Cathlena Martin

CA102 Syllabus

Spring 2008
Syllabus
Assignments
101.04 Schedule
101.13 Schedule
Grade book
Helps
FAQs

In Communications Arts 101 you concentrated on writing and speaking about experiences, as well as research, revision, argumentation, and reflection. In this course we will build on your growing ability to collect and synthesize information from a variety of sources and to write and speak persuasively. When you complete this course, you should feel more confident of your abilities in all these areas. Specifically, you should be able to:

Course Objectives:
1. Distinguish between oral and written styles and adapt both oral and written messages for specific audiences and purposes.
2. Prepare written and oral communication assignments via a process approach through rhetorical invention, drafting or delivering, and revision.
3. Develop a clear focus in assignments, organize and support ideas effectively, use vivid language, and demonstrate clarity and correctness.
4. Select, evaluate, and document sources through primary and secondary research.
5. Interpret and analyze ideas through critical reading and listening.
6. Recognize the structure of logical argument and recognize and avoid logical fallacies.
7. Integrate visual information such as graphs, tables, or photographs into written and oral presentations.
8. Develop effective small group communication skills.

Texts and Materials:
• Richard Bullock & Maureen Daly Goggin The Norton Field Guide to Writing
• Jane E. Aaron The Little Brown Compact Handbook w/exercises
• Steven A. & Susan J. Beebe A Concise Public Speaking Handbook
• MySpeechKit online access
• 4x6 note cards for speeches
• pocket folder
• stapler (preferably a travel one that can fit in your backpack or purse) or a box of paper clips

Grading Distribution:
Literary Review & Annotated Bibliography 10%
Status Briefing 5%
Persuasive Essay 10%
Speech 10%
Proposal Essay 15%
Speech 15%
Revision 10%
Reflection 10%
Daily 10%
Final (timed essay) 5%

You can access your grades through the online grade book in Vista. Please keep a running total of your grades for yourself in case I miscalculate or there is a technical difficulty with the grade book, and always double check to see that the grade I return to you is the same one posted online.

Grading Scale:
A = 93-100
A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79
C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
D+ = 67-69
D = 63-66
D- = 60-62
F = below 60

Midterm Grades:
Midterm grades of satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) progress will be posted via Vista.

Guidelines for Assignment Submission:
All submissions are due at the beginning of the class period on the day specified on the syllabus. Late writing assignments will be docked 10% per day late. Late speeches are not accepted unless permission has been granted by instructor prior to due date. Students will not be given extra credit assignments or allowed to make up work that they have missed due to absence other than that incurred for University business. Final papers must be submitted in hard copy with all preliminary materials (including drafts, peer reviews, and self evaluations) and just final papers must be submitted electronically via .doc or .rtf attachment to camartin@samford.edu. All submissions must be original with sources clearly and correctly documented. Work previously submitted for other courses is not accepted. Any student who represents the work of another as his or her own is guilty of plagiarism and will be subject to the penalties outlined in The Student Handbook, including failure in the course and suspension from the University.

Absences:
Since a workshop depends on your active participation, you should attend every class meeting. Students who miss more than two weeks of class (4 for TTh; 6 for MWF) will receive an FA (failure due to absences) for the course. Students who must be absent due to University business should notify the teacher early in the course. Arriving late or leaving early from a class is disruptive; three tardies/early exits will be considered the equivalent of an absence. Students who come to class unprepared may be dismissed by the teacher and such dismissal will be counted as an absence. Students are required to complete all major assignments and to attend at least two scheduled conferences with instructor to receive credit for the course.

If you are absent, email me your work before class and it will not be considered late. Otherwise your work will be counted late unless you have a doctor's note. Then, bring a hard copy of the assignment on the next class day that you are present.

Class Participation:
In addition to attending class, you are also expected to contribute class discussions and participate in workshop sessions with your peers. Learning is not a solitary process, but one that necessarily involves others and I thus consider class participation a very important part of achieving this class’s goals.

Inclusive Language:
Language–how it is used and what is implies–plays a crucial role in Samford University’s mission “to nurture persons.” Because verbal constructions create realities, inclusive language can uphold or affirm those whom we seek to nurture, while exclusive language can damage or defeat them. We therefore actively seek a discourse in our university community that supports the equal dignity and participation of men and women; we seek to avoid verbal constructions that diminish the equal dignity of all persons. It is an affirmative–and affirming–part of our mission to educate students, staff, and faculty in the creation of a community of equality and respect through language.

Classroom Dynamics:
Because class participation relies heavily on individuals feeling comfortable expressing their opinions, you must always show respect for the diversity of opinions expressed in this class. You must also demonstrate respect for gender, racial, class, and ethnic differences among your colleagues and instructor.

Outside of Class (Email and web page): E-mail is an official means of communication according to the Student Handbook. You are responsible for reading your Samford e-mail daily. Also, you will want to check (and refresh) our class web page daily, particularly the class schedule.

Passing Grades:
Students are required to earn a C- or better in order to receive credit for UCCA 101 and UCCA 102.

Communication Resource Center:
The Communication Resource Center is located in Brooks 222. The Center is a free service that provides help with all phases of writing and speaking. Drop in during the posted hours or call ext. 2137 to make an appointment.

Students with Disabilities:
Samford University complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students with disabilities who seek accommodations must make their request through the Advisor for Students with Disabilities (726-4078, 726-2105), located in Counseling Services on the lower level of Pittman Hall. A faculty member will only grant reasonable accommodations upon notification from the Advisor for Students with Disabilities.

Quizzes/In-class Writing Assignments:
The selections from The Norton Field Guide to Writing and any other required readings are to serve as a catalyst for class discussion and your own essay writing. Reading quizzes and/or in-class writing assignments may be given to monitor your reading and comprehension. To prepare for quizzes and writing assignments, you should locate the thesis of each reading and the strongest supporting points. Annotate in your text. You can respond to the reading by answering the “Engaging with the Text” questions in the NFG, as well as any additional questions given in class.

General Instructions for Written Assignments:
1. All assignments must be typed.
2. All rough drafts for peer review must be typed.
3. Use the MLA guidelines found in The Little Brown Handbook.
4. Use Times New Roman 12-point font.
5. Drafts of your essay should have your name, course & section, type of assignment, and date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page of essay. No cover sheet is required.
6. All essays should be titled.
7. Any peer review sheets and preliminary drafts should be included with the final hard copy.
8. Submit essays on time at the beginning of class.
9. Final drafts of essays must be submitted electronically as a .doc or .rtf attachment to camartin@samford.edu before the class period the assignment is due, AS WELL AS submitted as a hard copy at the beginning of class the day it is due.

Course Assignments:

1. Speech #1 Ad Analysis Speech
Each student will analyze his or her chosen ad for the class and will include a handout of the ad for each member of the class or a visual of the ad that everyone in the class can see.

2. Essay #1 Ad Analysis Essay
This assignment will use print ads to study text and image for analysis and will build off of the analysis speech.

3. Speech #2 Status Briefing (5%)
Each student will report on his or her chosen topic, the sources located and the research process.

4. Essay #2 Annotated Bibliography and Literature Review (10%)
This assignment requires use of the third-person, objective voice and includes an annotated bibliography. Emphasis is on the distinction between primary and secondary sources and online and print sources. The Annotated Bibliography evaluates the body of research the student has found discussing the chosen topic. The Literature Review analyzes at least two of the sources from the bibliography and shows connections between them and the other sources. It discusses the research and findings but does not yet take a position on the topic.

5. Essay #3 Persuasive Essay (10%)
This essay builds on the research of the previous assignment and takes a position. It combines the strengths of writing skills learned through the personal narrative assignment and at the same time incorporates objective sources. Emphasis is on textual analysis and use of logic. The highest standards of academic writing – grammatical correctness and stylistic polish – apply.

6. Speech #3 Persuasive Speech (10%)
This speech’s emphasis is on clarity, logic, and appeal. Your peer audience will respond to your speech by writing down possible objections to your position, as well as ideas which you should take into account before presenting a proposal in the next essay.

7. Essay #4 Proposal (15%)
The proposal essay should identify a problem and solution related to your research topic. The proposal should address the potential impact of this issue on the community. The seriousness of the problem should be validated through the use of facts, statistics, anecdotes, and quotations from authorities. The student must decide on the solution to the problem considering the audience's possible responses (alternate solutions and/or objections to the solutions - or even objections to the validity of the problem) including viable stops for implementing the proposal.

8. Speech #4 Proposal (15%)
This is the oral component of the proposal essay. As such, the research should parallel the written assignment but the speech should be adapted to reflect the conventions unique to oral discourse. The purpose of the presentation is to advance a proposition of policy in which the speaker advocates a particular course of actions (the solution for the proposal) for a local audience.

9. Daily Grades – Quizzes, Activities, HW, In-class Writing, and Participation/Professionalism (10%)

10. Final Exam (5%)
This is a timed in-class essay based on outside reading that you will be given a few days before the exam.

Grading Rubric:
Here is the brief, general rubric for grades:

A
You did what the assignment asked for at a high quality level, and your work shows originality and creativity. Work in this range shows all the qualities listed below for a B, but it also demonstrates that you took extra steps to be original or creative in developing content, solving a problem, or developing a style. Since careful editing and proofreading are essential in writing, papers in the A range must be free of typos and grammatical or mechanical errors.

B
You did what the assignment asked of you at a high quality level. Work in this range needs revision; however it is complete in content, is organized well, and shows special attention to style.

C
You did what the assignment asked of you. Work in this range needs significant revision, but it is mostly complete in content and there is an attempt at organization. The style is straightforward but unremarkable.

D
You did what the assignment asked of you at a poor quality level. Work in this range needs significant revision. The content is often incomplete and the organization is hard to discern. Attention to style is often nonexistent or chaotic.

F
If your work is shoddy and does not fulfill the assignment, you will receive a failing grade.