The goal of this course is to prepare you for a career in one of the numerous areas involving the social sciences. While you have presumably had an opportunity to study various research methods in the social sciences, this course gives you a final opportunity to hone the writing skills that will be necessary for your work and for your life outside of work.

In this class, you will complete four primary written assignments as well as preliminary drafts of these assignments that you will review with your classmates. Almost any writing that people do goes through a revision process involving feedback from other readers. Revising is a skill like any other. It requires learning and practice if you are to become proficient.

In addition to learning about writing and practicing skills, this class will offer you an opportunity to develop arguments concerning the strengths and weaknesses of the social sciences, the credibility of various articles and reports by other writers, and political issues in the local and wider communities. To facilitate this, I recommend that you either read the local newspaper, a newsmagazine or a news-oriented web site in order to keep yourself up-to-date about matters we will discuss in the class.

• Peer Review is an important component in this class, and any individual's failure to participate lessens the experience for all of the students in the class. For this reason, you are required to attend class on peer-review days with a word-processed draft of you paper. Failure to do so will result in a 1/3 letter-grade deduction from the final grade for the paper. Failure to turn in two peer-reviewed drafts along with the final draft will result in a full letter-grade deduction from the final grade for the paper.

• In order for a paper to receive a passing grade, it must adhere to the conventions of Standard Written English. This means that it must present its argument in a clear and grammatically correct manner with a minimum of spelling and other typographical errors.

• Show up to class on time and prepared to discuss the material for that day. Being late too many times can bring your participation grade down. More than three unexcused absences will have a negative impact on your grade, and more than five will result in failure in the course.

• Any infractions against UMD's Scholastic Dishonesty provisions in the Student Conduct Code as stated in the UMD catalogue will receive serious attention and appropriate penalties.

• Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their ability to perform in this class, are encouraged to inform me at the start of the quarter. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. The Access Center is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 138 Library and on the web at <http://www.d.umn.edu/access>.