Important Notes About Essay Assignment

Presented January 19, 2010 And again on February 19, 2010

Do not annoy the marker

Use a standard size font (12pt) Use black ink Double space Get someone to proof read
I am marking you on spelling and grammar frequent mistakes make it hard to understand This is a formal essaywould you give this to a future employer during an interview?

Spell Check is Evil (funny, but evil)

It will correct your words, but it might insert words with a different meaning:
Langara = lingerie I spent the weekend spaying fleas Global warming and fornication??????

Why Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable information source

Information can be changed on a regular basis If enough people say that something is true, then it is true Unless you are an expert in the field, you probably dont have the ability to tell hoaxes from the truth

Stephen Colbert and African Elephants

+
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/225/458340638_b485bc4927.jpg

http://www.elephantcountryweb.com/AfricanElephant111.jpg

http://blogs.toonboom.com/professional/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wikipedia-logo.png

The population of African elephants tripled in the past decade

The population of African elephants tripled in the past decade

B3ta.com and Wikipedia

Announce celebrity deaths Insert tiny photos of Status Quo into high resolution images (like Wheres Waldo)

http://www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk/covers/large/METRCD103.jpg

This Week in Wikipedia

Omonia Nicosiaknown as the Zany Ones and wear hats made from shoes

This Week in Wikipedia

Dear David (and could the mirrornews email please be forwarded to the sport/football editor),
Thank you for your article in today's Mirror (18th September 2008) about Omonia Nicosia. The bit I enjoyed most was the following paragraph "Despite City's raised profile, they must make do with the UEFA Cup this season and Hughes will not tolerate any slip-ups against the Cypriot side, whose fans are known as the 'Zany Ones' and wear hats made from shoes.". Why? Well, shortly after the draw was made, a friend and I made a few alterations to the Wikipedia page for Omonia. The "Zany Ones", "hats made from discarded shoes" and the "song about a little potato" are, as you may have discovered in Nicosia, completely fabricated. The clues were there in the rest of the article. They have a new sponsor - Natasha Kaplinsky - and their former players include Jean Claude Van Damme and Richard Clayderman. My favourite is in the Board of Directors section... # Governor of Football: Nikos Charalambous # Governor of Basketball: Petros Souppouris # Governor of Volleyball: Photos Ioannou # Governor of Hitlersball: Albert Hall I hope you take this in the spirit it was meant, and hope this reminds you not to trust everything you read on Wikipedia. Any donations to our Friday beer fund would be most welcome. Perhaps your editor would like to contribute your fee for the article, as you evidently didn't do any fact checking. Thank you,

Corporate Revisionism
Wal-Mart kept changing the article about them to remove information that their wages are lower than that of their competitors. Inserted (false) claim that their wages were twice the federal minimum wage ($6.55 x 2 = $13.10).

Corporate Revisionism
Pepsi repeatedly removed a section from the article about them on Long term health effects.
Health Concerns: With the beverage industry's cost-cutting shift to corn sweetener during the 1980s, Pepsi and similar products no longer contain large amounts of sugar, if any. The sole exception is the seasonal release of "Kosher for Passover" Pepsi (and Coca-Cola) products, which may not be available in all geographic regions. Orthodox Kosher law forbids consumption of grain products during the Passover season, hence corn sweetener is replaced with sugar during springtime months. The presence of sugar instead of corn byproducts renders lighter-colored, less brownish carbonation bubbles, and produces what some aficionados describe as a cleaner swallow and sweeter taste. Excessive sugar intake is thought to be a contributing factor in the development of certain types of diabetes. Sugar is also a leading contributor to tooth decay.[citation needed]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi#Health_concerns accessed Sept. 18, 2008

Information Can Disappear

What if you cite Wikipedia today, and I check your citation tomorrow?
The info you cited may be gone!

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence

If you use someone elses exact words (e.g., copy directly from the textbook, or copy and paste from a website):
It must be in quotation marks AND it must be clearly referenced

HOWEVER: We do not use quotations in science writing. EVERYTHING should be in your own words AND referenced.

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence

Senecas Policy on Plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism are offenses which will not be tolerated by the College. Such offenses occur when a student misrepresents his or her performance on any form of academic evaluation including, but not limited to, written assignments, lab experiments, group projects, tests or examinations. The penalty for the first offense of cheating or plagiarism ia a grade of "O" on the work in which the offense occurred. The penalty for the second offense of cheating or plagiarism is immediate expulsion from the college for the remainder of the semester or longer, depending on the circumstances. The student has the right to appeal the decision of the College consistent with Academic Policy. A record will be maintained of each cheating and plagiarism incident and the offense will be recorded as a comment on the student's transcript.
1. http://people.senecac.on.ca/kathy.kells/antiplagiarism/ 1

4. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence

This website has lots of resources to teach you how to avoid plagiarism: http://www.senecac.on.ca/library/Academic_Ho nesty/other_resources_students.html

Excessive use of quotes will get you a very low mark

Everything (including definitions) should be in your own words AND referenced:
In your own words shows that you understand the word or the subject Referencing shows that it was not your original idea, so you are giving credit to where you learned it (i.e., not referencing = plagiarism)

Re-mark Policy
I WILL NOT discuss your paper with you the day that I hand it back. Take your paper home, look at it closely, and if you believe that you have a valid case for me to reconsider your paper:

Re-mark Policy
1. Write the reason for your request on a piece of paper and attach it to your assignment. 2. Give me back the assignment and your written request at a later class, OR email and set up a time to discuss the issue with me, at which time you must produce the written request.

1. I cant add 2. You made a valid point that you think I missed 3. I deducted marks for a factual error and you think Im wrong (e.g., You told me that African elephants are important for the maintenance of tiger populations, and I marked it wrong. You would need to provide me with a credible source that tigers occur in the wild in Africa, and not just in Asia/Siberia)

Examples of Valid Reasons for Re-Mark