ENG 103: THE RESEARCH PAPER 

Fall 2020 

ENG 103.0908 

Prof. Deirdre Flood

Email: Dflood@lagcc.cuny.edu 

Format: Asynchronous 

Office Hours: Mondays 2:00-5:00 PM via Zoom 

Course Description from College Catalog: 

In this course, students engage in the process of developing an independent academic research project. The course emphasizes strategies for selecting an appropriate academic research topic; formulating research questions; conducting, integrating and citing research; and developing an argument. Students deepen their sense of audience awareness, as they engage in the recursive writing process and consider different genre conventions and rhetorical appeals. 

Course Objectives: 

Students will learn to: 

● Create a research topic and formulate research questions. 

● Use brainstorming, pre-writing, drafting, and revising as part of the writing process.

● Annotate and interpret sources, using summation, paraphrase, quotation, and analysis, as well as parenthetical citation. 

● Identify a text’s audience, voice, context, and purpose in order to enable students to apply these concepts to developing and organizing their own writing. 

● Identify, locate, and interpret print and online sources. 

● Integrate multiple sources in support of a well-reasoned argument. 

How will our class be conducted online? 

Our class will be conducted asynchronously which means that you are not required to access our class or engage in discussions at specific set times. This is because not everyone will be able to do this. Instead, we will have weekly goals which will be met by reading lessons, doing activities and submitting assignments over the course of the week. You can complete and submit these assignments at whatever time is convenient for you before the due date. Assignments will be due every Monday at midnight. 

However, for those of you who would like to engage in class discussions virtually and connect with your classmates we will have optional meetings every other week that allow you to do this. 

Here is a breakdown of how our weeks will be organized:

MONDAYS: 

● I will post a breakdown of each week’s lessons, readings, activities, or assignments in the announcement section on BlackBoard. 

● I will hold office hours from 2:00 – 5:00 PM every Monday (except Mondays in which the school is closed). You can send me an email and set up an appointment in advance, or reach out during that period and I will set up a Zoom meeting so we can talk. If you want to talk and cannot meet at that time, please reach out so we can set up a meeting for another time. 

● Assignments from the previous week will be due every Monday at midnight. 

WEDNESDAYS 

● I will hold optional class meetings every other week. (Although for the first two weeks we will have this optional class hour.) 

● During weeks where we don’t have the optional class hour, I will hold extra office hours on Wednesdays. This way you can still meet with me via Zoom to discuss your work in the class.

● These optional class meetings will be held during the hour of our scheduled class time, 1:00-2:00 PM, where we will go over the slides and assignments for that week, do activities, and host discussions. If you believe you will benefit from discussions, brainstorming, or interaction with me and your classmates please feel free to join. Remember that these are not mandatory meetings. If you do choose to attend please be respectful of both your classmates and myself. 

● I want to encourage you to turn on your camera if you’re able to do so and you decide to come to these meetings. These meetings are designed to reflect how class would have been conducted in person and turning on your camera goes a long way to making everyone feel comfortable and engaged with each other to share ideas instead of creating a space which feels isolated and distant. 

Which online applications will we be using? 

We will be using Zoom for optional class meetings and office hours. To register for a free account with Zoom, visit Zoom.us and make an account. We will also be using these four areas of BlackBoard: 

1. The Announcement Section: 

Whenever I post an announcement on Blackboard you will be able to access it through the “home page” tab in our class’s Blackboard page. There will be a box titled “My Announcements.” If you do not see an announcement, please click on “more announcements” because after 7 days the announcements will drop from view. Every announcement that I post will also be sent to the email you have set up to your blackboard account. If you want to change your email so that the announcements can go straight to you, return to blackboard’s home page (not our class homepage) and scroll past all your classes to a section titled “Tools.” In that section is a tab titled “Change email.” You should be able to enter a new email here. Remember, if you have trouble changing the email and are not receiving emails for announcements, you can still access the announcements on our class page. 

2. The Weekly Content Section:

The content section on our class’s Blackboard page will have all of the lessons, assignments and readings for our class. The content section will be organized by week instead of by topic. So each week everything you will need to work on will be in a folder titled with that week’s number. “WEEK 3” “WEEK 4” etc. The content section will also be how attendance is conducted for our online class. Please see the attendance section below for how this will work. 

3. The Discussions Board Section: 

We will have several activities conducted through our class’s discussion board section on our blackboard page. This is so you can see your classmates’ responses and activities throughout the semester and comment on each others’ ideas. Activity in this section will make up some of our engagement points this semester. 

4. The Course Documents Section: 

All our course documents will also be posted here. This way if you need to go back and find something you do not need to search through the weeks to locate the syllabus, assignment directions, and readings. 

How do I submit an assignment? 

Short writing assignments and essays will be submitted through Turn It In on Blackboard. Only I can view these. This platform will allow me to comment on and grade your work. It will also allow you to access my feedback. If you are unfamiliar with this platform and are having trouble viewing my comments please reach out to me. It is very important that you be able to access my feedback so make sure to let me know if there is an issue. Each week if there is an assignment due on TurnItIn you can find it in that week’s folder in the content section. 

Discussion board posts will be posted on Blackboard in the discussion thread section and remember these posts are visible to your classmates. 

Please do not submit assignments through email as they are too easily lost this way. If you are having trouble using Blackboard, contact me immediately. 

How will Attendance and Participation work with online distance learning? 

Because our class is asynchronous, we won’t have attendance and participation points, instead we will have “engagement” points which are determined in two ways: 

1. Accessing our class lessons each week. 

2. Participating in the discussion board section on Blackboard. 

Engagement will make up a total of 10 percent of your overall grade. 

1. Accessing our class lessons:

Blackboard gives instructors access to data about the amount of times you access the class page and what you open on the class page. Each week you will need to access our lessons in the Content folder. If you open them before Sunday at midnight of that week, you will be marked present. Some weeks may have more than one PowerPoint Lesson so be sure to open and read through all the lessons for each week. I will also post “Weekly check-in” google forms where you can receive engagement points for reflecting on how you’re feeling throughout the semester. These are optional. 

2. Participating in the discussion board section on Blackboard: 

Some weeks we will have discussion board posts designed to have you engage with your classmates. Be sure to check which weeks these assignments occur. 

Do I have to purchase any text books for this class? 

Nope. You do not have to purchase a textbook for this class. Readings will be posted on Blackboard. 

How many writing assignments will we be doing? 

You have the option of either writing one long research project or two shorter ones. We will also be doing lots of low stakes pre-writing, drafting, and planning which will build towards your research project throughout the semester. You can also find an “Assignments Checklist” in our course documents folder which lists all the assignments due this semester. 

How do I submit a writing assignment? 

Writing assignments should be submitted through TurnItIn on Blackboard. Don’t email me writing assignments. They can too easily get lost in emails. 

Can I submit an assignment late? 

Yes. However, half a letter grade will be deducted for each day after the deadline. For example, a grade of B becomes B-, a B- becomes C+, etc.) 

Please contact me in advance if you’re having trouble completing your essays on time. It is important to me that you have enough time to complete the assignments, but it is also necessary that I receive them with enough time to grade them. 

If you are unable to hand in your work on time, please reach out to me to request an extension through email. You do not need to provide an explanation. It is important that you keep me in the loop if you’re stuck, having trouble, or unable to complete your work on time for any other reason. 

Can I revise a writing assignment?

Absolutely, you can revise any writing assignment as many times as you like. The grade for the revision will replace the original grade. 

How will I be graded? 

Pre-writing (20%) 

1. Audience, Voice, Purpose Worksheet (5%) 

2. Annotated Bibliography (5%) 

3. Outline #1 (5%) 

4. Outline #2 (5%) 

Major Writing Assignments (50%) 

1. Proposal (10%) 

2. Research Paper #1 (20%) 

3. Research Paper #2 (20%) 

Short Writing Assignments: (20%) 

Engagement: (10%) 

The following table displays the point index breakdown and conversion from letter grades. 

Earned Grade Numerical Equivalent Point Index 

93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
67-69%
63-66%
60-62%

A 4.0 

A- 3.7 

B+ 3.3 

B 3.0 

B- 2.7 

C+ 2.3 

C 2 

C- 1.7 

D+ 1.3 

D 1.0 

D- 0.7 

F 0-59% [Failure] 0.0 

Short Writing Assignments and Pre-Writing Assignments are graded on a scale of 1-5 points. Major writing assignments will be graded on a scale of the percent they are worth. This means that instead of receiving letter grades for the proposal and the research papers you will receive a grade on either a scale of 1-10 or 1-20 depending on the assignment. 

What is the policy on plagiarism? 

Academic Dishonesty 

This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community College’s Academic Dishonesty policy. All students are responsible for preparing and presenting original work. In accordance with the

college’s policy, the penalty for plagiarized work ranges “from a grade of “F” on a given test, research paper or assignment, to an “F” in the course, or suspension or expulsion from the College.” Please refer to the college catalog for a more complete discussion of academic dishonesty. 

Class Schedule: 

(Subject to change) 

WEEK 1: Intro to Course 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Sept. 21st 

Read: ● The Syllabus

Due on Turn It In: ● Short Writing Assignment #1 Due on the Discussion Board: ● Discussion Board Post #1: Introduce yourself post (remember to follow the directions and comment on at least 2 of your classmates posts).

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday September 14th: Office Hours 2-5 PM Wednesday September 16th: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00 PM Topic: Go over the syllabus and discussion board post for this week.

WEEK 2: Rhetoric and Coming up with Ideas 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Wednesday Sept. 30th 

Read:  ● Powerpoint Lesson on Audience, Voice and Purpose  ● Powerpoint Lesson on Creating a Research Question

Due on Turn It In:  ● Pre Writing #1: Audience, Voice, Purpose Worksheet

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday September 21st: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday September 23rd: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00 PM Topic: Brainstorming Session for Research Project

WEEK 3: Getting Started

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Oct. 5th 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on How to Avoid Plagiarism

Due on Turn It In:  ● Major Writing Assignment #1: Project Proposal

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday September 28th: No Class- Holiday  Wednesday September 30th: Office Hours 1-7 PM

WEEK 4: 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Wednesday Oct. 14th 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on Citations

Due on Turn It In:  ● Pre-Writing #2: Annotated Bibliography  ● Short Writing Assignment #2: Map of a Source

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday October 5th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday October 7th: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00PM Topic: TBA

WEEK 5 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Oct. 19th 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on Thesis and Topic Sentences

Due on Turn It In:  ● Pre-Writing #3: Outline #1

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday October 12th: No Class – Holiday  Wednesday October 14th: Office Hours 1-7 PM

WEEK 6 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Oct. 26th

Read:  ● Powerpoint Lesson on The Bookend Technique

Due on Turn It In:  ● Short Writing Assignment #3: The Bookend Technique

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday October 19th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday October 21st: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00PM Topic: TBA

WEEK 7 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Nov. 2nd 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on The Quote Sandwich  ● “Annoying Ways People Use Sources” by Kyle D. Stedman

Due on the Discussion Board:  ● Discussion Board Post #2: Sources

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday October 26th: Office Hours 2-5PM  Wednesday October 28th: Office Hours 2-5 PM

WEEK 8 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Nov. 9th 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on The Color Highlighting Technique

Due on Turn It In:  ● Major Writing Assignment #2: Research Project #1

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday November 2nd: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday November 4th: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00PM Topic: TBA

WEEK 9 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Nov. 16th

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on Integrating an Opposing Viewpoint

Due on The Discussion Board:  ● Discussion Board Post #3: Surveys

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday November 9th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday November 11th: Office Hours 2-5 PM

WEEK 10 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Nov. 23rd 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on Rhetoric ● “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis” by Laura Bolin Carroll

Due on Turn It In:  ● Short Writing Assignment #4: Creative Project

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday November 16th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday November 18th: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00PM Topic: TBA

WEEK 11 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Nov. 30th 

Read:  ● PowerPoint Lesson on Backwards Outlining

Due on Turn It In:  ● Pre-Writing #4: Outline #2

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday November 23rd: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday November 25th: Office Hours 2-5 PM

WEEK 12 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Dec. 7th

Read: ● PowerPoint Lesson on Summary vs. Analysis

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday November 30th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday December 2nd: Class meeting Via Zoom 1:00-2:00 PM Topic: TBA

WEEK 13 

❖ Lesson Assignments Due: Monday Dec. 14th 

Readings TBA

Due on Turn It In:  ● Major Writing Assignment #3: Research Project #2

❖ Synchronous Options 

Monday December 7th: Office Hours 2-5 PM  Wednesday December 9th: Office Hours 2-5PM

WEEK 14: Finals Week 

Other Resources: (I believe these will remain available, at least via telephone, email, or web) 

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or in need of counseling: 

The Wellness Center 

WellnessCenter@lagcc.cuny.edu 

9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday. 

If you need learning accommodations: Office for Students with Disabilities 

OSD@lagcc.cuny.edu 

9 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday 

9 a.m. -5 p.m. Friday 

If you need help with writing: The Writing Center 

WCLab@lagcc.cuny.edu 

Appointments through MyLaGuardia (More info to follow)