ENG 1302.

002: Written Argument and Research COURSE SYLLABUS: Summer II 2013 All my life Ive looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time Ernest Hemingway, Selected Letters If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. Stephen King, On Writing Instructor: Sean Ferrier-Watson Class Meets: MTWR 9-10:50AM Office Location: Writing Center, HL 103 Office Hours: MTW 11-12:00PM or by appointment Office Phone: (903) 886.5280 Fax: (903) 886.5980 University Email Address: seanwatson08@yahoo.com
Website: www.seanFWSum2.wordpress.com

COURSE INFORMATION Materials Textbooks, Readings, Supplementary Readings: Textbooks and Materials Required: Adkins, Tabetha. Ethnographic Inquires in Writing. Southlake, Texas: Fountainhead Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-59871-435-7 Sunstein, Bonnie Stone and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater. FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research, 4th ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-312-62275-6 Anything posted to our website or given out in class. 1. Three-ring binder for storing class work 2. Flash drive or other means (dropbox.com account, for example) of storing digital versions of essays and other written material you generate (always, always keep a backup of everything you turn in!) 3. A valid, working email address that you check everyday 4. Regular access to a computer and internet (additional readings may be available online) Optional Texts: Resources for Ethnographic Research (asking good interview questions, professional associations codes of ethics, etc.) http://tabethaadkins.com/ethnography_resources.html

Course Description: This course is all about conducting research. In the writing program at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, we believe that students learn to do research best by conducting research projects of their own design but with some focus and help from their instructors. Therefore, in this class you will conduct ethnographic research projects in which you will explore scholars that go out into the field in efforts to learn something about reading and writing in contexts or in its natural habitat. You will then become more informed about these findings by comparing what youve learned with scholarship conducted by professional researchers and conducting further library research to help you create a more informative research report. Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify features of ethical research practices. Students will be able to evaluate subject position and how it can affect research findings. Students will be able to identify conventions of research and citation in academic texts. Students will be able to articulate features of academic research writing. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Instructional / Methods / Activities Assessments Attendance Policy Attendance is mandatory. As with any college class, attendance is a vital part of the learning process. If a student misses more than three class sessions, a deduction will be applied to the students grade (attendance is an important part of your grade, so please do not underestimate the attendance policy). Absences are considered to be unauthorized unless due to a sanctioned school activity. The student must present proper documentation for the activity before the missed day in order for an excuse to be issued. If, through a misfortune, a student should arrive after I have recorded absences, it is the students responsibility to talk with me immediately after class in order to discuss changing the unauthorized absence to a tardy. Excessive absences can result in a failing grade for the class. If the problem is serious enough to miss a significant amount of class, then the student should consider dropping the course or speaking with the university. There will be no make ups for missed assignments, but I may allow for extra daily assignments for students with authorized absences.
Class Disruption Policy/Active Participation Policy

Disruptions will not be tolerated in my class. Cell-phones, laptop computers, audio/music devices, and any other technological device that does not pertain to the lesson will be banned in my classroom. If the device is used as a note taking instrument or as a way of performing class activities, I might grant an exception to this policy. Newspapers, magazines, and any other material not pertaining to the subject at hand may also constitute a violation of this policy. Any violation of this policy can result in the students immediate dismissal from the classroom for the day and a grade of zero being entered for daily participation. Failure to participate in class activities or behavioral disruptions will also constitute grounds for dismissal or further penalty.
Tardy/Leaving Early Policy

The occasional tardy is acceptable and often unavoidable in any given semester. I understand that things happen and that missing a few minutes of class was not your intention; however, excessive tardinesstardiness that results in missing more than ten minutes of class or tardiness that occurs frequentlyis unacceptable. In these extreme cases, I will generally mark the student absent for the day. Unless I have given you permission to leave class early, cutting-out before class is over will almost always result in being marked absent and your work being given a zero for the day.
Late Policy I will NOT accept late papers. If you know you will miss the day a major assignment is due, please contact me ahead of time or submit the paper early. I will NOT allow make up papers for any reason; however, if you notify me ahead of time about a submission conflict, I will try to aid you in making other arrangements for submitting a major grade. Alternative arrangements for other assignments will not be made. If you miss a daily grade or observation, it will be marked as a zero. Do NOT ask me if you can make up a grade. The answer will always be NO. Rewrite Policy Students will be allowed to rewrite one major essay for full credit. I will not permit students to rewrite a paper with a grade above 88%. All rewrites must be submitted two weeks after the graded assignment has been returned to the student. Since the final paper is due the last week of class, it will of course be an exception to the rewrite policy. I recommend that students only rewrite papers with a grade of B- or lower. If you have any concerns about the rewrite policy, please address these concerns with me as soon as possible. (Note: this policy will not allow late papers to be resubmitted.) Website/ Submission Policy Technology will play a large role in this class. Access to a computer and internet will be essential. The syllabus, instructional resources, essay prompts, and other assignment information will be available on our class website. Please visit the class website on a regular basis. The link for the website is provided above. All major essay assignments will be submitted in class on the due date. All students are responsible for finding access to printers and bring the paper to class. Computers are available around campus to help with this effort.

How Course Grade is Determined Writing Assignment 1- Conceptualizing Literacy within a Community (20%): Using Chapter One from EIIW and the other texts we have read, explain your theory of the concept of literacy. What is literacy? How do you know a literacy event when you see it? How will you go about looking for literacy in its natural habitat or in context? (2-3 pages, not included the required works cited page) Writing Assignment 2- Research Proposal (10%): In one to two pages, you should select and explain a research site or community that interests you. Your proposal should have three objectives: 1) What specifically interests you about this community? 2) How do you plan to research this community (i.e. what is your methodology)? 3) Why is this community worth researching? (1-2 pages) Writing Assignment 3- Researchers Code of Ethics (30%): Using the Belmont Report and other class reading as guide, write a paper that explores the scholars ethical dilemmas when researching real people and actual communities and try to draw a plan for how you would

conduct ethical research and what guidelines you would implement. This essay is slightly theoretical in nature, meaning you can use various approaches to try to get at what constitutes ethical behavior on the part of the researcher. Demonstrate what you have learned in class about ethical research and the practices employed by real researchers when conducting ethnographies. You should draw on and analyze at least one of the studies we read for class in this essay. You may also find information in EIIW and FW to assist you with this project. (3-5 pages, not including the required works cited page.) Daily Journal Responses (20%): You will have journal entries due on every class day a reading assignment is given. These entries can be on any aspect of the reading: what you thought was interesting about the reading, what you did not like or agree with in the reading, or simply a summary of relevant points from the reading. These entries may be handwritten or typed and should be submitted at the start of class. The schedule below will indicate day(s) response journals are due. Attendance & Participation (20%): Attendance (10%) and participation (10%) are critical to this class, so please make sure you are here every day and ready to work. If you are unprepared for class or unwilling to participate, your grade will be subsequently deducted and you may be asked to leave for the day. This might include the following: not having completed homework or reading, refusing to engage in class activities, failure to participate in class discussions, or failure to bring supplies to perform class work (i.e. textbooks, paper, writing utensil, and other relevant materials). COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT Interaction with Instructor Statement: Please contact me with any questions you may have. My communication preference is e-mail, and my address is seanwatson08@yahoo.com. Also, each instructor in the Department of Literature and Languages, including myself, is required to keep at least three office hours per course per week. You can find my hours listed above. Grievance Procedure: If you have concerns about the class or about me as an instructor, please speak to me about those concerns. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our conversation, the next person in the chain of command is the Director of the Writing Program, Dr. Tabetha Adkins. Her e-mail address is Tabetha.Adkins@tamu-commerce.edu. COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES/POLICIES Course Specific Procedures: Writing Center The Writing Center offers writers free, one-on-one assistance. We welcome all writers, majors, and disciplinesundergraduate and graduate students alike. In fact, we work from the premise that all writers, no matter their ability level, benefit from the feedback of knowledgeable readers. The Writing Center staff is trained to provide writers with just this

service. In short, we are here to help you help yourself. In order to ensure the most effective session possible, we offer visitors the following suggestions: (1) Get started on your writing project early, and visit the Writing Center at least one day before your final draft is due. You will need time to work with the ideas and suggestions generated in your tutorial sessions. (2) Bring a written copy of your assignment, any relevant readings, and one or two specific questions or concerns you would like to discuss with us. We are located in the Hall of Languages, Room 103 (903-886-5280). Academic Honesty The official departmental policy: Instructors in the Department of Literature and Languages do not tolerate plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonestly. Instructors uphold and support the highest academic standards, and students are expected to do likewise. Penalties for students guilty of academic dishonesty include disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion. (Texas A&M University-Commerce Code of Student Conduct 5.b [1,2,3]) If you ever have any questions about a particular use of a source, always ask your instructor. They want you to avoid plagiarism, too, so they will help you do so whenever and wherever they can. Do what you can to take advantage of this supportto look innocent in addition to being innocent when it comes to charges of plagiarism. Students guilty of academic dishonesty of plagiarism can expect to fail the assignment in question or the entire course depending on the nature of the incident. On University-Sanctioned Activities To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the FirstYear Composition Program offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week. If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity in which you are involved--athletics, etc.--please see your instructor after class on the first day. University Specific Procedures: ADA Statement The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact: Office of Student Disability Resources and Services Texas A&M University-Commerce Gee Library 132 Phone (903) 886-5150 or (903) 886-5835 Fax (903) 468-8148

StudentDisabilityServices@tamu-commerce.edu Student Disability Resources & Services Student Conduct All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment. (See Code of Student Conduct from Student Guide Handbook). TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE / CALENDAR Ethnographic Inquires in Writing = EIIW FieldWorking = FW Journal Entry Due = JE July Week 1: FieldWorking and Ethnographic Inquires in Writing 8Introductions and Syllabus Review 9Literacy Practices, Barton & Hamilton (FW 1-24) (JE) 10 Literacy, Opportunity, and Economic Change, Deborah Brandt in EIIW (JE) 11Literacy Sponsors, Deborah Brandt (handout or linked on website) (JE) Week 2: Ethnographic Inquires in Writing 15 Literacy in Three Metaphors, Sylvia Scribner in EIIW (JE) 16 MLA Citation & Understanding the Peer Review Process (no reading for this day) 17 Demystifying Plagiarism (JE) 18WA1 Due; discussion over Research Proposal Week 3: FieldWorking and Ethnographic Inquires in Writing 22 Friday Night at Iowa 80, Rick Zollo (FW 26-42) (JE) 23Becoming Literate, Andrea R. Fishman in EIIW (JE) 24 Blinded By the Letter, Wysocki & Johnson-Eiola in EIIW (JE) 25 Heroes, Rebels, and Victims: Student Identities in Literacy Narratives, Bronwyn T. Williams (on class website or handout) (JE) Week 4: Ethnographic Inquires in Writing 29Research Proposal Due; discussion over WA2 30The Belmont Report in EIIW (JE) 31Ethnographic Research Ethics and Amish Values, Tabetha Adkins in EIIW (JE) 1Seduction and Betrayal, Thomas Newkirk in EIIW (JE) August Week 5: Ethnographic Inquires in Writing 5 Everyday Use, Alice Walker; EIIW Ch.1 (JE) 6 Peer Review Workshop; Proofreading: The Skill We Neglected to Teach, Jan Madraso (handout or linked) (JE) 7 Student Conferences in my office

8Final Essay: WA3 Due