Syllabus

Niki Casady

necwcb@mail.umkc.edu

Office location: Cockefair Hall Room 016 (English Adjunct office)

Office hours: Thursday 2:00-4:00 and by appointment

Required Texts:

Art of Fact  ISBN: 978-0684846309 

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fact-Historical-Anthology-Journalism/dp/0684846306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484509915&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+fact

Lifespan of a Fact  ISBN: 978-0393340730

https://www.amazon.com/Lifespan-Fact-John-DAgata/dp/0393340732/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548269666&sr=8-1&keywords=lifespan+of+a+fact

Course Description:

Discourse 200: Culture and Diversity: Students will produce, perform, and analyze college-level, oral and written texts that are based on sustained academic research. Students will continue to develop their understanding of discourse analysis and language awareness in the context of a range of discursive forms. Students will interpret and synthesize college-level scholarship that addresses how diverse discourse communities define, evaluate, and transform individual, institutional, and cultural identities. This course is associated with the anchor course Culture and Diversity and prepares students for Discourse III: Civic and Community Engagement.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate an ability to:

• Interpret and analyze discourse that deals with issues of cultural and/or global diversity in a variety of forms.
• Identify factors defining cultural identities and analyze how these are employed in a variety of discourse.
• Develop an advanced understanding of critical discourse analysis and critical language awareness.
• Use written and oral discourse to develop and present meaningful and interesting ideas that show the students’ voices, a willingness to take intellectual risks, and an ability to enter an academic conversation.
• Communicate competently in several genres and in response to the needs of different audiences.
• Create discourse through a more sophisticated process that includes editing, proofreading, and revising multiple drafts.
• Critique their own and others' works and assess their own development as producers of discourse.
• Construct effective research strategies and arguments, use resources effectively, evaluate a broad range of sources, including library resources, cite information sources in compliance with established norms, and weave such scholarly sources into a longer interdisciplinary research project.
• Appropriately cite sources using a consistent professional style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) at an intermediate level.

Educational Philosophy: 

I believe that everyone is capable of learning.  I am willing to help as much as I can.  Please ask as many questions as you need to learn.

Core Assessment

Discourse 200: Though there are different sections and instructors of Discourse 200, certain general expectations apply to every course: Discourse 200 students are required to research, draft, develop and complete a minimum of 18-22 pages of finished writing including at least two critical research essays. Students are also required to research, draft, develop and present at least two formal speeches with a combined minimum total of 14-16 minutes. All major assignments will engage with academic sources with an emphasis on Culture and Diversity. This work will be presented in a final summative portfolio at the end of the term. Constructive feedback and opportunities for comprehensive revision will be provided throughout. All formal work, written and spoken, will be graded using a rubric that applies the SLO's for Communications Skills and Information Literacy.

RooWriter

As stated in theUMKC catalog, candidates for all baccalaureate degrees must take the UMKC RooWriter writing assessment before they have completed 90 credit hours. Students may take the RooWriter at any time while enrolled at UMKC as a personal diagnostic, but it will only satisfy the undergraduate graduation requirement after a student has completed Discourse 200 (or equivalent). You can find previous editions of the cataloghere. RooWriter also appears as a degree requirement on yourmajor mapand on yourDARS report.

The RooWriter is offered to you online at any time and place you have access to the internet, over a 72 hour period. You must take the RooWriter at least once after passing Discourse 200 (or its equivalent) to satisfy the mandatory UMKC undergraduate graduation requirement. Also, you must take the RooWriter in order to be eligible to enroll in any Writing Intensive (WI) class in the College of Arts and Sciences and in most other WI classes at UMKC.

RooWriter offers a current assessment of how prepared you are for the rigorous reading and writing requirements of an Anchor and Discourse 300 courses as well as WI courses, both of which assume completion of the Discourse II class in the 30-hour General Education Program. Also, Anchor and Discourse 300 instructors will have access to the RooWriter reports for students enrolled in their course, so they can efficiently provide writing advice and assistance throughout the course.

Attendance:

Students are expected to attend and participate in classes. Advance notice of attendance policies of academic units and individual instructors should be given, and such notice should be in writing.

Students should notify instructors of excused absences in advance, where possible. Students who have an excused absence are expected to make arrangements with instructors for alternative or make-up work. Such arrangements should be made in advance of the absence, where possible.

****You are allowed 3 unexcused absences.  You can use them how you need to and I do not need to be told why or what.  However, USE THEM WISELY because after the first three, you are deducted 5% for each absence after that.  If you have 80% in the class and miss five classes, (3 free + 2 not) will result in 10% off your final grade.  Being late to class (more than 5 minutes) will be counted as 1/2 an absence.  

If you miss class more than 12 times, will receive an F in the course.****

Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism is the undocumented use of another’s ideas or words. In this course, you will learn how to conduct academic research, how to evaluate sources, and document them appropriately. Failure to adequately cite your research is plagiarism and is a serious offense that could jeopardize your future academic career. http://www.umkc.edu/provost/policies/academic-integrity-dishonesty-and-plagiarism.pdf

****If you are found to be plagiarizing in your final draft, all parts of the essay/blog (drafts, conferences) will also receive a 0****

Speeches and Discourse Leader:  Only under the most special circumstances can these be made up as everyone in the class must be prepared as well.  If you realize you have a conflict before your speech/discussion date, make arrangements with the professor.  

Email etiquette:  I encourage you to email me if you ever have any questions.  Just please note that if there is not a question in the email, I most likely will not email you back.  Example: I'm not able to attend class today.--I will read this and assume you are just notifying me.  I will not email you back.  Example 2: I'm not able to attend class today.  Were there any handouts I need before next class?--I will email you back.

Also, I'm not super picky about being formal in emails, but please have a salutation, what time your class is and sign off at the bottom. 

Late Work:

You are expected to turn in assignments on time.  If you have technical difficulties (like you are unable to upload it to Bb), I expect you to send me proof that you completed the assignment on time (email it to me).  You can turn in late work for 50% credit.

Printing:  If you are asked to bring something in as a physical copy and you only have a digital copy, you may lose points.  UMKC has many printers on campus.  Please plan accordingly.

Cell Phone: 

I understand using phones occasionally to look up something or to send an "I'm Busy" text, but excessive use, I will give you one warning to put it away, one warning to put on the teacher's desk, and finally, I will ask you to leave and you will be counted absent.

Life Happens:

I understand that sometimes life throws you for a loop and things happen beyond your control.  Keep me informed and we can work together to figure something out.  If I don’t know what is going on, I can’t help.  

UMKC Course Policies & Resources

Important UMKC Resources and Policies are applicable to every course and every student at UMKC. These are located in the Learning Management System for this course. Canvas users may click the Help question mark on the left side of the screen, and then select ‘UMKC Resources and Policy Statements’. Blackboard users may click the ‘UMKC Policies’ tab. As a UMKC student, you are expected to review and abide by these policies. If you have any questions, please contact your instructor for clarification.

This course follows the “Faculty allowing recording” option of the Academic Inquiry, Course Discussion and Privacy policy.

*Syllabus is subject to change