EXPLORING THE COURSE THEMES
EXPLORING THE COURSE THEMES
The four course themes of education, technology, art & culture, and the environment are topics that touch each of our lives in some way. In this discussion, practice exploring the themes as a researcher would: by creating problem statements.
First, choose a broad area of inquiry. Second, brainstorm questions related to that topic. Third, answer the questions. Finally, write down your focused topic. Some samples are provided below to help you to get started.
Broad Area of Inquiry
Education
Technology
Arts and Culture
The Environment
Sample Brainstorming Questions
How can we reward the best teachers and educational leaders? How can we attract the best and brightest to enter the education field?
How do nations use computing technologies to gain strategic advantage over rivals and adversaries? What are the dangers of such technologies to citizens?
Is art limited to what we see in museums and downtown galleries? Is graffiti art? Are tattoos art? Who gets to decide?
Are zoos ethical? Are wild animals better off in zoos or in their native habitats? Do zoos encourage preservation, or are they simply a form of entertainment for humans?
Possible Answers
Teaching should be a highly paid, respected profession to attract the best candidates to the field. The best teachers should be paid more.
There is growing evidence that nations have attempted to interfere in the elections of other nations. Some nations may have used computer viruses against their rivals.
While traditional attitudes toward art are still dominant, greater attention and respect are being paid to controversial artists such as Banksy. These artists define themselves as being in opposition to traditions and even laws.
Proponents of zoos would argue that endangered animals may go extinct without them, and that the animals are well treated. Opponents might counter by claiming that zoos are nothing more than animal prisons.
Focused Topic
Merit Pay for Teachers
Cyberwarfare
Outlaw Art
The Ethics of Zoos
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 SUMMARIZING A SOURCE
Locate one high-quality, reliable source you plan to use for your course project. A source’s quality and reliability depends on a variety of factors, including the following:
the author’s credibility
the reputation of the publication
timeliness
the quality, depth, and attention to detail in the writing
Begin your response by providing the reference, in APA format, for your source. Do not use anonymous sources, or undated sources. If the article is not paginated, provide a word count. The source should be at least three pages, or 1000 words long.
Find out more about the author. What are his or her qualifications? What else has this individual written recently?
Summarize the article in a well written paragraph of five or more sentences. Follow the directions in this week’s Lesson to help you write an effective summary.
Finally, tell us why you think this article is a good-quality source, and share with us how you intend to use the source in your course project.
After your initial post, read those of your fellow classmates and provide constructive feedback to at least two other students.
DQ2 INTERNET RELIABILITY
On one hand, the Internet is a tremendous resource, providing instant access to information that helps us at work, at school, and in our personal lives. It is hard to imagine life without it. On the other hand, it can be difficult to find sources of information that are both accurate and unbiased. Please share with us an example of a recent search for information. What were you looking for? How did you find it? How did you decide if the source or sources you found were reliable?
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY PRACTICE
For this week’s homework you will be creating an annotated bibliography with five high-quality sources. For each source, you will create an annotation of two paragraphs. See the Week 3 assignment description, located in the Files -> Supplemental Materials folder, for more details (the rubric is located in Files -> Grading Rubrics.)
For your initial post this week, share one source annotation with your fellow classmates. Start with the correct APA-style reference, followed by the two-paragraph annotation. After making your initial post, respond to the posts of at least two other students.
Note: it is especially important this week to make your initial post by Wednesday so that your classmates have an opportunity to provide feedback to your work.
DQ2 PRESENTING IDEAS
Persuasive presenters have several traits in common. Browse through TED talks http://www.ted.com/talks (Links to an external site.) or American Rhetoric Website at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/ (Links to an external site.) to find a notable speaker who demonstrates strong communication traits. How does this speaker meaningfully communicate to his or her audience? Include the URL link of the speaker you choose to write about. After your initial post, respond to the posts of two of your fellow classmates.
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 THE FIRST DRAFT
This week, you are just getting started on your rough draft. The purpose of this discussion is to give you an opportunity to share a little bit of what you’ve written so far with your fellow classmates, to see what your classmates are writing about, and to provide feedback and encouragement.
Please share the first paragraph of your rough draft. Feel free to simply copy/paste it rather than attaching it. Begin with an attention-getting hook. For example, you could start with a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote to get your reader involved. After you’ve gotten your reader’s attention, you can transition into an explanation of your topic, and conclude with a thesis statement.
After making your initial post, respond to the posts of two other students with helpful feedback.
Please make your initial post by Wednesday or earlier so that students have an opportunity to provide feedback to you, and you have an opportunity to provide feedback to other students.
DQ2 ANALYZING A SAMPLE ARGUMENT
In the textbook, read “From Degrading to De-Grading” on p. 254 in Chapter 11. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the argument? Were you convinced by the author’s main points about grading?
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 5 Discussion
COURSE PROJECT PEER REVIEW
This week, we’ll be sharing drafts in a class peer review. In order to make this process run smoothly, please be sure to follow the instructions noted below.
Find your name on the peer review assignment list provided by your professor to determine whether you are in Group A, B, C, or D.
Once you have located your assigned group, join that discussion area and hit “reply” to the initial prompt. In your reply, leave feedback for your classmates with general information about your draft. Explain the current state of your draft, your plans to add content, and your revision plans. If you have specific questions for the peers who will review your assignment, or want to provide them with any additional information, please do so in your initial post.
Attach your current draft to your initial post. This must be completed no later than Tuesday night. Even if your rough draft is not as complete as you’d like, it is important to submit the rough draft on time so that your fellow team members have enough time to provide you with thoughtful feedback.
Find the two peers who have posted after you in terms of time. Read their attached drafts and any notes they left to accompany the draft. Find the Week 5 Peer Review Checklist in the Supplemental Materials folder in Files and download it. Complete the form separately for each of the two peers whose drafts you will be reviewing.
Using the Peer Review Worksheet, provide thoughtful feedback to each of your peers separately. This must be completed by no later than Friday night, so that students can incorporate your feedback into their drafts.
Continue to check into your group Discussion area in the event your peers pose any follow-up questions.
**Please note: If you are the last to post in your group before the Tuesday deadline, you should review the students who post in the #1 and #2 slot. If you are second last to post in your group, please review the students who post in the last and #1 slot. Be sure to ask your professor if you have any questions about the peer review process.
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 6 Discussion
PRESENTATION PEER REVIEW
This week, we’ll be sharing rough drafts of your presentations in a class peer review. In order to make this process run smoothly, please be sure to follow the instructions noted below.
Find your name on the peer review assignment list provided by your professor to determine whether you are in Group A, B, C, or D.
Once you have located your assigned group, join that discussion area and hit “reply” to the initial prompt. In your reply, leave feedback for your classmates with general information about your draft. Explain the current state of your draft, your plans to add content, and your revision plans. If you have specific questions for the peers who will review your assignment, or want to provide them with any additional information, please do so in your initial post.
Attach your current draft to your initial post. Ideally, your rough draft should consist of 5-7 slides, accompanied by a 5-7 minute audio presentation. This must be completed no later than Tuesday night. No matter how “rough” your rough draft is, submit what you have by Tuesday night. The reason this is so important is that if you don’t submit your draft on time, your fellow students can’t complete their task of providing you feedback on time either.
Find the two peers who have posted after you in terms of time. Read their attached drafts and any notes they left to accompany the draft. Find the Week 6 Presentation Peer Review Checklist in the Supplemental Materials folder in Files and download it. Complete the form separately for each of the two peers whose drafts you will be reviewing.
Using the Presentation Peer Review Worksheet, provide thoughtful feedback to each of your peers separately. This must be completed no later than Friday night, so that students can incorporate your feedback into their finished presentations.
Continue to check into your group Discussion area in the event your peers pose any follow-up questions.
**Please note: If you are the last to post in your group before the Tuesday deadline, you should review the students who post in the #1 and #2 slot. If you are second last to post in your group, please review the students who post in the last and #1 slot. Be sure to ask your professor if you have any questions about the peer review process.
ENGL135 Advanced Composition
Week 7 Discussion
DQ1 APA WORKSHOP
Each academic area of study has a particular style for documenting the ideas of other scholars. The standards of formatting document you’ve been using are from the American Psychological Association (APA). This is the preferred style in the social sciences. As you work on revising your Course Project, what questions do you have about how to incorporate standard APA format and documentation guidelines into your essay? In addition, please share any tips, tricks, or advice on how to make sure your research follows correct APA format.
DQ2 DESIGNING YOUR COURSE PROJECT
Unlike your Course Project presentation, your Course Project paper is mostly text. However, you may find it helpful to incorporate a visual element into your final paper. Review Chapter 17, pp. 382–387 to learn more about the use of visual elements. How can the use of a visual element enhance your project? What kind of visual element are you thinking of using? If you have located a good visual element already, please show it to us in your initial post.
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