Writing 50

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A. Bright Writing 50 Spring 2009

Syllabus

Writing 50The efficiency of locavores:

An interdisciplinary look into the local food movement

Spring 2009

Instructor: Alison Bright Enrollment Code: 46599Email: [email protected] MeetingTimes: T, R11:00a.m.12:50p.m.Office: South Hall 5432 H Location: HSSB 2251 (first

day)Messages: 893-2613 Leadbetter Lab-Phelps Hall

1530Office Hours: T, R 1:00p.m.2:00p.mMailbox: South Hall 1519

Drop Deadline: FridayApril 3rd, 2008

Important Dates:Tuesday, June 2nd and Thursday, June 4th: Final presentationsThursday, June 4th: Final draft of research paper due (no final exam)

Required Texts and Materials:The Craft of Research, by Booth, Colomb, and Williams, 3rd edition (availableat campus bookstore)In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan (available atAmazon.com)Current citation guide for your discipline (see me if you have questions)

Document folder and/or notebook (for journal and reading responses)College Dictionary and mini-stapler (optional but recommended)

Course website: Instead of a course reader, I will be posting many coursereadings on our course website. A Gauchospace site has been created forthis course at http://gauchospace.ucsb.edu/. You are already enrolled in thissite. Log onto the site using your UCSB Net ID. Please let me know if youhave any trouble accessing this site.

Course Description and Objective:Writing 50 emphasizes the thinking and writing skills involved inindependent research, including developing questions; designing and

planning research; analyzing, contrasting, and synthesizing multiple sources;and drawing conclusions. Although we will explore a common theme Theefficiencyof locavores: An interdisciplinary look into the local foodmovementeach student will choose his/her specific discipline-appropriateresearch area within this broad topic.

Prerequisites:Writing 50 is open to students who have successfully passed Writing 2.

Subject to change; students are responsible for all modifications1

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Guidelines for Paper Submission:

Use twelve-point type font, in Times New Roman

Number pages as appropriate and double-space all work

Use the default margins in Microsoft Word: (top and bottom = 1; leftand right = 1.25)

Do not alter the font size, line spacing or margin widths to change thelength of the paper

Always staple papers prior to submission.

Include all rough drafts and peer reviews with each submission

Always proofread and edit before handing in work

Students must be present in class to turn in assignments.

Discipline-specific citation must used appropriately, but please identifythe style and be consistent throughout

All work must be submitted on timelate papers will not beaccepted.

Assignments and Grades:Detailed descriptions of your assignments will be distributed in class andposted on Sakai. Late work will not be accepted. Failure to submit anassignment may result in failure of the course. Your final grade will bedetermined by the following:

Cover letter/resume 5%

Style guides 5%

Research paper proposal 10%

Research papero Preliminary drafts (at least two (2) drafts) 20%o

Final draft 30% Group oral presentations 10%

Class work, participation, journals,reading reports, etc. 20%

Total = 100%

Classroom Polices:Attendance and Lateness: This class differs significantly from your otherundergraduate courses. It is largely based on in-class work and cooperativeparticipation. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. More than oneunexcused absence can reduce your grade by 10%. In-class work for misseddays may not be made up. It is your responsibility to find out what was

missed. More than two unexcused absences may result in a failure of thecourse. In addition, please make sure that you arrive to class on time.Arriving to class more than 15 minutes late will result in an absencefor that day. Please notify me in advance if any circumstances will keepyou from meeting your attendance or other requirements.

Participation: A significant percentage of your grade is based on yourparticipation in class. This means that you must not only come to class, butyou must come to class prepared, having completed the reading or


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writing assignment for that day. You will often be called upon to shareyour interpretations of topics covered in the course, either through writingassignments or classroom discussion. Therefore, it is vital that you come toclass prepared and stay engaged throughout the class. Active participationalso includes creating a safe space in the classroom, where students listenrespectfully to others opinions. This includes actively responding to your

classmates work in peer reviews. In addition, part of your participationgrade includes visiting me during my office hours at least once during thequarter.

Conferences: The best way to give you immediate feedback on your writingis through one-on-one conferencing. All students are required to have atleast two conferences with me during the quarter so we can monitor yourprogress in Writing 50 and help you map out your future in the class. Anappointment is recommended any time you wish to see me duringoffice hours.

Writing Logs and Participation Portfolio: At the end of each class

meeting, please turn in the daily freewriting journal you have completed atthe beginning of the class meeting. These will be returned to you in a timelyfashion. The complied daily freewriting journals are not only how I take roll inthis course, the entries also make up a significant part of your participationgrade, which is why I refer to the complied journal entries as yourParticipation Portfolio (please see the sample freewrite if you have anyquestions). Additionally, you will be asked to complete Writing Logs, whichare responses to the readings, on a regular basis. Each assigned Writing Logis noted in the schedule of assignments (please see the sample Writing Log ifyou have any questions). I will not remind you to complete theseassignments. It is your responsibility to turn in a freewrite for eachclass meeting and a Writing Log for each assigned log in thesyllabus. It is your responsibility to retain these journals and logs ina folder and to turn this folder in on the last day of the course.

Email: Email is my preferred method of communication. You may receive areply email from me with the email address: [email protected] provide me with an email address that you check on a regular basis.Please check your email on a regular basis, as changes in the schedule andsyllabus will be commutated over email.

Cell phones: Please turn off cell phones before entering the classroom as acourtesy to your fellow students. Note: This policy includes the use of textmessaging. Any student using cell phones in class will be asked to leave theclass and marked absent for the day.

Late papers: All papers will be collected on the due date at the beginning ofclass. Late papers will not be accepted.

Plagiarism: According to the "Academic Dishonesty" pamphlet circulated bythe UC system, "Plagiarism is academic theft. It refers to the use of another'sideas or words without proper attribution or credit. An author's work is his/her

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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property and should be respected by documentation. Essentially, plagiarismis the act of taking another persons ideas and/or words and passing them offas ones own. Any act of plagiarism committed in class will be prosecutedthrough the university court system and could result in expulsion. This classwill provide you with workable guidelines for citation in papers. However, ifyou are still unsure about how to cite someone elses words or ideas, please

come to me for help.

Resources: If you are a student with a documented disability and would liketo discuss special accommodations please contact me during office hours orby email. For more information and support please call Disabled StudentsProgram (DSP) 893-2668. Additional support can be found at Counseling &Career Services at 893-4411. More importantly, academic support, includingwriting tutors, is available for all UCSB students at Campus LearningAssistance Service (CLAS) at 893-3269. I strongly recommend makingappointments at CLAS to review drafts of every essay you turn induring this course.

A final note: Please feel free to contact me at any time during the quarter ifyou have questions about the course, the campus, etc. I am a resource foryou, so please just ask me if you have a question or come see me in myoffice hours.


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Writing 50: Schedule of AssignmentsDate Class topic Before class

T: 3/31 Course introduction;conference sign-ups;The Lure of the 100-MileDiet

R: 4/2 Entering a discipline;discuss groups; makegroup requests; resumeand cover letters

Read and From the farm to you table andWriting to get an engineering job both onGauchospace; write a Writing Log for eitherpiece; bring a current resume and cover letter(if you have either)

T: 4/7 Resume and cover letterpeer review; groupmeetings; discussapproaches to research

Read Part I in Craft; bring drafts (4) of resumeand cover letter

R: 4/9 Resume and coverletter due; discuss Stylesheets

Read bring final draft of resume and coverletter

T: 4/14 Prepare Style sheets;prepare readingpresentations in groupmeetings

Read Prologue to Part II and Chapter 3 in Craftand Springtime forward (on Gauchospace);write a Writing Log for either piece

R: 4/16 Discuss primary andsecondary research; peerreview Style sheets

Read Chapter 4 in Craft; write a Writing Log forChapter 4; bring in a draft of your style sheet

T: 4/21 Style sheets due;discuss Researchproposals; preparereading presentations

Read Chapter 5 in Craftand New York Local(on Gauchospace); write a Writing Log foreither piece

R: 4/23 Reading presentation #1 Read Chapter 6 in Craftand Stalking thevegetannual (on Gauchspace), bring in a draftof your Research proposal

T: 4/28 Research proposaldue; readingpresentation #2;

Read Prologue to Part III, Chapter 7, andChapter 8 in Craft; write a Writing Log foreither chapter

R: 4/30 Reading presentation #3 Read Chapters 9 and 10 in Craftand Eating

neighborly (on Gauchospace); write a WritingLog for either a chapter or the article

T: 5/5 Reading presentation #4 Read Part I of Defense (pages 1-82); write aWriting Log for one chapter in Part I

R: 5/7 Reading presentation#5: Peer review

Read Chapter 11, Prologue to Part IV, andChapter 12 in Craft; write a Writing Log oneither Chapter; bring in a draft of your First


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draft

T: 5/12 First draft due (atleast 4 pages); Readingpresentation #3

Bring two (2) copies of first draft; read Chapter13 in Craft

R: 5/14 Work on drafts; Read Part II of Defense (pages 83-136); write aWriting Log on one chapter of Part II

T: 5/19 Work on drafts; peerreview

Read Chapters 14 and 15 in Craft; write aWriting Log for either chapter; bring in a draftof your Second draft

R: 5/21 Second draft due (atleast 8 pages); selfrevision

Bring two (2) copies of Second draft

T: 5/26 Prepare for presentationsuse Chapter 15 in Craft

as a resource; preparefor final draft

Read Part III in Defense (pages 137-201); writea Writing Log for one chapter in Part III

R: 5/28 Prepare for presentationsuse Chapter 15 in Craftas a resource; preparefor final draft

Read Chapter 16 and 17 in Craft; write aWriting Log for either chapter

T: 6/2 Presentations Prepare for presentations; prepare for finaldraft

R: 6/4 Presentations,Research papers due,final reflections, and

course evaluations

Prepare for presentations; prepare for finaldraft


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The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet. By: Roosevelt, Margot, Time, 0040781X, 6/12/2006,Vol. 167, Issue 24Database: Academic Search Complete

HTML Full TextThe Lure of the 100-Mile Diet

Section: EATING SMART

LOCAL-FOOD MOVEMENT

If you live in the town of Athens in southeastern Ohio, there are politically correctreasons not to eat a California strawberry. Think of the pollution and the globalwarming caused by its transport. Think of the ascendancy of corporate agribusinessover family farms. Think of the loss of nutrients during a weeklong journey from soilto supermarket. But to Barbara Fisher, an Athens cooking teacher, there's a moreprimal motive for choosing a homegrown variety over the "beautiful, flavorless,plastic" kind shipped from California: "When people bite into ripe strawberries from alocal farmer and the sweet juice bursts into their mouths, their eyes roll back intotheir heads, and they moan."

Fisher is one of more than 1,000 "locavores," self-styled concerned culinaryadventurers, who took the pledge last month to eat nothing--or almost nothing--butsustenance drawn from within 100 miles of their home. The movement began lastyear when four San Francisco-- area foodies designated August 2005 as the first EatLocal Challenge and launched a website, Locavores.com. They were inspired by thebook Coming Home to Eat, ecologist Gary Paul Nabham's account of his yearlongeffort to restrict himself to native foods near his Arizona home. Soon some 60bloggers had joined the 100-mile diet, inaugurating their own website,EatLocalChallenge.com. This year they upped the ante, moving the test to the lessbounteous month of May. "With gas prices spiking, people are concerned about ourdependence on petroleum," says Locavores co-founder Jessica Prentice. "Why importapples from New Zealand when we can grow them nearby?"

Food sold in U.S. supermarkets averages some 1,500 miles from farm to plate--a 25%increase from 1980, according to Worldwatch Institute, a Washington nonprofit.Increasingly, even certified-organic produce is grown on vast monoculture spreads,many of them overseas, and shipped long distances. So consumers seeking to eatethically and preserve farmland around their cities are embracing locally grown foodas the eco-healthy choice. Farmers' markets are thriving, along with community-supported agriculture, through which people subscribe to a monthly produce basket.And on locavore websites, converts swap shopping tips (Goatsbeard Farm feta from aMissouri cook) and recipes (cheese grits via a Georgia blogger who plugs a stone-ground variety from a mill powered by a mule named Luke). Some boast of eatinglocal on a budget-- $8.34 a day in the case of an Oakland, Calif., activist who got byon sorrel-potato soup and honey-sweetened cookies for dinner. But she confesses,"Let's face it. I can't go without chocolate forever!" For others, coffee is the biggest

sacrifice.

Pat McGovern, a retired teacher in Lebanon, N.H., took a spartan approach last year,giving up coffee in favor of mint tea and hot cider and forgoing spices. She says,"What I missed most was black pepper." This year she and 20 friends went all localfor a week in January--hardly a season of plenty in New England. It wasn't so bad,what with baked squash, wheat-berry porridge, Vermont-cheese fondue, Indianpudding, parsnips, maple-apple pie and even elk and emu meat. But now that theyhave nothing to prove, they're reverting to August, as are two Vermont groups. Why


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make the effort at all? McGovern says she feels powerless to fight the globalization ofthe food supply, "But locally, I can vote with my food dollar three times a day--breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Embracing a one-month 100-mile diet inspires many locavores to eat moreseasonally year-round, feasting on vine-ripened tomatoes in summer and crisp

apples in the fall. And they are seeking to expand their movement by relaxing therules a bit. "I'd rather seduce with a stalk of asparagus than preach denial," saysFisher, who refuses to give up rice or tropical fruit. "I don't deny myself anything thatisn't grown in Ohio," she explains. "Humans have traded foodstuffs with each othersince Neolithic times." In her corner of Appalachia, she has found tofu made fromlocal soybeans, bacon from nearby pigs and aquaculture shrimp. She forages for wildleeks to make pesto. But sometimes she wonders, "Maybe I have a weird idea offun?"

By Margot Roosevelt


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Resource for daily journals:FREEWRITING

by Peter Elbow

The most effective way I know to improve your writing is to do freewritingexercises regularly. At least three times a week. They are sometimes called

"automatic writing," "babbling," or jabbering" exercises. The idea is simplyto write for ten minutes (later on, perhaps fifteen or twenty). Don't stop foranything. Go quickly without rushing. Never stop to look back, to crosssomething out, to wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word orthought to use, or to think about what you are doing. If you can't think of aword or a spelling, just use a squiggle or else write "I can't think what to say, Ican't think what to say" as many times as you want; or repeat the last wordyou wrote over and over again; or anything else. The only requirement isthat you never stop.

What happens to a freewriting exercise is important. It must be a piece ofwriting which, even if someone else reads it, doesn't send any ripples back to

you. It is like writing something and putting it in a bottle in the sea.Freewritings help you by providing no feedback at all. When I assign one, Iinvite the writer to let me read it, but also tell him to keep it if he prefers.

Here is an example of a fairly coherent exercise (sometimes they are veryincoherent, which is fine):

I think I'll write what's on my mind, but the only thing on my mind rightnow is what to write for ten minutes. I've never done this before and I'mnot prepared in any way--the sky is cloudy today, how's that? now I'mafraid I won't be able to think of what to write when I get to the end ofthe sentence--well, here I am at the end of the sentence--here I amagain, again, again, again, at least I'm still writing--Now I ask is there

some reason to be happy that I'm still writing--ah yes! Here comes thequestion again--What am I getting out of this? What point is there in it?It's almost obscene to always ask it but I seem to question everythingthat way and I was gonna say something else pertaining to that but I gotso busy writing down the first part that I forgot what I was leading into.

This is kind of fun oh don't stop writing--cars and trucks speeding bysomewhere out the window, pens clittering across peoples' papers. Thesky is still cloudy--is it symbolic that I should be mentioning it? Huh? Idunno. Maybe I should try colors, blue, red, dirty words--wait a minute--no can't do that, orange, yellow, arm tired, green pink violet magentalavender red brown black green--now I can't think of any more colors--

just about done--relief? maybe.

Freewriting may seem crazy but actually it makes simple sense. Think of thedifference between speaking and writing. Writing has the advantage ofpermitting more editing. But that's its downfall too. Almost everyoneinterposes a massive and complicated series of editings between the time thewords start to be born into consciousness and when they finally come of theend of the pencil or typewriter onto the page. This is partly becauseschooling makes us obsessed with the "mistakes" we make in writing. Many


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people constantly think about spelling and grammar as they try to write. Iam always thinking about the awkwardness, wordiness, and generalmushiness of my natural verbal product as I try to write down words.

But it's not just "mistakes" or "bad writing" we edit as we write. We also editunacceptable thoughts and feelings, as we do in speaking. In writing there is

more time to do it so the editing is heavier: when speaking, there's someoneright there waiting for a reply and he'll get bored or think we're crazy if wedon't come out with something. Most of the time in speaking, we settle forthe catch-as-catch-can way in which the words tumble out. In writing,however, there's a chance to try to get them right. But the opportunity to getthem right is a terrible burden: you can work for two hours trying to get aparagraph "right" and discover it's not right at all. And then give up. Editing,in itself, is not the problem.

Editing is usually necessary if we want to end up with something satisfactory.The problem is that editing goes on at the same time as producing. . . .

The main thing about freewriting is that it is nonediting. It is an exercise inbringing together the process of producing words and putting them down onthe page. Practiced regularly, it undoes the ingrained habit of editing at thesame time you are trying to produce. It will make writing less blockedbecause words will come more easily. . . .

Next time you write, notice how often you stop yourself from writing downsomething you were going to write down. Or else cross it out after it's beenwritten. "Naturally," you say, "it wasn't any good." But think for a momentabout the occasions when you spoke well. Seldom was it because you firstgot the beginning right. Usually it was a matter of a halting or even a garbledbeginning, but you kept going and your speech finally became coherent and

even powerful. There is a lesson here for writing: trying to get the beginningjust right is a formula for failure--and probably a secret tactic to makeyourself give up writing. Make some words, whatever they are, and thengrab hold of that line and reel in as hard as you can. Afterwards you canthrow away lousy beginnings and make new ones. This is the quickest way toget into good writing.

The habit of compulsive, premature editing doesn't just make writing hard. Italso makes writing dead. Your voice is damped out by all the interruptions,changes, and hesitations between the consciousness and the page. In yournatural way of producing words there is a sound, a texture, a rhythm--avoice--which is the main source of power in your writing. I don't know how itworks, but this voice is the force that will make a reader listen to you. Maybeyou don't like your voice; maybe people have made fun of it. But it's the onlyvoice you've got. It's your only source of power. You better get back into it,no matter what you think of it. If you keep writing in it, it may change intosomething you like better. But if you abandon it, you'll likely never have avoice and never be heard.

Taken from Writing Without Teachers. New York: Oxford UP, 1973, 1-7.


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Resource for Writing Logs:Writing Logs

Writing Logs are a required long-term part of the learning in this class. Youwill be asked to complete a Writing Log for specific readings from WATW, asoutlined in our course schedule. Essentially, Writing Logs are a reflective

response to the readings. These responses should be typed and should be atleast a page. Writing Logs can be complied in the same portfolio folder inwhich you write your journal entries. Be sure to bring logs to each classmeeting for larger discussion.

Include:You may include comments on what is of particular interest to you, how thearticle has (or has not) enhanced your understanding of the topic youveread, what the author discusses and whether you agree or disagree, whatyou found troubling, confusing or enlightening. The focus of your response isnot as important as showing how you engaged with the reading.

Format:Each log can either be hand-written or typed and should be at least a page inlength for each nights assignments. Please include an appropriate headingand includes the title of the article(s) and the author(s) in a prominentlocation (note: please use discipline appropriate formatting for the publishinginformation).

Jessie MunozMay 2, 2009

WRIT 50Bright

Katz, N. (1999). The end of the road: Technology fortomorrow.

New York: St. Martins Press.

Katzs essay is his personal story of frustration as an engineerfor a majorautomaker. He writes of the difficulty in keeping up with all the new

gadgetsin cars, stating just when we think were on top of the latest

navigation system,we install it only to find that it is obsolete within two years of the cars

sale. Ican understand how Katz feels when he describes his frustration. Last

summer,I worked for a computer repair shop and used my lunch breaks to

rebuild my


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hard drive. It seemed like just when I had given my computer all thelatest in power, memory and upgrades, Id find something new to addwithin six months. I felt like I had wasted all those lunch breaks.

Another point Katz makes is that technology can never reallybe caught up with;our knowledge is always moving forward. I think.

Figure 1Sample of student writing log


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AssignmentsCover letter and resume

ContextThe purpose of this assignment is to contextualize the professionalopportunities in your discipline. The goal for this assignment is to gaina deeper understanding of your discipline and to begin to prepare youto enter this discipline through future employment opportunities.Identify an actual internship or job offering in your field and act as ifyou are applying for the position.

TasksWrite a cover letter (1 p.) that includes the following:

Appropriately designed letterhead

All requirements as outlined in Cover letter section of rubric A copy of the internship or job ad attached

Prepare a resume (1 p.) that accomplished the following:

Similar design (look/feel) to the letterhead

Targets the specific application position

FormatUse a standard professional format (refer to Writing to get anengineering job on Gauchospace). Be sure to include the following in

the cover letter: identify the position of application in the introductoryparagraph, summarize why you are qualifiedrefer to your enclosedresumeemphasize your strongest skills, explain how you will benefitthe corporation and conclude with a date and/or time you plan to calland follow up on the position.

Additional requirementAny mechanical errors will result in an automatic R (Revise andResubmit) and grade penalty.

PurposeThe purpose of this assignment is to begin to gain a betterunderstanding of your academic discipline and its discoursecommunity by examining the types of professions that will be availableto you after you graduate.

Please include a copy of the rubric in your final draft of this


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assignment

Final draft of resume and cover letter due: 4/9


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Grading Rubric* ScoreCover Letter:

Contains appropriately designed letterheadand professional

format Is attached to a copy of the internship/job ad

Identifies the position of application in theintroductory paragraph

Summarizes why you are qualified

Refers to your enclosed resume

Emphasizes your strongest skills

Explains how you will benefit the corporation

Concludes with a date and/or time you planto call and follow up on the position

(Score x 5)

/25

Resume: Contains similar design and professional

format as the letterhead

Targets the specific application

Contains all appropriate sections

Uses white space appropriately

Describes positions/experiences with activeverbs and/or in quantifiable terms

(Score x 5)

/25

Thoroughness:

Includes all relevant personal informationthat highlights your qualifications for the

internship/job (i.e. GPA, youth group, etc.)

(Score x2)

/10

Tone/Audience:

Employs a professional and appropriate tonein both documents

(Score x 2)

/10

Grammar and Punctuation:

Uses forms of grammar, punctuation,spelling, and syntax that are appropriate forstandard written English

Verb tenses are used correctly andappropriately

Demonstrates careful attention toproofreading

(Score x 6)

/30

Total:_________/100

Resume and cover letter in context of final grade_________/5


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*5 = Advanced: strong control and skill in this area; many strengthsare present; 4 = Proficient: effective control and skill; strengthsoutweigh weaknesses; 3 = Developing equal number of strengthsand weaknesses in this area; 2/1= Needs Improvement: not yetshowing control or skill in this area


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Style guides

ContextEach academic discipline has a different way to represent importantinformation. In order to prepare for the Research paper, I am asking

you to investigate the style in which your discipline chooses torepresent privileged information in this discourse community.

TaskI would like you to investigate relevant information regarding style inyour discipline.

In about two pages, typed, I would like you to address the following:

Clearly identify your discipline and the professional field youwould like to enter

Key journals and/or publications in your discipline Canonical or classic studies in your discipline

Accepted documentation style of your discipline

Typical audience of these journals

Type of information privileged in these journals

Examples of how this information is represented

Summarize a type scholarly article in your field in both style(format) and contentinclude a link to this article or a copy of it

Include an other relevant information to this discussion

You may have to do some informal research to answer thesequestions. I recommend looking online or talking with a professor orgraduate student in your discipline.

Please be prepared to share this information with the class.

PurposeThe purpose of this assignment in to learn more about the academicdiscourse community of which you are now a part. This assignmentwill work to prepare you in conceptualizing the Research report by

giving you an idea of the audience you will be writing to and the formatyou will be expected to adhere to.

Style sheets due on April 21, 2009

Grading Rubric:Style sheets will be graded completely on content and not on format.


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If you address all of the requirements listed above (in a clear andcomprehensive way), you will receive a 5/5 and earn full credit on thisassignment, which is worth 5% of your overall grade.

Any missing information will result in a lowered score. A half a point

will be subtracted from the total (5) for each missing piece ofinformation.


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Research proposal

ContextBefore a writer can begin drafting an interesting research paper, it ishelpful to make a working plan of the research project s/he is about to

embark on. Writing a Research proposal not only beings to hone yourresearch topic, but it provides you with a working plan for writing yourResearch paper. The goal of the proposal is to think in terms of askingquestions, rather than stating facts, because this will allow you to enterinto the research process without any preconceived ideas of what youwill find.

TaskIn a 1 and to 2-page document (double-spaced), please outline thecourse of research you are proposing for your final Research paper forthis course.

In the proposal, please address the following:

What research question(s) will you be asking in this report?

Why is this an interesting question? Why is it problematic? Whyis it significant?

What is the current state/status of your thinking and research?What do you expect to discover? Are you ready yet to formulatea thesis statement? If so, what is it?

Where will you find sources to answer these questions?

What type of data will you attempt to locate (both primary andsecondary)?

Please summarize your research/data collected up to this point.

Explain your next steps in your research/writing process.

Please bring a draft of your Research proposal to class on ThursdayApril 21, 2009.The Research proposal is due at the beginning of class onTuesday, April 28, 2009.The Research proposal is worth 10% of your final grade.

PurposeMeaningful and interesting research writing is not an accident.Thoughtful research is the product of asking interesting and relevantquestions. It is about asking questions about real problems thatyouve observed in the world and that matter to you. Even though ourcommon topic may not have been one of your own choosing, it isimporting to find a research topic that is important to you. This is oneof the most significant steps in writing a successful research paper.


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Research proposal

Grading Rubric* ScoreResearch question(s)/topic

Clearly addresses general research topic and

more specific research question(s) Provides justification for why topics and

questions are interesting and relevant (orproblematic and/or significant)

(Score x 10)

/50

Current status

Addresses the current state/status of yourthinking and research

Articulates what do you expect to discover

Shares tentative thesis statement (ifapplicable)

(Score x 3)

/15

Research goals Articulates where will you find sources to

answer your research questions

Clearly explains the type of data will youattempt to locate (both primary andsecondary)

(Score x 3)

/15

Research plans

Summarizes your research/data collected upto this point

Explains your next steps in yourresearch/writing process

(Score x 3)

/15

Grammar and Punctuation: uses forms of grammar, punctuation,

spelling, and syntax that are appropriate forstandard written English

verb tenses are used correctly andappropriately

demonstrates careful attention toproofreading

(Score x 1)

/5

Total:_________/100

Research proposal in context of final grade_________/10

*5 = Advanced: strong control and skill in this area; many strengthsare present; 4 = Proficient: effective control and skill; strengthsoutweigh weaknesses; 3 = Developing equal number of strengthsand weaknesses in this area; 2/1= Needs Improvement: not yet


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showing control or skill in this area


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Writing 50: The efficacy of locavores:An interdisciplinary look into the local food movement

Research paper

Context: As outlined in our syllabus, the course catalogue describesour course as a class that emphasizes the thinking and writing skillsinvolved in independent research, including developing questions;designing and planning research; analyzing, contrasting, andsynthesizing multiple sources; and drawing conclusions. TheResearch paper is the culminating work in this course and functions asyour opportunity to answer the question of whether or not the localfood movement is efficient in your discipline/major.

Task: The goal of this assignment is to develop the questions and ideasyou outlined in your research proposal in a more complex manner.

This paper will require great breadth in your research, your sources,and will require multiple methodologies. As a result, the researchpaper will be a longer paper (10 to 12 pages) than you may be usedto writing. Research is a dynamic process, and there is not just oneway to make use of what you learn from the research process and tocommunicate the insight you gain. Even in academic writing, you willfind a variety of forms and functions of research, often depending onthe discipline, the purpose, and the audience. For this paper, you willwrite in the academic genre for your discipline/major in order to bestconvey what you discover from your research to your discoursecommunity. Whenyou are interested in whatyou write and how you

write it, you are more likely to produce a paper that is interesting toread. All of these options will be driven by your researchquestions and the research problem you are trying to solve. All ofthem will require a point or thesis that gives purpose to what youinclude and the insights you offer. All of these options require morethan just a report. All of them require analysis and originalthought.

Genre: A Research Paper in Your Field. If you know the field youwill be going intoas a major or as a careerand you want practice inwriting a research paper that is common to that field, you may adapt

this paper to those conventions. For instance if you are in the socialsciences, you would write a paper with subheadings and use APAformatting and documentation. If you are a communications major,you might want to consider a traditional research paper for that field orperhaps a lengthy feature article or expose. You have beeninvestigating the typical style of your discipline through your Stylesheets and Reading proposal and will be asked to articulate thesefeatures when your turn in your drafts.


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Basic Requirements:

Ten to twelve pages;

At least ten reliable, credible sources (at least one two booksfrom the library and at least one primary source (interview or

survey); An appendix containing your primary data collecting instrument

and results

Accurate and ethical use and documentation of your sources;you should quote as well as paraphrase in your paper, andintroduce them effectively (see your discipline specifichandbook). You must accurately write and format a Works Citedor Reference page and in-text citations.

Major Due DatesFirst draft (at least 4 pages) 10% of grade Tuesday,

May 12Second draft (at least 8 pages) 10% of grade

Thursday, May 21Final draft 30% of grade Thursday, June 4Final presentations 10% of grade Tuesday,June 2 and

Thursday June 4

Purpose: The ultimate goal of this assignment is to demonstrate theresearch capabilities you have developed in this course, as well as aspace to articulate your answer to the efficacy of the local food

movement. Think of this assignment as an opportunity for you todisplay the critical thinking and analytical skills weve been developingthroughout the session, through your expanding research skills.


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Research paper-Final draft

Grading Rubric* ScoreResearch question(s)/topic

Clearly addresses general research topic andmore specific research question(s)

Provides justification for why topics andquestions are interesting and relevant (orproblematic and/or significant)

(Score x 4)

/20

Claims and analysis

Draft develops research questions and ideasin a relevant and complex claims

Claims are clearly articulated in each sectionof the draft and supported with reasons,evidence, and warrants and opposition (asappropriate)

(Score x 6)

/30

Genre Attempts to emulate the format and

argumentation style of an academic paper inyour discipline

Includes two peer review

Includes at least two drafts (with mycomments)

(Score x 4)

/20

In-text citations and reference page (Score x 2)


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Draft contains sufficient and relevant in-textcitations from at least 10 sources

Draft contains discipline-specific referencespage of 10sources

Includes instrument to gather primary

research

/10

Paper length

Draft is at least ten-twelve pages long

(Score x 3)

/15Grammar and Punctuation:

Uses forms of grammar, punctuation,spelling, and syntax that are appropriate forstandard written English

Verb tenses are used correctly andappropriately

Demonstrates careful attention toproofreading

(Score x 1)

/5

Total:_________/100

First draft in context of final grade_________/30

*5 = Advanced: strong control and skill in this area; many strengthsare present; 4 = Proficient: effective control and skill; strengthsoutweigh weaknesses; 3 = Developing equal number of strengths

and weaknesses in this area; 2/1= Needs Improvement: not yetshowing control or skill in this area

Subject to change; students are responsible for all modifications

Writing 50

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