The Newman School

Boston

IB Extended Essay, Year 1: ______________________________________________________________________________

Coordinators: Mrs. Gallagher and Ms. Potter                                            2012-13 

Students… would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather than ones that interest us.

-from “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff, 2010

Course Description:

If you are an IB program diploma candidate, you are in this class in order to establish a solid foundation upon which to pursue one of the program’s three core components: the Extended Essay, or EE. The EE is a specific kind of paper written to serve a specific purpose: to allow you, as an IB student, to pursue research in an area of your own personal interest, and to create a formal paper that presents both the information you have discovered and the point(s) of view you have arrived upon, based on your study of a complex question related to your field of interest and inquiry. You will receive support and guidance from an academic supervisor and will produce a RESEARCH-based ARGUMENTATIVE essay of 3,500 to 4,000 words (that’s 12 to 15 pages) of carefully cited, formally ordered text, written in English (or Spanish, or French, if you pursue a “Language B” essay topic and are a native speaker of English). After settling upon your topic and research question, you are expected to complete this task through roughly 40 hours of largely independent work, under the supervision of a teacher who is allowed to give you no more than 6 hours of interactive time, and very limited written commentary on your work.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

If that seems like a daunting task, well, you are correct—the EE is meant to be challenging. If it seems like an impossible feat, well, you don’t yet know your potential. Discovery and development of that potential is one of the most exciting things you will ever do as a student.

The Schedule/Syllabus:

This class meets once per week and is marked on a pass/not pass basis.To pass the first semester of this class and continue with the IB program as a Diploma candidate, you will need to

ü    Attend all sessions, and if you miss class, make up for it by attending a tutorial with me ASAP after missing the sessions.

ü    Purchase the text They Say I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. SECOND EDITION. Norton, 2010. You don’t have to purchase the edition “with readings,” but if you want to, please do.

ü    Complete weekly assignments both in and outside class—none will be burdensome, but hopefully, all will contribute to the foundation you need to approach the EE effectively.

ü    PARTICIPATE in class through attention, reflection, response and questioning.

For personal materials, please purchase a binder(at least 1.5 in) stocked with looseleaf paper and pockets. You will receive handouts; other materials will be posted online, so expect to utilize the Newman Academic Portal on a regular basis.

Weekly Dates, Meetings and Topics, and Weekwork (NOT Weak Work!!!)

September 10-14:Introduction to the Extended Essay/Syllabus Distribution

Weekwork: Locate your best piece of writing; make a list of 5 “things” that you’re curious about

September 17-21:The IB “Rubrics” and Rules of the Game; Identifying Topic (s) of Interest

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

September 24-28:What is Argument, Prologue: A Visit to Beer Street and Gin Lane

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

October 8-12:What is Argument, I: Making Claims

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

October 15-19:What is Argument, II: Grounds

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

October 22-26:What is Argument, III: Warrants and Backings

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

October 29-November 2:The Guts of Argument and Identifying Research Questions

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

November 5-9:What is Research, I: Developing Background Knowledge

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

November 12-16:What is Research, II: Primary Sources and Discovery/Original Research

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

November 19-23:What is Research, III: Secondary Sources, Traditional and Emergent

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

November 26-30:What is Research, IV: On Quoting, Paraphrasing, Citing, and Plagiarism

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

December 3-7:Developing your Research Question (s)

Weekwork:                                                                                                                                               

December 10-14:Setting a plan for Winter Break

Weekwork: