FACULTY OF CREATIVE AND CRITICAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF CRITICAL STUDIES
2011 – 12 Winter Term 2
Strategies for University Writing (3 credits)
English 112.106
Professor: Dr. Marie H. Loughlin
Professor’s E-mail: Marie.Loughlin@ubc.ca
Lecture Classroom: ARTS 202
Class Schedule: M, W, F 10:30-11:20
Office Hours:
Office: Arts 144
Mondays, 11:30-12:30, or by appointment
Office Phone: 807-9330
____________________________________________________________________________________
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Study of the principles of university-level discourse, with emphasis on
expository & persuasive writing. Essays and exercises are required.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students must have one of a) 70% in Grade 12 English; b) a 5 on the
LPI; c) a passing grade in the Okanagan campus’ Writing 009; d) or an
acceptable equivalent. For a list of equivalency options, consult the
Current Students website at http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/
registration/First-Year_English.html
REQUIRED TEXTS
Stewart, Kay L, et. al., Essay Writing For Canadian Students with
Readings. 6th edn. Toronto: Pearson, 2008.
Additional critical essays (see schedule below)
The Simpsons (selected episodes)
REQUIRED VIEWING
EVALUATION TYPES
AND WEIGHTING
Essay #1 (in-class essay) [approx. 500 words]
Essay #2 (comparison essay) [900 words]
Essay #3 (analysis of argument) [1,200 words]
Essay #4 (research paper) [1,500 words]
Summary Test [approx. 200 words]
6 Grammar Assignments
Final Examination (approx. 500 word essay)
Total Word Count (approximately):
10%
15%
15%
20%
10%
see below
30%
4,650 words
IMPORTANT: The course’s evaluation also includes 6
mandatory grammar exercises. These grammar exercises
are weighted negatively; for each one that you do not submit
satisfactorily you will receive a 1 mark deduction off your
final grade.
GRADING
See the current calendar for UBC-O’s “standardized grading system.”
REQUIREMENTS TO
ACHIEVE A PASSING
GRADE IN 112.106
Students must achieve at least a 50% average on their in-class work
(Essay #1, the Summary Test, and the Final Exam) to receive a passing
grade in English 112.106. Students who do not achieve at least a 50%
average on their in-class work will be assigned a final grade of no more
than 45%.
FINAL EXAM
There will be three sections on the final exam and each will be weighted
equally: a grammar section; a summary section; and an essay.
LATE PENALTIES
The penalty for late assignments is 5% per day. Penalties apply except in
cases of illness, a death in the family, or similar serious incident; students
must provide documentation from a professional source upon request.
IN-CLASS WORK
I will apply final exam regulations to all tests. In other words, if you miss
work which must be done under ‘test’ conditions, your instructor will
allow you to re-sit it only for one of the following reasons:
1. Medical grounds (sickness of yourself, or [if you are the sole caregiver] of a child or dependant)
2. Compassionate grounds (the death of a close relative, such as a father, mother, uncle, etc.)
3. Religious grounds (if a test falls on a religious holiday or day of observance)
4. Special employment, educational or extraordinary athletic activities.
In-class work done under test conditions CANNOT be rescheduled to accommodate vacation
plans, work schedules or reasons other than those satisfying the above criteria. Students must
provide documentation from a relevant professional (i.e., doctor, minister, etc.) on request. If you
have a personal situation that does not fit the above criteria, but that may mean you cannot write
an in-tutorial test or assignment, please see me as soon as possible.
SUBMISSION OF
ASSIGNMENTS
In this course you will be required to submit all assignments in electronic
form to a service to which UBC subscribes, called Turnitin. I will not
accept assignments submitted in any other way (e.g., through email
or in hardcopy).
Turnitin.com is a service that checks textual material for
originality. It is increasingly used in North American universities. A page
describing Turnitin and the University’s reasons for using it can be found
at http://www.vpacademic.ubc.ca/integrity/turnitin/index.htm. I will give
in-lecture instruction on Turnitin.com at a date to be announced soon.
Please note that Turnitin retains a copy of every assignment submitted.
DEFINITION
OF DUE DATES
Unless otherwise noted, assignments submitted through Turnitin.com are
due before midnight of the due date noted on the syllabus. Therefore, if a
paper is due on Jan 19th, the due date is Jan 19th, 11:59 pm (before
midnight). After midnight, Turnitin will still accept the paper, but it will
be red-flagged as late. Be sure to give yourself some ‘leeway;’ it is not
recommended that you attempt to hand in a paper seconds before
midnight. Be sure to print and keep a copy of your Turnitin receipt, proof
that your paper was submitted on time. If there is any dispute, I will
expect you to produce this receipt. If you experience technical problems
during submission of an assignment, send me a copy of the assignment at
Marie.Loughlin@ubc.ca, to ensure that it is registered as having been
received on time.
SOFTWARE REQUIRED
FOR ASSIGNMENT
SUBMISSION
Students must submit in a form that I am able to access and download.
Word is the preferred software options. Do NOT submit in txt., pdf. or
Microsoft Works. These have proved problematic. If in doubt, submit in
rtf.
ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance is expected of students in all classes (including
laboratories, tutorials, and seminars, etc.). Students who neglect their
academic work and assignments may be excluded from final
examinations. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness or
disability should report to their instructors on return to classes. Any
request for Academic Concession must be clearly expressed. Please note
that academic concessions that may be granted include the following:
permission to drop or withdraw from a course after the normal deadlines,
Aegrotat standing or Deferred standing, and withdrawal from the
University. Please note that Academic Concession does not include being
excused from regularly attending class.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Students are expected to be courteous and attentive both in lecture and
tutorial. Good classes require your preparation and participation. You
will be required to complete brief writing assignments in preparation for
various classes. Please let me know if you have outside commitments
that mean you may have to leave the class abruptly (e.g., minor children,
ill relatives, on-call shifts).
LAPTOPS
Although laptops are permitted in the class, students who abuse this
device, particularly those who view sites that prove distracting or
distressing to other students will not be allowed to bring them, and may
be reported for disciplinary action.
OTHER ELECTRONIC
DEVICES
Note that other electronic devices, particularly cell phones must be
turned off during the class. Photographs and recordings of the lectures
and discussions, and in particular of myself, members of the class, and
any visitors are prohibited for privacy and security reasons. Those who
wilfully violate this policy will be reported to the Dean for disciplinary
action and will not be readmitted to the class until this issue has been
resolved.
LANGUAGE AND
The Language and Writing Services Centre (English Language Centre)
is run by Leah Sanford with the help of a number of student tutors. See
the link on our WebCT Vista page.
WRITING SERVICES
UBC-O’s Language and Writing Services Centre is a wonderful
resource, but the advice of its tutors should supplement NOT replace a
one-on-one session with me. See me first about the requirements of an
assignment.
REVIEW OF DRAFTS
I am happy to look at and comment upon drafts of your essays, but such
a draft must be submitted no less than 72 hours before the assignment
due date. Please note as well that such reviews will focus on aspects of
argument and organization; I will point out examples of errors in
sentences that need correcting, but it is not my job to note each and every
mistake in grammar and style; in the end, editing and proofing your work
is your responsibility.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity.
As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know,
understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic
integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original
work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas
and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should
not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations
of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the
academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh
sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or
cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and
more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the
President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records
are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.
A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the
University’s politics and procedures, may be found in the Academic
Calendar at http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/calendar/
The following definitions are from Plagiarism Avoided: Taking Responsibility For Your Work.
Vancouver: UBC, 1999.
PLAGIARISM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
1. COPYING
Definition: “when an entire essay is copied from an author, or composed by another person, and [is
then] presented [by the student] as [his or her own] original work” (2).
Some Examples: “Completely plagiarized work can be a copy of material in a published journal article,
in a book chapter, from the Internet, from another student, or from another source” (2); an essay written
by a professional essay writing service or one written by a professional ‘tutor’ is also plagiarism if a
student submits it as his or her own original work; (3) if you get a professional ‘tutor’ to fix your
sentences to the extent that they are no longer your own, then the resulting paper is also plagiarized;
remember, if a tutor is rewriting your sentences rather than teaching you how to do this type of editing
yourself, then the paper you submit is not your own work any longer.
2. DOVETAILING
Definition: “submitting the same assignment for two courses” (3)
Some Examples: “Submitting the same work (presumably your work) for two different assignments is
considered plagiarism and will carry the same consequence, even if the two assignments were completed
at different institutions” (3).
3. SLOPPY DOCUMENTATION AND CITATION PRACTICES
1. “Taking phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or statistical findings from a variety of sources and piecing
them together into an essay (piecemeal plagiarism)”
2. “Taking the words of another author and failing to note clearly that they are not your own. In other
words, you have not put a direct quotation within quotation marks”
3. “Using statistical findings without acknowledging your source”
4. “Taking another author’s idea, without your own critical analysis, and failing to acknowledge that this
idea is not your own”
5. “Paraphrasing (i.e., rewording or rearranging words so that your work resembles, but does not copy,
the original) without acknowledging your source”
6. “Using footnotes or material quoted in other sources as if they were the result of your own research”
7. “Submitting a piece of work with inaccurate text references, sloppy footnotes, or incomplete source
(bibliographic) information” (3)
PLAGIARISM
Because this course examines in detail the use of sources (including how
to summarize, paraphrase, quote, cite and document them), I treat all
instances of plagiarism very seriously: essays that violate the above
standards will receive a zero; depending on the nature of the plagiarism,
such a paper may also be referred to the Dean, who may apply other
penalties.
EQUITY, HUMAN RIGHTS,
DISCRIMINATION
AND HARASSMENT
UBC Okanagan is a place where every student, staff and faculty member
should be able to study and work in an environment that is free from
human rights based discrimination and harassment. If you require
assistance related to an issue of equity, discrimination or harassment,
please contact the Equity Office, your administrative head of unit, and/or
your unit’s equity representative.
UBC Okanagan Equity Advisor:
Phone: 250-807-929
Email: equity.ubco@ubc.ca
Web: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/equity
Unit Equity Representatives: http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/
equity/programs/equityreps/unitcontacts.html
David Jefferess is the Equity contact for Critical Studies.
SAFEWALK
Don’t want to walk alone at night? Not too sure how to get somewhere
on campus? Call Safewalk at 250-807-8076. For more information, see:
http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/campuslife/safewalk.html
ENGLISH 112.106: CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
WEEK 1 (JAN 4-6): INTRODUCTION TO COURSE
Introduction to the Course (syllabus, electronic aides: WebCT Vista)
Grammar Diagnostic Test
JAN 6TH:
DIAGNOSTIC
GRAMMAR
TEST
(required)
WEEK 2 (JAN 9-13): REVIEW OF WRITING BASICS: PARAGRAPHS AND ESSAY STRUCTURE
Stewart, Chapter 1: The Basics of Essay Writing (Audience, Purpose, Structure)
Paragraph Coherence, Unity, and Development (WebCT document)
Review of the Elements of the Sentence I: How to Parse a Sentence
(Stewart, pp. 407-39; and WebCT document)
WEEK 3 (JAN 16-20): TEXTUAL ANALYSIS I: ANALYZING AN IMAGE
Jib Fowles’ “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals” (WebCT link)
“How to Write a Textual Analysis”
and “How to Use Analytical Categories” (WebCT Document)
REQUIRED VIEWING:
Parliament Lights Ad (WebCT document)
WEEK 4 (JAN 23-27): IN-CLASS ESSAY AND IDENTIFYING PHRASES
AND CLAUSES
Jan 23rd: In-class Essay
Review of the Elements of the Sentence II: Phrases and Clauses
Stewart, pp. 440-445
JAN 16TH:
Grammar Ex. 1
Due (required)
JAN 23RD:
ESSAY #1
IN-CLASS
ESSAY (10%)
WEEK 5 (JAN 30-FEB 3): SUMMARY, PARAPHRASE, AND QUOTATION
AND CORRECTING ERRORS IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Stewart, Chapter 6
Stewart, pp. 445-449
WEEK 6 (FEB 6-10): THE SUMMARY TEST AND WRITING BETTER
SENTENCES: MIXED CONSTRUCTIONS, INCOMPLETE COMPARISONS
Feb 10th: Summary Test
Stewart, pp. 449-451
WEEK 7 (FEB 13-17): WRITING COMPARISON ESSAYS AND BETTER PARAGRAPHS
Stewart, Chapter 10
George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant” (pp. 313-321)
Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, “He Was a Boxer When I Was Small” (pp. 281-286)
Stewart, pp. 454-457
JAN 30TH:
Grammar Ex. 2
Due (required)
FEB 10TH:
SUMMARY
TEST (10%)
FEB 15TH:
Grammar Ex. 3
Due (required)
WEEK 8 (FEB 20-24): READING WEEK (MIDTERM BREAK): UNIVERSITY CLOSED
WEEK 9 (FEB 27-MAR 2): ANALYZING ARGUMENT AND USING TRANSITIONS
Stewart, Chapter 11
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail (WebCT Vista link)
Stewart, pp. 458-461
WEEK 10 (MAR 5-9): WRITING AN ANALYSIS OF ARGUMENT AND CONCISENESS
J.B.S. Haldane, “Some Enemies of Science” (UBC-O library reserve)
Peter Singer, “Speciesism and the Equality of Animals” (UBC-O library reserve)
Being Concise (Stewart, pp. 461-464)
WEEK 11 (MAR 12-16): THE RESEARCH ESSAY I
Defining and ‘Doing’ Research: Stewart, Chapters 13-14
“Homer the Heretic” and “Much Apu About Nothing”
Revisiting the Textual Analysis (WebCT documents, week 1)
Creating an Appropriate Tone (pronouns, diction, usage)
WEEK 12 (MAR 19-23): THE RESEARCH ESSAY II:
HOW TO USE YOUR SECONDARY SOURCES
How to Read an Academic Essay and How to Use it in Your Own Essay
Paul A. Cantor, “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family”
(WebCT link)
Review of Punctuation I: The Apostrophe and the Comma (Stewart, pp. 476-82)
FEB 27TH:
ESSAY #2
COMPARISON
ESSAY DUE
(15%)
MAR 5TH:
Grammar Ex. 4
Due (required)
MAR 16TH:
ESSAY #3
ANALYSIS OF
ARGUMENT
DUE (15%)
MAR 19TH:
Grammar Ex. 5
Due (required)
WEEK 13 (MAR 26-30): THE RESEARCH ESSAY III
In-Class Analysis of Secondary Sources
In-Class Review of Thesis Statements, Outlines, and Introductions
Review of Punctuation II: The Semicolon and the Colon (Stewart, pp. 476-86)
WEEK 14 (APR 2-6): FINAL EXAMINATION REVIEW
APRIL 2ND:
ESSAY #4
RESEARCH
ESSAY DUE
(20%)