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ENG 1302-H: Written Argument and Research (Honors) COURSE SYLLABUS: Fall 2011
Instructor: Dr. Shannon Carter, Associate Professor of English Office Location: HL 119 Office Hours: Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00, though appointments are most welcome Office Phone: 903-886-5492 (email is a far, far better way to reach me) Office Fax: (903) 886.5980 Email Address: [email protected]

COURSE INFORMATION
Textbooks and Materials Required: Adkins, Tabetha. Ethnographic Inquires in Writing. Southlake, Texas: Fountainhead Press, 2010. 97859871-435-7 Tarpley, Fred, Ed. Memories of Old ET. Silver Leos Guild. No ISBN available but complete purchase information at http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_65365.shtml Kammen, Carol. On Doing Local History. Second Edition. AltaMira Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0759102538 In addition to the above required texts, we will be making extensive use of texts available online. Please check eCollege for collection of additional required readings. Blog or other means of efficiently sharing your Research Portfolio (see below) Thumb drive or other means (dropbox.com account, for example) of storing digital versions of the essays and other written material you generate (always, always keep a backup of everything you turn in!) A valid, working email address that you check everyday Optional Texts: Westhafer, Cheryl and James H. Conrad. A Pictorial History of Commerce , Texas. Commerce, Texas: Friends of Commerce Public Library, 2010. Print. ISBN 9780615386645 Course Description: This course is all about conducting research. In the writing program at Texas A&M University Commerce, we believe that students learn to do research best by conducting research products of their own design but with some focus and help of their instructors. Therefore, in this class you will conduct ethnographic research projects in which you will 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. Youll finish the semester by presenting your findings in a public forum called The Celebration of Student Writing.

Student Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete ENG 1302 will have: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. an understanding and ability to make use of primary and secondary sources within a focused, academic argument an awareness of context and how audience and context affect a writers rhetorical choices the rhetorical flexibility necessary to negotiate a variety of academic tasks (research, interviews, close reading) leading to a sustained argument that is convincing, informative, and well-researched an awareness of context and how our own subject positions as writers might affect our findingsand how to work through potential biases toward more effective arguments an ability to effectively report research findings in writing (via a well-researched and articulated essay) and in person (via a poster presentation at the end of the semesterCelebration of Student Writing)

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Writing Assignment 1- Research Framework and Methodology (5%): Using Chapter One from EIIW, 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? Think of this essay as the framework you are creating for your study. Writing Assignment 2- Informed Consent and Code of Ethics (5%): Using The Belmont Report as a frame work and the Codes of Ethics developed by professional organizations like The Modern Language Association, The American Anthropological Association, The Association of Internet Researchers, or The American Folklore Society, create a Code of Ethics you will follow in your own research. You may also find information in EIIW and in eCollege to assist you with this project. Once you have created your Code of Ethics, you will also need to create an Informed Consent form that your research participants will read and sign. Remember that your research participants are the audience for this text, so youll want to create an informed consent sheet that makes sense to them but also follows the guidelines and expectations of your instructor. Writing Assignment 3- Research Proposal (5%): In this short essay, you should explain to your instructor where youre going to do your research, what you will be looking for and at in that research site, and why this site is appropriate for your research. In interest of conducting ethical research, explain your connection to this site (i.e. you eat lunch there often, you know someone who works there, etc.). You should also explain what you anticipate you will learn about literacy in this site. Writing Assignment 4- Processing the Local (5%): In this essay, you will introduce and analyze an oral history conducted. Your paper should aim to critique the effectiveness of the interview, both your own as well as

that of the person being interviewed. How reliable is the information gathered? How do you think the interview progressed? What were the interviews weaknesses and strengths? Are there questions you wished you had asked? Finally conclude by evaluating how this interview adds to the larger class project: Commerce Writes. Does it point to new areas of research? New questions to be asked?
Annotated Bibliography (10%): Since good ethnographic research involves both fieldwork and traditional library research, you will need to gather sources that inform what you learn in your fieldwork. These sources should be books, peer reviewed journal articles, and other relevant sources approved by your instructor. Since the research youre doing is scholarly, you will only use scholarly sources to support your claims. (That means no Wikipedia or Dictionary entries, for example.) You must annotate ten items. See more information on annotating, see this site. Presentations (10%): You will lead a discussion on both assigned readings and local history. This category includes two presentations through which you begin to draw some conclusions about recurring themes and questions, which will should be of direct benefit to you as you develop your major writing assignments (Final Project, Annotated Bibliography). Please visit Presentations at the Course home tab for specific details concerning this requirement. Informal Writing Assignments and Participation (20%): This category includes regular participation in various discussion areas, weekly reading assignments, five required Reader Responses, and other informal writing assignments. All assignments are designed to provide support for you in the creation of your major projects and,

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both directly and indirectly, for your teaching. Scope: Primarily the current weeks assigned readings, though you are encouraged to place the weeks readings within a broader context. Please see Informal Writing Assignments and Participation at the Course Home tab for specific details concerning this requirement. Celebration of Student Writing (10%): December 9 from 2:00-4:00 in The Club in the Sam Rayburn Student Center (SRSC). The Celebration of Student Writing is an event held every semester where students enrolled in ENG 1302 demonstrate and show-off what they learned in their research projects. You should create some kind of display with artifacts, visual elements, and information about what you learned in your research. The celebration will look like a science fair with rows of tables and projects displayed. Your participation in this event is mandatory. Final Project (15%): A final essay detailing the results of your study, what your findings mean in relation to the field of literacy studies, etc. Look to chapters four and five in EIIW for what this project should look like. Keep in mind that other essays youve composed this semester including WA1, WA3, WA4, and the annotated bibliography will all be part of this essay. (length suggestion: 15-18 pages) Research Portfolio (15%): In your research portfolio youll include your drafts from the semester, informed consent forms, informal writing assignments, double sided observation notes, reflexive writing, research artifacts, and anything else that help create an accurate portrayal of the research you conducted this semester.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
Flash drive or other means (dropbox.com account, for example) of storing digital versions of the essays and other written material you generate (always, always keep a backup of everything you turn in!) A valid, working email address that you check often (everyday) Regular internet access (additional readings available online) Access to a computer with a word processing program and a printer (assignments must be typed and printed)

ACCESS AND NAVIGATION

Some supplementary texts for this course exist exclusively online, so you must have Internet access to read and/or view these texts.

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) and online at http://web.tamucommerce.edu/academics/colleges/artsSciences/departments/literatureLanguages/writingCenter/

Attendance Policy
Attendance is mandatory. Don't skip class. I will not be able to let you make up the work unless you experience something dire--and I don't wish that on anyone. If something is going on that's getting in the way of your class time, please let me know. There is no such thing as partial attendancestudents are either present for the entire class or they are absent. Excessive tardiness can be penalized as an absence. The university has no policy for excused absences except for university-sanctioned events, so please save your absences for illness, court appearances, childcare arrangements, and other situations when you must miss class.

Late Assignments
You must keep up with the reading and, since each assignment builds on the previous one, I cannot accept late assignments. If you experience truly exceptional circumstances, please contact me immediately. 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 First-Year 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 [email protected]

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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).

COURSE OUTLINE / CALENDAR

NOTE: Additional, supplemental videos and other, relatively brief readings will be included throughout the semester. These will be infrequent, assigned far ahead of time, and adjusted to consider other items assigned in a given week. Key: Ethnographic Inquires in Writing = EIIW On Doing Local History = LH Memories of Old ET = ET Additional selections available in eCollege.

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Topic General Literacy History Ethics Ethics History History Methods Methods Research Research Research Research Research Finalize Readings (T)introductions, course overview (R)EIIW, Chapter 1, (T)EIIW, Barton and Hamilton (R)EIIW, Scribner (T)EIIW, Brandt (R)LH, Chapter 1 (T)LH, Chapter 2 (R)EIIW, Introduction to Chap 3 (T)LH, Chapter 3 (R)EIIW, The Belmont Report (T)LH, Chapter 4 (R)LH, Chapter 5 (T)LH, Chapter 6-7 (R)ET, selections (T)Oral History (eCollege) (R)ET, selections (T)EIIW, Adkins, Newkirk (R)Archives (eCollege) (T)EIIW, Fishman (R)Portelli (eCollege) (T)This American (eCollege) (R)FW (eCollege) (T)TBA (R)TBA (T)TBA (R)TBA (T)TBA (R)TBA Prepare Research Portfolio and other details for Presentation (CSW) Assignment Due

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15

Presentations (#1, Scholarly Conversation) Presentations (#1, Scholarly Conversation) Reader Response #1 (in eCollege) WA1 due (draft for Peer Review, eCollege) WA1 due (submit to Dropbox, eCollege) Reader Response #2 (in eCollege) WA2 due (submit to Dropbox, eCollege) Reader Response #3 (in eCollege) Presentations (#1, Scholarly Conversation) Reader Response #4 (in eCollege) Reader Response #5 (in eCollege) Presentations (#2, On the Local) WA3 due (submit to Dropbox, eCollege) Presentations (#2, On the Local) Presentations (#1, Scholarly Conversation) Presentations (#2, On the Local) Presentations (#1, Scholarly Conversation) Presentations (#2, On the Local) WA4 due (draft for Peer Review, eCollege) WA4 due (submit to Dropbox, eCollege) Annotated Bib due for Peer Review Final Project due for Peer Review FINAL PROJECT, PORTFOLIO, AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY*

*Final copy of Research Project and Final Project due Thursday, December 12/1