University of Waterloo, Department of English
English 109: Introduction to Academic Writing (002)
Winter 2020
Instructor: Dr. J. Harris
Email: jennifer.harris@uwaterloo.ca
Office:Hagey Hall 147A
Office Hours: MW 2:30PM – 3:30PM; or by appointment or chance
Class Times: MW 10:00AM - 11:20AM
Class Place: EV3 3408
Course Description (from the calendar):
The course will explore a variety of issues in academic writing such as style, argument, and the presentation of information. Frequent written exercises will be required.
Course Overview and Objectives:
Chances are you already spend a lot of time outside the classroom communicating in writing, and rarely think twice about someone not understanding the messages you are sending. But understanding more about why your communications are successful (and maybe, why some aren’t) is crucial for being able to expand your writing abilities into new contexts and genres. This course will help you to recognize the rhetorical choices and structural elements that form the foundation of any effective writing. Whether you find writing easy or difficult, you will also learn strategies for how to improve your effectiveness as a writer. And of course, you will get lots of opportunities to hone your writing process and practice your writing skills, individually and in collaboration with your classmates. Put more formally, the goals of this course are:
- To help you 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 help you give and receive useful feedback on writing for the purposes of revision
- To learn and practice communicating to a variety of academic audiences
Required Texts and Materials:
John J. Ruszkiewicz. How to Write Anything: A Guide and Reference. 4th edition (2019).
Other readings will be assigned in class and/or posted on LEARN. You must have access to LEARN.
You need to come to class equipped to write, and to hand in some of the things you have written. Bring your favorite pen or pencil and some loose-leaf paper.
Formal assessment and evaluation:
In-class quickwrites:............................................. 20%
Minor Assignments:............................................. 20%
- (5%) What we did
- (7%) Topic Outline
- (8%) Evaluations
Major Assignments: ............................................. 60%
- (10%) Communications Report
- (15%) “Dear Employer” Letter
- (15%) Annotated Bibliography
- (20%) Oral Report
Expectations:
In order for this class to be successful, you need to be committed to it. That means not only that you come to every class, but also that you come having done all of the assigned reading or writing with energy and enthusiasm, that you show great respect for your classmates by engaging with them, and that you come ready to be an active participant in class. Being an active participant in class means that you listen carefully, speak thoughtfully, ask questions whenever you have them, and help to create a rewarding class environment that involves everyone.
Course Schedule:
Jan 6:
- Talking about: Who, what, where—and a scavenger hunt
- Utility:Networking; identifying resources
Jan 8:
- Talking about: Narratives
- Read:Chapters 1 & 2
- Utility:Understanding your narrative and process
Jan 13:
- Talking about: Emails and job ads
- Read: Chapters 21 & 22
- Homework: In advance of class post online your dream job description, as found on a person on LinkedIn, or a job website within your field
- Utility: Not sounding like a jerk; thinking about careers
Jan 15:
- Talking about: Reports: good, bad, useful
- Read:Chapters 8 & 33
- Utility: Evaluating appropriate forms; organizing information
- Due:What we did
Jan 20:
- Talking about: Brainstorming and getting started
- Read: Chapters 12 & 32
- Utility:Producing strong writing
Jan 22:
- Read: “Shame in Academic Writing”; “S****y First Drafts” by Ann Lamott; “Rethinking the S****y First Draft” (LEARN)
- Utility: Conquering hang-ups
Jan 27:
- Talking about: Revision
- Read: Chapters 30, 31 & 34
- Homework: Bring to class a printed copy of a draft of your Communications Report
- Utility: Producing strong writing; giving useful feedback; accepting feedback
Jan 29:
- Talking about: Persuasive writing and language
- Read: Chapter 35, 36, & 37
- Due: Communications Report
- Utility: Selling yourself and your ideas
Feb 3:
- Talking about: Making arguments
- Read: Chapters 10 & 11
- Homework: Bring to class a printed copy of a draft of your “Dear Employer” Letter
- Utility: Honing your persuasive writing
Feb 5:
- Talking about: Analysis
- Read: “Does the Internet Make You Smarter?” (LEARN)
- Homework: Bring a draft of your “Dear Employer” Letter to class
Feb 10:
Introduction to research by librarian Rebecca Hutchinson
Note: Class location may be changed
Due: “Dear Employer” Letter
Feb 12:
Reviewing assignments, building on library session
READING WEEK
Feb 24:
- No class
Feb 26:
- Talking About: Evaluating sources
- Read: “The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia”; “Why You Can’t Cite Wikipedia in My Class” (LEARN)
- Utility: Looking smart
Mar 2:
- Talking About: Brainstorming
- Due: Topic Outline
- Utility: Communicating your ideas
Mar 4:
- Talking About: Annotated bibliographies.
- Read: Chapters 17, 48, & 49
- Utility: Honing research skills
Mar 9:
- Talking About: Using research sources
- Read: Chapters 45, 46, & 47
- Homework: Bring to class one research source that you plan to use for your Oral Report (e.g. book, chapter, article, etc.)
- Utility: Honing research skills
Mar 11:
- Talking about:Using your sources
- Read: Chapter 50, 51, 52
- Due: Annotated Bibliography
- Utility: Exploiting resources
Mar 16:
- Talking about: Oral reports
- Read: Chapter 20
- Utility: Preparing for your professional life
Mar 18:
Oral Reports
Mar 23:
Oral Reports
Mar 25:
Oral Reports
Mar 30:
- Due: Evaluations
- Homework: Bring to class a printed copy of a draft of your Report
Apr 1:
Due: Hard copy of Report due
In-class:Course evaluations
Instructions For Assignments
In-class quickwrites (20%): There will be at least one in-class writing topic or activity per week. These will consist either of writing whatever you can in a few minutes about a given topic or taking part in another “hands- on” activity related to writing. The emphasis is mainly to get you writing, or thinking and generating ideas about writing, so they will be marked as much for your effort and attempt than for producing a specific outcome. If you have any concerns about your ability to participate in these in-class assignments and activities, please see me to discuss options for helping you take part. Because these quickwrites build into your work in the class, they must be done and handed in when assigned; there are no makeups for missed assignments. The best 5 quickwrites will count towards your final grade.
Minor Assignments:............................................. 20%
What we did (5%)
In the first class you will be divided into groups of three people. You are responsible for taking group selfies in front of two locations on campus. Location one must be either Health Services or the Writing Centre; location two must include one of the following: taxidermy, a mining shaft, a living wall, or a dinosaur. You must post your photos on LEARN before the second class, with your preferred names.
In the second class, you will collaborate in class on a short narrative (approximately 250 words) documenting what you did. *This is the only collaborative work in this course.*
Topic Outline (7%)
You will submit a thoughtful and researched outline for your oral report, indicating what argument you are mounting.
Evaluations (8%)
You will be responsible for evaluating two of your classmates’ oral presentations, providing professional feedback on their presentation of information, their structure, and organization. Comments on things produced by nerves such as physical gestures or tics are not appropriate. You will sign up in advance. The entire assignment should total approximately 400 words, not including apparatus.
Major Assignments: ............................................. 60%
Communications Report (10%)
You will interview a professional via email about how they use communications in their field, as well as the importance of communication in their field. You will be responsible for conducting yourself professionally in all emails, and submitting a report that synthesizes and analyzes their responses, providing significant insight. Summary is not acceptable. Names of professionals willing to be contacted will be provided. Please submit the email chain with your report. Length: 500 words (not including apparatus or emails).
“Dear Employer” Letter (15%)
You will pretend to be your former employer writing a letter of reference for you, for a desirable job. Length: 250-350 words (not including apparatus)
Annotated Bibliography (15%)
You will submit an annotated bibliography of ten sources with 3-4 sentences about each source, indicating their relevance and suitability to your oral report.
Oral Presentation (20%)
Your oral presentation will give you an opportunity to practice adapting your writing to suit a different medium and audience. There will be a signup sheet to make sure we have presentations distributed evenly. Each presentation should be 5-6 minutes long. A polished hard copy must be handed in. This does not need to—nor should it—reproduce your spoken text. Note: an oral presentation is not a speech. People tend to listen less closely to speeches and tune them out. amend the syllabus to say if they don't do the bibliography and oral component, they can't complete the written portion.
Optional revision
As long as you have not missed more than three quickwrites, you may choose to revise and resubmit either the Communications Report or the “Dear Employer” Letter. The grade(s) for the revised assignment(s) will replace the previously assigned grade(s). Optional revisions are due on the final day of term.
Course Policies:
Late Work
Late assignments will be docked 5% the first day and 2% every subsequent day. After one week late assignments will not be accepted.
Electronic Device Policy
• Laptops and comparable technologies to assist note-taking are permitted in class. You are expected to close any other programs except those which facilitate note-taking. Please do not record classroom lectures or activities without permission.
Attendance
Students who do not attend 50% of the classes will automatically fail the course.
Institutional-required statements for undergraduate course outlines approved by Senate Undergraduate Council, April 14, 2009
Academic Integrity
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity webpage for more information.
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. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
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. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Appeals
A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.
Note for Students with Disabilities
The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (NH 1401), 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.
The Writing and Communication Centre
The Writing Centre works across all faculties to help students clarify their ideas, develop their voices, and write in the style appropriate to their disciplines. Writing Centre staff offer one-on-one support in planning assignments and presentations, using and documenting research, organizing and structuring papers, and revising for clarity and coherence. You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit their page. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available. Please note that writing specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not proof-read or edit for you. Please bring hard copies of your assignment instructions and any notes or drafts to your appointment.