Request for Exploring the Natural World (ENW) Integrated...
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Transcript of Request for Exploring the Natural World (ENW) Integrated...
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Request for Exploring the Natural World (ENW) Integrated Core Course Approval Cover Sheet
Submit all materials to Natalie Robinson, Core Administrative Assistant, [email protected]
Date: Instructors: Departments the courses are to be offered in: Semester and Year the courses will be offered: Course numbers and titles: Credit Hours (per course): Bulletin Description for Each Course: Do you believe that this course is also appropriate for the outgoing Core until it ends? If yes, please indicate the Division and/or letter designations * *If you indicated yes, your syllabus will be forwarded to the Director of the outgoing core. Approved: _________________________________ __________________
Department Chair: Date
_________________________________ __________________ Department Chair: Date _________________________________ __________________
Core Sub-committee and Director: Date
_________________________________ __________________ Core Committee and Director: Date
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INTEGRATED COURSES: EXPLORING THE NATURAL WORLD (ENW) Core Application Form
It is essential for our students to gain a better understanding of how science impacts everyday life and to bring a scientific knowledge and approach to bear on issues that cross disciplinary boundaries. We believe that a pair of linked integrated courses can promote an understanding of these complex issues by offering full course depth of study with intentional connections to other disciplines. Please consult the course criteria outlined at the Core Curriculum website for more information on the requirements and expectations for ENW courses. The Core Committee may request additional materials in its evaluation of the courses. Please attach a completed cover sheet and relevant course materials, including: course syllabi; reading list(s); example or representative assignments or class activities, (particularly those used for assessing student learning objectives); (4) a rationale for the proposed ENW courses; and (5) the alignment of Student Learning Objectives in each course with the JCU Academic Student Learning Goals (see table below). The course rationale should include:
● the anticipated audience for the courses (i.e. general student population, students of a particular major(s), science majors, etc.);
● the disciplines or areas being integrated; ● the shared theme(s), intellectual question(s), real-world problem(s), or issue(s) the
two disciplines will explore, examples of the conceptual connections they share and how the student’s understanding of the theme(s), question(s) etc. will be enhanced after completion of the integrated courses;
● the levels of integration and interdisciplinarity between the two courses and how these will be achieved through course planning and interaction between the instructors and the methods, contents, and pedagogical and mode of delivery of each course;
● which course(s) will contain an emphasis on quantitative analysis and how that emphasis will be achieved;
● if necessary, additional narrative beyond that included in each course syllabus of how each course will include a writing component that satisfies the expectation for integrated courses and how the course plans to treat writing as a process by engaging in discipline-specific writing processes.
In the table below, please indicate how the learning objectives in this course (derived from the Academic Learning Goals) will be assessed.
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Directions:
1. The first column lists each of the JCU Academic Learning Goals to which ENW courses are expected to contribute. 2. The second column lists the required learning objectives for each ENW course. Note that a clear majority of class time must
be spent pursuing the stated JCU academic learning goals for the course to be eligible for Core credit. 3. In the third column, state the means (i.e. formative and summative assignments, class activities, and/or signature
assignments) for assessing each of the course student learning outcomes. If those assignments or class activities have not been outlined in the course rationale, then attach separate descriptions.
Course 1: JCU Learning Goals to Be Addressed in
ENW Courses
Relevant Course Student Learning Objectives
Means of Assessment for Each Learning Objective (How will students demonstrate having met the learning objectives?)
1. Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds.
Students draw conclusions by connecting examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective.
Students apply skills, abilities, theories or methodologies gained in one situation to contribute to their understanding of a problem or issue.
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2. Develop habits of critical analysis.
Students will demonstrate competence in quantitative analysis: ● Students are able to find and
pose precise questions that can be appropriately analyzed by quantitative methods.
● Students can draw inference(s) from data.
● Students can represent data.
● Students can think critically about quantitative statements.
● Students can recognize sources of error.
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Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically about a real-world problem, issue, intellectual question, or idea (critical thinking includes identifying and describing the fundamental elements of a problem/issue/question/idea and interpreting relevant data).
3. Apply creative and innovative thinking.
Students can develop approaches to solve problems and/or answer questions
4. Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression.
Articulate an Argument: The writer locates and develops a manageable topic given audience, purpose, and length requirements and begins to situate the topic in the context of the field. The writer develops and supports an argument appropriate to context, audience, and purpose.
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Integrate Sources: The writer locates, engages with, and integrates credible and relevant sources appropriate to the discipline.
Document Ethically: The writer avoids plagiarism and documents sources consistently using a citation style appropriate to the discipline with few formatting errors.
Control Surface Features: The writer uses straightforward language that conveys meaning to readers with clarity, with few errors.
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Course 2: JCU Learning Goals to Be Addressed in
ENW Courses
Relevant Course Student Learning Objectives
Means of Assessment for Each Learning Objective (How will students demonstrate having met the learning objectives?)
1. Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of the human and natural worlds.
Students draw conclusions by connecting examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective.
Students apply skills, abilities, theories or methodologies gained in one situation to contribute to their understanding of a problem or issue.
2. Develop habits of critical analysis.
Students will demonstrate competence in quantitative analysis: ● Students are able to find and
pose precise questions that can be appropriately analyzed by quantitative methods.
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● Students can draw inference(s) from data.
● Students can represent data.
● Students can think critically about quantitative statements.
● Students can recognize sources of error.
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Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically about a real-world problem, issue, intellectual question, or idea (critical thinking includes identifying and describing the fundamental elements of a problem/issue/question/idea and interpreting relevant data).
3. Apply creative and innovative thinking.
Students can develop approaches to solve problems and/or answer questions
4. Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression.
Articulate an Argument: The writer locates and develops a manageable topic given audience, purpose, and length requirements and begins to situate the topic in the context of the field. The writer develops and supports an argument appropriate to context, audience, and purpose.
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Integrate Sources: The writer locates, engages with, and integrates credible and relevant sources appropriate to the discipline.
Document Ethically: The writer avoids plagiarism and documents sources consistently using a citation style appropriate to the discipline with few formatting errors.
Control Surface Features: The writer uses straightforward language that conveys meaning to readers with clarity, with few errors.
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If necessary, provide additional comments:
ENW Integrated Core Course Approval Form – October 3, 2014
Rationale for ENW Linked Course: CH 170 and EN 240
Anticipated audience
For the most part, students will be first- and second-year students wishing to fulfill the
ENW Core requirement. Students who are or will become English majors or minors may also be
able to count the course toward the major or minor. Students may not count this course as a
major or minor course in Chemistry.
Disciplines being integrated
Two disciplines—Chemistry and English—will be integrated within this set of linked
courses.
Shared themes, questions, problems, or issues
These two courses will share several themes arising from the parallels between the
scientific method used in chemistry/forensic chemistry and the detective method employed in
detective fiction. Among the themes are the following. (1) Both courses will investigate the
status of knowledge—its powers and limitations— within the domains of forensic chemistry and
detective fiction. (2) Both courses will also concern themselves with the representation of
forensic chemistry in detective narratives, CH 170 from the standpoint of the verisimilitude of
the chemistry represented in the texts and EN 240 from the standpoint of narrative and
characteriological factors that shape these chemical representations or misrepresentations (see
the Signature Integrative Assignment for details). By successfully completing the Signature
Integrative Assignment (see attached), students will find their understanding of these themes
enhanced.
Levels of integration and interdisciplinarity and relevant methods
The linked courses in this unit will achieve integration at Level 3 of Julie T. Klein and
William H. Newell’s taxonomy. In that spirit, students and instructors will “synthesize”
knowledge about shared themes and questions (see “Shared themes” above) through a process of
“serial teaching” punctuated by occasional team-teaching as described below. Before the courses
begin, the instructors will have attained some integration of knowledge (1) by reading the
material in each other’s courses, (2) by discussing shared themes, and (3) by collaborating on
syllabi. Once the courses are underway, the instructors will achieve further integration through
the mode of delivery they will have chosen—one that will correspond most closely to that
described by R. M. Harden as a “Complementary or Mixed Program.” In other words, the
teaching in both courses will be “subject-based” and “integrated.” It will be subject-based in the
sense that both courses will organize themselves along lines guided by their respective
disciplines: Chemistry and English. Yet the pedagogy will be integrated at key points in the form
of team-taught sessions, especially at the beginning of the semester to introduce the linkage
between the courses and at the end to listen to the oral presentations and to grade the essays
required by the Signature Integrative Assignment. During the term, each instructor will be
visiting the other’s classes from time to time as a further means of creating integration.
Emphasis on quantitative analysis
The QA content will be emphasized in CH 170. Of the 41 class days, QA topics will be
specifically addressed on 14 of those dates, or 34% of the class meetings. This does not account
for QA content on exams, quizzes, or in presentations where students will also likely be thinking
critically about quantitative statements and drawing inferences from data.
The following table identifies which QA learning goals are associated with each Activity, Lab, or
Section of the textbook. On the syllabus, days when students are performing one of the Labs or
Activities are marked [QA]. On days when we are studying the topic from the textbook, that
reading assignment has been marked as [QA].
Lab/Activity/Topic
Find and
pose
precise
questions
Draw
Inferences
from Data
Represent
Data
Think
Critically
About
Quantitative
Statements
Recognize
Source of
Error
Making Measurements (using
standard glassware and equipment
to measure volume, mass, density,
and discussing uncertainty [error]
in those measurements)
X X X
Paper Chromatography
(preparation for QA signature
assignment)
X X X
Absorption of Light
(spectrophotometry; create
standard curve, determine
concentration)
X X X
Lipstick Chromatography
(preparation for QA signature
assignment)
X X X X
Solubility (determine solubility of
various compounds in solution) X X X
LD50 and therapeutic dose (kinetics
of drug toxicity) X X X
Drug Analysis by Thin Layer
Chromatography (QA signature
assignment, see attached
assignment sheet)
X X X X X
Chapter 1: Intro to
Chromatography X X X
Chapter 1: Scientific Method
(hypothesis formation, bias) X X
Chapter 2: Accuracy and Precision X X X X X
Chapter 2: Errors and Estimates in X X
the Laboratory
Chapter 3: Atomic Mass (Draw
inference about isotope abundance
from weighted average mass)
X
Chapter 4: Spectrophotometry and
Beer’s Law (determining
concentration from standard curve)
X X
Chapter 7: Solubility (interpret
graph of temperature dependence
of solubility of different
substances)
X
Chapter 11: Kinetics (1/2-life, time
dependence of concentration from
plots of data)
X X
All Chapters: Estimate to
determine if calculations are
reasonable
X
Note: See the QA Signature assignment “Drug Analysis by Thin Layer Chromatography” for
definitions of Error Analysis and Inference from a chemistry perspective.
Additional narrative on writing component
The CH 170 course includes a writing component which can be assessed using the core
committee Writing rubric (see attached Research Paper assignment sheet). In addition, students
will submit a draft and complete an anonymous peer review to meet the writing as a process
requirement. Discipline-specific writing will be emphasized in the content (how to write about
physiological effects of drugs) and use of the ACS style guide.
EN 240 will offer a series of two writing assignments—a close reading exercise and a
research-in-the-discipline essay—that will culminate in a Signature Integrative Assignment that
will require students to integrate learning in both CH 170 and EN 240 (see attached for all
assignments). For the research essay and the signature assignment, students will engage in a
process of writing that includes, in the former, a proposal, a rough draft (peer edited), and a final
draft and, in the latter, a proposal and a final draft. Discipline-specific writing, including use of
the MLA style guide, will be emphasized in relation to the content (how to write about character,
narrative, and theme in detective fiction).
The assignments in both these courses will guide the students toward fulfillment of the
following learning goals. By the end of CH 170 and EN 240, students will be able to
a. Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds. Students in both
courses will complete a series of writing assignments that will have them examine
“intellectual questions” in forensic chemistry and detective fiction and then synthesize
their knowledge in a Signature Integrative Assignment.
b. Develop habits of critical analysis. In CH 170, students will show competence not only in
demonstrating quantitative literacy and quantitative analysis but also in thinking critically
about a real-world problem or intellectual question. In EN 240, students will demonstrate
an ability, through their writing, to ponder critically an intellectual question.
c. Apply creative and innovative thinking. In both courses, students will show their
creativity/innovation in their Signature Integrative Assignment by answering a question
or solving a problem about the combined natural and human worlds.
d. Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression. All of the assignments in CH
170 and EN 240 will require the students to mount arguments in writing based on valid
quantitative reasoning and skillful use of rhetorical means. At least one writing project in
each course will ask the students, through a process of writing, to integrate sources in
setting their argument within the context of the course-appropriate field. In addition, the
Signature Integrative Assignment will require students to deliver their findings orally in
collaboration with other project team members. All writing will have to observe the
proper, ethical ways of documenting sources and the standard rules governing the surface
features of writing.
Forensic Chemistry Chemistry 170 - 51 Syllabus
Spring 2016 3 credit hours Dolan ***
Exploring the Natural World Linked Course with Dr. Chrystal Bruce and Dr. John
McBratney. Dr. McBratney’s contact information and availability is in the syllabus for
the other portion of this linked course, EN 240 - Detective Fiction
Instructor Dr. Chrystal Bruce E-mail [email protected]
Phone
Office
397-4742
Dolan W309 Office
Hours
***
Materials:
Investigating Chemistry: Introductory Chemistry from a Forensic Science Approach. 3rd
edition. W.H. Freeman and Company. New York, NY. 2013.
A scientific calculator you know how to use.
Description
Catalog Description Pre-requisites: EN 125 (or equivalent) and QA course. Co-requisite:
EN 240 Detective Fiction. Emphasis on critical analysis, problem-solving, quantitative
analysis, and written communication within the context of the biochemistry of poisons.
In this course, you will learn fundamental concepts in chemistry by studying the
chemistry of poisons. You will connect the skills and content you are learning in this
course to the linked course, EN 240 Detective Fiction, in which you are also enrolled.
The novels and short stories you are reading in EN 240 often involve one character being
poisoned. As we progress through the semester and become more knowledgeable about
chemistry, we will discuss how the science is presented in the novels. At the end of the
semester, you will integrate the knowledge about chemistry you have gained with the
critical thinking skills you are developing in both classes to consider complex topics
relating to science and literature.
Resources:
The Canvas page for this class contains resources including a copy of the syllabus.
Learning Outcomes
As a Core Course, the following learning outcomes will be assessed:
A. Learning Outcomes Related to Integrative Knowledge:
1. Students draw conclusions by connecting examples, facts, or theories from
more than one field of study or perspective; [Assessment: Signature
Integrative Assignment]
2. Students apply skills, abilities, theories or methodologies gained in one
discipline to contribute to their understanding of a problem or issue.
[Assessment: Signature Integrative Assignment]
B. Learning Outcomes Related to Developing Habits of Critical Analysis
1. Students demonstrate competence in quantitative literacy and quantitative
analysis [Assessment: Drug Analysis by Thin Layer Chromatography]
2. Students demonstrate the ability to think critically about a real-world
problem or intellectual question (critical thinking includes identifying and
describing the fundamental elements of a problem/question, interpreting
relevant data). [Assessment: Drug Analysis by Thin Layer
Chromatography]
C. Learning Outcomes Related to Applying Creative and Innovative Thinking
1. Students can develop approaches to solve problems and/or answer
questions. [Assessment: Drug Analysis by Thin Layer Chromatography]
D. Learning Outcomes Related to Communicating Skillfully in Multiple Forms of
Expression (With an emphasis on writing)*
1. Students can articulate an argument: The writer locates and develops a
manageable topic given audience, purpose, and length requirements and
begins to situate the topic in the context of the field. The writer develops
and supports an argument appropriate to context, audience, and purpose;
[Assessment: Research Paper]
2. Students can support an argument by integrating sources: The writer
locates, engages with, and integrates relevant sources appropriate to the
discipline; [Assessment: Research Paper]
3. Students can document ethically: The writer avoids plagiarism and
documents sources consistently using a citation style appropriate to the
discipline with few formatting errors; [Assessment: Research Paper]
4. Students can control surface features of the writing: The writer uses
straightforward language that conveys meaning to readers with clarity,
with few errors. [Assessment: Research Paper]
Additionally, the following content learning outcomes will be assessed on exams and
quizzes. Students in this course will
1. Interpret and use atomic symbols, the periodic table, and chemical formulas.
2. Think like a scientist to address a problem.
3. Use conversion factors properly in solving mathematical problems.
4. Employ the basic terminology of chemical reactions.
5. Differentiate between organic and inorganic compounds.
6. Explain how the half-life of a drug corresponds to the dosage.
7. Describe chemical equilibrium and show how the concept relates to poisoning.
8. Use valence electrons to write and evaluate acceptable Lewis structures
9. Use the VSEPR model to predict molecular geometry.
10. Determine polarity based on molecular geometry.
11. Explain intermolecular forces and their role in separating chemicals.
12. Evaluate quantitative data collected experimentally by chromatography to
identify components on an unknown mixture
Evaluation:
Letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:
94-100% A 90-93% A-
87-89% B+ 83-86% B 80-82% B-
77-79% C+ 73-76% C 70-72% C-
67-69% D+ 60-66% D <60% F
Grades will consist of
Two (2) in-class exams (100 points each)
Four (4) Quizzes (25 points each = 100 points total)
Final cumulative exam (150 points)
Daily reading quizzes (50 points)
Chromatography Labs (30 points each)
Research Paper (100 points – including draft submission and peer review)
Signature Integrative Assignment (100 points)
In-Class Activities (20 points each)
Participation (50 points)
The participation grade is based on the percentage of questions you
answer in class using the clicker system NOT on whether your response is
correct or not. The clicker questions are for determining what you know
well or need to study more. Your response helps me decide how to
proceed in class.
Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off. Texting or web use during
class is not permitted. Please be considerate of your classmates. A five (5) point penalty
will be applied for use of a cell phone during class.
Make-up quizzes and exams will NOT be given. If you must miss a quiz with an excused
absence as defined in the 2015-2017 Bulletin, the quiz average for your other quizzes will
be used for that quiz or exam grade. This opportunity will only be offered once. If you
miss a subsequent quiz, you will receive a zero on that quiz.
If you must miss a quiz with an excused absence as defined in the 2015-2017 Bulletin,
the score you receive (calculated as a percentage) on your final exam will replace the
missed semester exam score.
Quizzes will cover material from the reading, in class activities, homework problems, as
well as what we discuss in class.
Calculators are allowed on quizzes and exams, but you must bring your own calculator.
There will be no sharing. Cell phone calculators may NOT be used.
Full credit for any assignment will only be awarded if the assignment 1) is turned in on
time, 2) shows the full method for solving the problem including any written discussion
you deem necessary, and 3) is legible. Your “final answer” should be circled to indicate
what you want graded – for exams as well. Don’t forget units!!! Late assignments will
receive a 10% deduction per day late. The first “day” begins immediately after the
assignment was collected. Extra credit assignments, if made, will not be accepted late.
Course Schedule (subject to change):
Week
Monday Wednesday Friday
Read
BEFORE
class
In Class Activity Read
BEFORE
class
In Class Activity Read
BEFORE
class
In Class Activity
1/18 Syllabus 1.1 - 1.3 1.4 – 1.6
[QA]
1/25
1.7 – 1.8
[QA]
Lab: Making
measurements
[QA]
2.1 - 2.3 DUE: Poison
Selection
2.4-2.6 [QA]
2/1
2.8 - 2.10 DUE:
Measurements Post
Lab
3.1 – 3.3 Quiz 1
Lab: Paper
Chromatography [QA]
3.3-3.6 Lab: Paper
Chromatography
Cont. [QA]
2/8
3.7 - 3.9 [QA]
Activity: Light
DUE: Effects of
and legal
restrictions on
poison
4.1 - 4.3 DUE: Paper Chromatography Post
Lab
Exam 1
2/15 4.4 - 4.5 4.6 – 4.8 Lab: Absorption of
light [QA]
5.1-5.3 Quiz 2
2/22
5.3 Activity: Lewis Structures
DUE: Metabolism
research on
poison
5.4 – 5.5
DUE: Absorption of Light Post Lab
5.6-5.7 Activity: Molecular Geometry
2/29 Spring Break
3/7
5.8-5.9 Activity: Polarity
6.6 – 6.7 DUE: Poisons
Argument Paper
Draft
6.8-6.9 Quiz 3
Activity: Acids/Bases
3/14
7.2-7.4 [QA] Activity: Solubility
[QA]
DUE: Peer
Review
8.1 – 8.3 Lab: Lipstick
Chromatography [QA]
8.4-8.6 Lab: Lipstick
Chromatography Cont. [QA]
3/21 Presentations
DUE: Poisons Argument Paper
Easter Break
3/28
8.7-8.9 DUE: Lipstick
Chromatography Post Lab
13.1 Quiz 4
Activity: Functional Groups and IR
11.1 - 11.3
[QA]
4/4
11.4-11.6
[QA]
Activity: LD50 and
therapeutic dose [QA]
11.7 [QA] Activity: Kinetics of
Drug Metabolism [QA] Exam 2
4/11
Prep lab in
groups
Lab: Drug Analysis
by Thin Layer
Chromatography I [QA]
Lab: Drug Analysis by
Thin Layer
Chromatography II [QA]
Lab: Drug Analysis
by Thin Layer
Chromatography III [QA]
4/18 Principles of
Toxicology
Tox
Assign.
Due: Drug Analysis
Post Lab
Tox. Assign.
4/25 Presentation on Signature Integrative Assignment
DUE: Individual Essay
Final Exam: Date at Time
Options for the Signature Integrative Assignment will be distributed by the fourth week
of class and the proposal deadline for that assignment will be announced at that point.
Note that our lab work will be primarily using the separation technique of
chromatography. In identifying and quantifying chemical components of a mixture, it is
often necessary to separate the mixture into its component parts. Chromatography is a
very common tool for all chemists, including forensic chemists. Rather than learning
multiple lab techniques, we are going to focus on becoming proficient at
chromatography. We will use QA techniques to analyze and interpret our data, and by
the end of the semester, you will be able to design an experiment to identify an unknown
drug.
Research Paper: Each student will select a drug or poison (household, prescription,
illegal), research its biochemical and physiological properties (including how it is
metabolized and what its physical effects are on a person after ingestion), and its current
legal availability. Students will write a 5-7 page paper arguing whether the drug or
poison should have increased restrictions or increased access by the general public. Your
paper should use the ACS Style Guide for documenting references and you will be
graded on language usage and mechanics as well as the strength of your argument based
on valid and reliable sources. Keep in mind that every substance is a chemical and that
every substance can be a poison. The dose makes the poison.
Note that you will submit a draft and complete a peer-review as part of the writing
process in preparing the research paper. Appropriate deadlines are indicated on the
course schedule above.
On the day you submit your final argument paper, you will also give a presentation of
your findings. Details on the grading of this presentation can be found in Canvas.
Chemists do not read papers or notecards, but instead present their research as a “planned
conversation.” The purpose of the presentation is to share your research with your fellow
students who may need your expertise in preparing their Signature Integrative
Assignment where students may be making connections between the poisons you read
about in your Detective Fiction class and the biochemical and physiological effects of
those poisons. Options for the Signature Integrative Assignment are available in Canvas.
QA Final Project: While we will be using quantitative tools throughout the semester as
noted by activities marked QA in the course schedule, the culminating QA assignment
will be the Drug Analysis by Thin Layer Chromatography. A detailed assignment and
grading rubric are available in Canvas, but your task will be to design an experiment to
identify the active ingredients in combination over-the-counter analgesics. You will
work in groups to design the experiment, although each student will collect individual
data that the group will then use to report measured values and their uncertainty in the
form of an average and its standard deviation. Each student will submit an individual
report using the instructions available on Canvas.
Reading Assignments and Homework:
You MUST keep up with the readings and do your homework to do well in this class.
Chemistry is an active field and you must be an active participant to learn it.
The daily reading assignments given in the schedule above refer to sections from your
chemistry textbook. We will be discussing the assigned reading ON the day it is listed.
For example, you will have read pages *** for class on Thursday.
The general class format will be clicker questions or a short written response based on the
reading, class discussion or activity based on the reading, min-lectures, and a homework
assignment. At times, you will be allowed to work on your homework in groups
provided that everyone participates. In all cases, assignments that are not finished in
class must be completed on your own.
Homework will be collected and graded in the following manner: at the beginning of
each hour exam, I will select two of your homework problems from the chapters covered
by that exam and put them on the exam. If you have done these problems, you may
attach them to your exam and leave. If you have not worked these problems out prior to
the exam, you may work them on the exam, but no partial credit will be awarded for these
problems when worked on the exam. Do not forget to bring your homework to the exam.
Attendance and Tardy Policy:
Attendance is necessary for success in the course. The Group Assignment and
Clicker/Participation portion of your grade depend on you being in class. Your
performance on quizzes and exams is better when you are in class. If you are tardy, you
will miss the opportunity to participate in the daily reading quizzes, and thus your grade
will suffer. Plan to be in class on time every day and ready to learn.
If you are absent, please borrow a classmate’s notes as soon as possible. You will be
responsible for the material that was covered.
Honor Code:
Students in this course are expected to adhere to the Academic Honesty statement in the
2015 – 2017 JCU Undergraduate Bulletin. Cell phone use in class can easily appear as
cheating. Don’t do it. Students who have violated the Academic Honesty Policy will
receive a failing grade in the course.
Collaborative Work:
Collaboration in chemistry is a highly respected part of the learning process. I hope that
you will study together to achieve a better understanding of the material. You may
discuss homework problems. Just remember that the work you turn in MUST be your
own.
You are expected to work independently on exams. You will sign an honor code
statement to that effect.
Policy on Documentation and Accommodation of Disabilities
USE Latest
Policy on Mutual Respect
USE Latest
EN 240 John McBratney
MWF 1:00-1:50 Spring, 2016
Rm. ? [email protected]
OC-238: any day but Thursday by appointment 397-4526 (o); 440-286-2749 (h)
British and American Detective Fiction
Goals of the Course
This course will explore the origins and development of detective fiction in English in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. Although we will study primarily the detective fiction of Great Britain, we will begin with a
discussion of two detective tales by the American founder of the detective genre, Edgar Allan Poe. We will then
study three English inheritors of Poe’s innovation: Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dorothy Sayers. We
will conclude with a return to the American canon—to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. Throughout this
course, we will be examining several key questions about detective fiction: What methods do detectives use in
detection? What powers or capacities does detection confer upon detectives? What are the factors that limit these
powers? How ethical are the detectives we study? These same questions will surface, in reference to scientific
investigators, in the Chemistry course with which this course will be linked (more about this below). Although we
will be examining the detective works in this course as literature, we will also be exploring their place in a culture
that saw the rise of science and technology, the birth of criminology, the ascendancy of the “expert,” the growth of a
modern industrial society, and the expansion of the British Empire. In studying these aspects of British and American
culture as they shape British and American detective literature, we will also be assessing these aspects as they bear
upon the rise of forensic chemistry—a central concern in the Chemistry course with which this course is linked.
As part of the Core curriculum at John Carroll, this course will be linked with CH 170. This means that you
will be a student in this course and CH 170 concurrently. In successfully completing these courses, you will have
fulfilled the ENW (Exploring the Natural World) requirement for the Core. (This course also fulfills the “Literature”
requirement for the [old] Core.) N.B.: Although these courses will overlap considerably, they will also differ from
each other not just in terms of content but also in terms of approach, emphases, and expectations.
In being linked, these courses will work together to help you integrate knowledge from two fields:
chemistry and English-language literature. By integrating knowledge in these courses, you will become familiar—or
more familiar—with the idea that knowledge in our contemporary world is increasingly interconnected. By
participating in these courses, you will also become more expert in living and functioning within such a world,
making the kinds of linkages across cognitive domains that will be the everyday currency of your private, public, and
working lives in the future. The integration that these courses will require of you will be a challenge, for you will be
asked to swivel continually between two main ways of looking at texts and the world: the way of the chemist and the
way of a literary critic. But this challenge will also be an opportunity—an enriching and enlivening opportunity for
students and instructors alike—to sharpen our minds and widen our intellectual, ethical, and imaginative horizons.
Most of our class time will be devoted to discussion of, rather than lecture about, the readings. I hope that
we—that is, students and teacher—can work together as a community of learners about nineteenth- and twentieth-
century British and American literature and culture. It is incumbent on each of us, as members of a community, to be
civil and respectful toward one another, regardless of differences of opinion, experience, background, and identity.
Readings
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. 1868. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The Sign of Four. 1890. London: Penguin, 2001.
C. A Study in Scarlet. 1887 [publisher TBD].
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon. 1929 [publisher TBD].
Poe, Edgar Allan. Selected Tales. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.
Sayers, Dorothy, and Robert Eustace. The Documents in the Case. 1930 [publisher TBD.]
Learning Goals for EN 240 as a ENW Core Course
1. Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds.
2. Develop habits of critical analysis.
3. Apply creative and innovative thinking
4. Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression.
By successfully completing the requirements of this course—the writing assignments, including the
integrated learning signature assignment, and the final exam—you will have achieved all of these learning goals. All
of these Core goals, by the way, are aligned with university learning goals.
Learning Goals for the Course as an EN Major Course
1. Read texts with active, critical skill to form and articulate accomplished interpretations.
2. Produce written analyses of literary texts that demonstrate awareness of audience, organizational
sophistication, and clear argumentation.
3. Recognize the use and function of the formal elements of language and genre.
4. Build oral communication skills by listening to others’ ideas and forming their own responses and questions
clearly to situate themselves in the conversation.
5. Gain knowledge of cultural and historical contexts of detective fiction that enhances their appreciation for
the voices either within or marginalized by the texts.
By successfully completing the writing assignments in this course, you will have met learning goals #1, 2, 3,
and 5. By doing well on the exams in this course, you will have achieved learning goals #1, 3, and 5. By participating
actively in class discussion, you will have attained learning goal #4. All these major learning goals are aligned, by
the way, with university learning goals.
Schedule (TBD)
Requirements
You will take occasional quizzes, sit for a final, and write three essays, including the following:
$ A 1-page close reading essay (due early in the semester; see attached),
$ A 4- to 6-page research essay in the discipline (due at course midpoint; see attached), and
$ A 5- to 7-page signature essay that requires the integration of knowledge from two disciplines (due at
course end; see attached).
These three writing assignments will require you to use rhetorical means skillfully to mount cogent and
convincing arguments. In the last two assignments, you will engage in a process of writing: in the research paper,
completion of a proposal, a rough draft (that will be peer edited), and a final draft; and in the signature assignment,
completion of a proposal and a final draft. The signature assignment will take the form of a group project that will
require you not only to produce writing but also to give an oral presentation. All writing must observe the proper,
ethical ways of documenting sources and the standard rules governing the surface features of writing.
Your essays must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins all around,
and submitted on time. For every day that an essay is late, one-sixth of a grade will be deducted from the final essay
grade. Short essays or reviews will also be penalized. You’re encouraged to visit the Writing Center or me for help
with your writing.
If you miss a quiz and have a valid excuse, you may make up the quiz without penalty. If you miss a quiz
and have no valid excuse, you may make up the quiz with a penalty.
The final exam will be a form of take-home exam. You will prepare for this test by taking a series of
quizzes that will require you to practice answering the kinds of questions you will have to answer on the final.
From time to time, you will also be asked to join two or more other students in the course to serve as
“catalyzers” of the discussion for that day. Your responsibility will be to bring in a question you find significant
about the reading and to help guide class discussion of the question. The catalyzers’ questions will supplement the
questions I will also be giving the class. I will give you more information about your role as a catalyzer later.
Occasionally, I will announce readings, lectures, or other events that you may attend and respond to in
writing for extra credit. For full credit, each response must be at least 500 words. Each full-length response will earn
you an extra 0.5% on your final course grade. You are allowed to hand in up to four extra-credit responses over the
course of the semester.
Statement on Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is essential to the success of this course. For this reason, no dishonesty of any sort will be
tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism of any kind on the paper will be grounds for a grade of F in the course. If
you use another author’s ideas or words at any stage in your writing, whether you take these from a printed or online
source, you must quote and/or acknowledge your borrowings properly.
Statement on Disabilities
Students with documented disabilities should contact the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities (Ms.
Allison West, 397-4967) and, after consulting with her, inform me about accommodations you would find useful.
Electronic Device Policy
During class, you may not view any electronic device of any kind unless (1) you are expecting an important
communication and secure my approval for use of that device in advance, (2) you are reading a course text on that
device and secure my approval for that use in advance, or (3) you are helping the class, upon my request, to find out
information we require instantly. If I find you checking your device during class (usually this involves looking down
at your lap intently), and you are not covered by any of the above exceptions, your commitment to the course grade
will suffer heavily. It is best to keep your device turned off.
Grading
Close reading essay 10%
Research essay 20%
Signature essay (essay & presentation) 25%
Quizzes 10%
Final 25%
Commitment to the course 10%
The grade for commitment to the course will be based mainly on participation in class discussion, but other
factors such as general conscientiousness and improvement will also be assessed. You are urged to come to every
class. You are allowed up to three unexcused absences, after which I will assess a penalty of three points off your
final commitment grade for each additional unexcused absence. I grade on a ten-point scale.
Signature Assignment in Integrating Forensic Chemistry and Detective Fiction
This project will consist of two parts: a group oral presentation and a series of individual essays
by members of the group based on the oral presentation. The number of groups will be determined by the
instructors based on the number of students in the classes. Each group will be asked to pick one of the
following topics. Each topic will require you to integrate knowledge from your Chemistry and your
English classes. These are your choices:
(1) As you have learned throughout the semester, scientists have an ethical obligation to report data in
such a way that it is apparent what the accuracy and precision of the collected data is. Scientists discuss
these concepts collectively as the uncertainty in a measured value. How confident is the scientist in the
reported results?
In a less quantitative way, the reports of the characters in The Moonstone also exhibit uncertainty,
whether perceived at the time of the crime or not, as they describe their attempts to ascertain the fate of
the missing diamond. Drawing upon one character whose testimony reveals such uncertainty, compare the
kind of quantitative uncertainty that characterizes the forensic technique you’ve chosen and the kind of
qualitative uncertainty that the character’s report exhibits. How is the uncertainty in both cases similar?
How is it different in the two cases? Write an essay in which you analyze both the similarities and
differences between the two kinds of uncertainty. In your comparison essay, your analysis of the science
should be integrated with your analysis of the character’s report.
(2) Choose a poison, administered to a character in a selection from the EN 240 reading list, which was
an inappropriate poison for the desired narrative outcome. Using the knowledge of poisons you have
acquired in CH 170 class and from your own research, analyze how the character’s response to the
poison, as it is presented in the text, is inaccurate or far-fetched. If the poison is identified, evaluate the
inaccuracy of the character’s response (physiologically, behaviorally, metabolically) based on your
knowledge of the toxicology of the poison. It the poison is not identified, use the character’s response to
postulate a class of poisons to which the unknown (but mischaracterized) poison could possibly belong.
For your project, present your analysis of the character’s behavior based on a close reading of the text,
your assessment of the chemical structure and function of the poison or class of poisons the character was
given, your understanding of the metabolic process by which the poison is processed in the body, and
your speculation as to why the writer took liberties with the toxicology of the poison. In this last part of
your project (the speculation), relate the liberties taken to an important theme in the fiction, showing how
the toxicological inaccuracy helps to develop that theme.
(3) Determine the guilt or innocence of the Brahmin priests in taking the eponymous diamond at the end
of The Moonstone. You do not need to base your determination on English criminal law at the time of the
action of the novel—or on present-day English criminal law, for that matter. All you need to do is make
an ethical, as opposed to a legal, determination in the matter. In other words, you will need to rule on
whether, in the court of public opinion, the Brahmins were within their “rights” (as you construe them)
rather than on whether, in a court of law, they were legally culpable. Half of your group will argue that
they were within their rights and half that they were not. Keep in mind that as you assess the culpability
of the Brahmins, you will also need to assess the blameworthiness of other characters, including
Herncastle, Blake, and Ablewhite. When you discuss Blake’s role in the case, you will need to judge,
using the language of biochemistry and physiology, the extent to which his intoxication by opium and
alcohol affects his guilt. In other words, your biochemical and physiological analysis should be integrated
with your ethical analysis.
(4) Discuss the representation of Tonga as a stereotypic “savage” in The Sign of Four. Half your group
should analyze the various aspects of Tonga’s depiction as a savage. The other half should present
anthropological evidence (we will supply a useful source for research) that refutes the representation of
Tonga as primitive. Members of both groups should discuss, using the language of biochemistry and
physiology, the action of the poison Tonga supposedly uses in his blow-pipe. (In fact, The Sign of Four is
inaccurate on this count; Andaman Islanders have never used blow-pipes.) The poison that points the
darts would probably have been derived from Nux vomica, a plant native to the Andaman Islands. Both
halves of the group should use Tonga’s employment of a blow-pipe and poison as part of their analysis of
Tonga’s imputed savagery. In other words, your biochemical and physiological discussion should be
integrated with your anthropological analysis of him.
(5) Explore the construction of Spade’s masculinity in The Maltese Falcon. In detective fiction, the
detective is often seen as omnipotent or aspiring to be so. Most detectives express that omnipotence (or
would-be all-powerfulness) cognitively—that is, in the fullness of their knowledge and the masterful
application of that knowledge. Spade is no exception in this regard. However, he adds to this cerebral
masterfulness a physical element that derives from a tradition of masculine potency in hard-boiled
American detective fiction. Yet during the span of his physical domination of his foes in the novel, Spade
experiences a moment of impotence while under the influence of the “mickey” he is fed. Half your group
should argue that this episode shows a fundamental weakness in the traditional “macho” American
detective hero. The other half should argue that the episode represents only a minor hiatus in the
fundamental physical indomitability of that heroic figure. Both halves of the group should discuss, using
the language of biochemistry and physiology, the effect of a typical mickey of this time in relation to the
strength or weakness of the American detective hero. In other words, your biochemical and physiological
discussion should be integrated with your cultural analysis of gender in the novel. Feel free to set the
episode of the mickey within the whole narrative by incorporating discussion of other parts of the novel,
especially the ending, into your analysis.
(6) Often in detective fiction, the main character is nearly super-human in the ability to recognize patterns
and use inductive, deductive, and abductive reasoning to solve a case. Modern scientists rely on chemical
tests and analytical instruments in conjunction with their strong problem-solving skills. You have read
novels where chemical tests, instrumentation, or observation are used to identify a suspect or confirm
guilt. In what way does the author’s choice of scientific technique contribute to the characterization of
the investigator?
(7) The Documents in the Case was published in 1930 at a time when our understanding of physics and
chemistry was changing dramatically. The laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of quantum
mechanics are both discussed in the novel, something rather uncommon to find in a popular work of
fiction. At the end of the novel, several characters discuss the question “What is Life?” Using
appropriate quotes from the novel, argue how Munting, Latham, the Harrisons, and Milson would have
answered that question. Who would have used scientific arguments and who would not? Why do you
think this?
(8) Feel free, as a group, to develop your own project topic, either a variation on one of the topics above
or an entirely different topic. Make sure (1) that your topic is suitable for an oral presentation and a series
of individual essays as described above and (2) that you consult with both Drs. Bruce and McBratney at
least a week ahead of the deadline for your project proposal.
For the proposal, which will be due on ? in class, your group should offer a tentative thesis, a
provisional organization of the parts of your presentation (with a group member assigned to each part),
and the method by which you will integrate knowledge from the Chemistry and English courses.
For the oral presentation, which will be delivered the week of April 25 in both courses, your
group will work together to present your discussion of the topic you all have chosen; all members of the
group must speak for roughly an equal time—no more than 5 minutes a person. In addition, each member
of the group will hand in an essay that will offer an argument based on the group presentation. Make sure
that your essay offers more than simply a summary of your contribution to the oral presentation. That
essay might (1) extend the argument that you make in your contribution to the oral presentation or (2)
adjudicate between the opposed views that your group offers in the oral presentation. Make sure that you
integrate insights from chemistry and literary studies in a meaningful way (we’ll be discussing how to do
that).
For the essay, you should not have to consult sources outside those you used in the course or in
your group’s oral presentation; however, if you do include information from outside sources, you must
include these sources in your works cited. Your works cited must include all sources from which you
quote or draw information in your essay. For the paper, you should work independently of your
groupmates. Be aware of the rules and penalties regarding plagiarism. Your essay should be a total of 5 to
7 pages long and should adhere to the standard manuscript format for this course (double-spaced text in
12-point font, Times New Roman, and 1-inch margins all around and neat arrangement of data). Use
either MLA or ACS style for documentation and works cited/bibliography. When you hand in your essay
in week 15, each of you as an individual should also submit confidentially a report on the contribution of
each member of your group. The report should declare whether the contribution of each was satisfactory,
exceptional, or unsatisfactory. If the grade for any contribution is unsatisfactory, you should supply
details as to why you gave this grade to your group-mate(s).
Your grade will reflect the extent to which your essay achieves the Core goals for the linked
courses. Good luck!
Drug Analysis using Thin Layer Chromatography1
At this point in the semester, you have used chromatography to separate and identify components of a
mixture on multiple occasions. In this experiment, you will propose a method for determining the active
ingredients of an over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller (analgesic). OTC analgesics can contain more than
one active ingredient. Common combinations include aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. You will be
provided standard solutions of each of these compounds. You will then determine the active
ingredient(s) in a series of unknown OTC painkillers by comparing your experimentally obtained Rf
values.
Prelab preparation
1. In your assigned groups, look up the structures of aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. Sketch the
structures below.
2. Identify the functional groups present in these compounds. Label them in the structures you drew
above.
3. Look up the dipole moment of each compound. Record those in the table below. Using the
functional groups and dipole moments of each compound, predict its solubility (insoluble, slightly
soluble, very soluble) in the solvents listed in the table below. If you need to look up the structures and
dipole moments of the solvents, do so.
Compound Dipole Moment (D) Solubility in Ethanol
Solubility in Ethyl Acetate
Solubility in Ethyl Ether
4. In your group, propose three different solvent systems that you want to try to separate caffeine,
acetaminophen, and aspirin. Record your solvent systems below as % ethanol/ % ethyl acetate/ % ethyl
ether.
Solvent system 1:
1 Adapted from Annina Carter, Adirondack Community College, Quensbury NY
Comment [CB1]: Retention factor (Rf) is a measure of the distance a compound travels on a stationary phase (the TLC plate) relative to the distance the solvent travels on that same stationary phase. Distance is measured using a ruler. Rf is calculated as distance of compound elution/distance of solvent elution. http://www.ce.gxnu.edu.cn/organic/net_course/content/tlc/Retention_Factor.htm
Solvent system 2:
Solvent system 3:
Prior to beginning the lab, the instructor must approve from of your prelab assignment.
Experimental Procedure
The experimental procedure follows that of your previous chromatography experiments. Each student
will work individually with one of the solvent systems proposed by your group.
It is especially important that all of your glassware is DRY in this experiment.
1. Obtain three developing chambers. Prepare your solvent systems (one in each jar) so that the
bottom of each jar is filled to a depth of ~ 0.5 cm above the bottom of the jar.
2. Prepare three TLC plates using a pencil to lightly draw a line ~ 1 cm from the bottom of the plate.
Spot them with acetaminophen, caffeine, aspirin, and your unknown(s).
3. Place your TLC plate in the developing chamber.
4. Watch the solvent front. Remove your plate when the solvent has moved to ~ 1 cm from the top of
the plate. Immediately mark along the solvent front with a pencil when you remove the plate from
the developing chamber. Also indicate which solvent was used by writing the solvent system number
at the top of the plate above the solvent front.
5. Allow your plate to dry. When it is dry, use the UV light to identify the spots on the plate. With a
pencil, outline the location of the spots under the UV light.
6. Measure the distance your compound moved on the TLC plate and calculate the Rf value using the
solvent front distance.
7. Decide in your group which solvent system separated the components of the mixture best. Each
student in the group should repeat the experiment using the best solvent system. This data will provide
an opportunity to calculate an average Rf and its standard deviation.
Waste Disposal: Keep your dry TLC plates to submit with your report. All solvents should be disposed in
special waste containers that your instructor will show to you during lab.
Post-Lab Assignment
Each student will submit individual responses to the following questions although groups will be working
with the same data. You may discuss the data and results, but what you turn in must be written
separately using your own words.
1. How does chromatography work to separate mixtures based on intermolecular forces?
2. What is the purpose of this lab? Why would we want to know what compounds are in an analgesic?
3. How did you make the initial choice of the three solvent systems used in your group? Why did you
choose the solvents you chose?[ENW Learning Objective: Apply creative and innovative thinking to
develop approaches to solve problems and/or answer questions]
4. Plot the measured Rf values as a function of dipole moment from your pre-lab assignment. [QA
learning objective: Represent data]
5. How did you choose the best solvent system? How did you use the collected data to make that
decision? Use the plot you made in the previous question to assist in answering this. [QA learning
objective: Draw inference from data]
6. Why was your best solvent system best? What was it about that solvent system that allowed for
good separation? [ENW Learning Objective: Apply creative and innovative thinking to develop
approaches to solve problems and/or answer questions]
7. A sample calculation showing how Rf was calculated for the compounds in your unknown(s).
8. NEAT table(s) or appropriate figures of results. At the minimum, this must include the average and
standard deviations for Rf values for knowns and component(s) in your unknown(s) determined
when you repeated the experiment in triplicate using your best solvent system. [QA learning
objective: Represent data]
9. Identification of the components in your unknown(s) and an explanation of how you used your data
to identify those components. [QA learning objective: Think critically about quantitative
statements]
10. An interpretation of your calculated standard deviations and identification of sources of error. [QA
learning objective: Recognize sources of error]
11. What other questions could you answer using data collected from a chromatography experiment?
Identify specific quantitative methods that could be used to answer the questions you propose.
Your response could describe a system other than analgesics. [QA learning objective: Find and pose
precise questions that can be appropriately analyzed by quantitative methods]
12. All TLC plates should be labeled and taped to a piece of paper to include with your report.
Comment [CB2]: Students will have to interpret collected data and make a decision about how to proceed using evidence and reasoning (inference). In chemistry, the distinction between observation and inference is that the observation is the measurement/data while the inference is the explanation/interpretation. Statistical tests may be used but are not necessary to explain/interpret/draw inferences about data.
Comment [CB3]: The collected data will be represented in a neat table including average and standard deviation from conducting the experiment in triplicate.
Comment [CB4]: The quantitative statement will be representing data using averages and standard deviations (Rf for each compound and the corresponding standard deviation). Students will critically evaluate the magnitude of those numbers and how reliable their identification of the unknown components are based on their experimental values.
Comment [CB5]: Students will identify sources of error in conducting the experiments that led to the calculated standard deviations. **The sources of error will be appropriate to how chemists make experimental measurements, not sampling or bias errors typical in statistical studies. A homogenous solution with ~10
23 molecules yields a
consistent concentration from each sample within experimental limits in most chemistry applications. An example appropriate to this experiment is least count error from use of a ruler to measure distance. Reporting a measured value to the correct number of significant figures is one very important way that a chemist indicates the uncertainty (error) associated with a measurement. For more information on how error is defined in chemistry, see http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~labgroup/pdf/Error_analysis.htm ...
Comment [CB6]: Appropriate student responses will vary, but certainly identifying other unknown drugs from standards would be possible. In the context of forensic chemistry, the absence of an illegal drug could be determined or if a drug had been mixed with another substance. One quantitative method that could be used is determining average and standard deviation of the measured retention factor. Other responses are
Research Paper Assignment CH 170 Each student will select a drug or poison (household, prescription, illegal), research its biochemical and physiological properties (including how it is metabolized and what its physical effects are on a person after ingestion) and its current legal availability. Students will write a 5-7 page paper arguing whether the drug or poison should have increased restrictions or increased access by the general public. Keep in mind that every substance is a chemical and that every substance can be a poison. The dose makes the poison. Your audience is a chemically literate member of the general public, someone who knows enough about basic biochemistry or toxicology but who is unfamiliar with the particular drug or poison you have selected. Recall that chemists read a structure to identify its reactivity and possible function. You know this from our study of intermolecular forces and structure/function relationships. As a result, you will need to include Figures that show the structure and any known or proposed biochemical pathways of the drug’s metabolism. Each Figure should be captioned in the manner we have seen in articles or in your textbook. You may also include other Tables or Figures that are appropriate to the content, although you should be judicious in making these decisions. Chemists write in a style that is highly concise using formal language where each word is chosen for its precise chemical meaning. While you are not writing for a scientific journal, you should still use precise chemical language when explaining the physiological effects of the drug you are studying. You may use a common technique in chemistry writing of using headings and subheadings to guide your reader. Your paper should use the ACS Style Guide for documenting references and you will be graded on language usage and mechanics as well as the strength of your argument based on valid and reliable sources. Note that you will submit a draft and complete a peer-review as part of the writing process in preparing the research paper. The 100 points for the assignment will be broken down as follows: 5 points – Poison Selection, Due 1/27 10 points – Legality research on poison including references, Due 2/8 10 points – Metabolism research including references, Due 2/22 15 points – Complete Draft, Due 3/9 10 points – Anonymous peer review, Due 3/14 50 points Final Draft, Due 3/21 Note to the core committee/subcommittee members: I have attached a sample Argument Paper Grading Rubric that I used in a previous course. It will be modified somewhat to match this assignment, but I wanted to show to the committee how the grading rubric provides additional guidance to the students on what I am looking for in their papers. I will also develop rubrics for
the research components of the paper that are due earlier in the semester. I have these early deadlines so that if a student is having trouble finding enough information on a topic, they can discover that early and switch topics if necessary.
Thesis Statement (Student's
position)
Developed a strong
thesis and included it in
the appropriate place in
the paper. The thesis
was the focal point of
the paper and was both
strongly and thoroughly
supported throughout
the paper.
Developed a strong thesis and
included it in the appropriate place
in the paper. Most of the
information supported the thesis
statement.
Thesis Statement needs to be
developed further or is not included in
the paper. The thesis is not fully
supported in the paper.
A clear position is not present
throughout the paper
5 pts 3 pts 2 pts 0 pts
Evidence in Support of
Student's Position
Position is supported in
depth with a variety of
sources. Substantial
valid and accurate
information in the form
of expert opinion,
statistics, research
studies, etc. has been
used throughout the
paper. Information is
relevant and supports
the writer’s ideas.
Position is supported with a variety
of sources. Valid and accurate
information has been used
throughout the paper. Most of the
information is relevant and
supports the writer’s ideas. A mix
of general and specific information
is used.
Position needs to be supported with
more valid and accurate information.
Some of the information may not be
relevant and/or does not support the
thesis.
Reasons are not developed or are
repetitive. Ideas can be difficult to
understand. Little to no support from
researched information is present in
the paper.
10 pts 9 pts 7 pts 4 pts
Opposing Side Evidence
Substantial, valid, and
accurate evidence
representing opposing
views are presented
clearly and concisely.
Minor OmissionsOpposing viewpoints are presented,
but evidence is questionable.More Omissions
6 pts 5 pts 4 pts 3 pts
Opposing Side Rebuttal
The author considers
the evidence, or
alternate
interpretations of
evidence, that could be
used to refute or
weaken his/her
argument, and
thoughtfully responds
to it.
Author acknowledges that counter-
evidence or alternative
interpretations exists, and lists
them fully, but does not effectively
explain to reader why his/her
argument still stands.
Author acknowledges some of the
most obvious counter-evidence and
alternative explanations, but is not
comprehensive in this task. There is
little or no attempt made to respond
to them.
More omissions
6 pts 5 pts 3 pts 2 pts
Strength of Argument
Student's argument is
grounded in the
scientific evidence
presented in the paper
Argument has minor weaknesses or
misinterpretation of evidence.
Argument has more weaknesses or
misinterpretation of evidence.
Argument has major weaknesses or
misinterpretation of evidence.
6 pts 5 pts 3 pts 2 pts
Conclusion
Conclusion summarizes
the main topics without
repeating previous
sentences; writer's
commentary and
suggestions for change
are logical and well
thought out.
Conclusion summarizes main
topics. Some suggestions for
change are evident
Conclusion summarizes main topics,
but is repetitive. No suggestions for
change and/or commentary are
included.
Conclusion does not adequately
summarize the main points. No
commentary or suggestions for
change are included.
4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 0 pts
References FormatCorrect format in text
and reference sectionMinor errors Major errors Absent
3 pts 2 pts 1 pts 0 pts
Organization
Logical, compelling
progression of ideas in
essay;clear structure
which enhances and
showcases the central
idea or theme and
moves the reader
through the text.
Organization flows so
smoothly the reader
hardly thinks about it.
Effective, mature,
graceful transitions
exist throughout the
paper
Overall, the paper is logically
developed. Progression of ideas in
essay makes sense and moves the
reader easily through the text.
Strong transitions exist throughout
and add to the paper’s coherence
Progression of ideas in essay is
awkward, yet moves the reader
through the text without too much
confusion. The writer sometimes
lunges ahead too quickly or spends too
much time on details that do not
matter. Transitions appear
sporadically, but not equally
throughout the paper.
Arrangement of essay is unclear and
illogical. The writing lacks a clear
sense of direction. Ideas, details or
events seem strung together in a
loose or random fashion; there is no
identifiable internal structure and
readers have trouble following the
writer’s line of thought. Few, forced
transitions in the essay or no
transitions are present.
4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 1 pts
Mechanics
Sentence structure is
correct. Punctuation
and capitalization are
correct.
Sentence structure is generally
correct. Some awkward sentences
do appear. There are few errors in
punctuation and/or capitalization.
Work contains structural weaknesses
and grammatical errors. There are
more errors in punctuation and/or
capitalization
Work contains multiple incorrect
sentence structures. There are many
errors in punctuation and/or
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4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 1 pts
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throughout, within a
few lines of 5 pages
Incorrect margins or font, less then
4.5 or greater than 5.5 pages
Less than 4 pages or greater than 6
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English 299
Spring, 2016
Close Reading
At the heart of any course in literature is the idea of close reading—the idea of attending
to the fullest possibilities of meaning in the smallest details of a text. The Romantic poet William
Blake wrote that you should be able “To see a world in a grain of sand.” Likewise, in a course
like this one, you should be able to see a major theme of a literary work in a small textual
moment. For example, in our discussion of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” we noted the
recurrence of words like “unique,” “peculiar,” “unusual,” “extraordinary,” “recherché,” and
“outré”—all words that refer, in the case of this story, to the rareness of the events that constitute
these homicides. These words also point to an important theme that concerns the detective
method in this story: a proper appreciation of what Dupin calls “the theory of probabilities”
(114), a theory that, for Dupin, directs attention to what may seem impossible but is only highly
improbable.
For this assignment, choose one (and only one) textual moment—an important word, a
significant pattern of words (like that above), an important phrase, or a salient image—from
either “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” or “The Purloined Letter” that bears upon a central
theme in the story. Write a short essay in which you do a close reading of a textual moment that
intrigues you. With this close reading, you will need to infer from this moment a single key
theme in the story that you analyze thoughtfully and fully. For example, to flesh out your
discussion of the theme of probability mentioned above, you might contrast Dupin’s highly-
developed understanding of the concept of probability with the Prefect’s scant comprehension of
the concept in relation to detection. In any case, your analysis should not consist solely of
paraphrase or plot summary. It should go beyond the obvious to explore the non-obvious. It
should also move beyond class discussion to ponder something fresh. Make sure that you supply
evidence, in the form of paraphrase or quotation from the text, to support your analysis. We’ll be
completing a series of exercises in class to help you with this assignment.
This close reading essay is designed to help you prepare for the longer essays you will
write later in the semester. The close reading and analysis you will need to do for this assignment
will help you to complete the longer writing assignments. For this essay, you will be graded on
how thoughtfully you have chosen the textual moment with which you would like to work and
how skillfully you develop your analysis of the single theme you infer from that textual moment.
Your grade will also reflect the general quality of your writing, particularly its clarity and
correctness. This essay will be due on ? in class and should be at least one full page. Consult the
syllabus for the general requirements for essays in this course. Please see me or a tutor in the
Writing Center (or both) if you need help. Good luck!
EN 299
Spring, 2016
The Research Essay
Using Doyle=s The Sign of Four as your primary work, write a research essay in which you use
one secondary work of literary criticism—a journal article, a chapter from a book, or an essay from an
essay collection—to help you illuminate an important theme of your own choosing from the Doyle novella.
First, you’ll need to locate a suitable secondary work. I’ll be giving you guidance in finding this
material. Before you write the proposal for this essay (see below for full details), you’ll need to get my
approval for your choice of a secondary work. Once you’ve received my approval, you’ll need to stick with
your choice or, if you’d like to use another secondary work, you’ll need to check with me.
After you’ve received my approval and read the secondary work, you’ll want to come up with a
tentative thesis. Don’t simply parrot what the author of the secondary work says. You may want to adjust
your view of the Doyle story in response to his/her argument, but make sure that the controlling view in the
essay is yours. Strive for a thesis that will allow you to develop an argument that is focused, non-obvious,
intellectually exciting, and rigorously proved. Once you start writing your essay, you’ll want to place your
argument in relation to that of the secondary work you’ve chosen—that is, enter a conversation with it. As
you move within this conversation, briefly summarize (when it suits your purposes) what the author has
said but, more important, respond to what the author has asserted by either extending his/her line of
argument or disagreeing with it. Make sure that this extension or disagreement is brief and comes toward
the beginning of your essay; you want the bulk of your argument to be yours. Take care to make that
argument a single, unified claim about the work in question. Again, make sure that your voice
predominates; after all, this is your essay. I’ll be talking later about how to enter the critical conversation
about the Doyle story so as to assure the primacy of your voice.
A proposal for the essay—including a tentative thesis, a bibliography containing the title of your
secondary work, and an annotation of that work—will be due on ? in class. For the annotation, you should
briefly (in no more than three sentences) summarize the argument of the work. I’ll be giving you guidance
on how to annotate a work in this way. (N.B.: The actual works cited page of your essay will not require
annotation.) If you change your essay topic, you must clear the new topic with me before continuing with
the paper; if you neglect to notify me about a change in topic, I cannot accept your essay. A rough draft,
plus enough copies of the draft for your peer editing group members, will be due on ? in class. I’ll be
providing detailed instructions about how the peer editing session will work. The final draft, including a
works cited page, will be due ? in my mailbox or under my door. The essay should be 4-6 pages long and
should adhere to proper manuscript form and correct MLA style. I’ll be talking about these matters later.
Please see me or visit the Writing Center if you have questions about any aspect of this assignment.
The grade for your essay will be based on the thoughtfulness of your thesis, the cogency and
comprehensiveness of your argument, the care and effectiveness with which you use your secondary work,
and the clarity and correctness of your writing. Good luck!
