Writing 100 (Fall 2004)

As part of this project, you’ve defined and described a local problem, proposed a specific and concrete solution, and responded to arguments against your problem and solution. You’ve done research that’s helped you understand the scope of your problem and possible solutions within your community and within other communities, and you’ve done research within your community that’s helped you to understand what people think and feel about an issue. You’ve written a letter to a person or group that you feel could help you with your problem, and you’ve written an academic paper that spells out your problem and solution.

For the last component of this project, you’ll produce an oral presentation that will include supporting visuals and handouts that allows you to speak to others about your problem and solution and convince them to support your solution.

Specifics

Your oral presentation should:

• Be five minutes long.
• Present your problem, solution, and rebuttal.
• Make reference to research where appropriate.
• Include appropriate rhetorical appeals.
• Use appropriately persuasive tone, gestures, and body language.
• Include visuals appropriate to your presentation and your audience (such as a PowerPoint presentation or transparencies).
• Include a handout for your audience that summarizes your main points.
• Include answers to questions from the audience (if there is time).

After time in class discussing and working on various aspects of the oral presentation, you’ll give your presentation to the class during our final week of classes and turn in a copy of your visuals and handout to the instructor after you are done.

Grading Criteria

Your presentation will be graded on:

• The quality of the problem, solution, rebuttal, and information presented in your speaking, visuals, and handout.
• The use of information and appeals and the appropriateness of your speaking.
• The use of information and appeals and the appropriateness of your visuals.
• The use of information and appeals and the appropriateness of your handouts.

Each component of the project (speaking, visuals, and handout) will be worth a third of the project’s grade. You can earn a total of 100 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the presentation.

Due Dates

You will sign up to give your oral presentation in class on December 8 or December 10.

Monday, November 29

Today you’ll work in groups to give and receive feedback on drafts of your research proposals. You’ll also receive comments on your drafts from the instructor.

Assignment for Next Class: The final version of your research proposal is due.

Wednesday, December 3

Today you’ll turn in the final draft of your research proposal and we’ll begin the oral presentation component of this project. We’ll go over the assignment and discuss strategies for creating good presentations.

Assignment for Next Class: An outline of your oral presentation is due.

Friday, December 5

Today we’ll discuss strategies for writing scripts for oral presentations and what written material you should give to your audience or include in visuals.

Assignment for Next Class: A draft of your handout for your oral presentation is due. You should also bring some visuals that you feel could support your argument to class.

For Monday, November 29, please continue to work on the drafts of your research proposals. Bring two copies of your latest draft to class on Monday for peer review.

Monday, November 29

Today you’ll work in groups to give and receive feedback on drafts of your research proposals. You’ll also receive comments on your drafts from the instructor.

Assignment for Next Class: The final version of your research proposal is due.

Wednesday, December 3

Today you’ll turn in the final draft of your research proposal and we’ll begin the oral presentation component of this project. We’ll go over the assignment and discuss strategies for creating good presentations.

Assignment for Next Class: An outline of your oral presentation is due.

Friday, December 5

Today we’ll discuss strategies for writing scripts for oral presentations and what written material you should give to your audience or include in visuals.

Assignment for Next Class: A draft of the script for your oral presentation is due.

Monday, November 15

Today we’ll discuss incorporating research into your paper, focusing especially on introducing and integrating quotations into your work. We’ll also review MLA style guidelines for parenthetical citations and creating a works cited list.

Assignment for Next Class: Write two paragraphs of the rebuttal section of your paper and bring three copies to class.

Wednesday, November 17

Today we’ll talk about creating and responding to rebuttals to our arguments and avoiding logical fallacies when doing so. We’ll also review strategies for good paragraphing and making transitions between ideas.

Assignment for Next Class: Write a possible introduction and conclusion for your paper, and prepare a version of your works cited list. Bring these to class.

Friday, November 19

Today we’ll discuss strategies for introductions and conclusions and review the formatting of a works cited list. There will also be time to ask questions and discuss problems that you might be having with your paper.

Assignment for Next Class: The first draft of your research proposal is due.

Monday, November 8

For today, you should bring three copies of the first draft of your letter to class. Today, you’ll work in groups to review people’s letters and to give them feedback on their argumentative strategies and their use of English.

Assignment for Next Class: The final draft of your letter is due.

Wednesday, November 10

Today you’ll turn in the final draft of your letter. After going over the research proposal component of the paper, we’ll talk more about argumentation, rhetorical appeals, and audience analysis as they relate to creating a proposal. We’ll also talk about strategies for mapping out and planning arguments.

Assignment for Next Class: Create an outline or visual representation of the arguments for your proposal and read “A Modest Proposal.”

Friday, November 12

Today we’ll talk about different types of arguments and rhetorical appeals, about logical fallacies, and about using different types of research (including interview and survey research) to develop and extend your arguments.

Assignment for Next Class: Please bring three copies of two sample body paragraphs of your paper to class.

This project has been asking you to identify a local problem and propose a feasible solution. So far, you’ve done local and global research, thought about how your audience would react, and written a letter to a specific person, group, or media outlet that could reach your audience.

Now, you’ll take your research and your understanding of your problem and solution and use them to develop a longer proposal. A proposal, which is very much like an academic paper, presents your problem, solution, counters rebuttals to your argument, and above all attempts to convince your audience that they should implement your solution.

Specifics

Next, you’ll write a longer (4-6 page) proposal aimed at members of your community or anyone else who might be interested in enacting a solution. This proposal should:

• Be an academic description of your problem and proposed solution.
• Set out your problem, convince your audience that it is a real issue, and propose your solution.
• Include a rebuttal of possible arguments or counters to your solution.
• Use your local and global research to help explain your problem and solution.
• Attribute your research using MLA format. This means that you will use parenthetical citations in your text to attribute sources, and that you will create a Works Cited list at the end of your paper that lists all of the sources that you have cited in the paper.
• Be 4-6 pages in 12-point serif font (Times New Roman, Courier, or other serif fonts).
• Contain a heading on the first page of the paper with your name, your section of Writing 100 (E, I, or F), the name of the assignment (Investigating a Local Issue), and the date.
• Have numbered pages.

You will produce two drafts of your proposal; one will receive peer feedback from your classmates and your instructor, and the other will be your final draft. It is strongly suggested that you do your best to revise your paper between drafts – final drafts that are the same as your first draft will get lower grades than papers that show evidence of revision and correction of errors.

Grading Criteria

This paper will be graded on how well it:

• Presents a local issue and explains how it is affecting people.
• Describes and realistically situates the problem.
• Proposes a realistic solution and explains how it could be implemented.
• Responds to counter-arguments.
• Shows evidence of revision.
• Uses research and attributes it correctly.
• Pays attention to formatting guidelines.
• Uses standard written English.

You can earn a total of 150 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the proposal.

Due Dates

First Draft Due: Monday, November 22 Final Draft Due: Wednesday, December 1

Overview

After you’ve identified your issue and done some research, you’ll next identify a person, group, or media outlet who could help solve your problem and write a letter to that group. In your letter, you will describe your problem, propose your solution, and attempt to convince this individual or group (or the individuals and groups reading your letter in the media) to help you enact your solution.

Because a letter is a short document, you will need to focus on presenting your arguments and being persuasive in a short amount of space. You will also need to think about what rhetorical appeals will work best to convince your group.

Specifics

Your letter must:

• Be to a real individual, group, or local newspaper or other media outlet.
• Identify and describe your problem.
• Propose a specific solution.
• Ask for help that that individual or group can give to redress the problem.
• May use your research if it would help your arguments, but does not have to do so.
• Be no more than two pages (single-spaced).
• Use business letter format as presented in class.
• Be signed by you.

You will produce two drafts of your letter; one will receive peer feedback from your classmates and your instructor, and the other will be your final draft. You do not need to mail your letter; however, you may do so if you choose.

Grading Criteria

Your letter will be graded on how well it:

• Presents your problem and solution.
• Uses rhetorical appeals and other aspects of argumentation to convince your audience.
• Presents your point in a short amount of space.
• Uses business letter format appropriately.

Grading rubrics will be returned to you with the final draft of your letter to help you understand your grade. You can earn a total of 100 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the letter.

Due Dates

First Draft Due: November 8 Final Draft Due: November 10

Monday, November 1 Today we’ll be meeting in the library computer lab to work on research for the Investigating a Local issue assignment.
Assignment for Next Class: A list of possible sources for your project, formatted in MLA style, is due at the start of class.

Wednesday, November 3 Today we’ll work on generating interview and survey questions that will help you gather information for your project. We’ll learn about surveying and interviewing techniques, and discuss who should be in the audience for a survey or an interview. Assignment for Next Class: A list of questions for your interview (and a description of whom you would interview) or a sample survey is due at the start of class.

Friday, November 5 Today we’ll start using the results of your research to write a letter to an individual or group that you feel should be aware of your problem and proposed solution. We’ll introduce the assignment and learn more about persuasive letter formats.
Assignment for Next Class: The first draft of your letter is due. Please bring three copies to class.

After determining a local problem and a possible solution, you’ll need to conduct some research to help you put the problem in context and also to understand what can be done. You will use the research you acquire in this stage in your letter, proposal, and oral presentation and you will be expected to cite this research appropriately using MLA format.

For this project, you’ll conduct two types of research: local and global.

Local research involves collecting information from within the community itself in order to identify and describe your issue and propose a good solution. This might involve conducting interviews and surveys, collecting documents from the community, or doing archival research in local newspapers or other sources. Local research will involve talking to people and collecting documents from within your community.

Global research involves collecting information from other contexts in order to your local issue more context and to help you propose a good solution. This might involve researching similar situations or issues to yours in order to compare and contrast situations or to borrow ideas for solutions, or researching different aspects of possible solutions. Global research will involve doing more “traditional” research on the Web, in the library, or outside of your community.

We will spend time in class learning about both local and global research.

Assignments

You will be expected to turn in a list of your possible sources (formatted in MLA style) on November 3. This list of sources will be graded and worth 25 points.

Other research activities will ask you to develop interview and survey questions for your local research; those questions will be due on November 5 and will also be worth 25 points.

In total, you can earn a total of 50 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the research activities that you do in this component.

Grading Criteria

Your list of sources will be graded on its depth and breadth of possible research and on your correct use of MLA format to present types of sources.

Your interview and survey questions will be graded on how appropriate they are for your topic. Grading rubrics will be provided with each assignment to help you understand your grade.

The following resources may be helpful for you in learning more about interviews and surveys.

Conducting Interviews (Moira Allen) http://www.writing-world.com/basics/interview.shtml

Although written for people who write articles for a living, this article does a good job of covering interview basics, including conducting interviews by email.

General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews http://www.mapnp.org/library/evaluatn/intrview.htm

An extensive list of guidelines for conducting interviews.

Overview: Survey Research (Writing@CSU Writing Guide) http://writing.colostate.edu/references/research/survey/index.cfm
This is a very comprehensive resource on all types of surveys, survey design, and includes a full bibliography of resources.

Survey Design Tips (Creative Research) http://www.surveysystem.com/sdesign.htm A good guide to the basics of survey design.

Monday, October 25

Today we’ll discuss guidelines for the final format of your brochure, common problems that you might be having with text or layout, and other brochure issues. You’ll then do editing and proofreading activities with your brochures in order to polish and refine your text.

Assignment for Next Class: The final draft of your brochure is due.

Wednesday, October 27

Today we’ll begin discussing the Investigating A Local Issue assignment and brainstorming possible topics.

Assignment for Next Class: A list of three possible topics for the new assignment is due to the instructor by e-mail.

Friday, October 29

Today we’ll start talking about narrowing topics, creating a claim and reasons structure for an argument, and deciding what types of local and global research would be helpful to allow you to investigate your topic.

Assignment for Next Class: Make a list of the different types of local and global research that you’ll need to do for your topic.
CLASS WILL MEET IN THE BASEMENT OF THE LIBRARY (IN THE LIBRARY LAB) ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1.

We are all part of various communities in which we live, work, and play. Our membership in these communities forms an important part in what we do for ourselves and others. Problems often arise in communities, and it is up to their members to use various tools, including writing and speaking, to help arrive at a solution. In this part of the semester, you will be asked to choose and investigate a local issue in a community in which you are a member and to produce two written documents and an oral presentation that explain the issue and propose a solution to the problem. Communities could include:

• Niagara University (you would want to choose a specific aspect of community at the University)
• your hometown
• your workplace
• clubs or activities you participate in
• other communities of which you are a member

No matter what community you choose, you will need to identify a specific issue or problem being faced by the community, research the problem in both a local and a global context, and propose a solution for that problem. The more specific and narrow your problem and solution, the better. Project Components This project will have four components:

• Researching Your Issue
• Writing A Letter
• Producing a Proposal
• Giving an Oral Presentation

You will produce written work during each component and an oral presentation as part of the last component. As we work on each component, you will receive an assignment sheet that outlines each component of the project in more detail. You must complete all assignments in order to receive full points for this project. Short descriptions of each component are given in the rest of the assignment. Researching Your Issue In order to understand your problem and to identify possible solutions, you’ll need to conduct two types of research: local and global. Local research involves collecting information from within the community itself in order to identify and describe your issue and propose a good solution. This might involve conducting interviews and surveys, collecting documents from the community, or doing archival research in local newspapers or other sources. Local research will involve talking to people and collecting documents from within your community. Global research involves collecting information from other contexts in order to your local issue more context and to help you propose a good solution. This might involve researching similar situations or issues to yours in order to compare and contrast situations or to borrow ideas for solutions, or researching different aspects of possible solutions. Global research will involve doing more “traditional” research on the Web, in the library, or outside of your community. We will spend time in class learning about both local and global research. You will be expected to turn in a list of your possible sources (formatted in MLA style) at a date specified by the instructor. Furthermore, you will be expected to include both local and global research in your letter, proposal, and oral presentation and to cite this research appropriately. You can earn a total of 50 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the research activities that you do. Writing A Letter After you’ve identified your issue and done some research, you’ll next identify a person or group who could help solve your problem and write a letter to that group. Your letter must:

• Be to a real individual or group.
• Identify and describe your problem.
• Propose a specific solution.
• Ask for help that that individual or group can give to redress the problem.
• Be no more than two pages (single-spaced).
• Use business letter format as presented in class.
• Be signed by you.

You will produce two drafts of your letter; one will receive peer feedback from your classmates and your instructor, and the other will be your final draft. You do not need to mail your letter; however, you may do so if you choose. You can earn a total of 100 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the letter. Producing A Proposal Next, you’ll write a longer proposal aimed at members of your community or anyone else who might be interested in enacting a solution. This proposal should:

• Be an academic description of your problem and proposed solution.
• Set out your problem, convince your audience that it is a real issue, and propose your solution.
• Include a rebuttal of possible arguments or counters to your solution.
• Use your local and global research to help explain your problem and solution.
• Attribute your research using MLA format.

You will produce two drafts of your proposal; one will receive peer feedback from your classmates and your instructor, and the other will be your final draft. You can earn a total of 150 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the proposal. Giving An Oral Presentation Finally, you’ll produce an oral presentation that will include supporting visuals and handouts that allows you to speak to others about your problem and solution. Your oral presentation should:

• Be at least five but no more than ten minutes long.
• Present your problem, solution, and rebuttal.
• Include visuals appropriate to your presentation and your audience (such as a PowerPoint presentation, transparencies, or slides).
• Include a handout for your audience that summarizes your main points.
• Include answers to questions from the audience.

After time in class discussing and working on various aspects of the oral presentation, you’ll give your presentation to the class during our final week of classes. You can earn a total of 100 points (out of 400 points total for the project) for the presentation. Grading Criteria Each project will be graded on how well it presents a problem and solution in an audience-appropriate and genre-appropriate way, and how well it uses local and global research. Grading rubrics will be distributed with the final versions of each project that will explain your grade and its distribution of points. Due Dates

• List of sources: November 3
• Letter: November 10
• Proposal: November 29
• Presentation: December 8 or 10

Write a draft of the text (just the text) that will appear in your brochure. Bring three copies of your text to class on Monday.

Monday, October 18 Today in class we’ll review your brochure text in groups. Then we’ll talk about strategies for placing groups of information and graphics in your brochure, using the four basic principles of contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Assignment for Next Class: For Friday, please bring three copies of a draft of your brochure to class.

Wednesday, October 20 Today we won’t formally be having class so that you can have time to go and work on your brochures in the computer labs. Microsoft Publisher is available in all campus labs, and the documentation given out in class on Monday will give you some hints on using it for brochure creation. The instructor will be in her office if you have questions or concerns. Assignment for Next Class: For Friday, please bring three copies of a draft of your brochure to class.

Friday, October 22 Today in class we’ll review your brochures in groups for text placement, layout, and design issues. You’ll also turn in a draft of your brochure for feedback. Assignment for Next Class: Continue to work on the draft of your brochure.

Wednesday, October 13
Today in class we’ll discuss what a genre is and how to analyze one. You’ll then use this knowledge to analyze brochures as a genre and to brainstorm ideas for your brochure.

Assignment for Next Class: Decide upon and write down the specific question you’ll be answering in your brochure. Also write a list of the content that you want to present in your brochure.

Friday, October 15

Today in class, we’ll discuss your specific brochure topics and how well they’ll work in a brochure. Also, we’ll discuss strategies for writing brochure text, including “infochunking,” list making, and writing short sentences. You’ll have a chance to practice drafting and reviewing brochure text.

Assignment for Next Class: Write a draft of the text that will appear in your brochure. Indicate where in the brochure it will be placed in notes in the margin. Bring three copies of your text to class on Monday.

For Wednesday, please make sure that you have read the Brochure Component assignment and made note of the requirements and due dates. Write down any questions that you might have.

Also, please acquire one or two brochures (on any topic) and bring them to class on Wednesday.

At this point, you’ve spent roughly a month gathering and using information about a specific topic related to your major and career. You’ve practiced using information in an annotated bibliography and an academic research paper. At this point, you’re an expert on your particular topic. Now it’s time to take your expertise and use it to inform an audience about your topic through the creation of a brochure. Brochures differ from academic papers in that:

• You can fit less information into a brochure; this means that you’ll need to make choices about what information you include.
• You can (and are expected) to use graphics and clip art in brochures.
• You do not need to explicitly cite sources in brochures.

We’ll talk about other differences as well as specific aspects of brochures as a genre during class. Specifics For this project, you’ll take a specific point from your research and use it to create a three-part brochure that’s aimed at informing an interested audience who knows little to nothing about your topic. Your brochure will:

• Present solid chunks of information drawn from your existing research that present your point and inform your reader.
• Provide a list of one or two sources of additional information drawn from your research.
• Be written in an informal and engaging style.
• Be a tri-fold (three part) on both sides of a piece of 8”x11” paper.
• Be created on a computer or hand-drawn by you.
• Contain at least one but no more than four pictures, graphics, or pieces of clip art that help inform and educate your reader. You can draw the graphics yourself or get them from other sources.
• Use elements of document design to appeal to your reader.
• Use your new knowledge of how brochures work as a genre.

In class, we’ll work on activities related to learning about brochures, composing text, selecting graphics, and doing document design. You’ll have time off of class to work in computer labs and to consult with the instructor about using computers for brochure design. Or, you can draw the brochure yourself on a piece of paper. Grading Criteria This project will be graded on the following criteria:

• How well it presents information to a non-expert reader about a specific aspect of your topic.
• How well it combines text and graphics to provide information to the reader.
• How well it uses principles for good brochure design.
• How well it uses conventions for written English and presents information in an engaging style.

Grading rubrics will be provided with the final version of the project to help you understand your grade. You can earn a total of 100 points for this project (out of 400 points total for the project).

Due Dates

• Brochure Topic Due: Friday, October 15
• Brochure Text Due: Monday, October 18
• First Draft of Brochure Due: Friday, October 22
• Final Draft of Brochure Due: Wednesday, October 27

There’s no class on Wednesday; instead the professor will be holding office hours during class time so that you can come and ask specific questions about your paper. On Friday, the final draft of your research paper is due.

Monday, October 4

Today in class we’ll go over some common grammar, punctuation, and MLA style errors that are occuring in your papers. We’ll also discuss editing and proofreading strategies for your final draft. You’ll also have a chance to talk to your group members about your papers and give each other oral feedback to accompany the written feedback you completed on Friday. You’ll also receive comments on your drafts from the instructor.

Assignment for Next Class: The final draft of your paper is due on Friday.

Wednesday, October 8

Today we won’t be having class; instead, the instructor will be in her office (Dunleavy 350) during class time. If you have questions about your paper or about the course, please stop by during this time or during normal office hours (3-5 p.m) to ask questions. Now is the best time to ask!

Assignment for Next Class: The final draft of your paper is due.

Friday, October 8

Today you’ll turn in the final draft of your paper and pick up the assignment sheet for the final component of the major and career assignment. Your papers must be turned in by Friday, October 8 in order to get full credit for the assignment. Have a good fall break!

Assignment for Next Class: Please read the assignment sheet carefully and write down any questions that you might have about it. Also, please collect two brochures about various topics and bring them to class on Wednesday.