ENG 1316 Academic Research and Writing,

Fall 2015
Section 1: T/H 9:00-10:15, Room C-126
Section 9: T/H 3:00-4:15, Room C-121
Instructor: Nick Courtright
Email: nicholas.courtright@concordia.edu
Office: C-174
Office Hours: 1:15-3:00 T/H and by appointment
Emergency Phone: 740-416-0443

Course Description:
Introduction to composition skills and research skills. Emphasis on gathering, evaluating,
synthesizing, and citing research information to compose a formal 10-12 page research paper.
Study of rhetorical strategies, multiple short essays and one research paper are required.
Departmental final exam requires composing a formal essay in response to one of several
selected topics. For students who choose to co-enroll in ENG 0201 and ENG 1316, taking the
two courses simultaneously, the final course grade achieved in ENG 0201 will account for 30%
of the ENG 1316 final course grade, in addition to the credit/no credit recorded for ENG 0201.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester, students will:
understand the meaning of critical reading, interpretation and composition;
understand the process of formal scholarly research and the use of research in a formal,
long paper;
understand the strategies for composing short formal essays;
understand what correct, clear and cogent language is in composition and speech.

Books / Supplies:

The Seagull Reader: Essays, 2nd edition, edited by Joseph Kelly

Preparedness to print documents emailed to you
One English-specific notebook

Attendance & Participation:

Discussion and interaction in class is an integral part of the learning process and thus attendance
(as well as punctuality) is absolutely required. Up to two absences are tolerated, but it is
advisable that you contact me prior to any absence so you dont fall behind. For every class
beyond two that you miss, your final grade will drop one-third of a letter grade; if you
accumulate more than six absences, you will be in position to fail the course. Simply said, your
attendance is absolutely necessary to succeed in this class. It is your responsibility to obtain any
class material missed on days you were unable to attend. Tardiness, or failure to have assigned
materials (especially on thesis and peer review days), will result in at least one-third of an
absence as well as potential penalties on the applicable paper.

Also of importance is your active participation in class discussions. Research proves that the best
learning comes from interaction with the material, not from merely passively observing, so its
essential that everyone contribute thoughtfully and often. Students are expected to be respectful
of each other and the class environment; that said, I encourage challenging insightsdont be
afraid to speak your mind.
Because of the necessity of focus in class, the use of electronic devices such as phones, music
players, and laptops is absolutely not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in an acquired
absence for the day (strongly enforced), and repeated offenses are subject to additional
reprimand. Also, no food is allowed in class, as eating is distracting to others.

Reading:
There will be reading assignments for nearly every class. Do them. If you dont, it will be very
difficult to take part in discussion, which is unequivocally important to our class goals and your
participation grade. It is everyones responsibility to finish all assigned readingsif the class is
not completing the reading to an acceptable degree, daily quizzes will be implemented.

Course Requirements:
Grammar Worksheets/Reading Quizzes: Grammar worksheets will be sporadic
throughout the semester, and their frequency will relate directly to how well the class does with
grammar and mechanics. Reading quizzes will be on an as-needed basis. To summarize, if
everyone is giving due attention to proofreading, participation, and the readings, grammar
worksheets and reading quizzes will be rare. But if the class is lax in its duties, worksheets and
quizzes will occur dailyclass effort will be the sole determiner of their frequency.
Thesis Workshop/Peer Review: Dedication to helping your classmates with the editing and
revision of their papers is essential, and your level of effort will not go unnoticed.
Papers: There will be five papers required in this class, including the final exam. All but the
final exam (which will be written in class) are to be typed in Times New Roman size-twelve font
with one-inch margins, double-spaced, fronts-of-page only, stapled, meticulously edited, and
thought-provoking. We will devote time to thesis workshopping and peer-reviewing papers, but I
strongly advise that you speak to me about each paper prior to its due dateI guarantee that
talking to me will help you write a better paper. All late papers are subject to a 15% per class
period grade reduction; if for any reason (including excused university/athletic events) you are
unable to attend class on the date a paper is due, you are responsible for turning the paper in
early.
Also, there will be a provision for active and engaged revision; in other terms, you will have the
opportunity to revise all C+ and higher papers for a wholly new grade (C and lower grades are
averaged). All revisions must be turned in within seven calendar days of a papers graded return
to you, and must demonstrate significant reassessment of structural and argumentative approach
merely correcting errors of attention (typos, mechanics, formatting) or arbitrarily adding
length will not result in a higher grade. If you intend on submitting a revision, please notify me
in advance (within five days of a graded papers return), and include with your revision your
original graded paper and all its associated documentation. Simply said, while I advise you to
strive for an essay of the highest quality the first time around, honest efforts to make wholesale
improvements to the effectiveness of your writing are welcomed.

Grading Policy:
We are going to use a variety of grading methods in here, and I believe it is just as important for
students to be actively engaged in their progress as it is for teachers to provide feedback. With
that in mind, my notes on essays will focus only on the most pressing issues, and I will always be
willing to meet with students outside of class to discuss strengths and weaknesses in greater
detail. Ultimately, your effort and self-awareness is essential for this class to be as rewarding as
possible for you.
I have high standards, but with effort every student in this class can receive a good grade. There
will be no curve and you will not be graded against your classmates. Your grade will be
determined using the following distribution:
10%
20%
25%
10%
15%
20%

Paper 1 (Diagnostic Essay)

Annotated Bibliography
Paper 2 (Research Paper)
Paper 3 (Outlook Essay)
Final Exam
Participation, Effort, and Supplemental Work

Note: all papers plus the final exam must be completed to pass the class. Do not hesitate to
approach me about your performance in the class.

Students with Special Needs and Challenges:

If you have been diagnosed with a disability that may affect your academic performance, you
must make me aware of your condition as soon as possible, and you must file copies of
documentation from clinicians or physicians with Ruth Cooper, director of our Success Center.
She will notify me of any required accommodations. I can only abide by lists of required
accommodations that are issued by Ms. Cooper. All students in our courses must meet the same
grading criteria, but I am happy to work with all students (whether diagnosed with a disability or
not) to develop strategies for success.

Academic Honesty:
All papers will be subject to testing for plagiarism. Cases of plagiarism (using someone elses
language or ideas without acknowledging the source) or questionable academic integrity will be
reported in accordance with the standards outlined by Concordia University, and could result in
failure of the class and possible suspension or expulsion from the university. In short, dont cheat
or steal words, because I will not hesitate to fail you.

The following calendar is subject to change

Week One
Thur 8-27
Introduction to the course
HW: Watch The Empathic Civilisation and A Radical Experiment in
Empathy, plus two questions
Week Two
Tue 9-1

Discuss Videos; Paper 1 assigned

Thur 9-3

HW: bring in 250-350 words of your essay

Work on essay in class; Quotes about Writing
HW: finish paper

Week Three
Tue 9-8
Paper 1 due
HW: Read Deep Intellect: Inside the Mind of the Octopus & Shooting an
Elephant (242-250), plus two questions
Thur 9-10
Discuss Reading
HW: Read Its the Inequality, Stupid, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,
& A Modest Proposal (297-307), plus two questions
Week Four
Tue 9-15
Discuss Reading
HW: Read the Myth of Multitasking & The Human Cost of an Illiterate
Society (186-195), plus two questions
Thur 9-17
Paper 1 returned and discussed
HW: goals for improvement of writing and reading skills
Week Five
Tue 9-22
Annotated Bibliography assigned
HW: complete at least three of the six Information Literacy Modules on
Blackboard; write down three potential research/paper topics
Thur 9-24
Idea Workshop and Research Introduction
HW: finish completing the six Information Literacy Modules on Blackboard;
work on search terms and research; bring research articles to class
Week Six
Tue 9-29
Thur 10-1

Annotations Workshop
HW: prepare bibliography for peer review
Annotated Bibliography Peer Review
HW: work on bibliography

Week Seven
Tue 10-6
Annotated Bibliography due!
HW: Theory of Everything 5-10, plus two questions
Thur 10-8
Discuss Reading
HW: Theory of Everything 10-16, plus two questions
FALL BREAK
Week Eight
Tue 10-20
Discuss Reading
HW: complete two detailed spiral analyses
Thur 10-22 Discuss Analyses
HW: reread Theory of Everything 5-16
Week Nine

Tue 10-27
Thur 10-29
Week Ten
Tue 11-3
Thur 11-5

Annotated Bibliography returned and discussed

HW: Read Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail 153-172
The Four Elements of a Great Essay; Paper 2 assigned
HW: write two potential arguments from existing research

Idea Workshop and Introductions Refresher; conference sign-up

HW: develop Paper 2 thesis/intro (bring 1 copy, email me a copy)
Paper 2 Thesis Accountability Day 1
HW: work on essay

Week Eleven
Tue 11-10
Paper 2 Thesis Accountability Day 2; Incorporating Quotes and Documentation
HW: prepare for conference
Thur 11-12
Conferences; all Paper 2 materials due at conference
HW: prepare paper for peer review
Week Twelve
Tue 11-17
Conferences; all Paper 2 materials due at conference
HW: prepare paper for peer review; bring two copies to class
Thur 11-19
Paper 2 Peer Review
HW: work on paper
Week Thirteen
Tue 11-24
Paper 2 Peer Review
HW: finish paper
Thur 11-26
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYNO CLASS
Week Fourteen
Tue 12-1
Paper 2 due!; Paper 3 assigned
HW: Read Level 9 Handout
Thur 12-3
Discuss Reading; work on Paper 3
HW: work on paper
Week Fifteen
Tue 12-8
Book Day; Discuss Final Exam
HW: finish paper
Thur 12-10 Paper 3 due!; Evaluations
HW: prepare for final
Final Exam
to be held Monday, December 14th from 7:00am-9:00am