| Fall 2000 Syllabi for ENG104 - 08: College Writing and Rhetoric Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism Instructor: Jan Norton
Office: LRC 213
Hours: by appointment
Phone: 271-4536
Email: norton@griffon.mwsc.edu
Internet: www.missouriwestern.edu/~norton
Class Time, Location, & Attendance
This class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 - 3:20 p.m. in JGM 302. The last regular class meeting is Thursday, November 30; the final exam period is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, from 2:00 - 3:50 p.m.
There is no grade specifically associated with attendance or absence; that is, no points are added or subtracted simply for the act of showing up (or not) for class. However, I accept no late work and offer no make-up activities, so anything missed in class means that there will be grade points lost.
Textbooks & Materials
The only required text for the course is a collection of essays, Townships, edited by Michael Martone and published by the University of Iowa Press. Writing From A to Z is recommended.
Course Description & Objectives
The department publishes the following description of the course: "ENG 104 students will complete four formal writing assignments in addition to other graded and ungraded work through which they will learn how to discover ideas, respond to texts, and summarize others' ideas. In these assignments, students will learn how to analyze readings and share information with others by reading and responding to course texts and other materials gathered through research. Final drafts of all formal writing assignments must be word-processed. All students are expected to be prepared for class and participate in class discussions related to reading and writing assignments. In addition, students will keep complete portfolios of all their writings."
In this class, you will have the opportunity to write five formal papers: four are required, with the fifth optional for students who wish to improve their course grade by rewriting one of the four required essays. All of your formal essays will need to be produced on a word processor, printed on white paper (front only), with standard 1" margins and 12-point type. Being "prepared for class" means reading assignments prior to class, bringing textbooks and writing materials to class, and participating in discussions.
According to the standardized course objectives, by the end of the class, you should understand that:
§ writing can be used for different purposes.
§ multiple audiences exist.
§ writing is a recursive process.
§ many productive ways exist to generate ideas and images for your work.
§ common patterns of organization exist.
§ formal distinctions exist among different prose genres.
§ editing skills enable writers to polish their work in order to keep the reader's attention focused on the message conveyed or the experience created.
§ reading is an interactive process that functions in our lives as a pleasurable activity as well as a
means of acquiring knowledge. For a more detailed version of the above objectives for all ENG104 sections, check out the following website: www.missouriwestern.edu/~engdept/eng104.html
Academic Honesty
It is simply assumed that you will do all of your own work for this course. If you have any questions about what plagiarism is, review the document at the English department's website:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp.
Students with Disabilities
Any students who have a learning disability, medical problem, or other condition(s) which could affect academic performance are urged to speak with me about their concerns and to meet with Lois Fox, the campus coordinator for services to students with disabilities.
Grading
The most significant grades for the course are the four required essays: each essay is worth 60 points, or 20% of the final grade. Other grade points (a total of 60) are from quizzes, in-class writings, reading responses, essay analyses, and other assignments or projects. In other words, there are 300 points possible for the course.
Your grade will be based on a percentage of the total, as follows: Points Percentage Grade
270-300 90-100 A
240-269 80-89 B
210-239 70-79 C
180-209 60-69 D
0-179 0-59 F Please keep in mind that you must earn a C or better in order to take ENG108.
As mentioned earlier, four papers are required, but students have the option to re-write one of those papers in order to improve the grade on that paper. The fifth paper will be due during the final exam period; its grade will replace the earlier grade for the paper.
Tentative Course Outline:
Reading Assignments & Paper Due Dates
T 8/22 Review of syllabus, outline
In-class writing Th 8/24 Writing description
Discussion of Essay #1 assignment
T 8/29 Read "Correctionville, Iowa" (pp. 1-13) and "Water Plans" (26-30) in Townships Th 8/31 Essay #1 due
In-class writing
T 9/5 Read "After the Flood" in Townships, pp. 157-164 Th 9/7 Read "Where I'm From -- Originally" (56-66) and "In the First Place of
My Life" (198-206) in Townships
Discuss Essay #2 assignment
T 9/12 Writing comparison & contrast Th 9/14 Bring printed "Glossary of Terms" and "Avoiding Plagiarism" from these websites:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/lg/glossary.html
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp
T 9/19 Read "Rummage" (38-42) and "Jefferson Township: The Land That Made Me"
(83-91) in Townships Th 9/21 Essay #2 first rough draft due
T 9/26 Techniques for revision & editing Th 9/28 Essay #2 second rough draft due
T 10/3 Read "Active Voice" (109-116) and "Townline" (117-120) in Townships Th 10/5 Essay #2 due
In-class writing T 10/10 Read "At the Edge of Town: Duluth, Minn." (pp. 14-20) in Townships Th 10/12 Read "The Landfill of Memory, the Landscape of the Imagination" (95-108)
in Townships
T 10/17 Read "Rosewood Township" (67-82) in Townships Th 10/19 Read "None of Us Went Back" (140-145) in Townships
T 10/24 Discussion of Essay #4 assignment Th 10/26 Essay #3 due
In-class writing
T 10/31 Writing surveys & questionnaires for research Th 11/2 In-class writing & group work
T 11/7 Survey research projects Th 11/9 Survey research projects
T 11/14 Essay #4 rough draft due
In-class writing Th 11/16 Quotation & Paraphrase
T 11/21 Essay #4 due Th 11/23 No class: Thanksgiving
T 11/28 Read "Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley" (172-191) in Townships Th 11/30 Course evaluation
Final exam: Tuesday, December 5, 2:00 - 3:50 p.m.
Portfolio & review due
Revision due (optional)
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