WRD 104: Composition and Rhetoric II

Scott Johnson Spring, 2010

Office: McGaw 237 tel. 773 325 4874
Office hours: Wednesday 6:00-7:00 pm or by appointment WRD Dept. tel. 773 325 4180
E-mail: sjohnson@depaul.edu (the best way to reach me)
Please note: students who have not attended class by the first regular class meeting after the
last day to add (1/9) will not be admitted.
WRD 104 focuses on the kind of academic writing that uses information drawn from re
search to
shape convincing, defensible arguments. As the second part of the two-course sequence, WRD
104 reinforces and extends students' ability to deal with the variable relationships between
writer, reader, and subject in the specific context of academic research and argumentation.
WRD 104 HAS THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC GOALS:

Students should further develop their conception of writing as an interaction

between writer and reader and their ability to analyze their audiences knowledge, assumptions
and disposition.

Students should develop the ability to read and evaluate the writing of others

with accuracy, understanding and insight.

Students should develop strategies for effective research (including, but not

limited to library and internet research, interviewing, field work) and learn
appropriate conventions for citation, documentation, summarizing, and
paraphrasing

Students should learn to develop and support convincing arguments from their

research.

Students should learn to incorporate quotations and paraphrased passages

into their writing and to document such material with standard scholarly apparatus,

Students should refine their skill in using the language of academic writing with

greater stylistic sophistication, especially in the context of argumentative

strategies.

FIRST YEAR WRITING EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The courses in the First-Year Writing Program (FYW) at DePaul University also seek to develop
student competencies in five general categories: rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading,
and writing; writing processes, knowledge of conventions, and composing in electronic
environments. The bullets under these headings are the learning outcomes you will consider in

the reflective portion of your digital portfolio. The complete list of FYW learning outcomes can be
found under Course Documents on the Content page in D2L.
Strong writing skills showcase your individuality, your creativity, and open the door to many
opportunities. 104 instruction incorporates lectures, discussion, presentations and group work. It
is hoped the course will expand your cultural universe.
PLEASE NOTE COURSE THEME: your argumentative research paper should focus on some aspect
of the COURSE THEME: Americas relationships with the world, or international or foreign
country-specific political, social, economic, cultural, or historical issues.
COURSEWORK: All of the work we do in this course is designed to facilitate achieving course
goals and program learning outcomes. Below are brief descriptions of some of the major elements
of our coursework in WRD 104:
Short Writing Assignments: Short reading and writing assignments will allow you to practice
analytical and inferential skills necessary for your research paper and final portfolio (see Working
Folders)
Two Longer Papers: One will deal with synthesis and the other summary
Library Database Workshop: An online activity that will help you locate and evaluate information
that is relevant to your research paper topic
Research Paper Proposal and Annotated Working Bibliography: A compilation of citations and
annotations of sources you may use in your research paper, and a description of your research
paper project
Research Paper Draft: A preliminary version of your research paper
Workshops: Group activities throughout the quarter that will provide you with feedback on your
own work and give you the opportunity to respond to your colleagues work
Conferences: I am available or I may suggest a conference outside of class to discuss your
progress on your research paper at its proposal and draft stages
Participation: A combined evaluation of your performance on small in-class activities, your
attendance at proposed conferences, your preparation for class, your level of engagement with
class discussion and activities, and your attendance and timely arrival to class sessions
Final Digital Portfolio: A complete and polished digital presentation of your work that
demonstrates your growth as a writer, thinker, and researcher. The final portfolio will include your
completed and revised research paper, as well other assignments and reflections that will allow
you to demonstrate your progress on our course goals
and program learning objectives.
There will be many smaller assignments that we will complete on a day-to-day basis that are not

listed here. All reading and writing assignments will be posted on the Content page of our D2L
website.

It is very important to keep all your assignments. It would be best to purchase a folder

with two pockets and a flash drive for this purpose

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is expected; roll will be taken. More than two absences may
lower your course grade. Four or more absences, excused or unexcused, are grounds for failing
the course. Tardiness is very disruptive; if you come in late be very quiet, and check in after class.
Two incidences of tardiness count as one absence.
Cell phones must be turned off and put away during class. If I see you using it or texting in
class, you will be asked to leave. I prefer that laptops and notepads not be used, but I do not
insist. Liquids are allowed but no food.
BASELINE COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Come to class prepared for discussion and participate! The
quality and quantity of your comments will be duly noted, and everyone should come to class
with at least one question relating to the topics for discussion that day. Read all the assigned
material and give it significant thought. All short assignments (unless otherwise indicated), drafts
and final papers must be turned in. Written work is due at the beginning of class on the due
date, or it is late. Late assignments will be penalized at the rate of one grade per day (A,A-,B+,B
etc.). If you have any questions about an assignment, contact me immediately, not the day
before an assignment is due.
FORMAT: All out of class work (unless otherwise indicated)) must be typed (12 pt. type), doublespaced, with one inch margins with your name, course number, section and date in the upper left
hand corner. Always give your paper a title, centered on the page. Pages should be numbered
and stapled. Make sure the print is clear and dark.
REVISIONS: Make corrections and note comments on out of class work as indicated on returned
papers. Look up surface errors in the St. Martins Handbook and correct. Obviously, each new
essay draft or assignment should improve on the last. No final papers may be resubmitted. I am
always available to look at drafts, but give me hard copies in class rather than e mail
attachments.
WORKING FOLDER: Maintain a working folder and keep all your writing assignments and drafts
inside. Always bring it to class. I will ask to see it at times during the course and it will be
graded, so do a good job answering assignments prompts. This means answering everything
asked for in depth and no surface errors. Content and presentation BOTH count.
.
FOR EXTRA CREDIT but NOT REQUIRED: Keep an in-depth, informal writing journal (on paper or on
line) that reflects your feelings about the course (personal progress, problems; success in fulfilling

course goals; postwrites; reflections on final papers; anything you want). Be specific and update
the journal at least weekly or whenever you want. To get credit I must see in-depth discussion
and support for your comments; the journal may be very useful for the reflective portion of your
digital portfolio. You might also consider starting a vocabulary list.
A Note on D2L and Digication: Desire2Learn (D2L) is the universitys learning management
system. It can be accessed at http://d2l.depaul.edu/ and will be used to house a range of
course content (including syllabi, assignments, readings, assessments and grades). Digication, on
the other hand, is what First Year Writing (FYR) students use to create their end-of-quarter digital
portfolios (http://depaul.digication.com).

Both platforms can be accessed using your Campus

Connect password. Training on both platforms is available through the DePaul Writing Center..
Familiarize yourself with the course D2L site and check it before and after every class for
reading and writing assignments and course documents that will be posted in the CONTENT
link.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated; plagiarism occurs when a
writer deliberately uses someone elses language, ideas, and other original (not common
knowledge) material without acknowledging its source (First Year Writing Program Handbook for
Faculty, 2009-2010). The minimum penalty for plagiarism will be an F on that assignment;
blatant plagiarism is grounds for failing the course. For a more in-depth discussion of plagiarism
see the Depaul Student Handbook and the St. Martins Handbook, chapter 14. Always ask me if
you have questions
THE WRITING CENTER: Located in 250 McGaw Hall in Lincoln Park and 1620 Lewis Center in the
Loop, the Writing Centers offer students new readers and/or one-on-one help with writing
concerns . If I suggest you set up an appointment, I hope you do so.
STUDENT ATHLETES that may miss class and STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS should contact me
immediately.
IMPORTANT DATES: Last day to drop classes without penalty-3/28

Last day to withdraw from SQ2010 classes-4/02

REQUIRED TEXTS: Gumery. International Views (IV) Lunsford. The St. Martins Handbook, seventh
edition (soft cover or e-book) (H) Graff and Birkenstein. They Say I Say, second edition (TS) A
standard college dictionary or comparable online dictionary. There will be additional handouts and
readings from the library course reserves (LR).

EVALUATON: Assignments will be weighted as follows to determine your course grade:

Paper One: 5%
Paper Two: 10%
Research proposal and Annotated Working Bibliography: 10%
The Research Paper draft: 10%
The Digital Portfolio with the Research Paper and reflections: 50%
Working Folders: 3 at 5% each 15%
(working folder evaluations include short writing assignments, drafts,
presentations and timely completion of the Data Base Workshop)
PLEASE NOTE: attendance and class participation may be determining factors in
borderline grade situations when I evaluate working folders and calculate final grades.
Grading of written work will be based on content, and a presentation free of surface errors
(see Work Evaluation Guide included). Failure to turn in any assignment will affect your course
grade
All major assignments will receive a numeric grade that translates to a letter grade (see scale
below).
LETTER GRADE SCALE: A 95-100, A- 90-94, B+ 87-89, B 83-86, B- 80-82, C+ 77-79, C 73-76,
C-70-72, D+ 65-69, D 60-64, F 0
Work Evaluation Guide
In general, thoughtful, critical responses to the assignment will be placed in the
upper half; in addition, those that demonstrate global organizational, analytical,
and argumentative skills will usually be rewarded over those that merely
demonstrate sentence level competence.
UPPER HALF
An 6-point essay will:
--contain a clear purpose, a strong introduction (thesis sentence
and/or paragraph), and a thoughtful conclusion;
--effectively recognize complexities, thoughtfully addressing more
than one of them;
--contain strongly supportive details, a judicious sense of

evidence;
--be logically developed and quite well organized;
--use a style and tone appropriate to the purpose;
--show mature sentence variety and paragraph development;
--be virtually free of grammar and usage errors.
A 5-point essay will:
--contain a clear purpose, a strong introduction and conclusion;
--effectively recognize complexities;
--contain supportive details, a good sense of evidence;
--be logically developed and well-organized;
--use a style and tone appropriate to the purpose;
--offer adequate sentence variety and paragraph development;
--lack the verbal skills and organizational strength of an 6-point
essay.
A 4-point essay will:
--contain a clear purpose, a strong introduction and conclusion;
--effectively recognize complexities;
--contain supportive details, a sense of evidence;
--display competence in logical development and organization,
although it may exhibit occasional organizational or argumentative weaknesses;
--use a style and tone appropriate to the purpose;

--display competence in sentence variety, paragraph development,

grammar, and usage.
LOWER HALF
A 3-point essay will:
--acknowledge the complexity of the issue, and attempt to address
it, but will be weakened by one or more of the following:
--omit a clear purpose, thesis or conclusion;
--be too general or too specific;
--contain trivial or frivolous points (or supporting material);
--have flaws in organization;
--fail to develop an appropriate tone;
--contain flaws in style, grammar, or usage.
A 2 point essay will:
--address the issue, but be weakened by some of the following:
--be far too general or far too specific;
--contain a vacuous or trivial argument or analysis;
--have little controlling organization;
--have noticeable flaws in style, grammar, or usage.

A 1-point essay will be seriously flawed in terms of argument, organization, or

usage.

All students must complete the DePaul Library Instruction Program which includes the Library

Database Workshop which can be taken online by accessing the Librarys website. To take the
Library Database Workshop you will need your Campus Connect user ID and password.
The Workshop is a course requirement and must be completed by February 15th. Failure to
complete it will affect you course grade.
How to Get to WRD 104 Library Instruction on the Web:
Instructions for Students
To take the Library Database Workshop on the Web:
1.

1.

Go to the DePaul University Libraries' web page (http://library.depaul.edu).

2.

2.

Click on the link to Workshops (under Get Help on the right side of the page)

A Quick Start Guide is available to take you through the process of logging in and selecting the
correct workshop.
1.

3.

Click on the Begin a Workshop link.

To take the Library Database Workshop you will need your Campus Connect user ID and
password.
NOTE: When you submit your workshop assignment, you will receive feedback from a librarian on
your answers. You will receive an email message indicating if you have passed the workshop or if
you've received an incomplete. Incomplete means there are corrections you need to make to
some of your answers. In the email message there will be a URL that will take you to a view of
your answers and the librarian's comments. (You will need to log back in with your Campus
Connect ID and password. Be sure to click on the link to the workshop listed under Current
Workshops. That way youll be able to correct or revise answers if necessary.)
Use the librarians comments to help you to make any necessary corrections. Your 104 instructor
will be able to see your answers and the librarian's feedback.
Make sure that your email address in Campus Connect is the one you actually use so that you
are able to receive your workshop results.