Transylvania University New International Student Orientation Summer Preparation Program 2015 Module #4: Collaborate and Listen! Working with the Writing Center Who Said That? Using Sources in Your Writing Deadlines: Complete the module and on your blog post your answers to the pre-reading and post-reading questions by 5:00pm EDT on Wednesday, July 22. Instructions: Complete this module by following the directions in each step below.

Step One: Pre-Reading Questions

Answer the pre-reading questions below on your blog. Make sure to respond in complete sentences and whole paragraphs:

Did any of your schools there at home have a writing center? If so, what kinds of work did you do there? What do you think happens in a university writing center?

Tell us your approach to academic research: How have you learned to use sources such as academic journal articles and essays research paper assignments? What do you know about plagiarism?

What are your strategies for reading novels, stories, essays, or academic journal articles?

Step Two: Vocabulary

Study this vocabulary list. Use the Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary and the Oxford Learners Dictionary to help you define the terms below. In your responses/blog posts, practice using five (5) of these terms: integrity (academic) resource/resources policy/policies plagiarism/plagiarize react thesis statement claim (argumentative) argument (academic) articulation/articulate cite/citation signal phrase quote/quoting paraphrase/paraphrasing respond summary/summarizing human rights intellectual property source/sources (academic) unfettered capitalism doubt (noun and verb) audience own (verb) own (adjective) consequence/consequences smart/intelligent (adjective) handout strategy consultant purpose

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/

embrace (verb) acknowledgment fact/facts accept/accepted discourse appointment draft/drafts organize/organized research edit/editing instruction/instructions attention note/notes/note-taking manual (noun) scholar demand (verb) courteous/courteously staff/staffer deadline due (adjective) in advance (phrase) consistent preview (of a text) annotation interaction interpretation content (of a text) meaning (verb and noun) bias/biases contention qualification/qualifications intent (noun) support (noun and verb) conflict (noun) conflicting (adjective) evaluate assess assessment persuade convince credentials skeptical (adjective) hold in high/low regard editorial stance publication findings (plural noun) examine issue accept reject journal (academic) evidentiary (adjective) construct (cultural)

Step Three: Cultural Considerations

Study these cultural considerations:

Writing is one of the most widely practiced acts of education in the United States, especially at a liberal arts institution like Transylvania University.

Writing is viewed as a crucial tool for discovery, invention, and expression in nearly every course at Transy.

The writing assignment sheeta document that explain an assignments audience, purpose, and requirementsis a common part of most university writing assignments.

As part of a network of academic support services, writing centers at most universities are an essential and common presence in United States institutions.

Transys Writing Center services include peer-to-peer collaboration during which the tutor and you interpret writing assignments assigned in your courses, brainstorm ideas for writing in all genres, develop outlines and arranging your ideas prior to beginning the writing of an assignment, organize and revise your written drafts, and negotiate strategies for self-editing your draft. See the attached Using the Writing Center Checklist for more details about what tutors do and do not do.

At Transylvania specifically, the total volume of the Writing Centers regular appointment volume involving international/multilingual patronswriters like youhas increased dramatically: 15% of all tutoring sessions in Fall 2012/Winter 2013 were conducted with these students; 27% in Fall 2013/Winter 2014; and 35% in Fall 2014/Winter 2015. This increase shows significant attention to ESL/multilingual writing in the Center.

http://outside.transy.edu:2054/pages/dean/academic_support.htm

At Transylvania specifically, Dr. Scott Whiddon, Director of the Writing Center, trains peer tutors in the Writing Center Practicuman entire semester course complete with serious academic study of theory and practical application of tutoring techniques. The training continues, too, beyond the Practicum through bi-monthly training sessions and ongoing English as a Second Language training with me, James Wright. So, we assure you that your work with our staff informed by the highest possible standards.

There are two main cultural expectations to keep in mind when working with Writing Center staffers and writing in English in the United States and at Transy: 1) good writing focuses on clear, logical reasoning/thinking and evidentiary support for claims, and 2) writers here are expected to make connections, reasons, interpretations, claims, and evidence clear and precise for readers. In other words, it is the writers not the readers responsibility to make sense of arguments for an audience.

What is the place of writing in the overall system of learning in the United States? Well, it is not possible to separate writing from all the other acts of discovery, especially reading, annotating, paraphrasing, summarizing, and participating progressively class. Writing is viewed as only one essential element of an entirely interconnected intellectual and social journey. For example, reading deeply and critically leads us to summarize what we have read and to interpret those ideas in conversation with other readers around us. Then, these conversations take us back to re-read text and to read further and more widely from other related texts, which lead us back to our writing to revise our ideas. It is all connected.

Plagiarism is a cultural construct, and in the United States and at Transy, is taken very seriously due to the emphasis on the high value of individual work and its connection to human rights.

Step Four: Processes and Concepts for Critical Writing and Reading

Read the information below. Study the material at the links below and in the checklists and handouts posted on the summer program blog under the Module #4 tab. Of course, those of you who do not have access to the blog will receive the checklists and handouts from me via email.

Learn about and begin to practice the process of critical reading. Before reading further in this section, carefully study the Critical Reading Checklist and the handout Critical Reading posted for you in Module #4.

Study and practice Western academic writing strategies. To succeed in writing in the United States, you might need to adjust your perception of writing and the strategies you have been using in your native language. One of the most important handouts that you must read in this guide is the Purdue OWL Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: the Basics.

Read your writing and reading assignment sheets carefully. Always take time to slowly and deliberately read any assignment sheets you receive from your instructors. If you dont understand an assignment or your instructor didnt give the class a written assignment sheet, speak to your instructor face-to-face or via email to schedule a time to meet with him or her. When you meet, ask him or her for help understanding the right

https://www.transy.edu/about/faculty_bio.htm?ID=0230228http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/683/01/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/683/01/

ways to respond to the assignment. You might ask, What is the best way for me to complete this assignment? For a writing assignment, you might also ask, Should I analyze, summarize, explain, or critically respond? One great way to prepare for your meeting with the instructor is to visit the Writing Center and develop your questions about the assignment together with a Writing Center staffer. They will work with you in person to draft questions. Hereagainis the information you need for making an appointment at the Center:

Located in the Haupt Humanities Building, rooms 12 and 15, the Writing Center is your place for help with critical reading assignments, writing assignments, and presentation assignments. Consultants are trained writing specialists and are familiar with the specific concerns of multilingual writers. In fact, many of them are multilingual writers themselves! Visit Becky Mills at the Center or email her at bmills@transy.edu to sign up for an appointment with a consultant. Or you may schedule an appointment online at https://transy.mywconline.com/. Remember that the Writing Center service works best when you begin in the early stages of a project and continue to visit throughout the writing process.

Note: Before reading further in this section, look carefully at the sample reading and writing assignments from Transy courses posted in Module #4.

Learn about plagiarism now. Ask your instructors how they define plagiarism for their classes, and learn the strategies for avoiding plagiarism in your school work. Transy takes cheatingwhether deliberate or accidentalseriously, and the consequences are serious. Additionally, read closely the statement of academic integrity on page thirty of the Transylvania University Catalogue:

Honesty, trust, and personal responsibility are fundamental attributes of the university community. Academic dishonesty by a student will not be tolerated, as it threatens the foundation of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. To maintain its credibility and reputation, and to equitably assign evaluations of scholastic and creative performance, Transylvania University is committed to maintaining a climate that upholds and values the highest standards of academic integrity. All members of the university community have a responsibility to ensure that the highest standards of integrity in scholarly and creative work are understood and practiced. Disciplinary penalties for a student found guilty of cheating may be determined by the instructor or the dean of the college according to the seriousness of the offense.

Notes: Before continuing to the point in this section, read the recently-adopted Transylvania University Academic Integrity Policy posted in Module #4. For explanations and illustrations of how to avoid plagiarism, see the Harvard Guide to Using Sources.

Familiarize yourself with the writing process practiced in the United States and at Transy. All students engage in the process of writing in all classes. This process

mailto:bmills@transy.eduhttps://transy.mywconline.com/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/958/1/http://www.transy.edu/academics/catalog/1213/acad_program.pdfhttp://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup106849http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup106849

includes various, interconnected stages: pre-writing, researching, outlining, drafting, revising, reviewing, and self-editing. Read these webpages for an introduction to each stage of the writing process:

Writing process overview See this Purdue OWL handout on reading the writing assignment. See this Purdue OWL overview of academic writing. Here is a simple overview of the process from Purdue OWL. Prewriting See all of the sections of Purdue OWLs Introduction to Prewriting. See Gallaudet Universitys Pre-writing section for visual examples. Researching See this Purdue OWL handout on writing research papers. Outlining See this Quality Writing Center outlining handout from the University of Arkansas. Drafting See this Quality Writing Center handout on developing a thesis statement. See this Purdue OWL handout on composing different kinds of essays. Revising See this Purdue OWL handout on revision. Reviewing See this Purdue OWL presentation on peer-review.

Work with the Transy librarians and online libguides when you conduct research for a paper assignment. Check out the library staff and the services available to you as a researcher: https://www.transy.edu/academics/library.htm and http://libguides.transy.edu/people.

Work with the ACE subject area tutors to learn about reading and writing conventions in specific disciplines. Studying with an ACE tutor in psychology, for example, you have the opportunity to talk about the specific research, reading, and writing conventions within that discipline. This holds true for any of the disciplines represented in the ACE tutoring program. For further information, click on these links: http://tinyurl.com/ppob77r (information) and http://libguides.transy.edu/ACETutoring (tutoring schedule). You can also contact the library at library@transy.edu or Charlotte Taraba (for math and sciences tutoring) at ctaraba@transy.edu with any questions.

Talk to James Wright, the Transy English as a Second Language specialist, about reading and writing concerns. If you have general or specific questions about writing and reading in academic English, contact and/or meet with me. We can talk about strategies and options that will meet your expectations. In the August, fall, winter, and

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/688/01/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/701/1/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/673/01/http://www.gallaudet.edu/tip/english_works/writing/pre-writing_writing_and_revising.htmlhttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/http://elc.uark.edu/qwc/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/02-Outlines.pdfhttp://elc.uark.edu/qwc/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/01-Thesis-Statements.pdfhttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/01/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/683/06/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/712/1https://www.transy.edu/academics/library.htmhttp://libguides.transy.edu/peoplehttp://tinyurl.com/ppob77rhttp://libguides.transy.edu/ACETutoringmailto:library@transy.edumailto:ctaraba@transy.edu

May terms, I keep hours just for you every day. Visit me in Old Morrison 110 or contact me at jwright@transy.edu to set up an appointment.

Step Five: Post-Reading Questions

Answer these post-reading questions on your blog:

After studying the material in Module #4, what habits do you think you will continue practicing as a reader? What habits to you want to add to your reading process?

What part of the writing process do you look forward to as a new student at Transy? Why?

Who will be part of your team for writing at Transy? How do you imagine your partnership with Writing Center staffers?

How are reading and writing connected at the university level? How are these connections important to you as an individual college student?

mailto:jwright@transy.edu