English 5003 Syllabus
English Usage and Composition for Graduate Students
M - W 4:25 - 7:00
Howell Hall 101
Cameron University
Summer 2001

Professor Carolyn Kinslow
Office Hours:  M - Th 9:00 - 10:00
  M - W  3:00 - 4:00
Office Phone:  581-5524
FAX:  581-2897
E-Mail:   carolynk@cameron.edu
               kinslow@swbell.net

1. Course Description:
 An intensive study of usage, rhetoric, and composition.  Required of all candidates for the MS and MEd degrees.  Three semester hours credit.

2. Prerequisites:
 Admission to the graduate program and approval of the graduate coordinator.

3.  Course Statement of Objectives:
 Each student who completes English 5003 is expected

     A. to be able to use the conventions of functional English grammar, spelling, and   punctuation in standard written English;

     B. to have acquired skill and confidence in making appropriate usage choices, with authority derived from standard glossaries and lexicons of English usage;

     C. to demonstrate proficiency in rhetoric and expository prose;

     D. to have developed library research and writing skills, using the American Psychological Association (APA) style of documentation or the style appropriate to
            the student's field of study.

4. Texts:  Required:       Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.   (1994). (4th ed. rev.). (Hereafter referred to as APA.)

                                    The Little, Brown Handbook  (8th ed.). (Hereafter referred to as LBH.)

    Optional:                   The Elements of Style (4th ed.).    (Hereafter referred to as ES.)
 

5. Research and Writing Assignments:
     A. Research Assignments:

          1. An annotated list of six (6) to eight (8) reference sources on an issue or topic of current concern in the student's field of interest.  (All references must have
                    been published between 1997-2000.)

      2. A documented research report (APA style) which defines and summarizes an issue or topic of current interest (see annotated reference list above), 1,200 to
                    1,600 words in length (approximately six to eight typewritten pages).

     B. Essays:
          Four (4) essays, each 600  to 800 words in length (3 to 4 typewritten pages) emphasizing strategies frequently used in the social sciences: definition, analysis
                    and classification, comparison, cause-effect analysis.

     C. Grammar/Mechanics Exercises
                     Frequent exercises in functional grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

6. Evaluation:
         Graded assignments and the percentage values assigned to them are as follows:

                     Four (4) essays (10% each)          40%

                     Three (3) Examinations                 (10% each) 30%

                     Annotated Reference List              10%

                     Research Report                           20%

                                                              Total  100%
 

NOTE: This class proceeds very quickly in the summer semester. If you do not keep up with the work, you will have a difficult time completing all the assignments. In order to pass this course, students must complete all assignments, including ungraded exercises in grammar, usage, and writing.  Final drafts of essays will NOT be accepted after the day designated on this syllabus except in cases of extreme emergency and then only with my prior consent.  Extra-chance revisions for unacceptable essays must meet the conditions I specify in order for me to accept them.

7. Attendance/Withdrawal Policy:
 Regular class attendance is required and absolutely essential if you are to be successful in completing the assignments.  If you must miss class for an emergency, please notify me before class. If you are absent, you are still responsible for the material covered during the class you miss.

 A student who finds it necessary to withdraw from the course must complete the official administrative process, which includes obtaining a drop-and-add form from the Registrar's Office, having it signed by me, and returning it to the Registrar's office.  See last page of the Enrollment Schedule for pertinent dates.

8. OneNet Classroom Etiquette:
         A. Remember to press the microphone button when you wish to speak; the students at other sites will not be able to hear you when you do not. When you
                finish asking your question, press the button again to return the camera to the instructor. If you wish to ask a follow-up question or make a comment, you
                must press the button yet again.
         B. Please raise your hand and state your name after pressing the microphone button so the students at remote sites will know who is speaking.
         C. Please let me know immediately if any of the equipment is not working; students at remote sites should call the FAX number for Howell 101 (581-5551).\
         D. Please let me know if I walk out of camera range or if you can’t hear me.
 
 

CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS

The following is a projected schedule. As the course progresses, it may have to be adjusted. Any changes will be announced in class, and it is your responsibility to note them.

Reading assignments are listed under these headings: Required, Optional, and Review.  Please complete all required reading assignments prior to the class session in which they are listed, and do all of the exercises contained in them unless I advise you to omit some of them. Even though these exercises will not be graded, I will collect them during the session for which they are assigned, and you cannot pass the course unless you do them.

Assignments listed as optional refer to the textbook Elements of Style.  This book is not required, but it is an excellent guide to concise and effective writing style.

Review assignments contain information with which most college graduates are familiar.  Please skim this material, but slow down and read carefully any material which is new to you or about which you need to refresh your memory.

Session 1  Monday, June 4
   Review of Course Requirements and Grading Standards
   Diagnostic Grammar and Writing Evaluation
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Session 2  Wednesday, June 6
 Required: LBH, Reading and Writing Arguments, pp. 141-180.
   LBH, Avoiding Plagiarism, pp. 686-692.
   APA, Writing Style, 2.01-2.05, pp. 23-31.
 Optional: ES, Elementary Principles of Composition, II, pp. 15-23.
 Review: LBH, Developing an Essay, pp. 2-47.
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Session 3          Monday, June 11
 Required: LBH, Writing the First Draft, pp. 48-52.
   APA, Quotations, 3.34-3.41, pp. 95-99.
 Optional: ES, Composition (continued), II, pp. 23-33.
 Review: LBH, Paragraph Unity and Coherence, pp. 73-934.
 Assignment of research projects (Prospectus due at the beginning of Session 5)
 ESSAY#1--DEFINITION (First Draft Written in Class)
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Session 4  Wednesday, June 13
 Required: LBH, Revising and Editing the First Draft, pp. 52-56.
   LBH, Fragments, Comma Splices, and Fused Sentences, pp. 364-380.
   APA, Reference Citations in Text, 3.94-3.103, pp. 168-74.
 Optional: ES, An Approach to Style, V, pp. 66-75.
 Review:  LBH, Paragraph Development, pp. 93-113.
   LBH, Beginning a Research Project, pp. 618-662.

 LIBRARY TOUR (Conducted in Howell 101 by library staff)
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Session 5  Monday, June 18
 Required: LBH, Agreement, pp. 333-347, and Pronoun Reference, pp. 381-388.
   APA, Agreement of Subject and Verb, Pronouns, 2.07-8, pp. 34-38.
 Review:  LBH, Working with Sources and Writing the Paper, pp. 667-709.
 Optional: ES, Style (continued), V, pp. 75-85.
 RESEARCH REPORT Prospectus Due.
 ESSAY#1 (Revision) Due
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Session 6  Wednesday, June 20
 FIRST EXAM: LBH, CHAPTERS 15, 17, 18, 19
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Session 7  Monday, June 25
 Required: LBH, Case, pp. 292-300, and Verbs, pp. 301-307.
    APA, Reference List and Examples, pp. 174-234.
 ANNOTATED REFERENCES LIST DUE
 ESSAY #2--ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION - Sophisticated First Draft Due
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Session Session 8  Wednesday, June 27
 Required: LBH, Shifts, and Misplaced/Dang1ing Modifiers, pp. 389-406.
   APA, Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers, pp. 38-40.
 Review: Continued review of APA Reference List, pp. 175-234.

 ESSAY #2 (Revision)  Due
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Session 9  Monday, July 2
 Required: LBH, Quotation Marks, pp. 508-518.
   APA, Quotations, 3.34-.41, pp. 95-99.
   APA, Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language, pp. 46-60.
 ESSAY #3--COMPARISON- Sophisticated First Draft Due
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Wednesday, July 4 HOLIDAY
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Session 10  Monday, July 9
   LBH, Capitals and Underlining, pp. 534-544.
   APA, Capitalization and Italics, 3.12-.19, pp. 75-80.
 ESSAY #3 (Revision) Due
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Session 11  Wednesday, July 11
 Required: LBH, Abbreviations and Numbers, pp. 545-552.
   APA, Abbreviations, pp. 80-89, and Numbers, pp. 99-105.
 SECOND EXAM: LBH, Chapters 13, 14 (301-307), 20, 21, 31, 33, 34
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Session 12  Monday, July 16
 Required: LBH, Choosing and Using Words, pp. 558-585.
   APA, Manuscript Preparation & Sample Paper, 235-272.
 ESSAY #4--CAUSE AND EFFECT- Sophisticated First Draft Due
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Session 13  Wednesday, July 18
 Required: LBH, Glossary of Usage, pp. 925-932.
   APA (continued), pp. 235-72.
 RESEARCH REPORT- Sophisticated First Draft Due
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Session 14  Monday, July 23
 Required: LBH, Glossary of Usage (continued), 933-942.
 ESSAY #4 (Revision) Due
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Session 15  Wednesday, July 25
 Review for Third Exam
 Diagnostic Evaluation #2
 RESEARCH REPORT (Revision) Due
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Session 16  Monday, July 30
 THIRD EXAM: LBH, Chapters 35 & 36 and Glossary of Usage

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