REQUIRED MATERIALS

• College of The Bahamas Research Journal, Vol XI. 2002
• Yinna: Journal of the Bahamas Association of Cultural Studies, Vol. I. 2000
• N Bethel’s English 301 package
• A college dictionary (e.g. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary or Oxford Concise Dictionary)

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

During the semester, you will be required to:

• write several types of texts (a position paper, an informal argumentative essay, a critical analysis, a definition essay, a refutation argument, a sentence outline, an annotated bibliography, responses to assigned readings)
• read regularly outside of class time
• participate in all online gatherings (generally held once a week). As this course is very fast-paced, it will be impossible for you to make up meetings that you miss.
• complete all preparation and follow-up assignments.
• hand in work on time. Late work will be penalized, or it may not be marked.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

• Assignments must be submitted by email to bethel@burrowsweb.com
• Assignments should be completed in Word, and submitted as an attachment to the email. Ideally, you should learn how to use the "reviewing" feature of the programme, but knowing how to do that is not necesssary.
• Include a title that clearly indicates the assignment.
• Save copies of all of your work, including drafts, in separate files. You are required to back up ALL of your work.
• Your essays must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on single sides of 8 1/2 x 11” paper in an easily read 12pt font. Short essays should be 3-4 pages when typed. The final position paper should be 7-8 pages, typed.
• Late essays will be penalized one letter grade for each day they are late.

EVALUATION

1. Four exercise assignments @ 2.5% each: 10%
2. Four reading response journals @2.5% each: 10%
3. Four short essay assignments @ 10% each: 40%
4. Abstract of position paper: 5%
5. Position paper: 25%
6. Participation, conferencing, preparation, peer-editing: 10%
   1. Attendance and participation in the interactive components of this course are essential. No one is allowed to remain silent for the semester.
   2. You are expected to discuss assignments with me through the semester by email or by appointment. Have something specific to discuss.

ASSIGNMENTS

EXERCISE ASSIGNMENTS
The goal of these is to cover various aspects related to the long paper. These include producing an annotated critical reading of a passage, constructing a logical and well-supported oral argument, preparing a proposal/sentence outline of your long paper, preparing an annotated bibliography, and delivering a seminar on one of the readings.

READING JOURNALS
In order to succeed at this level, it is imperative that students read widely and intelligently beyond the requirements of the class. The reading journal assignments will be based on a variety of readings — fiction, current affairs, local events, general knowledge and specific theoretical writings.

PEER EDITING
Not only will you be expected to write a number of short essays, but you will also be required to help a fellow student edit his or her esssays. Each of the short essays should be drafted at least twice. The first draft will be peer edited. As peer readers, you should familiarize yourselves with the specific criteria for each paper, and use them in the editing of the essay. I will also provide you with checklists of what to consider. I suggest you send your comments to the author of the paper you are reviewing by email, copying the email to bethel@burrowsweb.com. Plan to give feedback on a different person's paper each time.

SHORT PAPERS (3-4 pages)
The goal of this class is to research and write an in-depth argumentative position paper. In preparation for this, you will be required to write three short papers that relate to your final argumentative topic.

1. Your first paper will be a informal proposal essay, in which you explore the topic that you will research and explain why you have chosen it. Your aim here is to take a position on a current issue, particular point of view, etc. and to explain/justify that issue or point of view to your readers. Your mini-paper needs to be clear, sharply focused and convincing. Your aim will be to help the reader understand why you have taken this position and to outline a few of the complex issues that surround it. You need not use outside sources or documentation, but this mini-paper should have a strong stand or position that is clear and that is supported with relevant, credible evidence.
2. Your second paper will be a definition essay where you define the essential terms that you will be using in your position paper in several different ways. This paper will include a bibliography page (APA or MLA format) that references the sources you are using to build your definition.
3. Your third paper will be a critical analysis of one or two of the written sources that you will be using for your final position paper. In this paper, you will engage in detail with the source, examining its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating it in relation to the position that you will be taking in your final paper. This paper will include a bibliography page (APA or MLA format) that references the source you are analyzing.
4. The fourth paper will be a refutation essay. In this paper, you will get the opportunity to consider the opposite point of view of your topic. You will present it in the paper, and then refute it. This paper will include a bibliography page page (APA or MLA format) that references the source you are analyzing.

FINAL POSITION PAPER (8 pages, typed, double-spaced with a one-inch margin all round)
For this paper you will need to:

• choose an appropriate topic/issue, one you can develop with facts, examples, statistics, evidence and references from experts/authority figures;
• conduct research and consult source materials;
• organize your support into unified points;
• summarize, paraphrase and quote accurately from resource materials
• use appropriate documentation/style guides, e.g. APA or MLA

PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is defined by the College of the Bahamas as “the unacknowledged use of another person’s work” (“COB Policy on Plagiarism” 1). You MUST acknowledge via proper MLA or APA citation any use of anyone else’s work whether it be a quotation (i.e., using their exact words), a paraphrase (i.e., summarizing or putting it in your own words), or even just the use of some information, ideas or concepts from another source. If you plagiarize, you will receive an “F” for the assignment and be referred to appropriate Deans and Departments for disciplinary action. Expulsion from COB is the prescribed penalty for continued plagiarism.

GENERAL ADVICE

• Keep up with the reading. Prepare all of the readings and assignments BEFORE each class.
• Discuss your topics and ideas with others outside of the classroom to help refine them.
• Use the Writing Centre in F8 ($10/sem; call & check for opening times).