Course objectives

Our main goal in this course is to improve your reading, analytical and writing skills. Throughout the semester you will read a number of essays on the subject of the Internet, you will analyze the ideas contained in them - both individually and in on-line group discussions - and you will respond to the issues raised in the readings by formulating your own ideas and expressing them in writing. In addition, at the end of the semester you are going to learn the basics of hypertext markup language (HTML) and put it to practical use in designing and creating a hypertext writing project (a Web site).

Required texts

Glenn, Cheryl, and Loretta Gray.  The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook.  3^rd ed.  Boston :  Thomson Wadsworth , 2008.

Vitanza, Victor J., ed. CyberReader. Abridged ed. New York: Pearson, 2005.

Reading assignments

The assigned readings and due dates are listed in the schedule. You are expected to read carefully and critically, using a dictionary and other reference works as necessary. To benefit from the readings and to be able to participate in classroom discussions, you must develop your own way of analyzing the text you are reading. Some readers like to mark relevant passages in the text and to write comments on the margins; others like to take notes as they read - you must discover for yourself what works for you. Keep in mind that being prepared for class will mean not only having read the assigned essays, but also being able to explain what the thesis and the main points of the article are, and to indicate what your personal view is of the author's ideas.

Writing assignments

Each of the formal writing assignments in the course will include a peer-review workshop during which you will be asked to provide feedback on other students’ work. To get full credit for each assignment you must participate in the peer-review workshop, i.e., come to class with a double-spaced printout of the complete rough draft of your essay. Failure to participate in the workshop will result in your grade for the assignment being lowered by one letter grade. The course will include the following formal writing assignments:

1. Short Essays
In the first half of the semester, we will engage in writing short essays in response to the readings in our textbook. You will be required to write three such essays presenting your reflections on subjects discussed in the readings. In each of the essays, your goal will be to reach beyond the readings themselves by combining ideas from the readings with some additional material; for example, you could try to relate the readings to another field of knowledge, to a topic of special interest to you, or to your own experiences with the on-line world. You may also critique both form and contents of the readings, and compare or contrast the author’s views and attitudes with your own. Questions and reading suggestions that follow the readings may help in finding a topic.

The minimum required length for these short essays is 750. Make sure that each of your short essays is well focused on one specific topic. Any attempt to discuss several different ideas in a brief paper such as this will inevitably result in a weak essay. Make sure also that you observe the due date, and that you fulfill the minimum length requirement: you will not get any credit for assignments shorter than 750 words, or assignments that are late without prior authorization.

If you receive a grade of D or F for any of the three short essays, you have the option of revising the assignment and re-submitting it within two weeks following my returning the essay (include the old, graded version of the essay with the revision). I will grade the revised essay, and the average of the two grades will become your grade for that assignment.

2. Research Paper

In the second half of the semester, we will work on a research project of at least 2000 words on a topic of your choice (but related to the general topic of this course). Your topic must be narrow enough to enable you to discuss a specific aspect of the Internet in detail rather than presenting a general overview of a broader topic. For example, the topic "Virtual Reality" is too broad; the topic "The Applications of Virtual Reality in the Medical Field" is suitable.

 To complete the project successfully, you need to select your topic as soon as possible and conduct preliminary research before the project proposal workshop (October 31). I recommend that you check with me as soon as you get an idea for a topic. By November 3, you will need to turn in your research paper proposal consisting of the following sections:

• Description of your topic
• Preliminary outline
• A list of at least five sources you have located in your preliminary research (in MLA format)

Failure to turn in the complete proposal by the due date will result in your grade for the research paper being lowered by one letter grade.

Most of the work on the research paper will be done outside of class - contact me individually if you have any questions about the topic choice or any other aspect of the project. Apart from the research paper proposal workshop mentioned above, the classroom activities will include:

• Electronic research workshop (November 3 and 5)
• A review of MLA documentation (November 7 and 10)
• Research paper workshop (November 12)
• Peer review workshop (November 14 and 17)

The final copy of the research paper (due November 19) must be accompanied by a formal outline reflecting the actual content of the paper. Make sure that you have met the minimum length requirement--you will not get credit for your paper if it is shorter than 2000 words. Keep the graded research paper safe--you will have to turn it in again with the hypertext project.

3. Hypertext Project
After the research project is completed in its traditional, printed form, we will learn how to convert it to electronic format using hypertext markup language, creating, in effect, a simple Web site. This project will involve no new writing. I will provide more information about this assignment later in the semester.

4. Final Exam
Our last writing assignment will be the final exam. Your task will be to write an essay on an assigned topic related to the readings in this course. You will have two hours to complete the assignment, and you will be able to use the textbooktextbook and the writing handbook.

Grading criteria

Grading an essay is a complex task involving many different factors, some of which are difficult to measure and may appear subjective or arbitrary. Take some time to review the grading standards, both as you work on your essays and as you analyze my comments and corrections after your essays have been graded. If you have any questions about these standards or about my evaluation of your work, make sure that you discuss them with me.

Your final grade in this course will be calculated using the following pattern:

The grade for your contribution to online discussions will be assigned at the end of the semester. I will review all your postings in the transcripts of the discussions and I will assign one cumulative grade for your work. The criteria for this grade will include:

1. The completeness of your postings (if you miss a class, do make-up work to keep your postings complete);
2. The quality and quantity of your writing in each conference; and
3. Your willingness to expand the scope of the discussion by raising other related issues, asking questions, responding to other postings, etc.

Attendance

You are allowed four unexcused absences during the semester--use them wisely. Increasing that number will lower your final grade at the rate of one letter grade for every additional absence. If you miss more than seven classes, regardless of the reason, you will fail the course.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism consists in using another person's ideas or wording without proper acknowledgment (quotation marks, documentation, etc.) or in submitting another person's work as your own.  Penalty for plagiarism is failure in the course.  All cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Provost. 

ADA statement

Northern State University recognizes its responsibility for creating an institutional climate in which students with disabilities can thrive.  If you have any type of disability for which you require accommodations, please contact Karen Gerety at the NSU Office of Disability Services (626-2371, Student Center 217) as soon as possible to discuss your particular needs.