Syllabus

International Center for Intercultural Communication

 

Welcome to:

Written Communication

Women in Leadership

Monday - Friday 9:00-10:30 Cavanaugh Hall 135

 

INSTRUCTOR:                               JesAlana Stewart

                                                Cavanaugh Hall 133

                                               

                                               

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Study of Women in Leadership incorporating written English language development.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The overall goal of this course is to explore important issues about women in leadership while building your confidence in academic writing in English. These issues will include the qualities of women leaders, women and education, the role of women in society, women’s rights and feminism, ways to improve women’s status (such as volunteering and community involvement), the socialization of girls, and balancing family and work.

 

You will learn about:

• The writing process (prewriting, writing, revising/editing, and sharing writing) and how to apply the process to your writing projects, including collaborating with other writers by offering and receiving feedback and support
• Writing within genres (biography/topic exploration paper/reflection paper) for a specific purpose (academic) and audience (the immediate academic community)
• Writing for pleasure, or to explore ideas and reflect (journal)
• Formatting an academic paper in a conventional Western style
• Building unified, coherent paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting information, and conclusions
• Using various grammatical structures and punctuation correctly, appropriate academic vocabulary, and language that will shape paragraphs for a specific purpose (e.g. showing comparisons/contrasts, time/sequence, opinion/fact); paraphrasing information and correctly quoting and citing sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

This course focuses on writing, but you will be participating in activities that require all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to working on individual assignments, you will also work with a group for many of the activities in this course.

 

COURSE MATERIALS:

• Class binder, book (Vital Voices), notebook, pen/pencil; laptop
• Jap/Eng dictionary (using the web for this purpose is allowed)

 

EVALUATION AND GRADING CRITERIA:

1. All assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of class on the days they are due. If they are not turned in at the beginning of class, they are considered late.

 

1. All written assignments are to be typed and be proofread for spelling and punctuation. Please prepare your assignments ahead of time so you will have time to proofread and edit.  You are not expected to be the best speller or grammarian, but you are expected to take responsibility for checking your work in order to represent yourself well.  Please use a “normal,” professional font. 

 

1. Evaluation:

Point Value    

1. Portfolio                                                  100 points               
2. Biography                                                               100 points    
3. Journal Entries   100 points                                                     4.  Topic Exploration Paper                                           100 points

                                                                                                             

                                                                                    TOTAL 400 points  

1. Grading Scale:

Letter Grade	Percentage
A	92.5-100
A-	90-92.49
B+	87.5-89.99
B	82.5-87.49
B-	80-82.49
C+	77.5-79.99

 

Letter Grade	Percentage
C	72.5-77.49
C-	70-72.49
D+	67.5-69.99
D	62.5-67.49
D-	60-62.49
F	Below 60

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:

 

1. Portfolio

Your portfolio is a collection of the assignments that you do throughout the course.  This will include, but is not limited to, a copy of your biography, a copy of your topic exploration paper, a copy of your journal entries and a reflection. 

 

Portfolio Checklist:

• 1 Biography
• 1 Topic Exploration Paper
• 6 Journal Entries
• 1 Reflection

Rubric:

1 Biography	20 points
1 Topic Exploration Paper	20 points
6 Journal Entries	20 points
A 1-2 page reflection about how this course has helped to improve your own leadership skills.	40 points
	100 Points Possible

 

2. Biography

You will individually research a woman leader you admire and write a brief biography of that woman (2 pages). You may choose a woman related to the topic of your Topic Exploration paper if you wish. In addition, you will write a brief statement (a paragraph or two) on why you chose to write about that particular woman leader. This project will be featured in a program publication.

Rubric:

Uses language that clearly indicates that the writer is either providing factual information or expressing an opinion	10 points
Paraphrases information from a text	10 points
Correctly quotes material from a text	20 points
Differentiates relevant from non-relevant information in a text	10 points
Composes well-supported paragraphs	20 points
Shows logical sequence of information within a report	20 points
Evident research of information from the internet	10 points
	100 Points Possible

 

3. Journal Entries

            You will write at least 6 prompted journal entries and comment on entries by your classmates. You must include 6 of these in your portfolio.

 

Rubric:

All journal entries are completed	50 points
All journal entries express original ideas	25 points
The writer takes risks with her writing.	25 points
	100 Points

 

4. Topic Exploration Paper

            In groups, you will choose a topic concerning women in leadership. You will read at least one article on the topic and then interview people in Indianapolis about that topic. In your Oral Communication class, you will learn about conducting an interview. With the help of your group, you will then write up interview questions, choose the people to interview, and conduct your interviews. After the interviews, your group will write a 2-3 page report that introduces your topic, shares the results of your interviews, and reflects on what you have learned about your topic.

Rubric:

Paragraph 1 provides a description of the topic, a thesis statement that guides the paper and a brief outline of what you will talk about in the paper.	20 points
Paragraph 2 describes the people that were interviewed for the paper and why they were interviewed.	10 points
Paragraph 3 discusses the first interview question and gives a general description of the findings from all group members related to this question.	20 points
Paragraph 4 discusses the second interview question and gives a general description of the findings from all group members related to this question.	20 points
Paragraph 5 discusses the third interview question and gives a general description of the findings from all group members related to this question.	20 points
Paragraph 6 provides a conclusion of what the interview findings might mean.  What did you learn about the topic from doing the interviews? Why is this topic important to women or a society as a whole?	10 points
	100 Points Possible

 

 

 

TENTATIVE Schedule
DATE	ASSIGNED READING (to be completed before class)	ASSIGNMENTS DUE
Week 1 Tuesday, August 2	Introductions/Syllabus/Planning for Learning Vital Voices - Foreword
Week 1 Wed., August 3	The Writing Process	Journal #1
Week 1 Thurs., August 4	Chicago Trip
Week 1 Friday, August 5	Chicago Trip
Week 2 Monday, August 8	Biography	Journal #2
Week 2 Tuesday, August 9	Plan Second Draft Begin Topic Exploration	Biography 1st Draft is Due
Week 2 Wed., August 10	Writing Introductions	Biography Paper is Due Journal #3
Week 2 Thurs., August 11	Topic Sentences
Week 2 Friday, August 12	Logical Connectors	Topic Exploration 1st Draft is Due Journal #4
Week 3 Monday, August 15	Reflective Writing
Week 3 Tuesday, August 16	Quotations and Peer revisions	Portfolio Reflection 1st Draft is Due Journal #5
Week 3 Wed., August 17		Topic Exploration Paper is Due
Week 3 Thurs., August 18	Prepare for Presentations	Portfolios are Due Journal #6
Week 3 Friday, August 19	Exit Interviews Final Presentations