07 Jan Finally, discuss whether

Week 1 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

This week, you will be deciding on the research topic that you will be using for the Signature Assignment for this course. The signature assignment will be completed step by step each week as the course progresses. During this first week, you will decide on the topic that you will use for your paper.

Your topic should be a debatable topic concerning social, political, or cultural relevance. Some things to think about as you choose a topic:

Will I be able to leverage only outside information regarding this topic?

Will I be able to refrain from interjecting personal thoughts, opinions, and ideas?

Will I be able to find at least 8 credible sources from books, journal articles, academic websites, interviews, etc.?

Will my sources be up-to-date?

For this discussion, you will list your chosen topic for feedback from peers and your instructor. After seeing feedback, you may decide to change your mind on your chosen topic.

In your initial post, please answer the following questions:

What topic are you considering?

What research question will your topic answer?

Why did you choose this topic?

You must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. In your responses, provide feedback on their chosen topics. Look at the hints for choosing a topic and offer feedback on whether your classmate’s topic seems to meet each requirement. If you see any potential pitfalls for your classmate related to the chosen topic, be sure to note these and offer suggestions for how to avoid them.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Think about times when you have had to write in a formal setting in the past; this could be previous courses or classes you have taken, documents you have had to produce for your job, or even documents you have created yourself such as resumes or cover letters. Ask yourself the following questions:

When you have had to undertake these types of written projects, what type of writing process did you use?

Did you brainstorm or freewrite? Outline? Create a rough draft? Do revisions and proofreading?

If so, how effective do you think that your process has been for you? How might you improve it going forward?

If not, what steps do you plan to implement going forward as part of your regular writing routine? Which steps in the writing process do you think will be most beneficial for you?

Discussion posts must be completed during the week assigned. Initial posts are due by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. (PT), and replies to peers should occur throughout the week to show active participation. You must post a minimum of two substantive responses to your classmates for each discussion question posted to earn full participation credit. There is an automatic 10% point deduction for late initial postings.

Week 2 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

As a writer, knowing your audience is very important. For your final research paper, you are writing a paper that provides an unbiased presentation of two sides of a controversial topic. As such, you can assume the following about your audience:

Your audience may not be highly educated on the chosen topic

Your audience may not have an opinion on the chosen topic

Remind your classmates of the topic you have chosen.

Discuss what types of background information you will need to include in your paper to help ensure your audience fully understandings the underlying problem.

Discuss what types of people might be interested in learning more about your chosen debate.

Explain why it is important to educate your audience on your topic.

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your response should include elements such as follow up questions, further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Discussion Prompt 2:

To be an effective writer, it is extremely important to understand not just the purpose behind your writing project but also the audience that you are addressing.

For this writing log, you need to accomplish the following tasks:

Think about a presentation that you could give on your research paper topic.

Describe your topic and your purpose behind your presentation.

Identify three different audience types who might be interested in the topic.

Explain the differences between how you will approach your different audiences based on their knowledge base and their preexisting viewpoint on the topic.

For example, if you were writing about “online education versus traditional on-ground education,” you could give a presentation about why online education has more benefits for returning learners than on-ground education does. Three audiences who might be interested in this topic are administrators at a traditional college considering opening an online component, potential returning students deciding whether to apply for a ground or online program, and students already enrolled in an online program. While each group has an interest in the topic, the presentation should shift according to the audiences’ interests, background knowledge on the topic, and point of view. You should explain which approaches are needed and what different points you might focus on for each audience.

Week 3 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

A topic sentence is the sentence in a paragraph that provides an overview of the main point covered in the paragraph. Generally the first sentence in a paragraph, it also provides a transition from the previous paragraph. A topic sentence must directly relate to your thesis statement.

In this discussion thread, you need to identify at least four main points you will be making for your essay; for each main point, craft a topic sentence that addresses the main point.

Post your thesis statement and your topic sentences. (Remember, you need a minimum of four topic sentences for this assignment.)

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. As you craft your follow-up responses, consider the following questions:

Does each topic sentence relate directly to the thesis statement?

Do the topic sentences include transitions from the previous point?

Are the topic sentences presented without bias?

Are the topic sentences written in third person?

Are there two topic sentences for both main arguments to the primary issue discussed in the thesis statement?

Discussion Prompt 2:

Discuss how the writing process has worked for you thus far.

Have you found it easy to be organized as you began working on this signature assignment?

Think about yourself as a person in general—would you say that you are always organized, always trying to get organized, happily disorganized?

Does your approach to writing mirror your approach to organization in other ways in your life? If so, how? If not, how are they different?

Week 4 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

Research is something we all do in both our personal and our professional lives. We research products we might buy, films or books we might watch or read, restaurants and hotels we might patronize, medical issues and doctors, and much more. At work, we research companies we might want to work for or with, products we might want to use, computer issues we face, and so on.

Think back over the past few months and give at least one example of research you have conducted for yourself and for work. If you cannot think of one from each category, you may give two from the same category.

Tell us whether you were able to find the information that you needed and explain if the information proved to be accurate.

Discuss what types of source materials you are using for your research paper, and list one of the sources that you plan to use.

Tell your classmates how that source relates to your chosen topic and what information you plan to use from that source.

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your responses should include elements such as follow-up questions, a further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Search for your favorite movie on the Rotten Tomatoes website and read a few of the critics’ reviews.

Write a response (approximately 250 words) that introduces and provides a brief synopsis of the film, and then address the following questions:

According to the site, what was the overall consensus of the film?

What were some of the criteria used to analyze the film?

Are the critics’ evaluations similar to yours? If not, on which points did your view differ?

What do they consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of the film?

Week 5 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

Plagiarism occurs when a writer uses the words or ideas of someone else without crediting the person who originally presented the ideas. This can be done both intentionally and unintentionally, and it is something that is taken very seriously by the university, so students must recognize and avoid committing unintentional acts of plagiarism.

Some tips to help prevent unintentional plagiarism include the following:

When quoting an exact phrase, sentence, or short passage, quotation marks must be used.

In addition to quotation marks, parenthetical in-text citations must be included any time information from a source is used. This includes summarizing, paraphrasing, and using direct quotes.

At the minimum, the author’s last name and date of publication must be included in the text of the essay when the source is paraphrased, summarized, or quoted. If this information is not available, the title of the article or name of the organization must be included.

For every in-text citation that you have, you must have a corresponding reference entry on your reference page. You do not need to cite sources on your reference page that are not cited in your essay.

For this discussion, consider the effects/consequences of committing plagiarism.

How could committing this offense affect your professional life?

What do you think are some of the main reasons why students plagiarize?

What types of penalties do you think are appropriate for intentional and unintentional plagiarism?

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your responses should include elements such as follow-up questions, a further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Choose one of the sources you will be utilizing in your final paper.

Using one passage from that source, provide an example of a quotation, an example of a paraphrase, and an example of a summary from that passage. Try to choose a passage of 50–100 words.

Use the same passage for your quote, paraphrase, and summary.

Clearly identify your quotation, paraphrase, and summary to avoid confusion.

Finally, include the reference list citation for the source you used.

In a separate paragraph, discuss the differences between quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Identify when these types of methods might be more appropriate, and discuss how you think you might incorporate quotations, paraphrases, and summaries into your research paper.

Week 6 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

This week, your rough draft is due by Sunday, and one of the challenges that students face during this week is a sense of being overwhelmed at the idea of actually writing the essay, which too often leads to procrastination and either late nights or late work (or both!) So, let’s talk about how to avoid this trap.

Read the article “Writing a Rough Draft: Make it Fast, Make it Easy.” Then post to the discussion forum answering the prompts below.

Discuss what steps you plan to take to help you get started with drafting your essay.

Discuss whether or not procrastination is something you struggle with and which strategies you could use to overcome it.

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your responses should include such elements as follow up questions, further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Read the article “Sentence Variety,” and then write a response that discusses the importance of using sentence variety when writing.

As part of your response, address the following:

Find and post an example of a simple sentence in your rough draft:

Explain why a simple sentence was most effective in this case, or explain why it might need to be changed to a different sentence type.

Look at the sentences before and after. Are they both simple sentences as well? If so, does sentence variety need to be addressed here? Why or why not?

Find and post an example of a complex sentence in your rough draft:

Explain why a complex sentence was most effective in this case, or explain why it might need to be changed to a different sentence type.

Look at the sentences before and after. Are they both complex sentences as well? If so, does sentence variety need to be addressed here? Why or why not?

Find and post an example of a compound sentence in your rough draft:

Explain why a compound sentence was most effective in this case, or explain why it might need to be changed to a different sentence type.

Look at the sentences before and after. Are they both compound sentences as well? If so, does sentence variety need to be addressed here? Why or why not?Check all three sentences to see if they are correctly punctuated, and if not, address what changes need to be made and why.

Week 7 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

To participate in this peer-review assignment, please follow these steps:

Post your rough draft in this week’s discussion forum. Please note that it is important to post the draft of your essay as early in the week as possible to have the best chance of getting a peer to review your work.

Using the Signature Essay Peer Review worksheet, perform a peer review of the essay posted directly below yours in this forum.

Sometimes confusion occurs. If the essay directly below yours already has a review posted, choose an essay that has not been reviewed.

If your draft is posted last, review the draft posted first.

Attach your completed Peer Review Worksheet as a “reply” to your peer’s first draft.

For this discussion forum, you are only required to respond to one peer to receive full credit. If you do not submit your draft and your Peer Review Worksheet to both places, you may not receive full credit for your work.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Using the questions below as a guide, write a response:

When you read your peer’s essay, did you find yourself comparing your essay to the essay you were reading? What similarities or differences did you notice? How did the approaches compare?

During the review process, did you come across any ideas for changes you wanted to make to your own essay? If so, provide examples.

After reading the feedback from the peer who reviewed your essay, what changes did you decide to make to your essay? Did you come across any feedback that you disagreed with? Provide examples.

Use the peer-review worksheet and try to answer the questions about your own essay. What areas may need to be revised? What strengths do you see in this draft?

Week 8 discussion

Discussion Prompt 1:

At this point, you have finished your rough draft and received feedback on it, and now you should be finishing the revision process. All too often, writers are tired of their essay at this point and are just ready to be done so they can submit it for a grade.

Let’s talk about how important it really is to take the time to carefully read your essay and to go through the revising and editing stages of writing. First, read this article on Typos, Grammatical Errors and Spelling Mistakes for some examples of major errors that made it past any proofreading and into publication.

Then, check out Grammar Glitch Central, which collects examples of grammatical errors that have made it into print.

Pick one example to discuss and explain what the error was and how it could be fixed.

Next, address how you think this reflects on the company or the writer who published the ad or article.

Finally, discuss whether you do the revision and proofreading stages when you compose a written project for work or school, and if you see yourself using it in the future.

In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your responses should include elements such as follow up questions, further exploration of topics from the initial post, and requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Discussion Prompt 2:

Throughout this term, you have worked on writing an informative essay.

Your essay provides two sides of an argument to allow your reader to decide which viewpoint is more compelling. For this assignment, you get to make your case. Explain which side of the argument from your informative essay has the most compelling case, and argue why your readers should agree with this point of view. Then, in two to three sentences, discuss how the process of trying to persuade differs from the process of being informative.