1 CM 220 College Composition II Professor April Burge General Education, Composition Kaplan University

UNIT 1 SEMINAR Changing the World, One Idea at a Time Course outcomes Syllabus information Tips for success Academic writing Writing experiences 2

Contact Information s: use CM 220-xx: Concern in subject line (for example: CM Unit 3 project question) Office hours: by appointment (on AIM) AIM ID: aprilburge 3.

4 Seminar Guidelines Don’t be late Actively participate Don’t reveal overly personal information Stay on topic Stop me for questions or to catch up Review archive Be respectful Option 2 if unable to attend

Course Description CM220 is designed to develop the writer’s skills in: Research Analysis of research Application of critical thinking skills Development of effective arguments Supporting arguments with credible sources APA citation Collaboration Prewriting, editing, and revision process 5

BIG IDEAS CM220 takes the theme of invention and the exploration of BIG IDEAS that impact the world, our communities, and our lives, while situating these themes within a persuasive writing framework. Students explore and practice several persuasive forms of writing throughout the course and examine writing as invention in various settings and situations. They will create an “appeal for change” as a final project that presents an idea and a plan for implementation. One component of the final will be a multi-modal component such as a blog, podcast, or web site that can disseminate their idea to a wide audience. 6

COURSE OUTCOMES CM220-1: Construct logical arguments CM220-2: Develop strategies for effective problem solving CM220-3: 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 7

Course Level Assessments 0: No progress 1: Introductory 2: Emergent 3: Practiced 4: Proficient 5: Mastery 9: Cannot be assessed (didn’t turn in assignment) 8 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

Late Policies All unit assignments (projects, quizzes, discussion, seminar, etc.) are due Tuesday by 11:59 pm ET of the unit assigned. NO EXCEPTIONS. Late assignments WILL be marked down one letter grade for each unit the assignment is late. For example, if you turn in your Unit 5 project, a “B” paper with a grade of an 85%, during Unit 6, one letter grade will be deducted from it, giving you a grade of C (75%). If you turn this project in during Unit 7, two letter grades will be deducted from it, giving you a grade of D (65%). As you can see, it is to your benefit to submit assignments on time. I do not make any exceptions on this late policy. Please do not ask. Late discussion posts to classmates WILL NOT receive credit as their purpose is to further the discussion and the discussion cannot be furthered after it has ended. NO EXCEPTIONS. Assignments submitted more than three units late will not be accepted. Unit 9 projects will not be accepted without prior approval from the instructor or an approved incomplete grade request. 9

Project Guidelines Projects due Tuesdays by 11:59 p.m est. Use the correct unit’s dropbox to post assignments Write documents in MS Word with “doc” or “docx” extension. I can’t open anything else. Read grading rubric and project guidelines carefully! Be sure to review Kaplan’s plagiarism policy (see the syllabus and the Writing Center for details) 10

Substantive Invention Lab 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 words for the main response and at least 100 words for responses to classmates. Requirements vary for each unit, so read instructions and review any examples carefully. 11

Effective Seminar Discussions Be respectful Avoid side conversations Be prepared—briefly review material before class Stay on topic Ask questions! Use ??? before a ? 12

Seminar 2 Option Only required if you miss the live seminar Select the “seminar” tab for that unit. Review the questions carefully. Post a response of 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 and respond to the archive and answer the seminar question(s). 13

Virtual Tour of Course 14

Unit 1 Assignments Introduce yourself to the class Reading: Unit 1 overview; The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, chapters 1, 2, 3, 8, 15 Invention Lab: Identify a “big idea” to explore or review an existing idea from the Innovation Gallery Seminar: Introduction to course, methods of discovery, and field trip to register with the New York Times or Washington Post 15

Introduce Yourself Karl Marx ( ) famously said, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." Marx’s quote about change implies that it is not enough merely to think about the world. The implication is that we also have the responsibility to change the world. Why is it our responsibility to create change in the world? What positive influence would you most like to have, and how might you go about doing that? Also, tell the class anything that will help us to understand you, your thoughts on writing, and your goals for the future. 16

Invention Lab What is a problem in the nation or in your community that needs changing and why? Do you have any “big ideas” for addressing this problem? This problem could be tied to your field of study or it could be something with more personal implications. If you do not yet have a “big idea,” find one from the Inspiration Gallery to discuss for this week’s lab. Hopefully, this unit will help inspire you to find a problem that needs solving or help you brainstorm potential ideas. Your initial post should be about 250 words, and your responses to at least two classmates should be a minimum of 100 words each. Offer suggestions regarding your classmate’s “big idea,” noting whether you think it is a solvable problem and why. 17

Other Course Assignments/Projects Unit 2 project: 60 points (“pitch” your idea) Unit 4 quiz: ungraded (citing sources and avoiding plagiarism) Unit 4 project: 100 points (primary and secondary research project) Unit 6 project: 150 points (draft of persuasive essay) Unit 9 project: 240 points (5-7 page revision of blueprint for progress (unit 6), letter to the editor (unit 5), and presentation of Big idea (unit 7), as well as a reflection on the student’s development of the Big Idea) 18

FINAL PROJECT Is a portfolio consisting of revisions of the blueprint for progress that you will submit in unit 6, the letter to the editor that you will write for the unit 5 discussion, and the presentation that you will create for the unit 7 discussion. The presentation can be a blog, podcast, brochure, slide show, or one of the other multi-media forms covered in the tech labs (units 2-7) or approved by your instructor. You will also write a reflection piece that answers the following questions in paragraph form: What did you learn about yourself as a writer? As a thinker? What did you learn about the process of writing? What skills did you develop that might help you in the future? What did you take from the larger conversation with others? How did your feedback from peers and your instructor affect the revision of your blueprint, letter to the editor, and presentation? 19

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 and announcements frequently. Communicate with me and ask questions! Participate actively in the weekly discussions and seminars. Read grading rubrics and assignment guidelines carefully. 20

Some questions to consider when formulating your BIG IDEA 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? 21

Your Toolbox 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 academic_databases.html 22 USE BE CAREFUL Returns from internet searches Blogs Wikipedia

Advantages to Writing Writing 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. 23

What to know before you write 24 Purpose: Why are you writing? Audience: to whom are you writing? Context: Terminology Nature of text (essay, , etc.)

Writing Styles Levels of formality Informal Formal What are the differences in these styles and when would you use each one? 25

DISCOVERING IDEAS Where do ideas for writing come from? Newspapers, magazines and journals Online discussion communities Current events Inspiration Gallery What are YOUR ideas for generating ideas? 26