Welcome to the Course!!

Who am I? - Class/Colleague Intros

Eric Cody Smothers, Ph.D.,

Hometown:  Harrodsburg, KY

• I've taught First-Year and Advanced Writing Courses, Business Communication, Digital Rhetoric & Writing, as well as a visual research course focussed on icons. 

• My Special Research Interests include visual rhetorics, iconography, and digital circulation online related to  icons, symbols, I’m interested in visuals and how they are used in marketing and advertising. I have skills with web building, infographics, and researching.

• I enjoy rock collecting, going to national parks, and reading fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Dr. Smothers Research Interests for Comp 2

Instructor Contact Info

• Office - Cupples Hall 425 (the very top) - walk through the entrance of Smiley Library
• Hours
  • M/W 12pm-2:30pm
  • T/R 12:30pm-2:30pm
  • And by appointment
• EMAIL: esmothers@centralmethodist.edu
• You can also message through Canvas Inbox but direct email I will respond faster usually within a 12-24 hour window or sooner.

Course Overview

In this course, you will be engaging in:

• Weekly HW Reading Notes (Practice annotating/pulling important info from our content).
• In-Class Writing Exercises addressing the readings, project essays, and working with each other. Participation is a big part of composition and this class.
• A Semester-long research topic (split into two halves of the semester) exploring discourse communities & genres, writing/researching important topics connected to your group, organization/style, & professionalism. 

*This is a Scaffolded Course - meaning assignments/content you create will be built upon throughout.*

Course Policies - Attendance

• Attendance (In Canvas, Roll-Call Attendance)
  • I follow a THREE-STRIKE system for unexcused absences. Absences only start to impact your grade from 4 absences onward. Do NOT expect to pass the course if your attendance grade falls below 70%.
  • Excused absences are because of:
    • Sickness/Illness
    • Family Emergency
    • Professional or Legal Obligation
    • CMU sanctioned events
  • 2-3 minutes late = tardy; 5+ minutes late = absence

*Note: Regardless of the type of absence, YOU are still responsible for Due Dates and making arrangements with your instructor to make-up work you will be missing.

Course Policies - Late Work

• As the instructor, I reserve the right to decide what can be made up and what cannot. Be advised there are In-Class Assignments/activities such as Peer Reviews that count towards participation and cannot be made up if absent. 
• ANY late assignment is subject to partial credit (HW, in-class, etc.) or half credit (major assignments).\
• Extensions are handled on a case-by-case basis unless instructor opts for a change in schedule collectively. 

IMPORTANT: Email me and keep the line of communication open as to what is going on with you as this helps me understand your situation and determine whether you are able to make up your work or not. 

Course Etiquette & Expectations

• Be respectful of one another during and outside this class. Whether in-class discussion, group collaboration, or presentation; be kind and helpful to one another.

• For positive mental wellbeing*, DO NOT come to class if you feel upset, drained, or in a bad frame of mind - come to class with a positive attitude or not all (physically present but mentally absent is a No-Go). *This has to do with creating a helpful, positive learning environment for all*. Nobody wants a zero for the day, being marked absent or asked to leave the room.

• I have posted office hours for a reason - Please stop by to visit if you have questions about the class, an assignment, or how you can be successful in the course. I do want to help.

Texts and A.I. Usage

• Canvas Reading Pack
  • All digital reading articles/ web-articles/resources we will read for EN111 will be supplied through Canvas. No additional texts required. 

• We will have class sessions called A.I. Friday Forums (starting Week 2) that will help us practice the ethical ways of gathering information and using these writing tools. 

The A.I. Question

What should I consider? Tips and Pointers

• Always be careful and avoid COPY/PASTE from an A.I. tool directly into your Word Doc you plan to submit in Canvas. Type out ideas yourself and back up information where you can.
• We will learn about citation for A.I. writing tools as well.
• If you consult A.I. for practice, think of this as a Brainstorming or Research Buddy that could be helpful (A.I. Friday Forums) - as this is an emerging technology, providing reflection on these platforms are always great to learn from. 

Other tips to remember:

• The difference between CONTENT versus CONTEXT (A.I. = lots of content potential but doesn't know what your instructor wants).
• Eliminates YOUR WRITER'S VOICE; in other words, it may sound fancy but it isn't you. I want to hear how you sound.
• May or may not give you sources and evidence you can back up with citations (double the work). 

Academic Honesty and Avoiding Plagiarism

In Summary, Plagiarism is taking another person, thing, or construct's work and claiming it as your own. Avoid this at all costs by: 

• Always CITE your sources (MLA, APA) and show readers where you got your content from. 
• LIMIT information or writing you are getting from A.I. Writing Tools or generators
• DO NOT Copy and Paste A.I. Content directly into your Word Doc, especially if it is your ESSAY.
• COPY and PASTE is ONLY appropriate for URL Links, Quotes, Citations, or Reference material. 

A.I. Plagiarism can lead to major grade deductions, zeros, academic dishonesty forms, or even failing the course! If in doubt, ASK!

Areas we will cover... Comp 2

Unit 1: Discourse Communities (how communities shape us)

- Understanding the skills, rhetoric, and situations that form groups of people and how they are researched and visually represented.

Unit 2: Researching Methods for Discourse Community  - What are the different types of research methods? How can primary research help my research? Why is it important to have secondary sources? What are they? Where can I get material to support my research?

Unit 3: Examining Genre Analysis for engagement

- What are genres? How do they apply to community based research? How will I analyze a genre important to me or my community?

Unit 4: CompCON!! & Research Portfolio Professionalism

- Towards the end of the semester, you'll practice presenting your research, engaging with an audience, and demonstrating where you've come throughout the semester!

• The FINAL Research Report/Paper will be an organized culmination of your final results on discourse community and genre and include a variety of sources, secondary, primary, data visuals, and other research artifacts related to your discourse community and research topics.
  
• CompCON!!! - A panel-style showcase in the tradition of ComicCon where research panelists present, engage, and show off the hard work they've done throughout the semester.

Scaffolded Assignments we Build On:

- Topic Proposal

- Initial Discourse Community Analysis

-Secondary Source Chart, Annotated Bibliography

- Primary Research Investigation

- Rough Drafts and Peer Response

- Infographics, data visuals, etc.

Reading for Critical Evidence

• Irvin's "What is Academic Writing?"
• Dasbender's "Critical Thinking from the Personal to Academic"
• Undergraduate Research Blog on Important Research Qualities

What are you getting from the Text?

• Look for designed text: bold, italics, different sizes
• Pay attention to section header title to preview what is coming
• Latch onto Key Words/Terms that seem unfamiliar OR
• What key words/terms does the writer come back to multiple times? What CONNECTIONS can I make?
• What other writers or sources does the author mention?
• SKIM for moments in the text that stand out - interesting quotes or memorable phrases. Save those for later!

Class Writing Activity - Academic Writing Pointers, Week 1

• Navigating our Canvas Course, you will access in-class, homework, and major assignments by going to each Week's Page, clicking on the appropriate image.

• Today, you will start interacting with the readings and think about academic writing/research and your experiences with this. We will spend time unpacking the readings for class and get to know our fellow classmates' thoughts and insights about the writing process.

HW: Reading Notes Cross-Check

• For the first 10 minutes of class, pull up your Week 1 Reading notes on your Ipad, Laptop or device for your partner (2 or 3 near you). Be sure you let others see how you put your notes together.
• Discuss what each of you pulled from the readings as being most important or helpful. How did you organize your notes? What did you place the most importance on? What did you react to the most?

LEAVE a brief comment either in your Notes or in the Canvas Submission about this interaction. I'll share some key questions to apply to yourselves later.

Steps in our Writing/Research arsenal...

• Summarize a writer's ideas the best you can
• Evaluate the most important ideas of a piece (e.g. pros, cons, wording, examples)
• Identify gaps or issues in a writer's argument or presentation of material. (What needs to be filled in?)
• Examine the strategies a writer uses (e.g. style, image usage, figurative language, connections made, persuasive, informative)
• Include a second opinion or text (What other writers, ideas, or concepts may they include)
• Extend what the reading/writer is saying to better fit YOU (e.g. personality, background, major, skillset, etc).

From Dasbender (44) - Notice the action verbs used to talk about responding to the writing process.

Steps in our Writing/Research arsenal...

From Irvin (7) - How would you answer the questions on the Left Column for your own interests/content? Major or Discipline? Hobby or Skills?

Final Week 1 Objectives

• Objective: Complete Week 1 Notes Submission & Cross-Check and Interaction Comment in Canvas.

• Objective: Leave a Reply Post (or add to your original post) which of Irvin's Questions (7), or which of Dasbender's techniques (44) for textual analysis will you want to focus on moving forward. Use an example of your own to answer one of Irvin's questions or apply to Dasbender's techniques.