Unit 1

Welcome to Composition II

Unit 1 seminarCourse outcomes Syllabus

informationTips for successAcademic writingWriting

experiences

Contact informationEmail: sthompson3@kaplan.eduE-mails: use CM 220-xx: Concern in

subject line (for example: CM 220-03 Unit 3 project question)

Office hours: by appointment (on AIM)AIM ID: sylthompson94Other instructors in cohort:

Michele Turecek: Mturecek@kaplan.eduJulie Kares: Jkares@kaplan.edu

Flex seminar timesDay Time Instructor

Wednesday Noon to 1 pm ET Thompson

Wednesday 9 to 10 pm ET Turecek

Sunday 8 to 9 pm ET Kares

Course descriptionThis course helps students apply research and critical thinking skills to develop effective persuasive arguments. Students will create professional writings, incorporating post-draft revision strategies and working constructively with colleagues.

Course outcomes CM220-1: Construct logical argumentsCM220-2: Develop strategies for effective

problem solvingCM220-3: Conduct research to support

assertions made in personal, academic, and professional situations

CM220-4: Articulate what constitutes effective communication in personal, professional and diverse contexts

CM220-5: Demonstrate effective listening strategies

Course level assessments0: No progress1: Introductory2: Emergent3: Practiced4: Proficient5: Mastery9: Cannot be

assessed (didn’t turn in assignment)

Used by Kaplan to measure student progress

Helps to determine if courses are helping students fulfill course outcomes

Leads to needed revisions in course

Does not affect your grade

Found in grade book in units with assessed projects (unit 2 exercise and final project)

Late policiesProjects: one-letter-grade late penalty per unitDiscussions: no credit for responses to

classmates posted more than 2 days after the unit ends; one-letter grade per late unit penalty for discussion posts

Seminars: must attend one of the live seminars or post a response to the seminar question in the seminar discussion thread by the end of the unit (no exceptions unless prior arrangements are made with me)

Work submitted more than 3 units late will not be accepted

No final projects accepted after the end of unit 9 unless prior arrangements are made with me or an incomplete is granted

Project guidelinesProjects due Tuesdays by 11:59 p.m.Use the correct unit’s dropbox to

post assignmentsWrite documents in MS Word with

“doc” or “docx” extensionRead grading rubric and project

guidelines carefully!Be sure to review Kaplan’s

plagiarism policy (see the syllabus and the Writing Center for details)

Hybrid grading rubricsCONTENT ORGANIZATION WRITING STYLE MECHANICS

A90-100 points

Focused thesis statement. Shows original thought. Describes in detail three specific claims and clearly explains how they will be developed. Describes at least two challenges. Full, correct APA references for two sources are included.

Should be very well-ordered. Each section must have a strong internal organization. Transitions found between and within sections must be clear and effective.

Appropriate to the assignment, fresh (interesting to read), accurate (no far-fetched, unsupported comments), precise (say what you mean), and concise (not wordy).

Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted conventions. Citations and formatting follow APA guidelines.

Substantive discussion posts will. . .

Avoid short expressions of agreement or disagreement or summaries of a classmate’s post.

Pose follow-up questions to issues raised by myself or other students in order to encourage further discussion.

Use personal experiences to illustrate your points. Recommend alternative solutions to problems and

offer constructive disagreement with issues raised by your peers.

Refer to our course readings and offer relevant parallels between those readings and our discussions.

Demonstrate your knowledge of the course material.Stay on topic.Be about 200-250 words for the main response

and 100 words for responses to classmates. Requirements vary for each unit, so read instructions and review any examples carefully.

Effective seminar discussions

Be respectfulAvoid side conversationsBe prepared—briefly review material before class

Stay on topicAsk questions! Use ??? before a ?

Option 2 seminar assignments

Only required if you miss the live seminar

Select the “seminar” tab for that unit.Review the questions carefully.Post a response of about 200-300 words in

that seminar’s discussion thread by the end of the unit. No seminar credit will be given after a unit ends.

Review the archive before responding to the question(s).

Unit 1 assignments Readings: “Communication Skills” and “Write Well, Go

Far” (both in the Kaplan library Academic Search Premier database, Electronic articles)

Optional: “Leadership in Writing” Post in the “introduce yourself” thread. Discussion 1: What aspects of the final project worry or

intimidate you? (includes exercise questions—need to review under “Assignment” icon)

Discussion 2: Summary/review of article from Writing Center library that addresses one of your concerns; go to Writing Center to find articles

Attend the unit 1 seminar or post in the option 2 seminar dropbox.

Unit 1 exercise (post in DB)

Read the "Final Project Requirements" information in unit 9 (see “Project” icon).

Open a new MS Word document and develop a thoughtful response to the following questions:1.) Based on your current writing skills and work habits, which parts of working on the paper (coming up with a thesis statement, research, time management, etc.) do you anticipate will be most challenging for you? 2.) Please list and discuss three of the challenges or concerns you have, save your document, and post your response to the Unit 1 (Looking Forward to the Final Project) Discussion 1.

Cut and paste your responses into the discussion board along with the answers to parts 2 and 3.

Other course projects/assignments

Unit 2 exercise: Analysis of speech (writing vs. speaking)

Unit 3: Choosing a topic, discussing controversies, and developing a thesis statement

Unit 4: Revised thesis and two sourcesUnit 6: Draft of persuasive essayUnit 7:Peer review of classmate’s draftUnit 9:8-10 page persuasive essay on topic

selected in unit 3

Final project Write an original persuasive essay (begin selection of

topics in unit 2)Must be 8-10 pages, not counting title and references

pageUse APA formatting and citationsMust cite a minimum of 5 credible sources, no more

than 2 internet-onlyAt least 2 sources must be books or academic articles

(from academic journals).One great way to find academic sources is to look in the

Kaplan Library for articles in refereed or peer-reviewed journals.

"Academic Search Elite" (one of the Kaplan Library Electronic Articles databases) allows you to limit your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed journals.

Google Books and Google Scholar are other database options.

Tips for success

Review the “course home” materials about the library, plagiarism, and navigating the E-college platform.

Review the documents posted in Doc Sharing.Check e-mail and announcements frequently.Communicate with me and ask questions!Participate actively in the weekly discussions

and seminars.Read grading rubrics and assignment

guidelines carefully.

Some questions to consider. . .What are differences between

informative and persuasive writing?What kinds of persuasion do we see and

use in our daily lives? How might you use persuasive writing in

your professional life?What are some positive (or negative)

experiences you have had with writing?What apprehensions do you feel about

this class/final project?

Your toolbox

USE! BE CAREFUL! MS Word Dictionary Thesaurus Bartleby.com Kaplan library Kaplan Writing Center (live chats,

Q & A, paper review, library) Google Scholar Google Books Free academic databases and

electronic journals available on-line

http://www.wholeagain.com/free_academic_databases.html

Returns from internet searches

BlogsWikipedia

Academic, formal, and informal writing

Academic/formal InformalUses Standard

American English (no slang, contractions)

Is carefully revised and edited for errors

References and cites credible sources using conventions of a field (APA, MLA, etc.)

Stays in third person

May use slang, abbreviations, contractions

Often not edited for grammar, mechanics, spelling

Uses first and second person pronouns

Why write?InformPersuadeEntertainDeal with specific audiences

Advantages to writingWriting gives you time to reflect and

research – shape and reshape material.Writing makes communication more

precise.Writing provides a permanent record of

thoughts, actions, and decisions.Writing saves time-- we absorb information

more swiftly when we read than when we hear.

What to know before you write