SYA 5515: Sociological Research Practicum Fall 2014 Monday, 9:00-11:30 am Dr. Anne Barrett 230 Pepper Institute

Office hours: Monday, 1:00-2:30pm [email protected]; 644-2833

Overview and objectives Writing for publication is a major activity of all academic researchers. Despite its importance, writing tends to receive short shrift in most graduate programs. Most students learn bits and pieces about the process of writing and the expectations of their readers in a rather unsystematic way through reading published articles and writing papers in their courses. The goal of this course is to provide a more systematic approach to learning about writing for publication. The course is designed to be helpful to graduate students at any stage of their program, though most students will be working on their master’s papers. The course will give you a number of useful things, including a "refresher" on some of the basics of writing (e.g., when to use a semicolon v. colon) and an awareness of what your readers are expecting as they read your work (which will help you to meet them!). We’ll also discuss writing-related topics like working with co-authors, navigating the peer review process, and finding paper award and grant opportunities. By the end of the class, you should be able to do the following: • Describe the general expectations of readers • Recognize whether these expectations are violated or confirmed • Restructure text to bring it in line with these expectations *The semester’s tangible products include a short segment of a paper that has been carefully crafted to meet all of the reader expectations discussed in class and a point outline of the literature review for your master’s paper. Assignments As you’d expect, we’ll be doing lots of writing and "de-writing" over the semester. Although some of the materials we’ll be analyzing are drawn from published articles, we’ll be working primarily with materials written by class members. This should be extraordinarily helpful to you, as you’ll be applying the concepts and principles you’re learning to your own work from the start. But, this can also be uncomfortable, as it lays all of our writing “mistakes” naked for everyone to see! I promise that this is a risk worth taking. You will learn much more from sharing and analyzing your writing with one another than from critiquing random, anonymous works and then applying the principles to your own work after the semester ends. Because we’ll be working with each other’s writing samples, I ask that you be sensitive to and respectful of one another. This does not at all preclude the offering of suggestions and critiques -- in fact, it’s necessary for the class to be helpful! Rather, this request emphasizes the importance of considering the way in which you express your thoughts about your classmates’ work.

There are two main sets of assignments: 1. Feedback on Peer Papers You’ll be working in pairs that will change often. For about the first half of the semester, I ask that you bring to class a response to your partner’s paper – ideally, using comment boxes in track changes. See last page of syllabus for guidance on each response. In giving feedback on your partner’s work, there are two issues to which you should attend: 1. mechanical comments or corrections (e.g., spelling, grammar) 2. substantive and structural comments. These comments should take into consideration the rhetorical principles we’re learning in class. Avoid making judgments (e.g., “unclear,” “awkward,” “wordy,” “needs development”). Instead, you should articulate why such judgments can be made, with special reference to the principles you’re learning in class (i.e., specific reader expectations regarding structural location). At the end of the course schedule, I have provided a few suggestions for beginning your evaluation of the papers for each class period. Your comments addressing stylistic/substantive issues should be more than simply a response or “answer” to the questions I raise. It should address the extent to which the writer is meeting the reader expectation that we’re focusing on that day. For example, on “action and agency day,” you want to analyze the location of action words in the text. Are they located where most readers of English expect them? Is the action conveyed using verbs? How is the action of the paragraph and paper developing over the sentences? Is it flowing along? Stalling? Can you, as the reader, follow the action? 2. Final Assignments At the end of the semester, you will turn in two products. One is a very short (2-3 page) section of a paper you have revised using the tools we learn over the semester. This can be a portion of the master’s paper or any course paper. It may include the section on which you got feedback over the semester, or it could be an entirely new bit of writing. The other assignment is a point outline for the literature review of your master’s paper. *A few important notes* Be sure to email me your first 1 – 1 ½ page paper (for your partner to work on) by Thursday, August 28 at 10pm. An introduction to a paper (or part of it!) often works perfectly for our purposes. You'll probably want to submit another small paper (or section of a paper) later in the semester. When you're ready to switch, just email another short paper to me. Because we’ll be analyzing each other’s papers, I’ll post all of them on our website. Please submit it in MS Word format and use this convention for naming the file: “Johnson_paper 1” or “Smith_paper 2” All papers should be typed and double-spaced using 12 point font and 1” margins. You should include page numbers on all pages. Do not include cover pages. Grading Course grades are “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” At the end of the term, I will consider two, equally weighted factors in determining your grade. First, I’ll take into account your performance as a responder throughout the term. This will involve a consideration of your attendance, participation, and degree of effort placed into responding to classmates’ work. Please note that attendance is a required part of the course. Second, I’ll examine your final paper and point outline for evidence that you’ve learned to apply the principles we’ve been discussing over the semester. 2

Required books George D. Gopen. (2004). The Sense of Structure. Writing from the Reader’s Perspective Booth, Colomb & Williams (2008) The Craft of Research, 3rd ed. A few other useful books Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish your Thesis, Book, or Article Joseph M. Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). University of Chicago Press. Claire Kehrwald Cook, Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing Wendy Laura Belcher, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Sage. William Zinsser (1998). On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 6th ed. Harper Perennial. Theodore A. Rees Cheney. (2005). Getting the Words Right: 39 Ways to Improve Your Writing, 2nd ed. Writer’s Digest Books. Harry F. Wolcott. (2009). Writing Up Qualitative Research, 3rd ed. Sage. Eviatar Zerubavel. (1999). The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books. Helen Sword (2012). Stylish Academic Writing Academic Honor Policy The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.) Americans with Disabilities Act Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should do the following: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class.

This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the: Student Disability Resource Center 874 Traditions Way 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167 (850) 644-9566 (voice) (850) 644-8504 (TDD) 3

[email protected] http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/ Work Policy Students must complete assignments at the times indicated on the syllabus. Students will only be permitted to make up coursework that was missed because of verified emergencies and/or medical illness. Please note that medical illness refers to conditions that are serious in nature and require treatment by medical professionals and/or surgical or other treatments. If due dates for course assignments coincide either with the observation of religious holidays or the representation of FSU at official functions, such as intercollegiate debating or varsity sports events, you must contact your instructor in advance of the due date for the assignment for which alternative arrangements will be made. Unexused absences (as well as late arrivals and early exits) will affect your final grade. Students missing more than 2 classes will receive an “unsatisfactory.” Incomplete Grades Missing work or uncompleted assignments are insufficient reasons for a grade of Incomplete. An Incomplete grade will not be given except under extenuating circumstances at the instructor’s discretion. Note that College of Social Science guidelines require that students seeking an “I” must be passing the course.

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Course Schedule (subject to minor changes) Date Mon., Aug. 25

Topic Welcome!

Mon., Sept. 1 Mon., Sept. 8

No classes – Labor Day Action and Agency

Readings “Relax! You’ll be more productive” NY Times, Feb. 9, 2013

Gopen: Chapter 1, “The Complexity of the English Sentence,” pp. 3-13 Chapter 2, “A Structural Anatomy of the English Sentence,” pp. 14-25 Part II-Punctuation, pp. 159-179 (Intro, semicolon & colon)

Assignments *Email your first 1 page paper to me by Thursday, Aug. 28, 10pm

Peer Response Paper 1 is due. See “Suggestions for Beginning your Response Papers” on last page.

Keith A. Roberts (1993) “Toward a Sociology of Writing.” Teaching Sociology 21: 317-324. Mon., Sept. 15

Subject-VerbComplement Separations

Gopen: Chapter 2, “A Structural Anatomy of the English Sentence,” pp. 25-46 Part II-Punctuation, pp. 179-196 (dashes, hyphens, question marks, & exclamation points)

Peer Response Paper 2 is due. See “Suggestions for Beginning your Response Papers” on last page.

Michael Munger. “10 Tips on how to write less badly.” Chronicle of Higher Education. September 10, 2010. Mon., Sept. 22

Beginnings and Endings: Topic & Stress Positions

Gopen: Chapter 3, “Weights and Balance; Motions and Connections,” pp. 47-64 Part II-Punctuation, pp. 196-217 (quotation marks, apostrophe, ellipsis, and period)

Peer Response Paper 3 is due. See “Suggestions for Beginning your Response Papers” on last page.

Pamela Richards, in Becker (1986) “Chapter 6: Risk,” pp. 108-120 Rachel Toor. Cutting the Flab. The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 16, 2010.

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Mon., Sept. 29

Mon., Oct. 6

Topic & Stress Positions: Controlling development within paragraphs

Paragraphs

Gopen: Chapter 3, “Weights and Balance; Motions and Connections,” pp. 65-93 Part II-Punctuation, pp. 209-232 (comma) Rachel Toor. “Bad Writing and Bad Thinking.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. April 15, 2010. Gopen: Chapter 4, “Whose Paragraph is it Anyway? The Shapes of the English Paragraph,” pp. 94-148 Becker (1986) “Chapter 3: One Right Way” pp. 43-67.

Peer Response Paper 4 is due. See “Suggestions for Beginning your Response Papers” on last page.

Peer Response Paper 5 is due. See “Suggestions for Beginning your Response Papers” on last page.

Rachel Toor. “ ‘It Can Thereby be Shown…’” The Chronicle of Higher Education. November 18, 2010. Mon., Oct. 13

Developing Research Questions

Booth et al., Chapters 1-4 (Thinking in Print, Connecting with your Reader, From Topics to Questions, & From Questions to a Problem)

Bring a draft of your research question(s) to workshop in class

Mon., Oct. 20

Using Sources

Booth et al., Chapter 5: From Problems to Sources & Chapter 6: Engaging Sources

*Bring any SSS abstracts to class for editing (10/25 SSS deadline)

Mon., Oct. 27

Developing Arguments

Booth et al., Chapter 7: Making good arguments & Chapter 8: Making claims

Mon., Nov. 3

More on Arguments & Evidence

Booth et al., Chapter 9: Assembling reasons and evidence, Chapter 10: Acknowledgments and responses & Chapter 11: Warrants

Mon., Nov. 10 Mon., Nov. 17

No classes – Veterans’ Day

Mon., Nov. 24

Feedback on project plans & c.v. writing Wrap-up &

Mon., Dec. 1

Bring an outline of main points you’ll make in your lit review

Feedback on project plans & preparing for prelims

Gopen, Chapter 5, pp. 149-155

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Workshop on finding grants and awards

Kai Erickson, (2008) “On Sociological Writing” Sociological Inquiry 78: 399-411 Stephen King. 2000. “Toolbox,” pp. in 111-137 in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Zuckerman (2008). “Tips to Article-Writers” Benton (2005) “Productive Procrastination” The Chronicle of Higher Education

Wed., Dec. 10

*Final assignments, emailed to me by 10pm.*

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