SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 303

Quarter: Spring 2005

Professor: Dr. Dennis Minor

Office:
George T. Madison Hall 104
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA 71272
Phone: (318) 257-2660
E-mail:
dminor@latech.edu
Personal Web Page
Message about this syllabus to the student taking this course:

The following syllabus is very information-intensive:  it gives much more information than the usual class syllabus.  It gives you information about the course, about the types of papers to be written, information about how to write those papers, the assignments week-by-week, and links to the rest of the web site, where you will find other necessary information. 

This syllabus is not to be read just as a list of assignments and dates; it must be studied so that  you will have access to the information necessary to complete the assignments in this course.

Student Honor Code: In Acccordance with the Academic Honor Code, students pledge the following:  "Being a student of higher standards, I pledge to embody the principles of academic integrity.”

Textbooks: 

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication: Situations and Strategies. 7th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.  (Availabale at the Tech bookstore)

The Bedford/St. Martin's web site has a section on this textbook, which included information about the chapters, self-study quizzes, and additional projects, exercises, and study cases.   Click here to go to this web site.
The Technical Writing Course Packet is now required for all English 303 classes at Louisiana Tech.  It is available at the Louisiana Tech Bookstore (see Bookstore link below the textbooks). 

The Course packet gives information about many aspects of technical writing, and includes information about using Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and Microsoft PowerPoint. 

Inside the packet is a sheet entitled "Plagiarism Statement," which must be read, signed, and returned to Dr. Minor either in person or by mail.
Supplemental Textbook:

Brusaw, Alred, and Oliu. Handbook of Technical Writing, 6th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2001. (Available at the Tech bookstore) 

This book is optional; it is a good handbook for students who anticipate doing writing in other courses and on the job.  No English 303 assignments will be made from this book.

Link to Louisiana Tech Book Store -- to order books online

Links to some representative online book stores:

  • TextbookLand (Compares book prices from different vendors)

Course Guidelines and Expectations for English 303 -- Internet:

Pay particular attention to the following Course Guidelines; they outline the expectations for this course as to graded work, ungraded work, and participation in the course:
 

Operating Rules for this Class:

Since there will be no regular class meetings or lectures, it is necessary that each student do the reading assignments, look through all the material available through the World Wide Web, on this site and others, and bring up any questions or problems by personal visits, by telephone, or by email. 

It is possible that you may be asked to check in by E-mail every day or so; it is necessary that you check your E-mail at least once a day and that you keep in contact with the teacher.  If you do not respond quickly to email or if you have not been keeping up with your work, both graded and ungraded, an email message will be sent to your academic advisor, informing the advisor of your non-participation. 

To receive credit for the course, all assigned work, whether it is to be graded or whether it is required but not graded, must be satisfactorily completed.

  • Papers are due on the date specified in the Syllabus (or on a new date, if that date is changed).
  • Late work is penalized at the rate of 5 points per day late.
  • All assignments must be completed in the order in which they are assigned.
    •  
  • All ungraded assignments, including the initial topic sheet and the note cards, must be turned in at the assigned times in order to get credit for the course.
Assigned work must be submitted in the order it was assigned and covered in the course.   "Bundled" work, work in which more than one assignment is turned in for the first time together, will not be accepted.  Each assignment must be turned in separately, graded, and returned before the next assignment can be turned in, as is outlined below:
  • The PROPOSAL must be satisfactorily completed, graded, and returned before the outline can be submitted.  This process must be followed so that needed corrections can be made in the SENTENCE OUTLINE.
  • Also in that same time period, another paper of the INSTRUCTION/PROCESS type will be assigned, to be completed out of class and submitted in hard copy.
  • The SENTENCE OUTLINE must be satisfactorily completed, graded, and returned before the LONG REPORT can be submitted.  This process is necessary so that needed corrections can be made in the LONG REPORT.
  • The NOTE CARDS, SOURCE CARDS, and PHOTOCOPIES must be submitted, checked, and returned before the Long Report is submitted.  If the NOTE CARDS are not submitted before the LONG REPORT is due, there is a point deduction from the grade on the LONG REPORT.
  • The LETTER OF APPLICATION and RESUME must be submitted at the time the FINAL EXAMINATION is taken.  A point deduction will be made if it is turned in later.
WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED after the last day of class.

A POINT DEDUCTION OF 5 POINTS PER CLASS DAY LATE will be made for all late work. 

The following are the various assignments, their order to be turned in, and their relative values in the final grade (given as #x): 

  1.  COMPARISON . . . . . . . 1X
  2.  PROPOSAL . . . . . . . . 2X 
  3.  INSTRUCTIONS . . . . . . 2X 
  4.  SENTENCE OUTLINE . . . . 2X
  5.  NOTE CARDS 
  6.  LONG REPORT  . . . . . . 4X
  7.  APPLICATION and RESUME . 1X
  8.  FINAL EXAMINATION . . .  3X 

As noted above, there are penalties for late papers and, since many of the assignments are related to doing the technical report, getting behind on one assignment may well make several assignments late. 

Also, the assignments have to be done well enough that the student is prepared for the next phase; in other words, a satisfactory topic must be picked before the Proposal can be attempted, and a satisfactory Proposal must be done before the Sentence Outline can be written.

It would be beneficial to read or at least look through all the material included about technical writing on this Internet site before you begin this course (or during the first week), so that you will become familiar with the various papers and concepts involved. Printing out this material and keeping it in an indexed notebook would be an easy way to have access to all of it without the need to be online to access needed information.
Also, since this course does not have class meetings or lectures, your textbook and the Internet materials are your only resources for this course. You should read them over, mark them up, and make notes about important points. The process of reading and making notes that convert the information into your own words will help you to remember the course material.

To keep up-to-date on your progress in this course, consult the Checklist of Assignments.

To assist you in your reading of the assignments in the textbook, consult the section entitled Textbook Focus Section; it is also listed in the Table of Contents.
Grading Equivalents:

F . . . 0-55 (depending on errors)
D-. . . 62
D . . . 65
D+. . . 68 
C-. . . 72
C . . . 75
C+. . . 78
B-. . . 82
B . . . 85
B+. . . 88
A-. . . 92
A . . . 95

 Final Grading Scale:

0-59   =   F
60-69  =   D
70-79  =   C
80-89  =   B
90-100 =   A

Explanation of Assignments:

(The Table of Contents will take you to information of Text Formatting, Explanation of Assignments, and a listing of each assignment.)

Here is the order of assignments and a brief description of each one:

  • Each student must write all the papers listed; the first is to be done ON CAMPUS, during the third week of class, OR it is to be done at a monitored site such as a university or library near the student's work site. Students who do not live within traveling distance of Louisiana Tech must communicate with Dr. Minor at the very beginning of this Quarter about setting up a monitored place to write the first paper and take the final examination.
  • Then, a Topic (and a list of possible sources) for the 2000-word report must be submitted and approved so that research can begin on that paper.
  • The first part of the report process is the Proposal, which is due the 6th week of class.
  • Next, a Sentence Outline must be done
  • Also in that same time period, another paper of the Instruction/Process type may be assigned, to be completed out of class and submitted in hard copy. (Will not be assigned during the summer)
  • Then, note material to be used for the report must be submitted, so that the accuracy, volume, and relevancy of the notes can be checked.
  • The Report itself is due the 10th week.
  • After that, there will be a job application letter and resume due the last week.
  • Also that week, each student must come to campus and take a final examination or take it at a remote site, as explained above. That examination will include about 30 points of material about grammar, wording, and sentence structure. I will send each student by E-mail a practice exam (Test on Drafting and Writing Effective Sentences) to test for sentence structure, wording, and grammar areas needing study.  The On-line Writing Labs are also a good way of testing one's abilities in those areas; access them through the Table of Contents.


Here is a Search Engine to search the English 303 Internet site only.  Use it if you cannot find a term, concept, idea, or assgnment in the weekly syllabus below.  Another copy of this Search Engine is located on the Table of Contents  page.
ht://Dig Search Engine
Use to search the English 303 Web site.

Match: Format: 


Weekly Syllabus

The following assignments and dates are subject to change if conditions during the quarter require that such be done.

Note:

The homework during the first few weeks is intended to get you to focus on the terms and concepts that are important in technical writing; these terms and concepts need to be learned during the first few weeks. Then, for the rest of the course, those terms and concepts will be applied in the writing assignments.  Some of them will appear on the Final Examination.

The Textbook Focus section, accessible from each week's assignments, gives important information to you concerning textbook information you are expected to know.  The Textbook Focus section tells you the terms and concepts that you should know and points out specific pages that you must be sure to read.  Also, the Textbook Focus section adds some explanations you need to know. Be sure to read the Focus section for each week's assignments.

Week One
March 14
Week Two
March 21
Week Three
March 28
Week Four
April 4
Week Five
April 11
Week Six
April 18
Week Seven
April 25
Week Eight
May 2
Week Nine
May 9
Week Ten
May 16
To view the Calendar of Due Dates for English 303, click here.



Week 1 (March 14, 2005) -- Introduction to English 303

First:  Be sure that you have sent your email address to Dr. Minor; that should have been done before the first day of class.  Also, you need to send an email to Dr. Minor giving the name, email address, and department of your academic advisor.

Homework to Introduce Technical Writing Terms and Concepts:

The purpose of this homework is to acquaint you with some of the basic concepts in technical writing; it is information you would have received in lectures at the beginning of an in-class English 303 course.  These summaries should be 1--4 pages per chapter (as is appropriate for the assignment). Look in the Other Terms and Concepts section of the Table of Contents for explanations of Summaries and Abstracts.  Summaries  are also called Descriptive Abstracts. In effect, one puts the author's ideas into your own words, retaining some of the proportions and structure of the original. The summary emphasizes the main points and may leave out minor points and examples. The textbook discusses Summarizing, beginning on page 142.

Via e-mail (if possible), by Friday, March 18, 2005, submit the following homework summaries,  which will not be graded:

  • Chapter 1:   Name and briefly Summarize each of the 7 characteristics of Technical Communication.
  • Chapter 5:   Name and briefly Define the 4 basic categories of readers (or audiences).
  • Chapter 5:   Name and briefly Define the individual characteristics of readers (or audiences).
  • Chapter 5:   Name and briefly Define the 7 major surface cultural variables discussed under the section on Communicating Across Cultures
  • Chapter 5:   Briefly Summarize the guidelines for Writing for Readers from Other Cultures
  • Chapter 6:    List the possible Constraints within which a writer will work in creating a document
  • Chapter 6:    List the Right Kinds of Evidence
  • Chapter 6:    List and briefly define the last 5 Logical Fallacies
What you must get out of the first two weeks of homework are  definitions of terms and concepts discussed in these chapters and also how to use headings and graphic material in your own writing.  Go to the Table of Contents to read the explanation of Headings and how to place, name, and number graphic material in your papers.  Also, be sure you know about text spacing and margins.  Much of this homework material will be useful in conducting your research for the Long Report; some of it will also be on the Final Examination.
Be sure that you have returned your signed "Plagiarism Statement" from the Technical Writing Course Packet to Dr. Minor, either in person or by mail.  The English Department requires that you buy this Packet and sign and submit the "Plagiarism Statement."


Week 2 (March 21, 2005) -- Argumentation by Contrast/Comparison

This Week, Make Arrangements for the First Writing Assignment:

Each student must make an appointment for an on-campus or externally-monitored writing assignment, to be done during the third week of class, March 29 - April 1, 2005.  Students who will come to the Louisiana Tech main campus to write should E-Mail the available times for that paper as soon as possible; the times for writing will be individually arranged.

If you must write at a distant site, the writing must be monitored by someone such as a university, college, or library official. Arrangements for writing at a distant the site must be made with me and with the monitor before the third week.  I must participate in the arrangements for having a student's work monitored by having direct communication (telephone and/or e-mail) with the person who will do the monitoring.
For this week, read: Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.
Week Two Homework (will not be graded); due on or by Thursday, March 24
  • Chapter 7: Define and differentiate Primary Research and Secondary Research.
  • Chapter 7: Briefly Summarize the Basic Research Tools (pp. 133-137).
  • Chapter 7: Briefly tell how one goes about finding material on Web sites, naming one of the search engines. (The Table of Contents has some links to Online Sources) also.
  • Chapter 7: Briefly Summarize the 5 steps for summarizing (pp. 142).
  • Chapter 7: For your own use, study and note the instructions on paraphrasing (pp. 139+) and quoting (pp. 141+)
  • Chapter 7: In Evaluating the Information, what are the characteristisc of good information? (p. 145).  What would be the characteristics of a good web source?
  • Chapter 7: Briefly Summarize the phases of conducting experiments, given on pp. 147-149; note the similarity to the steps in the Scientific Method, given in the Logical Analysis part of the Logical Analysis and other Terms and Concepts section.
  • Chapter 7: Briefly Summarize the section on conducting an interview (pp. 150+) (NOTE:  At least one interview is a required source for the Long Report).
  • Chapter 8: Briefly Summarize each of the organizational patterns described on pages 162-179.
  • Chapter 8: In the section on Comparison and Contrast (pp. 167+) tell what is meant by Criteria (p. 169) and by the "Whole by Whole" and "Part by Part" patterns of organizing comparisons (pp. 169-170).



Week 3 (March 28, 2005) -- Argumentation by Contrast/Comparison and Proposals

The information included in this syllabus for Week Three is very important for this entire course.  Be sure you read all the material for this week.  It covers the first paper you are to write, information to help guide you in choosing a topic for the Long Report, and the Proposal for the Long Report.  All this information is necessary for you to do the necessary assignments correctly.
For this week, read:

Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.
 
Basic Components for Writing Papers in this Course

Go to the Table of Contents and read the following listed Topics to prepare you for the first paper:

Formatting of Technical Writing Papers --  This information will be used in all of the papers to be written in this course.     Introduction 

  •  Text Spacing 
  •  Discussion of Heading and Heading Levels; includes Examples 
  •  Graphics 
  •  Margins 
  •  White Space 
  •  Lists 
  •  Page Numbering 
 What follows below is a brief paper outline showing how headings are to be used; also, it shows how to arrange Comparisons using Criteria and Possible Solutions, as is to be done for your first paper and the Long Report.

At this point, to be sure you understand the heading system, look over the following web material:

Explanation of the Structure for Papers in this Course:

All papers done in this course will start with the same basic major sections:  the Introduction, the Body of the text, and a Conclusion. 

Here is an example of the overall paper structure of a technical writing paper, showing the major sections of the paper and the use of 4 levels of headings.  The left side shows headings as they appear in the paper; the right side shows how the same paper would appear as an outline.  Note that the headings at each level appear in the outline at the same level.  That shows how an outline can tell you how to place headings in your paper.


TITLE 
(1st Order Heading)

Introduction
(Second Order Heading)

     This section would give preliminary information about the problem to be solved

Main Body of Paper
(2nd order Heading)

     First Section of the Body (3rd order heading)

     Subdivision of the First Section (4th order heading)

     Subdivision of the First Section (4th order heading)

     Second Section of the Body (3rd order heading)
     Subdivision of the Second Section (4th order heading)

     Subdivision of the Second Section (4th order heading)

     Third Section of the Body (3rd order heading)
    Subdivision of the Third Section (4th order heading)

    Subdivision of the Third Section (4th order heading)

Conclusion
(2nd order heading)

     This section would give the overall conclusion.

 

 Outline Equivalents:   


TITLE

I.  Introduction
 
 
 

II.  Main Body of Paper
 

      A.  First Section of Body

           1.  Subdivision

           2.  Subdivision

      B.  Second Section of Body

           1.  Subdivision

           2.  Subdivision

       C.  Third Section of Body

            1.  Subdivision

             2.  Subdivision 

III.  Conclusion

 


Here are the specific instructions for Paper One -- a Comparison Paper.  Your first paper must follow these instructions; more information about this first paper -- including the topic -- will be given to you when you come to write the paper.
 

Specific Explanation of the first paper, to be written on campus or at a monitored site:

A topic will given to you that is similar to the one in Markel discusses in Chapter 8, "Organizing Your Information," under "Contrast and Comparison," on pp. 169-170.  The specific topic will be given to you when you come in to write the paper.  This paper will be a short, problem-solving one.

The problem will be solved by comparing two or more possible solutions to a problem; the possible solutions will be compared by using criteria,arranged in the Part-by-Part pattern shown on page 170.  Notice that on p.170, in the example, Price, Resolution, and Print Speed are the Criteria.  Model 5L and Model 6L are the possible solutions to be compared using the Criteria. 

Read the following information carefully and be sure you understand it as it applies to organizing and writing a paper which uses Criteria to compare several possible Solutions.  (note that Criteria is plural; Criterion is singular.)

As an example of this type of paper -- On page 170, the Problem would be "Choosing the Best Printer."  (The topic of your paper will be different; it will NOT be comparing printers).

  • Then, "price," "resolution," and "print speed" would be the Criteria; each Criterion would be defined by you, the writer (for instance, "Price" may be defined as meaning "the best printer must cost less than $300").
  • Model 5L and Model 6L would be the two Possible Solutions to the problem. So, the paper would, in essence, compare the two Solutions-- two printers -- as to the price, resolution, and print speed of each printer.
  • The Solution will be the printer that best meets these criteria.
Thus, the Problem is solved so far as the choice of the two printers is concerned.

The following example takes the outline of sections and headings (given above) and adds specific content about choosing a printer to make it an analytical Comparison paper. 

This paper shows how your own comparison paper should be structured, using this system of headings and with the heading placed as shown on this example:
 
 

 

TITLE 
(1st Order Heading)

Introduction
(Second Order Heading)

          This section would give preliminary information about the problem to be solved

Main Body of Paper
(2nd order Heading)

          Explain the Criteria (3rd order heading)

          Price (4th order heading)

          Speed (4th order heading)

          Define the Possible Solutions (3rd order heading)
          Printer A (4th order heading)

          Printer B (4th order heading)

          Comparison of the Printers Based on Price (3rd order heading)
          Printer A Price (4th order heading)

          Printer B Price (4th order heading)

          Price Conclusion (4th order heading)

          Comparison of the Printers Based on Speed (3rd Order heading)

                  Printer A Speed (4th order heading)

                  Printer B Speed (4th order heading)

                  Speed Conclusion (4th order heading)

Conclusion
(2nd order heading)

     This section would give the overall conclusion for the whole paper.

 

To summarize this first paper:

  • It must be done on campus or at a monitored site;
  • It must be a comparison and contrast type of paper, as discussed above;
  • It must be organized in the Part by Part pattern;
  • It must solve a problem by analyzing two possible solutions by comparing them under three to five criteria;
  • It must use three levels of headings and may require four levels to divide the paper into the areas shown on page 170, where the Title would be a 1st order heading; Introduction, Comparison, and Conclusion would be 2nd order headings; Price, Resolution, and Print Speed would be 3rd order headings under the second order heading Comparison; and Model 5L and Model 6L would be 4th order headings under Price, Resolution, and Print Speed. 

  • More details about the structure of this paper will be given when you come in to write it the third week of class; look at the example paper above to see this structure.
  • It must have at least one illustration or graphic, with the graphic number and title above the graphic. Check in the Table of Contents for discussions and examples of Text Headings and Graphics; be sure to look under Examples of Each Section of the Long Report (Title Page through Appendix) for their appearance in the Long Report sections.

Beginning  the Long Report:

A Preliminary or Tentative Topic for the 2000-word Report is due as close to April 1,  2005, as possible -- as a preliminary stage leading up to the PROPOSAL. The tentative topic or topics may be e-mailed to me.  The topic material you submit must include a list of about 10 tentative sources; this list of sources will change as you continue to do research and refine your topic and supporting evidence. These sources should come  both the library and from the Internet.  Note that this TOPIC is not the same thing as the longer PROPOSAL; it is the first step in developing the PROPOSAL, which must be on the TOPIC you have submitted and had approved.

The following information is essential for your writing of the Long Report; you should review it now to give you a better idea of the type of report that is to be written, the structure of that report, and the sources available to you for doing the research and documentation of the report.  And, as you work on the report, refer back to this information.  It is best accessed through the Table of Contents.


 
Links to Information about the Long Report

The Long Report will count a major part of your overall grade.  The material linked in below is very important; it will help you in choosing an appropriate topic, conducting research on that topic, and drafting and finalizing the Long Report itself.    This work takes several weeks; it will begin with the Tentative Topic, due the third week of class.  The next step will be the Proposal, which will be due the sixth week of class.  The next step in the Long Report will be the Sentence Outline, due the eighth week of class.  You will need to refer back to this information many times during this quarter as you develop the Proposal, Sentence Outline, Note Cards, and the Long Report itself.

First, review the Long Report Information (especially the section on Sample Long Report Topics) for more information and some ideas about this initial topic. Consult the English 303 Table of Contents for information about the Long Report.  It includes examples of the Long Report sections.
The links below will take you to a discussion of Researching the Long Report; it includes some Internet sources covering a wide range of topics.  As you review the Long Report information, notice that the Long Report is to be written as a comparison and contrast, with several possible solutions and several criteria, just as your first, in-class paper was done.   The content of the Long Report must follow your Sentence Outline as to content, order, and subdivisions.

Essential Links:

You must become familiar with ALL of the information explained in the section on Researching the Long Report.


Week 4 (April 4, 2005) -- Proposals
For this week, read: Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.

To begin the Proposal, the first graded part of the assignments leading up to the Long Report:
 
The Proposal
  • The Proposal for the Report will be due Monday, April 18, 2005, by 4 p.m.
    •   
  • The Proposal must be written on a topic that has already been approved.
  • The Proposal is to be written in the form of a memorandum and includes a tentative bibliography on a sparate page.
  • The proposal must follow the guidelines and examples on the English 303 web site and should not be done according to the textbook models and instruction in Chapter 17, nor according to proposals done in other classes.



Week 5 (April 11, 2005) -- Graphics

Third Homework Assignment is due this week, by Friday, April 15.  The questions are listed below.
For this week, read:  Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.

There are example graphics in the Examples of Each Section of the Long Report; also, be sure to read the discussion of Graphics in the Logical Analysis and other Terms and Concepts section.
 
Homework Due at the end of this week (by Friday, April 15):
  • Give an example of a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th order headings as specified on this web site.
  • What are the usual margins for a typed or wordprocessed paper in this class?  Why do some pages have larger top margins than others?
  • Quote the specific instruction on the web site that explain page numbering.
  • How many slides are there in the PowerPoint presentation on text formatting?  What areas of formatting does it cover?
  • What is the name of the Search Engine on the 303 site?  What are the three types of matches it uses? How may entries does the word "simultaneous" give?
  • What is the Subject of each of the two Example Proposals on the 303 web site?
  • What is the title of the Example Outline on the 303 web site?  What is the material inside the red boxes in that outline?
  • George Gamow's quoted work is used as an example of what kind of writing?
  • James Watson's quoted work is used as an example of what kind of writing?
  • The Trilobite is an example of what type or category of graphics?
  • The Early Model of the Atom is used as an example of what type or category of graphics?
  • Who is Dr. Gary Nabel and why is his work mentioned on this web site?

The Proposal, the next graded assignment, is due no later than Monday, April 18, 2005, by 4 p.m.



Week 6 (April 18, 2005) -- Instructions and Processes

The Proposal is due this week, on Monday, April 18.  It must be done according to the instructions given on this web site and on a topic that has already been approved. 

Next, begin study of the Sentence Outline, to be due Monday of Week Eight.  See the information under Week Seven for instructions on how to do the Sentence Outline.

A discussion of Sentence Outlines is contained in the Sentence Outlines section of the Table of Contents.  A Sentence Outline Exercise is available for you to work on; it is discussed under Week 6.

For this week, read: 

Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters. 

Out-of-Class Paper to be written this week: 

This paper will be either (1) A Set of Instructions, (2) a Description of a Specific Process, or (3) a Description of a General Process, to be done from an assignment to be sent to you specifying one of these three paper types.  This assignment will be sent to each student by email after the Proposal has been submitted; the email will tell you whick kind of paper (one of the 3 listed above) you are to write and the topic of that paper. The finished paper will be due within 2 days of receiving the assignment. The procedures for doing this paper and the date it is due will be included as part of the email assignment.

To prepare for writing this paper, review the material on Instructions and the two kinds of Process Descriptions in the Process and Instruction Paper section of the Table of Contents. 

This information is also important for the Final Examination.   As part of the Final Examination, you will have to write one of the following types of papers:  a Set of Instructions, a Description of a Specific Process, or a Description of a General Process.  Be sure you understand the differences in these three types of papers, both as to content and structure.

This assignment will be sent to you a day or so after you have submitted your proposal.

Whenever you are ready -- at some point before you put your Sentence Outline together -- request by email that you be sent the Sentence Outline Exercise; when you have finished that exercise, request by email that you be sent the corrected Sentence Outline exercise so that you can check your outline against it.  You do not need to send the finished outline exercise; doing the exercise is for your own use in learning how to do the Sentence Outline.



Week 7 (April 25, 2005) -- Note Cards, Outlining, and the Practice Grammar Test

Assigned Reading:

Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.

This work this week involves studying for the Note Cards, the Practice Grammar Test, and developing the Sentence Outline.  The following information discusses these three assignments:

Note Cards (15 note cards, 5 source cards, and 5 photocopied pages) need to be turned in before the Sentence Outline, if at all possible.  They will not be graded but are required so that I can see that you are getting research done, that you are taking notes accurately, and that you are taking down the needed bibliographical information.
How to Make and Use Note Cards

As the first part of your research documentation, Note Cards are due.  You are to turn in the following as beginning source material for your paper: 

  • 5 bibliography cards
    •  
  • 15 notes from those 5 sources
    •  
  • A photocopied page of the source used for one of the notes from each of the 5 sources; in other words, one photocopied page from each source
    •  
  • Highlight or underline, on the photocopied page, the part of the text that you placed on the note card.  Put the card letter beside the underlined or highlighted text.
    •   
  • If Internet material is used, turn in hard copies of the source pages, with the part used on the note card highlighted.  Be sure to include the Internet address. 
The following link will show you specifically how to do these note cards and source copies: 

Instructions for Doing the Note Cards

If Internet material is used, turn in hard copies of the source pages; be sure to include the Internet address. 

The Note Card material is part of the section of the information on the Long Report, listed under Week Three, Links to Information about the Long Report.

The most thorough information about research, writing, and documenting the Long Report is given in the section of the web site entitled Reseraching the Long Report.  You should read all the information there.  It should answer any questions you have about taking notes, using notes in the text of the report, and citing the sources of the report (report documentation).

Preparing for the Practice Test on Drafting and Writing Effective Sentences

Ungraded Test on Writing Effective Sentences -- to be sent to each student via email, with instructions.  When you are ready to take the test, send Dr. Minor an email requesting the Practice Test on Writing Effective Sentences.  It will not be sent until you request it.  He will send it as an email attachment.  When you have taken the test, email Dr. Minor, requesting the answers to the test on Writing Effective Sentences. The answers will be sent as an email attachment.  Then, check your test to see how many of the  Test questions you missed and study those areas for the Final Examination.  The Final Examination will have 30--35 points worth of questions based on the Practice Test on Writing Effective Sentences and the Answers and Notes accompanying it.  If you do not take this test and use the results for study, you may lower your final examination grade by 1 or 2 letter grades.

The textbook also contains several Appendices dealing with grammar and wording; check the Table of Contents of Markel.
 


The Sentence Outline is due Week Eight; it should outline the Long Report and correct any deficient areas in your Proposal.
 
How to Develop the Sentence Outline
  • Each part of the Sentence Outline is to be in full sentences; it is not to be a topic outline.
  • The Sentence Outline is to be done on the topic developed in the Proposal.  The Outline cannot be submitted until an approved Proposal has been graded and returned to the student.
  • Information about the Outline format and content is accessed through the Table of Contents.  There is a discussion of the Sentence Outline and an example outline.  The example outline includes comments about the outline in red. 
  • The Outline must include the Problem (I), the Criteria (II), the Possible Solutions (III), the Comparisons done according to the Criteria (sections IV, V, VI, etc, depending on the number of criteria), the Conclusion, and the Recommendations (in a list).  This outline is a further development of the outline included in the Proposal.
The Sentence Outline is due on Monday, May 2, 2005, by 4 p.m. unless the date has been changed; if it is changed, each student will be notified by email.




Week 8 (May 2, 2005) -- Drafting the Report

The Sentence Outline is due Monday, May 2, by 4 p.m.  It must be done on the topic of the Proposal; it must be done according to the instructions and models on the English 303 web site.

Now, with the Sentence Outline completed, it is time to begin drafting the Long Report.  The Long Report and all of its supporting materials is due on Monday, May 16, by 4 p.m.

Begin study of the sections of the long report:  Sections of the Long Report.  You must use this section of the Table of Contents as your guide to writing the Long Report.  The information there covers such items as spacing, headings, and documentation and also gives examples of each section of the Long Report.

The content of that report must follow the Sentence Outline as to content, order, and subdivisions.  The form of the Long Report must follow the guidelines and examples given on the English 303 web site.

Assigned Reading:

Review this material:

Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.

Work on drafting and revising the Long Report.



Week 9 (May 9, 2005) -- Employment and Ethics

Assigned Reading:

Consult the Textbook Focus material for some guidelines for studying these chapters.

Each student should continue to review and study all materials on the Long Report sections.
 
Letter of Application and Resume
The Letter of Application and Resume are due when you take the Final Examination.


Week 10 (May 16, 2005) -- Long Report and Final Examination

The Long Report is due on Monday.

Final Exam days (Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20) -- Last Day of Class is Friday, May 20, 2005.
Final Examinations are to be taken either Thursday, May 19, or Friday, May 20.  Appointments to take the final examination must be made by Wednesday, May 18.  No more than two students may be scheduled at one time; the exam takes up to 2 hours.  Those who schedule early will have the greatest choice of times.

Information to be reviewed for the Final Examination:

The Letter of Application and Resume are due at or before the Final Examination.

The Final Examination is to be taken on either Thursday, May 19 or Friday, May 20.  Graduating seniors must take the exam in time to submit their final course grades on Tuesday, May 17.  The final examination must be done at a pre-arranged time either on campus at Louisiana Tech University  or at a remote monitored site. Students taking this course from a remote site must make early arrangements to take the final exam under a proctor. These arrangements must be made jointly by the student, teacher, and proctor to the examination.

This examination will cover terms and concepts, grammar, sentence structure and wording, and a short essay.  More information is given in the material on the Final Examination.

When you request it, a final examination study list will be sent to you by email. 

Due Date for the Long Report:

Monday, May 18, 2005 -- by 4 p.m.:   Long Report is due in a notebook or hard binder (not a floppy transparent plastic binder or a pocket envelope); the following materials done as specified here, MUST be included in a separate 10 X 12 (or larger) manila envelope:

  • All photocopies or print-outs keyed to final bibliography numbers; look at the example of the Long Report Bibliography to see how to key the note cards to the photocopies and to the paper bibliography.  This is a critical area of the report package.
  • All note cards, also keyed to final bibliography numbers; look at the examples of the Long Report Bibliography to see how to do this.  This is a critical area of the report package.
  • the original topic sheet
  • the original graded proposal
  • the original graded sentence outline
Go through the Long Report Checklist carefully before doing the final copy of the Report.

Points will be deducted from the Long Report grade if these instructions are not followed exactly; look under Week Three to see the link to the grading chart, listed as "How the Long Report Will Be Graded -- Deductions for Faulty Documentation, Note Cards, etc."