WR 123: COMPOSITION- Stacey Donohue

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Course Description:

Writing 123, the final course in the writing sequence, is specifically designed to help you master the process of writing research papers.  During the term you will select a topic of interest, research the topic and compose a thesis-centered research paper.  Along the way there will be several short research process exercises that will help you develop the skills necessary for completing this and future researched essays  In addition, you will be shown how to organize a research project, select and narrow a subject, formulate a workable thesis, develop a research strategy, conduct research to gather supporting evidence, establish an operational plan, or outline, to organize your material, incorporate and acknowledge the ideas and language of others, and produce a bibliography. To help facilitate steady progress, the research process is divided into a number of stages, with assignments representing various milestones due at intervals throughout the quarter. You must successfully complete all of these assignments, as well as the final paper, to pass the course.  WR 123 is about the PROCESS of writing a research paper—not just the end product. 

Writing 123 can be both intellectual stimulating and fun because you get to devote an entire term to research an area of interest.  In Writing 123 you will be creating your own knowledge, and I will act as a guide.  I look forward to working with you.

Required Texts:

·        Veit, Richard. Research: The Student’s Guide to Writing Research Papers, 4^th ed. New York:  
           Pearson/Longman, 2004.

·        WR 123 Coursepacket (available in Blackboard for free, or for purchase from the bookstore, or e-mail me for a copy))

Assignments and Grading: the following assignments are designed to address the outcomes:

Research Process Assignments                                                                     50% of final grade

Because this course focuses on the PROCESS of writing a research paper rather than just the product itself, each week, or at every stage of the process, you have specific assignments due. Late assignments will be accepted up to one week late and will receive a grade penalty. Most of these assignments build on one another so assignments later than one week will most likely not be accepted.  There are NO extra credit options, so please don’t ask—simply keep up with the weekly assignments.

 Note: This is not a class that allows you to simply hand in a final paper at the end of the course. If you are not prepared to work on the process for approximately 6-9 hours a week outside of class time every week, you will struggle in this class.

Major Assignments: The following assignments are weighted differently than the in-class or homework assignments: note percentages below. Late Annotated Bibliographies will be penalized at least one letter grade per week late and both major assignments must be completed in order to pass the course.                         

NOTE: Your research paper must be on a topic subject to questioning and exploration: an analytical or argument researched essay and not a report. Scholarly journals are required sources, not just websites.  It is not possible to complete a successful academic research paper on a topic that can only be explored superficially, or a topic that has already been explored to death, or a topic where there is only one point of view.  Reusing a topic from a previous paper is strongly discouraged. Please see me if you have any questions. 

The final paper will be graded on the quality of thought and content, use of research and evidence, in addition to the application of essay composition principles (such as unity, coherence, clarity, paragraph development and structure, introduction, conclusion, title, sentence style, word choice, grammar, usage, punctuation, and mechanics) which students should be familiar with from Writing 121 and 122.  Final Drafts WITHOUT EXCEPTION must be typed or word-processed and will NOT be accepted late. Please do not ask for an Incomplete if you have not completed 80% or more of the course assignments. No required length for the term paper will be specified; however, I anticipate that most Critical Research Papers will fall within the range of 12-to-15 double-spaced typed or word-processed pages. 

The following Grading Scale will be used in this course:
A+        97-100 Outstanding performance [Note: this grade is not recognized by the college]
A          93-96    Exceptional
A-         90-92     Superior
B+        87-89    Excellent
B          83-86    Very good
B-         80-82    Good
C+        77-79    Better than satisfactory            
C          70-76    Satisfactory
D          65-69    Passing [Note that you must earn a C or above for Writing classes at COCC]
F           0-64     Not passing

Policies:

Plagiarism Statement:

Proper citations and documentation of any sources that you quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize in your writing are required whenever you borrow the words, facts, and/or ideas of others. In general, putting others’ ideas into your own words still means you are borrowing, and to avoid plagiarism, the source must be cited and documented, both (a)at the point in your essay where there borrowing occurs (parenthetical citations for most academic documentation systems), and (b) in a list of all sources cited given at the end of your essay.  Plagiarism—intended or not—is considered a serious academic violation of intellectual property rights, and may earn your written assignment an automatic “F.”

Students Rights and Responsibilities:

Please read the Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook available at: http://studentlife.cocc.edu/Resources/Policies/default.aspx

ADA Statement:

Any student with a documented disability (physical, learning, psychological, vision, hearing) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must inform the College and Stacey as soon as possible. If you require any assistance related to a disability, contact the Disability Services Office located in Boyle Education Center: call (541) 383-7583 or email DisabilityServices@cocc.edu .

COCC Non-Discrimination Policy:

Central Oregon Community College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

Please see me at the beginning of the quarter if you have any questions about the course requirements.  Also, if you have any questions during the course of the quarter, please see me during office hours or by appointment.

See Course Packet for list of due dates, assignments, etc. The Course Packet is available for purchase at the COCC Bookstore or for free in Blackboard.

Instructions for Accessing Blackboard

During this course, we will be using various tools in the Blackboard Course Management System. Blackboard is a secure, online environment where elements of the course content will be presented, interaction with your fellow students and instructor will take place, and assignments/exams/activities will be completed.

To access Blackboard, please go to http://blackboard.ad.cocc.edu . Click on the "Login" button. You will be taken to a screen where you will enter your User Name and Password.

User Name:  A COCC student user name is your COCC ID number (e.g., 820012345) 

Password:  A COCC Student password is made up of the first initial of first name, first initial of last name (both initials will be in upper-case format), followed by the six digits of your date of birth (e.g., BK010364) . 

Once you are logged into Blackboard, you will be taken to your own, personal location within Blackboard.
You will see two tabs at the top of the Blackboard screen. One is My COCC and the other is My Courses. Both of these tabs will have hyperlinks to courses you are taking which will be using Blackboard tools. Click on any of the hyperlinks to your courses and explore what your instructor(s) have made available to you on the Web.

Weekly Course Schedule
Subject to Change!! Check Blackboard/Your COCC e-mail for any changes

See the coursepacket for the rest of the weekly course schedule.

Last Updated: Dec. 2007