University Curriculum Committee
Proposal for New Course
1. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
If yes, route completed form to Liberal Studies.
Yes
No x
2. New course effective beginning what term and year? (ex. Spring 2009,
Summer 2009)
3. College
Fall 2011
See effective dates schedule.
Arts and Letters
4. Academic Unit /Department
5. Course subject/catalog number
7. Long course title
CCS 350W
Comparative Cultural
Studies
6. Units/Credit Hours
3
Words at Work: Researching and Writing About Culture
(max 100 characters including spaces)
8. Short course title (max. 30 characters including
Words at Work: Writing/Culture
spaces)
9. Catalog course description (max. 30 words, excluding requisites).
This seminar focuses on academic writing and effective oral communication skills through interdisciplinary
engagement with various modes of cultural production.
10. Grading option:
Letter grade
X
Pass/Fail
or Both
(If both, the course may only be offered one way for each respective section.)
11. Co-convened with
11a. Date approved by UGC
(Must be approved by UGC prior to bringing to UCC. Both course syllabi must be presented)
12. Cross-listed with
(Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.)
13. May course be repeated for additional units? yes
no
X
a. If yes, maximum units allowed?
b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same term?
yes
no
(ex. PES 100)
14. Prerequisites (must be completed before
proposed course)
CCS major with junior status (60 credits) or consent of
the instructor
15. Corequisites (must be completed with
proposed course)
16. Is the course needed for a new or existing plan of study
(major, minor, certificate)?
yes
X
no
Name of plan?
Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Cultural Studies
Note: If required, a new plan or plan change form must be submitted with this request.
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17. Is a potential equivalent course offered at a community college (lower division only)
If yes, does it require listing in the Course Equivalency Guide?
Please list, if known, the institution and subject/catalog number of the course
18. Names of current faculty qualified to teach this course:
yes
yes
no
no
X
All CCS faculty
19. Justification for new course, including unique features if applicable. (Attach proposed
syllabus in the approved university format).
This course represents the new Junior Level Writing class for all CCS majors; it replaces ARH
300W, HUM 345W and REL 300W. Students will develop their skills in analysis, interpretation, and
evaluation, and refine them while working on a research project that will culminate in a final paper.
For Official AIO Use Only:
Component Type
Consent
Topics Course
35. Approvals
Department Chair (if appropriate)
Date
Chair of college curriculum committee
Date
Dean of college
Date
For Committees use only
For University Curriculum Committee
Date
Action taken:
Approved as submitted
revised 8/08
Approved as
modified
2
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Letters
Department of Comparative Cultural Studies
CCS 350W: WORDS AT WORK:
RESEARCHING AND WRITING ABOUT CULTURE
Fall, 2011
Day/Time:
Instructor:
Office Phone:
Office Hours:
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Building/Room:
Office:
E-mail:
TBA
TBA
TBA
Course Prerequisite: CCS major with junior status (60 credits) or consent of the instructor.
Course Description and Objectives: Our main aim in this class is to produce good academic
writing and effective oral communication skills through interdisciplinary engagement with
various modes of cultural production. Strong written and oral communication skills inform and
strengthen each other and will serve the student in professional and academic settings, i.e., as
scholars and as representatives of schools, museums and other institutions.
The foundation of this kind of writing and speaking is clear thinking together with fundamental
language skills; together we will develop and practice the means of producing effective thesis
statements and persuasive supporting evidence.
To achieve our aim of effective written and oral communication we will study the processes of
analysis of visual and verbal texts, interpretation of same, and evaluation of arguments and
secondary sources relative to these texts. These skills necessarily build on each other; we
cannot evaluate arguments or sources that speak to a visual/verbal text without first performing
analysis and interpretation of that text; therefore, these skills will be taught discretely and each
subsequent paper will include the previous skill(s). We will practice these skills in our weekly
discussions, short writing assignments, and formal papers. Formal papers will go through a
revision process in consultation with instructor and peers; area consultants from ARH, HUM,
and REL are available to assist with the mastery of content. CCS 350W meets the university
requirement for the Junior Level Writing Course. Students will produce a minimum of 20 pages
of revised, multiple draft prose.
In addition, students will be responsible for two oral presentations in order to develop and
practice the communication skills employed in the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of
various types of visual and verbal cultural productions.
Course Structure/Format: The course will be taught as a seminar. Class discussions and
assignments will help students develop effective written and oral communication skills. For the
success of the course, it is imperative that ALL ASSIGNMENTS be completed on their
RESPECTIVE DUE DATES.
From weeks 2-8, students will develop their skills in analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.
Between weeks 8-15, students will continue to refine these skills while working on a research
project that will culminate in a final paper. The topic of this project should be chosen in
consultation with your instructor and/or CCS faculty consultants.
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Required Texts (available at the NAU Bookstore):
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Columb and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of
Research, 3rd Edition. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008)
Assessment:
1. Attendance and Participation – 50 points
Given the structure of the course, which is based on class discussions and in-class
assignments/peer evaluations, it is imperative that you attend each class,
participate actively, and demonstrate your knowledge of the assigned readings
both verbally and in writing. More than two absences will result in a lower course
grade.
2. Oral Presentations – 50 points


A 5 minute oral presentation on the research topic, in which the student
introduces the topic, foregrounding the elements of effective writing,
including the working thesis and support—20 points.
o This presentation will be peer-critiqued and evaluated on the basis
of the following:
 Voice
 Eye contact
 Time
 Organization
 Knowledge of topic
 Power point contents
 Overall effort
12-15 minute oral presentation on the final project—this should be a
coherent, concise and well-prepared draft of your final paper. You will
read from the paper as from a script, using PowerPoint images as
necessary to illustrate your points—30 points
o You will be evaluated on the basis of the above criteria.
3. Writing Assignments—120 points. NOTE: you will be expected to revise/rewrite
all of your assignments based on comments provided by your peers and the instructor,
and the revision checklist located below.
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
Analysis. Your instructor will assign the topic under analysis. Topics may
include written or visual texts. In advance of this assignment, you will be
TAUGHT (through reading material, lecture, group work, and discussion)
how to perform an effective analysis. For a review of that information, see
the Criteria for Writing Analysis on the Vista course shell. 2-3 pages—
First Draft: 10 points; Final Draft: 10 points

Interpretation. To conduct an insightful and accurate interpretation, you
must first perform an analysis! Your instructor will assign the topic under
interpretation. Topics may include written or visual texts. In advance of this
assignment, you will be TAUGHT (through reading material, lecture,
group work, and discussion) how to perform an effective interpretation. For
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a review of that information, see the Criteria for Writing Interpretation
on the Vista course shell. 3-4 pages—First Draft: 10 points; Final Draft: 10
points

Evaluation. In order to faithfully judge or evaluate arguments and sources
that address a visual/verbal text, you must first perform analysis and
interpretation of that text! Your instructor will assign the topic under
evaluation. Topics may include written or visual texts. In advance of this
assignment, you will be TAUGHT (through reading material, lecture,
group work, and discussion) how to perform an effective evaluation. For a
review of that information, see the Criteria for Writing Evaluation on the
Vista course shell. 3-4 pages—First Draft: 10 points; Final Draft: 10 points

A Research plan for your final project including the following—10
points.
o The format of your project (a 10-12 page traditional research
paper, exhibition catalog of a virtual exhibition, website, etc.)
o your topic
o your research question, a working thesis statement and 3-5 points
of proof
 Ask yourself: What is my claim? What reasons support my
claim? What evidence supports my reasons?
o a preliminary annotated bibliography
o Abstract

First Draft of Project (due at time of Oral Presentation)—25 points
o Your draft will be assessed for:
 Clarity and accuracy
 depth and detail of development
 organization
 logic of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation
 originality of ideas
 control of mechanics, spelling and usage

Completed Project—25 points
o Your final project will be assessed on the basis of the above
criteria.
Course Outline & Assignments (subject to change)
Week 1
Course Introduction
 The process of writing: plan, draft, revise, edit
o Brainstorming
o Choosing and narrowing the topic (what you’re writing about (I’d like to
learn about/study … BOOTH et al., p. 48)
o Posing a research question (what you don’t know about it (… because I
want to find out …)
o Its significance, i.e., why you want your reader to know and care about it
(… in order to demonstrate/help the reader understand better…)
o Research
o Formulating a thesis
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o
o
o
o
Articulating points of proof (supporting facts, details and examples)
Structure: title, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, citations
Revision
Editing and Proofreading
Week 2
Lecture & discussion: Analysis of visual/verbal texts
CCS consultant introductions.
Week 3
From Interest to Topic—Booth et al., Chapters 3-6.
Workshop at Cline Library
DUE DATE: Analysis, draft1
Week 4
BOOTH et al., 31-33, and Chapters 3-4 & 7
DUE DATE: Analysis, final draft
Week 5
Lecture & discussion: Interpretation of visual/verbal texts
BOOTH: Making a Claim and Supporting it—Booth et al., Chapters 7-8.
Assembling Reasons and Evidence—Booth et al., Chapter 9.
Week 6
Oral Presentations #1
DUE DATE: Interpretation, draft 1
Week 7
Lecture & discussion: Evaluation of arguments and secondary sources pertaining to
visual/verbal texts
Introductions and Conclusions—Booth et al., Chapter 16.
DUE DATE: Interpretation, final draft
Week 8
Communicating Evidence Visually—Booth et al., Chapter 15.
DUE DATE: Evaluation, draft 1
Week 9
Individual meetings with instructor to discuss final project research plan
DUE DATE: Research plan (due at time of meeting)
DUE DATE: Evaluation, final draft
Week 10
Quotations and Citations—Booth et al., Chapter 13.
Revision workshop in class. Bring your working thesis, introduction paragraph, and outline for
supporting evidence (see Booth for details)
Week 11
Drafts and Revision—Booth et al., Chapters 13 and 17.
Bring revised intro, body, and conclusion: Revision workshop in class
Week 12
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Revision workshop in class, continued
Weeks 13-15
Oral presentation #2
DUE DATE: at the time of the presentation: First Draft of Final Project Paper
Final exam day: final draft of research project due
Grading Scale and Rubric:
Grading Rubric
Excellent
Satisfactory
Needs Improvement
Thesis
Contains a strong thesis
statement
Contains a weak thesis
statement
Does not contain a
thesis statement
Contains a purpose
statement
Does not contain main
ideas that support the
thesis statement
Lacks concrete,
relevant details or
examples to prove
thesis
Simplistic
generalizations
Unclear or vague
Does not contain
writer’s own
commentary, or it is
predictable and
disconnected
Commentary only
summarizes
information given
Shows no clear
connection of details
and examples to thesis
statement
Weak organization
makes information
hard to follow
Body of paper needs a
clearer relation to
thesis statement
No transitions present
or they are
inconsistent at either
the paragraph or paper
level
Body/Supporting Contains significant
main ideas that support
Detail
the thesis statement
Uses rich detail and
examples that prove
thesis
Commentary
Contains writer’s own
commentary that
analyzes and interprets
details and examples,
showing how they
relate to the thesis
statement
Organization
Has clear, sophisticated
organization
Body of paper relates to
thesis statement
Paragraph parts flow
seamlessly
Uses thoughtful
transition between all
ideas at the paper and
paragraph levels for the
smooth progression of
ideas
Provokes further
thought
Transitions
Conclusion
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Contains main ideas that
support the thesis
statement
Uses some details and
examples to help prove
thesis
Could be elaborated
upon to show more
understanding/support of
thesis
Explains significance of
details or examples but
could be expanded to
show stronger
connection to the thesis
statement
Needs more insight
about the details and
examples
Has adequate
organization
Uses transitions between
and within paragraphs
but they seem awkward
or forced
Contains restated thesis
statement
Does not contain
restated thesis
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Contains restated thesis
statement
Does not tie up loose
ends
Word Choice
Contains striking vivid
words
Strong use of action
verbs
Contains some use of
action verbs
Uses “to be” verbs at
times
Sentence Variety
Shows mastery over a
variety of sentence
beginnings and
structures
Uses sentence
variations appropriately
Contains no glaring
grammatical errors
Proofreading/editing is
present
Contains some varied
sentence structure
Most sentences follow
subject-verb pattern
Grammar
Presentation
Typed in correct format
on clean white paper
free of unnecessary
marks
Contains grammar
errors, but they do not
disrupt the flow of the
writing
Some proofreading or
editing is present
Typed but not in correct
format
statement
Presents new ideas or
raises new issues
Stops at awkward spot
or trails off into
meaningless
information
Includes wordy
expressions
Contains clichés
Repetition of “to be”
verbs
Does not contain
much sentence variety
Contains blatant
grammatical errors
Proofreading/editing
is not present
Paper does not
contain all the
required parts
Course Policies:
Late Assignments: There will be no makeup assignments unless there is a valid family
emergency, serious illness or injury. Family emergencies must be documented through
the Office of Student Life, and illness or injury through a physician’s note. A missed
assignment will be counted as a zero.
Statement on Plagiarism and Cheating: The Department of Comparative Cultural
Studies considers cheating and plagiarism serious issues and deals with them severely.
Any student found cheating or plagiarizing will fail the exam or assignment, and may be
removed from the class.
Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices: ALL cell phones, pagers, beeping watches
and any other form of electronic device MUST BE SWITCHED off BEFORE you enter
the classroom. If one of these devices goes off, you will be asked to leave the class for
the remainder of the period.
University Policies: All students must familiarize themselves with university policies such as
the Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy, Students with Disabilities Policy,
Institutional Review Board, and Academic Integrity Policy. These are available online as well as
attached here.
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