ENG 202 - Research Writing

Final Exam

Before you turn in your portfolio, please review it once more -- making sure that included pieces are clearly labeled by assignment and bear your name. Then take the next 20-30 minutes to write a formal cover letter to the portfolio.

A well-written cover letter functions a bit like an introduction; it will frame my reading of your portfolio, calling my attention to your progress, development, and efforts throughout the semester. The most-effective cover letters will draw a reader's attention to specific elements of the portfolio (e.g. an outline in which you worked hard to synthesize two points of view, a late revision to the research question reflecting your fieldwork).

If your portfolio represents your journey through the semester, the cover letter stands as my reading map.

When you have finished, please tuck it inside your portfolio and hand it in to me.

After grading, I will make your work available outside Sutton 340. You may pick it up now or early next semester.

Doings - Week 14

TIP: You may have been misled about conclusions! Despite what your high school English teacher may have told you, a conclusion should not merely restate the thesis. And while it may suggest further implications of the argument, it should not start a new one. Wishy-washy conclusions-- "So the feminine gender of certain Spanish words does support negative stereotypes of women, although others might totally disagree with this position. There are many sides to this issue..."--make English professors want to scream. There is no formula for a perfect conclusion. The best often leave readers with a sense of what they've learned, bringing together loose ends, and ultimately offering final thoughts that could only be said after all the work has been done above.

Tuesday

Tandem Peer Workshop editing draft: Editing Workshop (see also grammar hints here. )
Editing consultation with professor
Check: Paper Format

(Recall: Hacker Guide to citing sources)

Homework: Post your essay electronically to turnitin.com

1. Visit the website, 2. select the "create a user profile" link, 3. Enter class ID and password (8am Class ID number=1332765 ; 9:45 Class ID=1332766. Password= leo202), 4. Enter and upload your essay.

Thursday

Review of portfolio
Final proofreading
Turn in research essay (with draft attached).

Syllabus Reminder: Cheating, Plagiarism, and Collusion

Academic Dishonesty is a serious matter. I am savvy and vigilant in detecting students who use unattributed web sources , "collaborate" with fellows students, or utilize other "clever" methods to enhance their grades. Take the grade you honestly earn on an assignment. Should a classmate attempt to use your work, refuse; I make no distinction between cheaters and those who aid them. A plagiarized assignment will earn you a zero for the assignment. In order to help enforce academic honesty, I will require you to submit electronic copies of formal work to Turnitin.com

Turnitin.com: "Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site." 8am Class ID number=1332765 ; 9:45 Class ID=1332766. Password= leo202

The "Final" - We will meet once more during the appropriate final exam period. You should bring a complete portfolio to turn in to me. Our activity will consist of a closing "blog post" in which you summarize and self-evaluate your work over the semester. I will provide a guiding question at the time of the final; you should not feel the need to study, per se, though you may want to be familiar with the content of your blog and portfolio and have thought about what it represents to you.

8:00 Section

9:45 Section

Tuesday,  December 13       8:00am - 10:00am 
Thursday,  December 15     10:15am - 12:15pm

Past Weekly Doings