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Cherry Hall 115
745-5711
 
 

Syllabus and Contract

This document will serve as a syllabus for the course as well as a contract with you.  So that no misunderstandings arise, I will outline the work required of you in this course.
 
 

1.  You must research and write six essays each about topics in your field of study.  You must also 
compose a resume and cover letter at some point during the term.  (See below for due dates.)

2.  You may bring typed drafts of the essays to my office for discussion.  You will then be able to revise
the papers.  You may bring as many drafts of a paper as time allows.  I will point out all errors that I see when we discuss the paper.  You, however, are responsible for your own editing.  I may not point out 
every error on a paper, but you will still receive a deduction for those problems if they are not eliminated.

3.  All papers must be formatted according to the style sheet in your field.  Each of these is included in your text, The Bedford Guide to the Research Process, available at the bookstore.  Those of you in the social sciences (education, psychology, sociology . . .) should use the APA format; those in the hard sciences (chemistry, biology, \physics . . .) should use CBE;  and those of you in arts and humanities (English, art, music, history . . .) should use MLA.

4.  All papers must have at least two sources.  The research paper must have five.  Fewer sources will
result in an automatic F.   All essays must be four to six paragraphs or more in length and must contain sufficient content to be viewed as university-level work. 

5.  All papers must have internal documentation (documentation within the body of the essay) and a reference/bibliography page.  Any papers not having one or both of these will receive an automatic F.

6.  All papers must be professionally presented with good type face and correct mechanical format.  Those that are not professional will receive a deduction.

7. The resumes may follow any standard format.  Examples abound on the Internet.  Resumes and letters should be typed in correct orientation on paper that is at least 25 % cotton bond. Grades will also reflect 
the level of professionalism of the presentation.

8.  All drafts and final copies of your essay and your resumes and letters  must be kept outside my office in your file during the course of the semester.  At the end of the semester, after I have evaluated your progress during the class and assigned a final grade, you may pick up your portfolio as a permanent record of you writing skills. Note: you may keep your work with you if you wish, but if you do not present it to me upon request, the grade will become a zero.

9.  As you work on assignments for this class, you must keep up with and record the amount of time you spend on the projects.  Grades will not be based on the amount of time spent, but the time sheet must be completed each week for you to receive a final grade that does not reflect a penalty.  The time sheet will 
be placed in your folder for you to fill out at your convenience.

10.  Announcements to the class or information that might be helpful to you will be located on a file at http://atech.wku.edu:8080/.

11.  All assignments are due according to the following schedule.  Essays (turned in in any order) are 
due by 2:00 on Thursdays (one every other Thursday until all assignments are completed).  One essay
may be turned in late without penalty.  All other essays not received by the time specified will receive an F.  The resume and cover letter must be turned in no later than the end of the scheduled final.  You may elect 
to complete the course early by finishing assignments in advance.  If you stay on schedule, there is an opportunity to write one extra paper to substitute if for a low grade.  After grades are placed on essays, only one essay may be revised.  After that revision, all first grades assigned are final.

12.  Topics for the essays are discussed below.  Do not do other assignments or assignments about topics not in your major field.  The following subjects are on my personal banned topics list and should not be covered: abortion, cloning, capital punishment, tobacco regulation, animal rights.  (I’m tired of reading 
them, and students usually can’t write about the issues without expressing personal bias.)  You may use papers that you have written or are writing for other university classes if you revise the papers to meet the style and formats requirements of this class.  Do not use papers written in high school no matter how good you think they may be.  Plagiarized work will result in a zero recorded (and not dropped as a low grade or subject to replacement).  I will average seven grades (six essays and the resume) at the end of the term.  Therefore, you may choose to write the one essay as a replacement for a low grade (except for the 
research paper which must not be omitted or dropped) or omit one essay  if you are satisfied with your grades after five essays are completed. The extra essay will be due at the scheduled final.
 

Essays may be completed in any order. But be sure to include the assignment you are fulfilling by including
a notation (i.e. Essay Topic 2: Your title).You have some choices.  Remember you need to submit six  essays for grading.

Essay 1: A review/critique of an article from a recent journal (not accessed from the Internet) in your field. 

Essay 2: A report of a project involving your original research.  Or a critical analysis of someone else’s original research published in a research-based journal.

Essay 3: A new technique, idea, procedure, or method in your field.

Essay 4: A short five-page, five-source research paper about any topic in your field. 

Essay 5: A paper presenting two scholarly viewpoints about one topic, line of research, or interpretation 
of data.  Or a discussion of a research article from 1997-2002  and a comparison with research conducted five, ten, and fifteen years ago about the same topic.

Essay 6: A literature review for any topic in your field.  Or an analysis of an article published in a national journal that represents (in your opinion) an example of bad science.
 
 

A resume and cover letter due no later than the scheduled final

13.  Sources must not be exclusively from the Internet, although scholarly materials available online are acceptable, unless otherwise specified as in Essay 1.  Deductions will occur for essays containing only Internet materials.
 
 
 

I will guarantee the following:

1.  To abide by the requirements of this contract unless we all agree to a change.

2.  To be available to you in my office during office hours or to reschedule hours comparable to class times if an emergency arises.  (If my door is open or my light is on, I’m on campus.  Wait for me to return from a short break.)

3.  To review as many drafts as you present to me or as time allows before the day the papers are due (i.e. no later than Tuesday of the week that the paper is due).

4.  To return graded essays you no later than Tuesday at 5:00 after the essay is due.

5.  To answer reasonable questions by phone at my office (745-5711) during class times or at home (782-6751) between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. or by e-mail at lesa.dill@wku.edu

6.  To facilitate your learning and your improvement of your skills with Standard Written English in any 
way I can think of short of either of us having to have a brain transplant.
 

Your continued enrollment in this class constitutes your acceptance of this contract.
 

Due dates:
Jan. 24
Feb.7
Feb. 21
March 7
March 28
April 11
April 25 

You must be in class on April 18th for evaluations.  That is the only day (other than the first two) that we meet as a group.