Paper Assignments

There will be two papers due during the semester. I will announce a paper due date in class with at least one week notice. These papers will hopefully spur your interest in science and in reading newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. and your textbook as well as to help you to develop your writing and critical thinking skills.

Sources:

1) The articles must not be only abstracts and should be at least 500 words long.

2) Papers will be assigned based on the following groups:         

                                                1st Paper                                              2nd Paper         

 

Group 1) Last names beg with A-C;    Boston Globe  (BG)                            S/N     

 

Group 2) Last names beg with D-H;   NY Times (NYT)                                 HJ (Nov./Dec.)   

 

Group 3) Last names beg with I-O;     a "health journal" (HJ),                        NYT 

                                                      (see list of acceptable journals)  

 

Group 4) Last names beg with P-Z;    Science or Nature (S/N)                      BG     

 

I will limit the sources to a few specific issues/dates. Be sure to attend class regularly to get these assignments!

 

The papers must have the following form:

1) Citation of the Source: Title of article, author, name of publication, date;

2) Two paragraphs only:

A) the first paragraph should summarize some of the particulars of the article. Be sure to provide enough information here so that you can refer to it in the second paragraph.

B) the second paragraph should place the information into the context of Human Anatomy and Physiology (i.e. - how does the article relate to what we have discussed or will discuss in class OR what is found in the book? i.e. – compare and contrast the article and the book/class information. Be sure that you explicitly compare/contrast the two sources - don't just list info from both.

• The source should be specified after every "bit" of information.

i.e. - While one source states that melatonin affects human sleeping patterns by resetting the circadian clock, (Shier, p. 123), the other source claims that melatonin has not effect on either sleeping or the clock (Barnes and Noble, p. 1189).

• Be sure that the article does relate to some aspect of A&P that we have (or will) discuss (check your syllabus and/or with me for appropriate material)

• Obviously, if we have already covered the topic, it will be easier for you to write about it - choose your article with some care. If we have not yet covered the information, you will need to "read ahead" in your text and relate the article that you read to what is found in the text.

3) EACH paragraph MUST have a topic sentence followed by several sentences that support/address the topic sentence.

4) The papers must be typed or word processed and must be at least 250 words long (use 12 point, Times Font and be sure to double space).

5) You must staple a copy of the article to the paper. You will receive a grade of 0 if it is not attached.

6) Since you have one week to write these papers, late papers will not be accepted under any circumstances: they are due at the beginning of class on the day announced. You must be physically present to pass in drafts.

7) Wrong date or wrong source - you will earn a grade of 0.

 

Re-writes.

Since a very, very important part of learning how to write is learning how to revise, I will encourage you to re-write your papers. Your grade will be based on the average of the first and second drafts. Steps to take for re-writing:

1st - Read my comments

2nd - Re-read the above assignment description.

3rd - Re-read my comments

4th - Think about how to revise

5th - Seek help - either the Writing Center or myself; be sure to bring your paper with my comments AND this assignment description no matter who you seek out.

6th - Turn in a revised draft along with the first (graded) draft) no later than the beginning of the class period one week after the class period that I returned the papers to you (i.e. - if I return them on a Monday, then the re-write is due the following Monday). ANY CORRECTIONS THAT YOU MAKE NEED TO BE UNDERLINED.

***Your final grade will be the average of the grade of the first draft graded and the rewrite.

*** The papers will be graded on both the writing and on the content. Since writing is an important part of your grade be sure to have someone proofread your work before you pass it in. I suggest that you work with the Reading and Writing Center staff initially to be sure that you are communicating effectively (they are located in the Library basement).

Other suggestions/requirements:

• do not use quotations - you need to summarize the info in your own words.

• be sure to specifically link the info from class and the article - point out which is which in the second paragraph!

• if you have any questions as to whether the topic is relevant - ask me.

• tabloids are not considered to be reliable resources - do not use them - any questions - ask me.

WRITING:

Even the best writers in the world seek feedback on their works in progress. For PSU students, this kind of response is available on a walk-in basis at the Reading and Writing Center, located in the basement of the library (they are open a lot but see http://www.plymouth.edu/wrc/ for open hours). Besides offering feedback on drafts, the Center's writing consultants can show you effective ways to revise and edit. They can provide you with help in organization, development of ideas, proofreading, and research. You may drop by at any stage of your writing, even (or especially!) the planning stage.