ENGL/WR 407 – Seminar (Senior Project)
Course Description
Eastern Oregon University
Winter 2003, 2 Quarter Hours

On-site Instructor: Stacey Donohue
Locations & times: To be arranged with instructor
E-mail: sdonohue@cocc.edu

Other ways to contact Stacey:
Office: Deschutes 18; Office Hours: See my Winter 2003 on my bulletin board and on my website; also available by appointment
Office Phone & Voicemail: (541) 383-7533
Mailbox: Deschutes 18, Humanities Dept. Office

 

ENGL/WR 403 & ENG/WR 407 are required for EOU baccalaureate degree in English Discourse Studies
ENGL/WR 407 Prerequisites: Senior Discourse Studies Major and consent of instructor.*
*Note: "consent of instructor" given only to those students who have successfully completed ENGL/WR 403.
ENGL/WR 407 Official Course Description: This course is a continuation and completion of senior capstone projects proposed in ENGL/WR 403, culminating in a research paper and an oral presentation, using appropriate instructional technologies, to peers in a classroom setting for critical evaluation and response. Writing Intensive; Capstone. Grading Basis: letter graded.

ENGL or WR Prefix Option: Students may enroll in the two-course Senior Project sequence 403-407 with either an ENGL(ish) or a WR(iting) prefix, depending on their program needs and requirements.

General Parameters for the Senior Project

1. Depth Requirement: Sustained research and continued study will establish a strong research foundation on the focused topic within the student’s area of concentration in Discourse Studies (i.e. literature or writing), as proposed in ENGL/WR 403. From this foundation, relevant sources will be used effectively to develop the focused topic in depth in the Senior Project research paper.

2. Breadth Requirement: Appropriate interdisciplinary relationships and applications across the fields of literature and writing (and perhaps other relevant disciplines as well) will have been identified in the approved ENGL/WR 403 Project Proposal, supported by relevant sources in the Selective Bibliography. The interdisciplinary "breadth" dimensions of the focused topic will be satisfactorily developed in the ENGL/WR 407 research paper.

3. Pedagogical Component & the Oral Presentation (Pedagogical content is only for those students concurrently enrolled in CUESTE): The approved ENGL/WR 403 Proposal and Selective Bibliography will have integrated a pedagogical component to address the focused topic’s practical future application(s) to the classroom. Pedagogical application(s) of the Senior Project topic should also be featured in the formal oral presentation intended for an audience of peers, through the goal(s) and/or method(s) of delivery. For non-CUESTE students, an oral presentation will still be required; presentations will be made either in an appropriate upper division Discourse class or to a meeting of peers and faculty.

4. Writing Intensive Course: This EOU designation requires that a significant component of ENGL/WR 407 entail formal and informal writing. The major formal ENGL/WR 407 writing assignment is the Senior Project research paper [suggested length: 15-20 pages, not including the bibliography].

Expectations & Learning Outcomes

1.        Critical and creative thinking and problem solving in planning and completing the Senior Project, supported by a satisfactory foundation of in-depth research and study;

2.        To support the Senior Project, sustained research and continued study, including sophisticated integration of theoretical and applied resources, primary and secondary sources, major journals in the field, and interdisciplinary relationships relevant to the Senior Project topic;

3.        Senior college-level writing in appropriate formal academic research-based genre(s), conforming to MLA documentation style and adhering to the academic conventions of standard written English;

4.        Effective planning and oral communication skills, demonstrated in a focused formal presentation, delivered within time constraints, using appropriate instructional technologies, to an audience of peers for evaluation; and

5.        Insightful self-reflection and constructive use of peer evaluation in assessing the capstone achievement and learning experience, according to criteria appropriate to the course and the student’s personal/professional goals.

NOTE: ENGL/WR 407 course expectations encompass those described for program students in "Discourse Studies Courses: General Expectations for Upper Division Work"

Course Grading & Deadlines
Winter 2002

Grading in ENGL/WR 407 will be based on three main pieces:

·         the Research Paper  (90%)

·         the Oral Presentation (10%)

The Oral Presentation will be scheduled in an appropriate public forum for peer evaluation to be agreed upon among the ENGL/WR 407 student, the COCC-EOU on-site instructor, and the EOU secondary education professor. Oral Presentation would be based upon some portion of the term Research Paper and delivered using teaching and learning methods of the student’s choice. Normatively, the Oral Presentation would be scheduled during the last two weeks of the term, and be 20 minutes long, including time for audience interaction and peer evaluation. ENGL/WR 407 students are encouraged to define a clear and limited set of goals to be accomplished in the oral presentation—to be shared with the instructors in advance, if possible, together with an written outline of the projected content and method of delivery for the Oral Presentation. Assessment of how well these student-generated goals are achieved during the Oral Presentation would constitute a primary criterion for audience evaluation. The ENGL/WR 407 student is responsible for finalizing scheduling and developing a peer evaluation form to be completed by audience members at the end of the oral presentation or shortly thereafter. These completed evaluation forms should be analyzed and submitted to the ENGL/WR 407 instructor for consideration in awarding a grade for the Oral Presentation.

Deadlines

Students should set up a weekly meeting time with Stacey

Preliminary Draft of the Research Paper is due during Week #8 of the term. Copies should be given to the ENGL/WR 407 instructor advisor for written critique during Weeks #8 and #9.

The Oral Presentation should be scheduled, delivered, and evaluated during Week #9 or #10 of the term.

Final Draft of the Research Paper are due during Finals Week.

A model final paper is available online: http://www.cocc.edu/sdonohue/Student%20Writing/shannon_tibbs.htm

I also have others in my office.