Syllabus

ENGL105.002, MTWTHF, 9:45-11:15, Greenlaw 106

Professor Daniel Anderson

 

Office hours will be held Tuesday and Thursday 11:30-1:00 (and by appointment). My office is in Greenlaw Hall, room 533. (I’m often in room 431.) I can be reached by e-mail at iamdan@unc.edu.

 

Most of the course information and activities will play out at http://altscholarship.com/writesummer. Consult the site regularly for important tasks and to participate. Note, also that this will be a public web site.

 

There are no books required for the course. The class will be focused mostly on production of your own materials and time spent with the materials of peers. I will, however, post occasional online readings that will require responses.

 

Goals

 

In this class, we will explore the ways that writing and research take place in several disciplines. We will learn a number of new methods for conducting research. And we will share our experiences through writing in familiar and unfamiliar forms.

 

Assignments

There will be three key components to the course:

  • A Twitter Analysis Research Report
  • A Science-Oriented Research Podcast
  • A Poetry Analysis and Video Project

 

Each of the projects will require the submission of both a draft and a final version.

There will also be a number of smaller, scaffolding and improvisational projects assigned throughout the term. You will also be expected to provide feedback to your peers. 

 

Participation

A good deal of activity will take place through our class site. You will be required to use the site to exchange ideas, review one another’s work, etc. You can participate on the site using social media tools—commenting, rating, updating. In class, helping with projects, joining discussions, being prepared, and offering materials for critique are expected as part of your participation.

You will also be required to read the course texts; reading responses will be key to your participation. 

 

Grading

Your final grade will be based on meeting all of the requirements in the course and successful completion of all of the projects. Each project will be given a letter grade. Class participation will be determined by assessing completion of all scaffolding and improvisational assignments as well as on reading responses, in-class activity, and peer feedback. Project grades and participation will be compiled into the final course grade based on the following percentages:

 

  • Twitter Analysis Research Report (draft and revision) 15%
    • Twitter Analysis Coding and Visualizations 10%
    • Twitter Analysis Bibliography 5%
  • Science-Oriented Research Podcast 10%
    • Science Podcast Annotated Bibliography and Media 10%
    • Science Podcast Research Reflection 10%
  • Poetry Analysis Video 15%
    • Poetry Analysis Essay (draft and revision) 15%
    • Poetry Analysis Bibliography 5%
  • Attendance and Participation 5%

 

We will discuss project and participation expectations throughout the semester.

 

Policies

Please remember that the syllabus functions as a contract between instructor and students. We will go over these policies during the first few days of class, but you are responsible for knowing and abiding by these policies.
 

Attendance and Preparation 

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each session. Late arrivals may be prevented from adding their name to the daily attendance roster. You should come to class having prepared the assigned reading, writing, or other homework, and you should be ready to engage with your classmates and the text(s) at hand. Barring illness or an emergency (like a documentable death in the family), you should make every effort to attend all classes. We will do a significant amount of work in class, so your attendance is crucial to your success. More than two absences may lower the course grade; any student with more than five absences is subject to failure in the course
 

Technology 

At minimum, you must check your email and our class website daily for messages and updates. Expect to bring your laptop to class regularly. Please make sure that your laptop is working properly, with the battery charged, before coming to class. You must allow time and seek assistance for any technical issues that arise when completing computer-based activities (information and technical assistance are available at http://help.unc.edu or 962-HELP). You should also be aware that electronic class activities will be public in nature. We will be posting materials and conducting activities on the Internet. In addition, the course Web site is available publicly on the Internet. No protected information will be shared, but the assignments, projects, and activities will be conducted and available publicly. Additionally, the activities related to the class may be viewed, discussed, and shared by the instructor, the students, or others—as part of conversations about teaching or publishing efforts. I will ask you to sign a permission form indicating that your work may be viewed and shared electronically or used for publishing. 

Students must also observe appropriate behavior during all computer-based activities related to this class. Students must act with respect and responsibility. Engaging in activities deemed to be offensive or inappropriate will be considered a violation of the UNC Honor Code.

 

The Honor Code 

The honor code applies to everything that you—and I—do at this university, including our use of outside sources in our research and writing. Our work in this class will conform to the principles and procedures defined in the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance (http://instrument.unc.edu/). The research that we do this semester, whether primary or secondary, print or online, formal or informal, will require documentation on your part. We will review citation guidelines early and often throughout the semester. If I suspect you of plagiarizing all or part of a project, even unintentionally, I am required to report the offense to the Honor Court. 

 

Students with Disabilities

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ensures that no qualified person shall by reason of a disability be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University.  In compliance with UNC policy and federal law, qualified students with disabilities are eligible to receive “reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to education opportunities, programs, and activities” (http://www.unc.edu/depts/lds/faculty-policies.html). If you anticipate such accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Additionally, you may seek out student support services at the Department of Disability Services (DDS) (http://disabilityservices.unc.edu/) and through the Learning Center (http://learningcenter.unc.edu/)

 

Non-Discrimination Policy

This university does not discriminate against its students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.  The University’s policy states that sexual orientation be treated in this same manner.  In this class we will strive to maintain an open atmosphere with shared respect for all differences.