ENGL 315

Fall 2016
T-Th, 9:30 - 10:45, C258 ESC

WRITING IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Nicole Clawson
3004 JKB, nic.clawson@byu.edu
OFFICE HOURS: M, W 11-11:50, T 2:30-3:30
The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking
questions. Mandell Creighton
Once you have learned how to ask relevant and appropriate questions, you have learned how to
learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know. Neil Postman
and Charles Weingartner, Teaching as a Subversive Activity
Good writing begins with good questions. Henry M. Sayre, Writing about Art

REQUIRED TEXTS
Kristine Hansen, Writing In Social Sciences, 4th Edition
Kristine Hansen, Style Packet
COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 315 deals with written, oral, and visual rhetoric used in the academic disciplines and
professions concerned with human behavior and social institutions. It addresses the kinds of
questions posed by social scientists and their methods for answering those, including empirical
research and library research methods. It teaches conventions of organization and style used in
the genres of the social sciences, including why and how to use documentation styles. The course
stresses adapting writing for different audiences. Its main goal is to prepare students to use the
written, spoken, and visual rhetoric of the fields they are majoring in and the fields in which they
are likely to have careers.
OUTCOMES
1.RhetoricalKnowledge.Studentsshoulddemonstratethattheycanwriteforaudiencesboth
withinandoutsidesocialscienceusingarguments,style,andconventionsappropriatetosocial
sciencewriting.
2.WritingProcesses.Studentsshoulddevelopproductiveandflexibleindividualand
collaborativewritingprocesses,includingprewriting,drafting,revising,editingandproofreading,
andcreatinggoodarguments;organizingthematerialforapaper;writingsuccessivedraftsofthe
samepaper;groupwriting;seekingandusingpeerresponses;revising;andeditinggrammar,
usage,andpunctuation.
3.ProcessesofDisciplinaryResearch.Studentsshoulddemonstratetheabilitytouseappropriate
researchtoolsandprocessesofresearchwithinthesocialsciences,includinglibraryresearchand
useofelectronicresources.Studentsshoulddemonstratetheirabilitytoidentifyandevaluate
sourcesanddata,readcritically,takenotes,andfollowconventionsofquoting,paraphrasing,and
summarizing;citesourcesproperlyanddemonstrateanunderstandingofethicalissuesrelatedto
research,includinghowtoavoidplagiarism.

4.OralCommunication.Studentsshoulddemonstratetheirabilitywithpresentationmediaand
withpublicspeakingskills,includingfocusingatopic,adaptingittotheunderstandingofa
particularaudience,organizingmainpointscoherentlyandsupportingthemwithadequatedetail,
anddeliveringamessageeffectivelyusingappropriateaudioandvisualaids.
5.KnowledgeofConventions.Studentsshouldunderstandthegenres,forms,styles,and
documentationconventionsofwritinginthesocialsciences.

GROUND RULES
Participation: Each of us should all be prepared to talk about readings and engage in rigorous
deliberation and inquiry. Please consider this class an open forum in which most issues can be
discussed and negotiated. I encourage you to develop a scholarly ethos--a character open to
inquiry, argument, revision, and discussion.
Late Assignments: Unless otherwise stated in the syllabus, all homework--including the five
major projects for the coursewill be due at the beginning of class on the specified due dates. If
turned in late, all assignments will receive a 10% deduction per day (not per classper day). I
require rough drafts for every paper to keep you on track for these due dates and to give you
plenty of time to revise your writing. However, please note that your five major writing
assignments will not be accepted late. Of course, if you have an emergency, please come talk to
me.
Attendance Policy: According to departmental policy, students enrolled in a course that meets
twice a week (like this class) may miss up to two classes with no penalty for their grade, no
questions asked. That said, you only get two, so use them wisely. However, each additional
absence will result in a one-third reduction of the final grade (A- to B+, B to B-, etc.). If you will
be absent for a legitimate reason (death, surgery, severe illness), let me know in advance. If a
student misses more than 20 minutes of class (either arriving late or leaving early), he or she will
be considered absent for the day. Remember: Students that miss class, for whatever reason, are
responsible for what they miss.
A note on defining attendance. Being present in class requires being here mentally as well as
physically. For this reason, if you are not with us mentally (texting, sleeping, listening to your
iPod, answering your phone, excessively disrupting class with tangent conversations, checking
Facebook, etc.) you will be counted absent for the day. Which leads me to:
No open electronic devices. My fragile ego cant bear competing with email, Facebook, or
games, so while class is in session, you may not use a notebook computer, iPad, smartphone, or
any other electronic device. If you bring one to class, it must be stowed in a backpack or under
your desk.

ASSIGNMENTS
Good writers and social scientists are good rhetoricians (or persuasive communicators) who
understand how to make effective arguments for different audiences to achieve various purposes.
For this course you will have six major writing tasks, each posing a unique rhetorical challenge
while engaging with your WATCO question.
1. RESUME PORTFOLIO: This portfolio will consist of a resume, cover letter or personal
statement, reference list, and memo. We will be exploring audience as well as purpose as
we complete this portfolio.
2. PROSPECTUS: This assignment will help you understand the conversation surrounding
your WATCO question. It will also lay the groundwork for the review article. DUE:
September 28
3. REVIEW ARTICLE: Your first major assignment will be to write a review of literature
regarding your WATCO question. This assignment challenges you to synthesize the best
that is known and thought about your topics. DUE: October 1
4. PROPOSAL: After you learn and synthesize the current conversation surrounding your
topics and identify the gaps in the research, you will create a proposal. The assignment
proposes a project which will address and attempt to fill in the current gaps in the
research. DUE: October 22
5. OPINION EDITORIAL: This assignment requires you to write a persuasive essay to the
popular magazine of your choice regarding an aspect of your WATCO question. This
assignment challenges you to make a brief but compelling argument with a specific
audience in mind. To prepare to write this paper you will need to read opinion editorials
from the popular magazine of you choice so that you are familiar with their formatting
(which includes: color, headers, images, graphics, etc.). DUE: November 1st
6. MULTI-MODAL ARGUMENT: So much of what we read and write includes modes other
than alphabetic writingvideo, audio, images, hyperlinks, infographics, animations,
charts, and graphs. For this last writing task you will work in groups to compose a
multimodal text made not only in words but in other modes as well. For this final project
your audience will be those interested in your WATCO question. DUE: December 1
In addition to these major projects you will complete minor assignments such as:
1. COPYRIGHT
2. WORKSHOPS
3. CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT
4. DIGITAL DIALOG
5. GRAMMAR

6. LIBRARY TUTORIAL AND ASSIGNMENT

FINAL EXAM. Tuesday, December 15, 11am to 2pm, in room C258 ESC.
The exam is mandatory. Please do not purchase plane tickets home, or plan on leaving for any
reason before this date. If there is a conflict, let me know as soon as possible.

GRADES
ASSIGNMENTS

POINTS

PERCENTAGE

RESUME PORTFOLIO
PROSTECTUS
REVIEW ARTICLE
PROPOSAL
OPINION EDITORIAL
MULTI-MODAL ARGUMENT
DIGITAL DIALOG
LIBRARY TUTORIAL
COPYRIGHT
GRAMMAR
FINAL

200
50
300
100
100
75
50
25
25
25
50

20%
5%
30%
10%
10%
7.5%
5%
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
5%

TOTAL

1000

100%

***Please note that assignments and the schedule are subject to change. Advanced notice will be
given to students if alterations are made.
Please read the following statements. If you have any questions about these policies, feel free to
contact me or the appropriate offices listed below.
Academic Honesty
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all
of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present
as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Serious violations of this
principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the
university. If you have any questions or concerns about academic honesty, please discuss them
with me.
Preventing Sexual Harassment

Sexual discrimination or harassment (including student-to-student harassment) is prohibited both

by the law and by Brigham Young University policy. If you feel you are being subjected to sexual
discrimination or harassment, please bring your concerns to me. Alternatively, you may lodge a
complaint with the Equal Employment Office (422-5895, D-282 ASB).
Students With Disabilities
If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you should get in touch
with the University Accessibility Office (422-2767, 1520 WSC). This office can evaluate your
disability and assist me in arranging for reasonable accommodations.