ENGL 209-001 Advanced Academic Writing Winter 2022
University
of
Waterloo
Department
of
English
Language
and
Literature
Tuesdays
and
Thursdays
(in
person)
10:00-11:20,
ML
349
Instructor
Instructor: Jennifer Clary-Lemon
Office Hours: T, TH 11:30-12:50 and by appointment through Zoom. Please email me for an appointment time.
Email: jclarylemon@uwaterloo.ca
Note: I respond to emails from M-F and try to take a break on the weekend. If you email me on the weekend, please be prepared to wait until Monday for a response.
In this class, held at the University of Waterloo, we acknowledge that we are connected to the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometers on each side of the Grand River.
Course Description
Normally,
we
would
be
meeting
every
day
face-to-face
to
talk
about
Advanced
Academic
Writing.
This
term,
we
are
faced
with
unknowns
about
the
upcoming
term,
at
least
until
January
27—we
will
be
online
until
then.
Generally
speaking,
we
will
be
meeting
synchronously
and
online
during
our
scheduled
class
period
through
Zoom.
Specifically,
what
this
looks
like
may
vary
from
week
to
week—we
may
meet
for
updates
for
a
few
minutes
and
then
do
breakout
room
activities,
or
we
may
have
an
asynchronous
online
task.
I
ask
that
you
are
flexible
with
our
online
times,
since
much
of
the
class
plan
has
had
to
pivot
and
may
have
to
continue
to
do
so
throughout
the
term.
This
is
another
very
abnormal
year,
so
I
want
to
recognize
that
we
are
all
showing
up
to
class
in
ways
that
may
be
other
than
optimal
and
facing
limitations:
access
to
reliable
internet,
access
to
quiet
space
to
read
and
work,
and
various
emotional
and
health
barriers
to
our
best
selves.
Many
of
you
are
not
quite
experiencing
the
first
year
that
you
had
hoped
to!
Please
know
that
I
am
happy
to
work
with
you
if
and
as
you
might
face
these
or
other
difficulties.
The
best
way
for
me
to
get
to
know
you
is
by
Zoom
call,
which
I
am
happy
to
schedule
with
you
at
a
time
of
your
choice—email
me
at
jclarylemon@uwaterloo.ca.
This
course
addresses
the
varieties
of
scholarly
discourse:
why
academics
write
and
speak
in
a
particular
way,
and
how
institutions
and
networks
affect
textual
production.
By
reading
and
analyzing
representative
texts
of
various
disciplines,
you
will
learn
to
recognize
and
practice
the
sort
of
rhetoric
used
at
an
advanced
academic
level.
This
course
will
explore
relationships
between
audience,
situation,
purpose,
and
form
in
academic
writing
in
the
disciplines.
You
will
have
an
opportunity
to
work
collaboratively
and
independently
to
practice
situated
inquiry
and
argumentation
through
a
variety
of
research-based
written
exercises,
including
a
significant
research
project
in
a
field
of
your
choice.
The
goals
of
this
course
are
threefold:
(1)
to
increase
students’
awareness
of norms
and
disciplinary
conventions;
(2)
to
help
prepare
students
for
advanced
scholarship;
and
(3)
to
learn
more
about
the
pragmatic
components
involved
in
writing,
thinking,
and
speaking
at
an
academic
level.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
- have an increased awareness of norms and disciplinary conventions of advanced academic writing during an extended research process;
- justify decisions about the language, content, and genre used when communicating disciplinary information;
- practice collaboration and peer review in support of iterative communication design processes, including revision;
- practice research processes to find, assess, document, incorporate, and cite research resources and communicate research findings;
- describe and appraise the purposes and ethical concerns of disciplinary communication.
Required Text, software, fees
- Huff, Anne Sigismund. Writing for Scholarly Publication. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 1999.
- Online readings. See course LEARN site.
- A Zoom account for alternative arrangements in light of potential COVID-19 developments. Sign up for free at https://zoom.us
- Potential: Poster printing at STAPLES ($20 if you request a black and white 36” by 48” “Engineering Print”)
Course Requirements and Assessment
Information on course requirements and assessments.
Assessment |
Date of Evaluation |
Weighting |
Group Rhetorical Analysis |
Jan. 25 |
15% |
Group Rhetorical Analysis Presentation |
Jan. 27, Feb. 1 |
10% |
1-Page
Synthesis
Of
Group
Presentations |
Feb. 3 |
5% |
CFP Proposal |
March 1 |
15% |
Scholarly Article |
April 5 |
30% |
Spotlight Presentation Of Article |
March 29-April 5 |
15% |
Writing Group, Homework, In Class Work |
various |
10% |
Total |
100% |
Group Rhetorical Analysis (15%) And Presentation Of Research Article (10%)—25%
In a group of peers, you will select both a field and scholarly article from an assigned discipline (Natural Sciences; Social Sciences; Math and Computer Sciences; Professions and Applied Sciences; Humanities). Working with your group, you will compose a 3-4 page rhetorical analysis of the article, laying out the disciplinary features of the piece (see Carter, Huff, MacDonald) and considering elements of authorship, purpose, ethos, style, and audience. You will present your work in a 5-7 minute group presentation to be delivered in a pre-recorded Zoom format, to be followed up with an online synchronous Q and A from your peers.
1-Page Synthesis of Group Presentations—5%
Based on the content from your peers presented in the group rhetorical analysis, you will synthesize the information you’ve heard in order to draw some general and specific conclusions about scholarly writing in the disciplines.
CFP Proposal—15%
You will be responsible for crafting a proposal (or conference abstract) for a real-life Call for Proposals (CFP) that will guide your composition for the scholarly article assignment. You will be required to submit the CFP with the written proposal, and adhere to the guidelines laid out by the CFP’s authors.
Scholarly Article—30%
This piece will be written in response to your chosen CFP. It should contain all of the elements of a scholarly research article: a literature review, a consideration of methods, and an argument that fills a research gap. It should run about 10 double-spaced pages.
Spotlight Presentation of Article—15%
Here you will adapt your research article to a scholarly presentation style—a 5-8 minute poster session, to be delivered in class.
Writing Group, Homework, and In Class Work—10%
The expectation in this class is that we act as a peer group of interested and interesting scholars and writers. To that end, the expectation is that you keep abreast of new ideas in your chosen field and are prepared to share them with the class, and that you be available and willing to discuss current scholarly conversations, exemplars, and progress toward your research article. Additionally, when we workshop writing in class, you act as a willing and prepared reviewer of other writers’ work.
We will often respond to one another in writing in class, write short analyses, reflect on reading, and practice various kinds of scholarly styles in class or for homework. You also need to come prepared to class—this means handing homework in on time, and showing up to class prepared for in-class activities, which often require you to discuss what you have read, to write, and to share your ideas and your writing with others. Note that you must be in class to receive credit for in-class activities.
A note on Homework and online/in-class grading:
Writing-to-learn activities that we complete in class are process oriented, which means you learn from the activity rather than from me assigning a letter grade based on a finished product. As such, if a post or response is thoughtful and complete, you will receive a 10/10.
A “thoughtful” post is one that answers the prompt clearly and conscisely, making specific reference to what is being asked and providing a full account of answering to it. A thoughtful post is specific, making references to passages in the course text, examples from everyday life or relevant experience, or other popular or cultural references (i.e., news, blogs, social media). Thoughtful posts observe writing conventions: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and a correct citation system.
A “thoughtful” response to a peer is one that shows connection to the writer that one is responding to. This connection is made by not only acknowledging the writer’s point, but adding to it in a meaningful way that extends and expands the view of what has been posted. Thoughtful responses observe writing conventions: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar.
“Complete” posts and responses meet the minimum word requirement as asked, do so in a way that purposeful (i.e., are showing critical thinking rather than filling space to meet a requirement), and are posted on time.
Careless and/or incomplete posts and responses may be late, off-topic, ignore what is being asked, simply agree or disagree in response to another writer, write responses that have little to do with the course, or not fulfil the minimum word requirement. Careless posts and responses disregard writing conventions. The highest a careless/incomplete post or response will receive is 5/10. Late posts and responses will receive 0/10.
For activities that involve more sophisticated learning-to-write activities when there is more attention paid to format and polishing the product, you will receive a percentage grade out of 10 points. Peer Reviews will similarly be out of 10 points, with full credit being given for not only participating in peer review, but using the feedback gathered during peer review to revise your draft towards a polished final product. For final papers, you will receive a numeric grade out of 100.
Late Work
Late assignments will not be accepted without an extension. Permission to turn in a late assignment without penalty will be given rarely and only based on a videoconference with me, and never on the day the assignment is due. If you are having trouble completing an assignment, please speak with me.
Attendance Policy
It
is
essential
that
you
attend
each
class.
By
“attend”
it
is
meant
that
you
come
to
class
and/or
post
regularly
or
meet
with
your
peers
online
and
on
time,
having
read
the
course
material for
the
week
and
being
ready
to
engage
with
it.
Basic
Needs
Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of students in their faculty for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so.
Alternate Arrangements for COVID-19 Scenarios
In the event that in-person classes must be cancelled for either short term (1 week) or longer term (i.e., university-wide shut down), we will adapt lesson plans and the course outline to using the classroom LEARN and embedded Zoom link for synchronous class time on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:20. Should you test positive or need to self-isolate for COVID-19, please contact me as soon as possible to arrange accommodations for your absences for in-person classes.
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:
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)
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
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.