation on time or in the case of any other kind of emergency, please contact me via email or in-person 48 hours prior to the submission date. Although you do not have to divelge any of the details, it is important that you provide a feasible day for you to submit your assignment.
Information on Plagiarism Detection
I will be using Turnitin to ensure that all the assignments submitted on Learn meet academic integrity standards.
Attendance Policy
Since class discussions and activities will feed into your assignments, attendance is mandatory. It is also mandatory that you bring your textbook to class. If you cannot make it to a class, please inform me via email 24 hours prior to the class and schedule a time to meet me to catch up on missed work.
Electronic Devices Policy
Use of mobile phones in class is strictly prohibited especially because it disrupts other students. You can use your laptop, ebooks, ipads etc for work related to this course in class.
Institutional-required statements for undergraduate course outlines approved by Senate Undergraduate Council, April 14, 2009
Cross-listed course
Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric.
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline.
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4.
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals.
Other sources of information for students
Academic integrity (Arts) Academic Integrity Office (uWaterloo)
Note for Students with Disabilities
The AccessAbility Services office, located in Needles Hall Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.
Mental Health Services on Campus
There are a vast number of services to contact in case of mental distress:
On Campus
- Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 xt 32655
- MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students (FEDS) and Counselling Services
- Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life Centre
Off campus (24/7)
- Good2Talk: Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
- Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-433 ext. 6880
- Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
- OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213