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ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 1 Discussion

EXPLORING THE COURSE THEMES

The four course themes of education, technology, art & culture, and the environment are topics that touch each of our lives in some way. In this discussion, practice exploring the themes as a researcher would: by creating problem statements.

First, choose a broad area of inquiry. Second, brainstorm questions related to that topic. Third, answer the questions. Finally, write down your focused topic. Some samples are provided below to help you to get started.

Broad Area of Inquiry

Education

Technology

Arts and Culture

The Environment

Sample Brainstorming Questions How can we reward the best teachers and educational leaders? How can we attract the best and brightest to enter the education field? How do nations use computing technologies to gain strategic advantage over rivals and adversaries? What are the dangers of such technologies to citizens? Is art limited to what we see in museums and downtown galleries? Is graffiti art? Are tattoos art? Who gets to decide? Are zoos ethical? Are wild animals better off in zoos or in their native habitats? Do zoos encourage preservation, or are they simply a form of entertainment for humans?

Possible Answers Teaching should be a highly paid, respected profession to attract the best candidates to the field. The best teachers should be paid more. There is growing evidence that nations have attempted to interfere in the elections of other nations. Some nations may have used computer viruses against their rivals. While traditional attitudes toward art are still dominant, greater attention and respect are being paid to controversial artists such as Banksy. These artists define themselves as being in opposition to traditions and even laws. Proponents of zoos would argue that endangered animals may go extinct without them, and that the animals are well treated. Opponents might counter by claiming that zoos are nothing more than animal prisons.

Focused Topic Merit Pay for Teachers Cyberwarfare Outlaw Art The Ethics of Zoos

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 SUMMARIZING A SOURCE

Locate one high-quality, reliable source you plan to use for your course project. A source’s quality and reliability depends on a variety of factors, including the following:

the author’s credibility

the reputation of the publication

timeliness

the quality, depth, and attention to detail in the writing

Begin your response by providing the reference, in APA format, for your source. Do not use anonymous sources, or undated sources. If the article is not paginated, provide a word count. The source should be at least three pages, or 1000 words long.

Find out more about the author. What are his or her qualifications? What else has this individual written recently?

Summarize the article in a well written paragraph of five or more sentences. Follow the directions in this week’s Lesson to help you write an effective summary.

Finally, tell us why you think this article is a good-quality source, and share with us how you intend to use the source in your course project.

After your initial post, read those of your fellow classmates and provide constructive feedback to at least two other students.

DQ2 INTERNET RELIABILITY

On one hand, the Internet is a tremendous resource, providing instant access to information that helps us at work, at school, and in our personal lives. It is hard to imagine life without it. On the other hand, it can be difficult to find sources of information that are both accurate and unbiased. Please share with us an example of a recent search for information. What were you looking for? How did you find it? How did you decide if the source or sources you found were reliable?

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY PRACTICE

For this week’s homework you will be creating an annotated bibliography with five high-quality sources. For each source, you will create an annotation of two paragraphs. See the Week 3 assignment description, located in the Files -> Supplemental Materials folder, for more details (the rubric is located in Files -> Grading Rubrics.)

For your initial post this week, share one source annotation with your fellow classmates. Start with the correct APA-style reference, followed by the two-paragraph annotation. After making your initial post, respond to the posts of at least two other students.

Note: it is especially important this week to make your initial post by Wednesday so that your classmates have an opportunity to provide feedback to your work.

DQ2 PRESENTING IDEAS

Persuasive presenters have several traits in common. Browse through TED talks http://www.ted.com/talks (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. or American Rhetoric Website at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to find a notable speaker who demonstrates strong communication traits. How does this speaker meaningfully communicate to his or her audience? Include the URL link of the speaker you choose to write about. After your initial post, respond to the posts of two of your fellow classmates.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 4 Discussion

ANALYZING A SAMPLE ARGUMENT

In the textbook, read “From Degrading to De-Grading” on p. 254 in Chapter 11. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the argument? Were you convinced by the author’s main points about grading?

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 5 Discussion

COURSE PROJECT PEER REVIEW – GROUP A

This week, we’ll be sharing drafts in a class peer review. In order to make this process run smoothly, please be sure to follow the instructions noted below.

Find your name on the peer review assignment list provided by your professor to determine whether you are in Group A, B, C, or D.

Once you have located your assigned group, join that discussion area and hit “reply” to the initial prompt. In your reply, leave feedback for your classmates with general information about your draft. Explain the current state of your draft, your plans to add content, and your revision plans. If you have specific questions for the peers who will review your assignment, or want to provide them with any additional information, please do so in your initial post.

Attach your current draft to your initial post. This must be completed no later than Tuesday night. Even if your rough draft is not as complete as you’d like, it is important to submit the rough draft on time so that your fellow team members have enough time to provide you with thoughtful feedback.

Find the two peers who have posted after you in terms of time. Read their attached drafts and any notes they left to accompany the draft. Find the Week 5 Peer Review Checklist in the Supplemental Materials folder in Files and download it. Complete the form separately for each of the two peers whose drafts you will be reviewing.

Using the Peer Review Worksheet, provide thoughtful feedback to each of your peers separately. This must be completed by no later than Friday night, so that students can incorporate your feedback into their drafts.

Continue to check into your group Discussion area in the event your peers pose any follow-up questions.

**Please note: If you are the last to post in your group before the Tuesday deadline, you should review the students who post in the #1 and #2 slot. If you are second last to post in your group, please review the students who post in the last and #1 slot. Be sure to ask your professor if you have any questions about the peer review process.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 6 Discussion

PRESENTATION PEER REVIEW – GROUP A

This week, we’ll be sharing rough drafts of your presentations in a class peer review. In order to make this process run smoothly, please be sure to follow the instructions noted below.

Find your name on the peer review assignment list provided by your professor to determine whether you are in Group A, B, C, or D.

Once you have located your assigned group, join that discussion area and hit “reply” to the initial prompt. In your reply, leave feedback for your classmates with general information about your draft. Explain the current state of your draft, your plans to add content, and your revision plans. If you have specific questions for the peers who will review your assignment, or want to provide them with any additional information, please do so in your initial post.

Attach your current draft to your initial post. Ideally, your rough draft should consist of 5-7 slides, accompanied by a 5-7 minute audio presentation. This must be completed no later than Tuesday night. No matter how “rough” your rough draft is, submit what you have by Tuesday night. The reason this is so important is that if you don’t submit your draft on time, your fellow students can’t complete their task of providing you feedback on time either.

Find the two peers who have posted after you in terms of time. Read their attached drafts and any notes they left to accompany the draft. Find the Week 6 Presentation Peer Review Checklist in the Supplemental Materials folder in Files and download it. Complete the form separately for each of the two peers whose drafts you will be reviewing.

Using the Presentation Peer Review Worksheet, provide thoughtful feedback to each of your peers separately. This must be completed no later than Friday night, so that students can incorporate your feedback into their finished presentations.

Continue to check into your group Discussion area in the event your peers pose any follow-up questions.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 7 Discussion

DQ1 APA WORKSHOP

Each academic area of study has a particular style for documenting the ideas of other scholars. The standards of formatting document you’ve been using are from the American Psychological Association (APA). This is the preferred style in the social sciences. As you work on revising your Course Project, what questions do you have about how to incorporate standard APA format and documentation guidelines into your essay? In addition, please share any tips, tricks, or advice on how to make sure your research follows correct APA format.

DQ2 DESIGNING YOUR COURSE PROJECT

Unlike your Course Project presentation, your Course Project paper is mostly text. However, you may find it helpful to incorporate a visual element into your final paper. Review Chapter 17, pp. 382–387 to learn more about the use of visual elements. How can the use of a visual element enhance your project? What kind of visual element are you thinking of using? If you have located a good visual element already, please show it to us in your initial post.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 1 COURSE PROJECT – TOPIC SELECTION

This assignment was locked Sep 9 at 11:59pm.

First, review the Course Project Overview page located in the Introduction & Resources module. You will notice that Course Project milestones are assigned in each week of the course. Therefore, you may refer back to this Course Project Overview page frequently throughout the term.

This Course Project will address a topic within one of the course themes of education, arts and culture, technology, or the environment.

Read the Week 1 Lesson page for more information.

For this first Course Project milestone you will select a topic for your 8- to 10-page research project.

The assignment is a prewriting activity that requires your detailed responses. Please use the Topic Selection document (template and instructions) found in the Files section for this assignment. The responses for almost every question should be written in two paragraphs (approximately 250 words). When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The completed assignment is due at the end of Week 1 and is worth 50 points.

Note that there is a button located in the left side Course Menu labeled “Files”. See this Files area for support documents. The Week 1 files are listed below, along with their specific folder location within the main Files > Advanced Composition folder:

Week 1 Topic Selection ENGL135 [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 1 Grading Rubric Topic Selection ENGL135 [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

View the tutorial on formatting a Word document:

What is your possible topic? Brainstorm five questions about it.

How is the topic important to you and how does it affect you? What do you personally hope to gain or accomplish by writing about this topic?

Research your topic and provide a brief summary of the current points of view about the topic. Share at least two different/opposing positions on the topic

Describe whom you might choose as your audience. Who are your readers, and what are their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to them?

What specific issue will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you provide?

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 2 COURSE PROJECT – RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND OUTLINE

This assignment was locked Sep 22 at 11:59pm.

The research proposal and outline will present the topic you have selected for your Course Project. The purpose of the proposal is to persuade your reader to believe that you are interested in the topic and ready to learn how to develop the topic into a project. The format of the proposal is a sentence outline (approximately 250 words minimum). Use APA style to document any sources referenced in your proposal. When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The Course Project – Research Proposal and Outline is worth 50 points.

See the Files section (located in the Course Menu) for the support documents. The Week 2 files are listed below, along with their location:

Week 2 Proposal Directions and Document Format [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 2 Grading Rubric Proposal [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

Submit the assignment.

I. Introduction

A. Topic

1) What is your research question?

2) What is your working thesis?

3) What is your angle on the topic?

B. Context

1) Justify for your reader why the topic is important.

2) Justify for your reader why you are the one to write about it. What do you bring to the topic?

C. Audience

1) Who is your primary audience?

2) Who is your secondary audience?

3) Does your audience share your opinions and values?

II. Evidence

A. What research have you gathered so far?

B. What research do you need to gather?

III. Conclusion

IV. References

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 3 COURSE PROJECT – ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

This assignment was locked Oct 6 at 11:59pm.

The annotated bibliography will present an introduction and five reference citations with annotations. The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to determine the appropriateness of the sources to the argument you are developing for the Course Project. The format of the proposal is an introductory paragraph followed by an alphabetized list of sources with two paragraphs of annotation after each source (approximately 325 words). Use APA documentation to document any sources referenced in your proposal. When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The Annotated Bibliography is worth 100 points and is due at the end of the week. Please use the grading rubric as a guideline for your assignment.

See the Files section for the following support documents. This files are listed below, along with their location:

Week 3 Annotated Bibliography Directions and Document Format [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 3 Annotated Bibliography Sample [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 3 Grading Rubric Annotated Bibliography [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

Before you turn in your assignment, proofread and edit carefully for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Not every error will be flagged automatically in word-processing programs, and some that are flagged as errors are actually correct.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 4 COURSE PROJECT – FIRST DRAFT

This assignment was locked Oct 20 at 5pm.

The purpose of the first draft is to begin communicating your topic and to establish its relevance to a reader. The first draft will present an introduction (two to three paragraphs) and one section (two to three paragraphs) of the body of the paper. The first draft should include at least three of the sources you presented in your Annotated Bibliography. If you have made changes to your list of references, cite each new reference carefully both in the text and on the references page. The length of the first draft is three to four pages of text, not including the title and References pages (approximately 1000-1250 words).

The assignment includes a prewriting activity to plan the sections of the project, which is included on the “Week 4 First Draft Directions and Document Format” file, located in the Supplemental Materials folder in the Files section. When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The Project First Draft is worth 70 points. Please use the grading rubric as a guideline for your assignment.

The files for this assignment are listed below, along with their location:

Week 4 First Draft Directions and Document Format [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 4 First Draft Sample [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 4 Grading Rubric First Draft [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

View the tutorial on formatting a Word document:

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 5 COURSE PROJECT – SECOND DRAFT

This assignment was locked Oct 20 at 11:59pm.

The purpose of the second draft is to further develop the ideas you began communicating in the first draft. There is more than one way to organize your essay, but a common method is problem and solution. If your essay is organized as a problem/solution, then your second draft will include three sections: a solution, benefits, and a conclusion. The second draft should be at least four pages long, not counting the title page and references (approximately 1750-2000 words). If you have made changes to your list of references, cite each new reference carefully both in the text and on the references page.

For more ideas, and a helpful template, use the “Week 5 Second Draft Directions and Document Format” file, located in the Supplemental Materials folder in the Files section. When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The Course Project Second Draft is worth 80 points.

The files for this assignment are listed below, along with their location:

Week 5 Second Draft Directions and Document Format [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 5 Second Draft Sample [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 5 Grading Rubric Second Draft [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

Submit the assignment.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 6 COURSE PROJECT – PRESENTATION

Based on the feedback you received on the rough draft of your project in Week 5 and on your rough draft presentation this week, revise and submit the finished version of your Course Project presentation here. The presentation should consist of 5-7 slides, accompanied by an audio recording of 5-7 minutes in length. The slides should be attractively designed and easy to understand. Slides should effectively combine text and visual elements. Avoid using long blocks of text. Instead, use bullets and short phrases to highlight your ideas, and use visual elements to provide evidence and make the presentation more interesting to look at. When you are finished, save the presentation as and submit it by the end of the week. If your audio file is separate (not embedded in the presentation file), name the separate audio file as .

Typical presentation organization:

Title slide with title of project, your name, and the name of the class

Introduction/Overview slide to preview the main points you’ll discuss

A few body slides that develop your main points

Conclusion slide to sum up

References slide to show off your research skills

The Course Project Presentation is worth 100 points.

The Grading Rubric for this assignment is listed below, along with its location:

Week 6 Grading Rubric Presentation [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

Submit the assignment.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 7 COURSE PROJECT – FINAL DRAFT

The Final Draft assignment is due. It is worth 170 points and should be 8 to 10 pages, excluding the title page and References page (approximately 2500 words). There must be five sources at minimum in the References page.

To succeed with the Final Draft assignment, view the Week 7 Final Draft Directions and Document Format in the Files section. This document indicates what to include and how ideas are arranged on the page. Also, the Week 7 Final Draft Sample found in the Files section should be used as a model.

When you are finished, save the document as and submit it by the end of the week.

The files for this assignment are listed below, along with their location:

Week 7 Final Draft Directions and Document Format [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 7 Final Draft Sample [Files > Advanced Composition > Supplemental Materials]

Week 7 Grading Rubric Final Draft [Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics]

Submit the assignment.

ENGL135 Advanced Composition

Week 8 COURSE PROJECT – CAREER CONNECTION

Congratulations on the end of your journey in Advanced Composition. DeVry University strongly believes that every class you take helps you to learn something of value to achieving your career goals. In this course, you have worked on improving your skills in writing, researching, presenting, working in teams, and using technological tools.

For our last graded assignment, you will write about how the skills you have honed in this class will help you in achieving your career goals. You can approach the assignment in one of two ways:

1. Discuss how the skills of writing, researching, presenting, working in teams, and using technological tools help you in your current role in the workplace. Which of these skills do you find most important right now? Which skills do you think will be important to you in helping you to achieve future goals?

or

2. Look up an occupation you are interested in pursuing after you graduate from DeVry. To find information on occupations, you can visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Search for a career you are interested in, such as software developer. Then, click on the “What They Do” tab. Compare the duties of that occupation to what you learned in this class. Which skills that you learned in this class will be most useful to you in your chosen career?

The Course Project – Career Connection assignment is worth 50 points.

Assignment Requirements

Length: approximately 500 words.

No need for a title page or references, but do give credit for any information derived from the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

The assignment should be typed and submitted as a Microsoft Word document with 12-point font and double spacing.

See Files > Advanced Composition > Grading Rubrics for this assignment’s grading rubric: Week 8 Grading Rubric Career Connection.

Week 2 Quiz

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of research?

To make money

To earn a good grade

To create new knowledge

To become famous

Question 2

According to the presentation, up to how many steps are involved in the research process?

3

5

7

10

Question 3

Which of the following steps in the research process is optional?

Grant

Research

Idea

Write Manuscript

Question 4

What is one key difference between an editor and a peer reviewer?

Peer reviewers know the identity of the author, but the editor doesn’t

The editor is always paid, but peer reviewers usually aren’t

Editors focus on grammar, while peer reviewers care only about content

Editors know the identity of the author, but peer reviewers don’t

Question 5

One main purpose of APA format is to give credit to the sources you have used.

True

False

Question 6

Which of the following must be cited?

Direct quotations from sources

Facts found in sources

Ideas expressed in sources

All of the above

Question 7

What is the correct way to cite a page number of a source in text?

(7)

Page 7

(p.7)

(P.7)

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a correct in-text citation using APA format?

(Mary T. Jones, 2016)

(Jones, 2016)

Jones, 2016

(2016, Jones)

Question 9

Which of the following is good advice for researchers?

Always give credit for ideas that aren’t your own

Use quotation marks to indicate a direct quote

Provide complete and accurate references on the final page of your paper

All of the above

Question 10

Who makes the ultimate decision on whether to publish an article in a scholarly journal?

The editor

Peer reviewers

The author

The university president

Question 11

Which of the following is not a common criticism of the peer-review process?

Too time consuming

Not enough experts for peer review

Suppresses alternative points of view

Too expensive

Question 12

As long as you list all the sources you’ve used in the References page, you don’t need to cite them in text.

True

False

Question 13

All sources listed in the References page of your paper must be cited in text.

True

False

Question 14

Where can you find more about APA format?

Tutorial on APA in Course Resources

Citation Machine

Chapter on APA format in the textbook

All of the above