Syllabus for ENG 104-92

College Writing and Rhetoric

(Pat Smith )

English 104-92S: College Writing and Rhetoric
Spring 2000
Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Instructor:          Pat Smith                    Home Phone:     324-3560
E-Mail:               pat.smith@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Office Hours:          By Appointment
Class:               9:00-11:45 am Saturdays, JGM 120
Required Materials:
     Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 6th edition. Boston:
          Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.

     Companion texts: Who Are We? Readings on Identity, Community, Work, and Career and
          Sticks and Stones and Other Student Essays (same editors and publisher as above).
Recommended Materials:
     Ebest, Sally Barr, et. al., eds. Writing From A to Z: The Easy-to-Use-Reference Handbook.
          Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co., 1997.
     A good college dictionary and thesaurus.

Course Description and Goals: Please see the following internet site:
               http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp
Attendance: Each Saturday class represents one week of the semester or three class sessions. A
single absence, therefore, constitutes missing one week of classes. Multiple absences will lower your
grade. The third absence will result in an automatic "F."
Essays: Each student will be required to complete four essays in this class. Each essay should be
between 3-5 pages in length. It is an English Department requirement that the drafts of all essay be word
processed. For students without access to a word processor, MWSC has several computer labs on
campus. Regardless of the computer used, saving each assignment on disk is essential since revisions
will be made. Technical problems do not constitute a legitimate excuse for late work or unacceptable
format.
     Final drafts are to be submitted in a two pocket folder, containing all pre-writing activities for the
assignment. No credit will be given unless all documents are submitted with the final draft.
Revisions: Essays are to be revised throughout the semester, even though the formal revision will not be
due until the end-of-semester portfolio.
     Any major paper receiving a grade below a C is unacceptable. If you receive a grade below a C,
you should schedule a conference to discuss the essay and to work out a revision plan leading to the re-
submission of the essay.
Journal: The purpose of the journal is to keep an accurate log of assigned readings. Journals, while
informal and brief, still need to be typed (word processed) and in the student's possession at each class
meeting.
Quizzes: Quizzes, given during the beginning of the class session, will cover the readings assigned
for that class period. There will be no opportunity to make up quizzes.
Portfolio: The final assignment will be a collection of revised essays. It is your responsibility to keep
all of the writing done in this class. More information concerning the portfolio will be provided later.

Academic Honesty: Cheating, plagiarism, and knowingly furnishing false information in either the
classroom or on paper constitutes a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the MWSC
Student Handbook. Violations of this policy are grounds for a failing grade for the course and referral to
the English Department Chair and the Dean of Students.
Disabled Student Policy: Any student enrolled in this course who has a disability that prevents
the fullest expression of his or her potential to succeed in this course must notify me in writing as soon as
possible so we may discuss the course requirements and options available.
Center for Academic Support: The Center for Academic Support provides trained tutors for
students requiring additional reading and writing instruction. There is no cost to the ENG 104 student for
using these services. The Center can be of assistance to the student in the following areas: proofreading
a draft for mechanical correctness, writing a thesis statement, organizing ideas, and structuring ideas into
an essay form. You are encouraged to make use of these services throughout this course.
Grading: The assignments for this semester include:
          Four essays
          Journal
          Quizzes     /In-class writings
          Portfolio
          Final Exam
     Scores on these assignments will be tallied at the end of the course. Final grades will be based
on the following scale:

               A     90-100%
               B     80-89%
               C     70-79%
               D     60-69%
               F     Below 60%


Students must complete ALL assignments in order to pass the class.

Writing Assignments
Sept. 9          Paper #1 due. Personal Narrative (reflective essay)
Oct. 7          Paper #2 due. Concept Paper (informative essay)
Oct. 28          Paper #3 due. Position Paper (argumentative essay)
Nov. 18          Paper #4 due. Solution Paper (argumentative essay)
Dec. 9          Final Exam. In class--Persuasive Paper (argumentative essay)


Reading and Writing Assignments
Aug. 26          Introduction to course, define journals, and discuss writings. Preview texts. Begin
          Chapt. 2--Remembering Events (25-78).
          WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay about an event in your life ( 51-59). Typed
          working draft due by next class period.
          JOURNAL: Do "Analyzing Writing Strategies" for each of the readings. Be sure to label
          and date each entry.
Sept. 2          Review Chapt. 2. Share papers. IN CLASS WRITING: Write about a problem you
          encountered in writing your essay and how you solved it ( 74).
          Turn in journal pages.
          READING ASSIGNMENT: Sticks and Stones--Chapt. 2 (4-27); "The Lottery" (68-76) in
          Who Are We? Be prepared for quiz!

Sept. 9          #1 paper due--Personal Narrative (3 copies needed). Peer editing session.
          Discuss reading assignment. Begin Chapt. 5--Explaining a Concept (183-236).
          JOURNAL: Do "Analyzing Writing Strategies" for each of the readings. Label and date
          each entry.
Sept. 16     #1 paper "edited" copy due. Discuss Chapt. 5. Turn in Journal pages.
          WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay about a concept that interests you and that
          you'd like to learn more about (217-229).
          READING ASSIGNMENT: Sticks and Stones--Chapt. 5 (67-92);"Larger Than Life" (32-
          43) in Who Are We?.
Sept. 23     Discuss reading assignment. In class writing.
Sept. 30     #2 paper due--Concept Paper (3 copies needed). Share papers/problems. Begin
          Chapt. 6.
          WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay on a controverial issue (265-276).
          JOURNAL: Do "Analyzing Writing Strategies" for each of the readings. Label and date
          each entry.
Oct. 7          #2 paper "edited" copy due. Peer editing session. Discuss Chapt. 6. Turn in
          Journal pages. Midterm grades due 10/18.
          READING ASSIGNMENT: Sticks and Stones--Chapt. 6 (96-116);
Oct. 14          Discuss reading assignment. In class writing.
Oct. 21          #3 paper due--Position paper (3 copies needed). Share papers/problems.
          WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay in which you propose a solution to a specific
          problem (325-336).
          JOURNAL: Do "Analyzing Writing Strategies" for each of the readings. Label and date
          each entry.
Oct. 28          #3 paper "edited" copy due. Peer editing session. Discuss Chapt. 7. Turn in
          Journal pages.
          READING ASSIGNMENT: Sticks and Stones--Chapt. 7 (117-138).
Nov. 4          Discuss reading assignment. In class writing.
Nov. 11     #4 paper due--Solution paper (3 copies needed). Share papers/problems.
Nov. 18     #4 paper "edited" copy due. Peer editing session. In class writing.
Nov. 25     Thanksgiving Break--NO CLASS
Dec. 2            Portfolios due. In class writing. Discuss final exam.
Dec. 9          Final Exam

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