Course Syllabus
Download the syllabus.
|
|
Areas of Interests and Expertise
Phone: 405-370-5989 Email: rscafe@ou.edu Live Session: Mondays, 7-8 PM (Central) Zoom link: HR 5203 DESJ Live Session |
|
Robert Scafe Lecturer Expository Writing Program |
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Materials
- Kendi, I. (2019). How to be an antiracist. One World/Penguin.
- Swales, J. and Feak, C. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students. University of Michigan Press.
Grades
Breakdown
Research Narrative 400 pts.
Literature Review 400 pts.
Informal Writing/Drafts 100 pts.
Participation 100 pts.
Scale
900-1000 pts. A
800-899 pts. B
700-799 pts. C
600-699 pts. D
below 600 pts. F
Course Components
Research Narrative
The first paper will be a personal research statement. It asks you to imagine that you are applying for a job as a researcher at a social justice oriented non-profit agency. You will need to persuade the search committee both that you have an interesting and manageable research agenda, and that you are the right person for their institution. While working on this project, we will use Ibram X. Kendi’s book How to be an antiracist in two ways: 1) as an example of the combination of personal narrative and academic writing we’re shooting for in the research narrative, and 2) as a starting point for further research on the intersections of racial, class, and gender injustice discussed in Kendi’s book.
Literature Review
The second paper will be the critical literature review that builds on the research agenda you proposed in the first assignment. This literature review will follow a more formal IMRD (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) format common in social scientific research. After reading a significant body of research focused on your social justice issue (a minimum of ten sources), you will organize the sources by theme, emphasizing commonalities, disagreements, and gaps in the literature. You will also make an argument based on your findings, taking a stand in relation to the debates you’ve uncovered, and suggesting the best road/s ahead for research on this issue.
Informal Writing and Drafts
Each week you will write some smaller component of your full essay draft. It could be an evidence paragraph, a methods section, or a draft of your introduction. Short writings and essay drafts will receive feedback from me or from fellow students, but they will be graded on a “did it/didn’t do it” basis. This is because I believe the freedom to experiment and maybe even to write a “shitty first draft,” as writer Anne Lamott once put it, is essential to producing a better second draft, and finally a polished academic paper. If you do all the informal writing assignments in good faith, you will receive full credit for this portion of your grade.
Participation: Live Sessions & Annotations
This is a discussion-based class. This means that most of what you learn will come from comparing notes with your fellow students on what you got out of a reading, how you’re approaching an assignment, and so on. Some of this will happen in the Monday evening “Live Sessions,” but most of the discussion will happen as “annotations” in the margins of texts we read together online using the Hypothes.is app. As with the informal writing and drafts, I will assess your participation in these forums on a “did it/didn’t do it” basis. A pattern of missing discussions will result in a lower participation grade.
Course Policies
Communication Plan
I prefer email (rscafe@ou.edu) as a primary means of communication, and I check my email every day. If you have an urgent issue or if I’ve gone a day without responding, you can text me at the number listed above.
Office Hours
Please don’t feel that office hours are the only time I’m available to speak with you—send me an email any time and we can make an appointment to Zoom or talk by phone. During office hours (Thursday, 4-5 pm) you can use the “Chat” function on Canvas to discuss your question with me. If you prefer to speak one-with-one, you can email me at rscafe@ou.edu.
Late Policy
Late papers will be graded down 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are late (so, an A paper that’s turned in two days late would receive a B+). Although first drafts of the major papers are not graded, they must also be submitted on time, or the penalty will be assessed on the final draft. If you foresee that unavoidable circumstances will prevent you from completing a major assignment on time, you can request an extension up to 24 hours before the deadline. Be prepared to provide me with the work you’ve completed if you’re requesting an extension.
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalogue.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Academic Misconduct
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.
If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Disability Resource Center.
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident.
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.
Copyright Policy
It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.
Registration and Withdrawal
If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Student Grievances
In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|