English 300L

General Description:

English 300L is offered in support of 300 Level English courses and is required* the first time a student takes a 300 level course. This course is a deep dive into academic research skills and information literacy and is designed to support students at all levels in developing research skills and confidence.

Learning Goals:

Students will be skilled at:

• Identifying the contribution that particular articles, books, and other scholarly pieces make to disciplinary knowledge and how the knowledge changes over time.
• Formatting questions for research based on information gaps or reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information.
• Using research tools and markers of authority to determine the credibility of sources.
• Assessing the fit between an information product's creation process and a particular information need. ·
• Refining and adjusting needs and search strategies during the research process. 
• Giving credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation. 

In order to earn a "Satisfactory" for this course, you need to complete the following:

• Attend ONE group workshop at a date to be determined. (about 1.5 hours)
• Complete an in-depth source evaluation of a source for your 300 level course assignment. (about 1 hour)
• Attend AT LEAST one individual appointment with Anne Thomason or another librarian prior to completing your course assignment. You may attend more, or your 300 level course instructor may require more. (30 minutes)
• Complete Module 2 on the Avoiding Plagiarism guide. (about 15 minutes)

The total amount of time it will take to complete the requirements for this course is about 5 hours.

These assignments and requirements are designed to be done alongside coursework in your 300 level English course, and ideally would be completed before your annotated bibliography or final assignment. Completing the assignments after the fact is acceptable, but not in the best interest of your time and success. This is not meant to be busywork, but rather a carefully scaffolded approach to your work in your 300 Level classes.

All assignments MUST be completed by the end of the final exam period.

You do not need to purchase any books for this class. Here's what you do need:

• a laptop you can bring to the workshop (you can check one out from the library if needed)
• Bibliographic Management software (Refworks, Zotero, EndNote, etc)
  • Please note that Refworks is provided for you for free, Zotero is free and open-source software. EndNote is not free but is preferred by some students.

Academic Accommodations  

If you need an accommodation for a disability, please contact Stephanie Grimes  (sgrimes@knox.edu) or the Office of Disability Services, whose professional staff will document the nature of the disability, determine the ways in which it impedes access to the educational experience, and coordinate an appropriate modification or adjustment to ensure access.

The Knox College Honor Code 

The primary responsibility for academic honesty rests with the individual student. Every student is responsible for the integrity of his or her own work. 

Knox College defines academic dishonesty as actions giving or receiving an unfair advantage in academic work by cheating, lying, plagiarizing the work of others, or willfully impeding the academic progress of another student.