Clark Atlanta University
WISE (Writing Improvement for Success and Empowerment)
CENG 106WS College Composition II
High Tech English • 10 a.m. MWF
Instructor:
| Office Hours | MWF 11-noon and W 1-2 in my office. TR via Skype 8-9 p.m. |
| Office Location | Kresge Hall, Lower Level |
| Office Telephone | 404-880-8227 |
| mkassorla@cau.edu | |
| Skype ID | Dryaelkassorla |
| Second Life | Yael Myrtle |
Course Information
| Course Number/Sect | Course Title | Credit Hours |
Semester | Time/Location | Level | |
| CENG 106WS | College Composition II | 3 | Spring 2010 | 9 a.m. • WISE Lab, Kresge | U | |
| CENG 106WS | College Composition II | 3 | Spring 2010 | 10 a.m. • Wise Lab, Kresge | U | |
| CENG 106WS | College Composition II | 3 | Spring 2010 | 12 noon • Wise Lab, Kresge | U | |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
CENG 106, College Composition II, is the second course of English composition required of all undergraduates. This particular version of CENG 106, designated as CENG 106WS, is part of the CAU Writing Improvement for Success and Empowerment (WISE) program, initiated in 2007 to improve student writing. CENG 106WS emphasizes the writing process, collaboration, research, and technology and is available in a standard format and a hi-tech format, the difference being the types of technology used.
TEACHING/LEARNING METHODS, MATERIALS, AND PHILOSOPHY
All sections of CENG 106WS use tutorials and writing conferences with the instructor; class-based and online peer collaboration and review; self-assessment; assignment-specific rubrics; Internet and land-based research; explication of the elements of writing; class and small group discussions; portfolios; audio-visual materials, e-mail communication; library and technology training sessions; blogs; and a writing hand book. To these methods and materials, the hi-tech sections add text messaging;; academic gaming; and virtual reality learning and teaching spaces for research projects, writing, and publication. Discussion boards using WordPress blog software may be used in standard as well as hi-tech sections.
These approaches are supported by four basic tenets:
- Although WISE uses a writing hand book, each student’s writing is the primary text for that particular student because the writing reveals what that student most needs to learn about writing. Therefore, WISE does not teach the writing hand book as a course text.
- Students write best when they are interested enough in assignments to learn information that will give them something equally interesting to say in response to the assignment. For this reason, WISE assignments emphasize critical thinking and knowledge acquisition and evaluation through research, discussion, questioning, exploration, discovery, and, in the case of the hi-tech sections, virtual reality and games of strategy.
- Even experienced editors and accomplished professional writers and teachers of writing consult writing hand books on matters of grammar and mechanics, a phenomenon which suggests that these aspects of writing are best understood in the context of developing content and communicating with readers. Therefore, WISE neither teaches nor tests grammar and mechanics in isolation.
- 4. The assignments from which students learn the most about writing are assignments that empower them to make decisions about how to satisfy the purposes of any given writing task. Therefore, although WISE does teach specific genres of writing, the assignments which teach these genres depend on critical thinking and understanding of the genre’s conventions, not formulas.
Enrollment requirement: CENG 106WS students must be simultaneously enrolled in a section of a linked course in world history, CHIS 202WS, The United States, Africa and the World I (WISE).
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this course are to teach students how to
- use the writing process to best advantage;
- apply critical thinking skills to the demands of academic reading and writing;
- create academic writing that satisfies various rhetorical contexts;
- edit, critique, proof read, and revise written work;
- use technology for writing and research.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- select and use appropriate writing processes and strategies to produce academic writing that satisfies the needs of or can be adapted to writing in core curriculum courses;
- produce coherent and cohesive writing based on a controlling idea that governs the construction and development of texts and is supported by adequate and appropriate details, evidence, and documentation where appropriate;
- write research papers that effectively incorporate source material, employ appropriate documentation and citation, and are free of plagiarism;
- apply conventions of writing effectively in any given rhetorical context with particular regard for audience and purpose;
- display higher-level critical thinking skills (as defined in Bloom’s Taxonomy) in academic work;
- use editing, proof reading, and revision strategies in their own writing and draw on these skills in the critique of their peers’ writing;
- use assigned software and technological platforms.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Required Text
Blakesley, David and Hoogeveen, Jeffrey. Writing: A Manual for the Digital Age. Boston: Wadsworth, 2009. ISBN 139781428290297
Additional Resources Needed for This Course
- Students must access their CAU e-mail address regularly.
- Students must have alternate storage to back up class work (flashdrive, drop.io account, e-mail, etc.).
- Students must use MS Word 2007. All CAU campus computer labs have MS Word 2007 installed2007 is installed on all school laptops.
- Students must have funds for photocopying/printing required for this course.
- Students must have a headset with microphone for Second Life sessions.
Supplemental Readings
The materials below are not required reading. However, they will help you greatly in this course and in your WISE history course.
- Rael, Patrick. Bowdoin College. Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students. This is an excellent resource for working through the processes involved in writing a paper for a history class. The site offers advice for generating ideas, establishing a focus and thesis, researching the subject, and writing a history paper.
- The OWL at Purdue. This is perhaps the strongest of all university-sponsored online writing labs. The site offers information on just about every issue and problem a student might encounter in writing. It also offers excellent tutorials on grammar and citation.
- University of Dartmouth. Writing the History Paper. This is an excellent site for help with writing history papers and includes sample papers that will help students better understand the writing process.
- University of Toronto. Writing about History. This site offers excellent advice for generating a suitable and limited topic and offers help with locating, managing, and citing sources for a history paper.
THE PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENT
In Eng 106WS, students will create an e-portfolio (“e” = electronic) to which they will add materials each semester they remain in WISE. Each WISE discipline has its own specifications for the portfolio’s contents and a grading rubric. In addition to being used as a record of work done in WISE courses, the portfolio can become a valuable resource for documenting the student’s participation in campus activities, graduate school applications, employment searches, and other professional needs.
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
High Tech English
In addition to the assignments listed for each week, the instructor may adjust the schedule as needed.
WEEK 1
Wednesday, January 13:
Course introduction and overview; updating or creating Second Life account.
Homework:
- Read The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Chapters 1-3 at http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/equiano1/equiano1.html. Make sure you keep a list of exactly where Olaudah Equiano travelled during those chapters and bring list to class on Friday.
- Install Second Life on your own computer if you do not already have it. You must have a Second Life avatar to do the point-bearing work in Friday’s class. Second Life is installed on all the WISE lab computers and in the library’s computer lab.
- Install Google Earth on your computer if you do not already have it.
Friday, January 15:
Discussion of Olaudah Equiano reading and instruction on Google Earth exercise.
Homework: Enter locations into Google Earth and set places, make path between places, write rough draft of assignment. Keep track of sources that you use along the way. You will need them next week.
WEEK 2
Monday, January 18: MLK Holiday.
Wednesday, January 20:
Instruction and exercises on MLA citation method and effective use of sources. (Blakesley chapters 17, “Using Information Effectively”; 18, “Research and Plagiarism in the Digital Age”; and 19, “Citing Sources in MLA Style.”)
Homework: Rough draft of Google Earth assignment due for peer response on Friday.
Friday, January 22
Introduce peer response exercise. Do peer response of Google Earth assignment.
Homework: Revise your Google Earth assignment draft to turn in on Monday, January 25. Make sure changes reflect MLA formatting and best practices in incorporating sources and visuals into your own writing.
WEEK 3
Monday, January 25
- Turn in Google Earth Assignment.
- Update WordPress portfolio; establish classmates and teachers as blog users.
Homework: Visit Second Life and become reacquainted with how to navigate Second Life and how to move your avatar.
Wednesday, January 27
Field trip to Second Life Museum of the African American Experience (MAAE).
Homework: Visit the MAAE on your own, taking snapshots of three pre-Civil War exhibits that you might want to research and write about. Bring your snapshots to class Friday so you can work with them during class.
Friday, January 29
Introduce the research assignment about your chosen MAAE exhibit.
Homework: Free weekend. Get caught up.
WEEK 4 (Topics for research paper due in history)
Monday, February 1
(Google Earth Assignment returned. Make changes and post to portfolio.)
Workshop: How to caption visuals and incorporate them into writing.
Homework: Begin preliminary research on your topic. Read Blakesley, “Reading Images Critically,” (175-90).
Wednesday, February 3
Discuss narrowing a topic and deciding upon a research question.
Homework: Read Blakesley., “Analyze Potential Research Subjects” (251) and “Focus Your Subject” (252-53). Decide on research question for Friday’s class. Use the research question worksheet to refine your interest in the MAAE image and decide on a research question.
Friday, February 5
Discuss prospectus/annotated bibliography assignment and how to decide upon research question.
Homework: Write down some research questions you might consider and some preliminary ideas and keywords. See Blakesley, “How to Keep a Research Journal” (263). Bring questions and list with you on Monday to library instruction session. (Attendance counts here. I will take roll.)
WEEK 5
Monday, February 8
Library instruction on researching the background of the MAAE images. Meet in the library and bring your research questions and lists in order to get ideas for your Annotated Bibliography.
Homework: Start the Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography.
Wednesday, February 10
In class work/discussion on Annotated Bibliography. Go over problems with MLA style.
Homework: Finish rough draft of Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography for peer response group on Friday.
Friday, February 12
Peer response of Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography.
Homework: Complete draft of Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography to turn in on Monday, February 15.
WEEK 6 (Annotated bibliography due in history)
Monday, February 15
Turn in Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography. Review Civilization IV game play.
Homework: Play Civilization IV game.
Wednesday, February 17
Civilization IV game play.
Homework: Write up Game Log to submit February 19th.
Friday, February 19
Turn in Game Log. Discuss short research paper assignment.
Homework: Write rough draft of Short Research Paper for peer review on February 22.
WEEK 7
Monday, February 22
(Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography returned. Make changes and post to portfolio).
Peer review of Short Research paper.
Homework: Begin revision of Short Research paper to turn in Monday, March 1.
Wednesday, February 24
Introduction to Second Life projects.
Homework: Think about project ideas and do preliminary research on them [worksheet to be provided] in preparation for choosing a project and team formation after spring break.
Friday, February 26
Workshop: Second Life Skills (dressing, communicating, moving, searching, and using your map).
Homework: Explore Second Life. Look at notecards from academic institutions on Second Life. Make notes about what was useful and what was not. Be prepared to discuss examples in class on Monday.
WEEK 8 (Mid Terms)
Monday, March 1
(Game Log returned. Make changes and post to portfolio. By the end of midterm week, you should have the following assignments posted to your portfolio for evaluation: Google Earth, Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography, and Game Log.)
Turn in Short Research paper. Discuss writing an effective notecard.
Homework: Take short section out of your completed research paper and edit it for use in a notecard. Bring text to class on Wednesday for peer review/copy editing.
Wednesday, March 3
Discussion of Copy Editing. Peer review and copy editing of notecard text.
Homework: Revise notecard text. Bring completed text to class for workshop on Friday.
Friday, March 5
Workshop session: How to attach notecard script to object.
Homework: Work on notecard in sandbox to perfect for posting in MAAE. This is due the Monday after Spring Break. You will be handing this script to me in Second Life so I can review it and determine if it is ready to post in the MAAE. Read Blakesley, Chapter 28, “Networking with Others on the Web” for discussion on Monday, March 15.
WEEK 9—SPRING BREAK
WEEK 10
Monday, March 15
(Short Research paper returned. Make changes and post to portfolio.)
Turn in notecard script in Second Life. Discuss Blakesly. Sign up for Second Life projects/teams.
Homework: Meet with team to discuss what you will do for project.
Wednesday, March 17
Discuss Second Life Project ideas. What is a good project? How do you divide it?
Homework: Complete Second Life Project worksheet to refine your project. Bring to class on Friday.
Friday, March 19
Discuss assignment for Second Life project proposal/prospectus.
Homework: Write prospectus for Monday, March 22.
WEEK 11
Monday, March 22
Turn in Prospectus. Finish Worksheet.
Homework:.
Wednesday, March 24
Look over Worksheet one more time. Discuss project with class. Do any revision of worksheet that is needed.
Homework: Tour Second Life project spaces.
Friday, March 26
Enter Second Life. Make sure everyone can move around and has permissions. Insure everyone knows where sandbox is and how to use it. Practice rezzing in sandbox and learn basic building.
Homework: Sandbox play.
WEEK 12
Monday, March 29
Begin researching and working on project. Keep track of research in research blog on your WordPress.
Homework: Work on project.
Wednesday, March 31
Work on Project.
Homework: Work on project.
Friday, April 2 (Good Friday)
WEEK 13
Monday, April 5
Discuss written portion of Second Life project. Assign written portion.
Homework: Work on written portion of project to be submitted on Monday, April 12.
Wednesday, April 7
Workshop on project.
Homework: Work on project!
Friday, April 9
Workshop on project.
Homework: Finish rough draft for written portion of Second Life Project to turn in on April 12.
WEEK 14
Monday, April 12
Turn in written portion of Second Life project. Peer response group.
Homework: Rewrite written portion of Second life project for April 19.
Wednesday, April 14
Discuss MLA citation, Works Cited for final project.
Homework: Work on project.
Friday, April 16
Work on project.
Homework: Finish up Second Life project for peer review next week.
WEEK 15
Monday, April 19
(Return written portion of Second Life Project. Make changes and post to portfolio.)
Visit Second Life to show final project to class.
Homework: Evaluate assigned group project using evaluation form.
Wednesday April 21
Visit Second Life to show final project to class.
Homework: Use evaluations to tweak your Second Life project before grading. Due Friday.
Friday, April 23
Assign Self Assessment project.
Homework: Rough draft of Self Assessment due to peer response on Monday, April 26.
WEEK 16:
Monday, April 26
Peer Response of Self Assessment.
Homework: Finish final draft of Self-Assessment and post to portfolio.
Wednesday, April 28
Course wrap-up. Discuss portfolio. Portfolio due May 3.
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