Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
English 100-01, 02, 03: Introduction to College Writing
1:00-1:50 pm, MW - Room SS/C220, F - Room SS/C226
Writer's Workshop: 8:00-8:50 am, MW
Spring 2000
Instructor: Cathy Gann
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Office: LRC 218; Phone: 271-5621
Office Hours: By appointment
E-mail: gann@griffon.mwsc.edu
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Cavitch, David, ed. Life Studies: An Analytic Reader. 6th ed. Boston:
Bedford, 1998.
English 100 Writer's Workshops. Spring 2000 ed.
2 computer disks and a disk storage box
Photocopies for group work
Two 2-pocket composition folders
Course Goals:
Reading Goals:
At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to:
· Read actively. Active reading may be demonstrated by writing papers that
address ideas and examples from readings but do not limit themselves to
summarizing those readings. Instead, those papers will use the ideas and
examples as part of the argument writers want to make about a topic.
· Begin to enter conversations among texts. Entering a conversation among texts
means having the ability to draw connections between different readings, to
test theories and examples from one reading against theories and examples from
another, and to make judgments about the significance of their findings.
· Use texts to understand their own and others' experiences.
· Recognize good writing by actively reading good prose.
Writing Goals2:
At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to:
· Move from writer-based prose to reader-based prose.
· Write with improved fluency.
· Structure their writing to fit the assignment and audience (paragraphs,
thesis, transitions, details).
· Develop their ideas and concepts with specifics, details, arguments
appropriate to audience and assignment.
· Move recursively (prewritings, drafting, rewrites, editing, proofreading) in
completing writing tasks.
General Studies Goals:
At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to:
· Think critically and reason analytically.
· Write and speak clearly and effectively.
· Gain a greater awareness of the present through an understanding of other
cultures and times.
· Understand and appreciate moral values and ethical choices.
· Understand and enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative
activities.
Attendance Policy:
Students are responsible for all material covered and assignments given during
their absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the
class period. Late assignments will be penalized 10 percent per calendar day
late, and any paper not submitted at the beginning of the hour on the due date
will be considered one day late. This class has a very strict attendance policy
in Writer's Workshops as well as class. If you miss more than six class periods
and/or four Writer's Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. There are no
exceptions and no "makeups" for this attendance requirement. There are no
excused absences. Students must be in class at the beginning of the hour or they
are counted absent.
Course Requirements and Grading Policy:
Your grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the
writings you submit, and your class participation over the course of the
semester. The components of your grade in the course are:
Writing: You will complete four major writing tasks that will be evaluated by
your ENG 100 instructor. A student who does not turn in responses to all four
tasks will not pass the course even if the evaluations of the other writing tasks
are satisfactory. All work must be complete for you to complete this course.
Progress as a writer: Your progress as a writer will be assessed through an
end-of-semester portfolio in which you must put your revised responses to the
writing tasks. Your portfolio must receive an "acceptable" evaluation in order
for you to pass ENG 100.
Participation: Participation in daily class discussions, reading response
papers, quizzes, in-class writings, class activities, coming prepared for peer
revision workshops, group participation, written and oral feedback to others, and
group and/or individual oral presentations will count towards participation
credit.
Writer's Workshop : Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the
twice-a-week, small group Writer's Workshops (listed as "labs" in the class
schedule). Some of your Writer's Workshop materials will be used in class, and
some of your class papers will be critiqued and proofread in Writer's Workshops.
At the end of the semester, you will turn in selected writings from Writer's
Workshop to your instructor. You must submit these materials in order to pass
ENG 100.
Regular attendance. If you miss more than six class periods and/or four Writer's
Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. There are no exceptions and no
"makeups" for this attendance requirement.
Due Dates for Formal Writing Assignments: Grading Scale:
Task One: Friday, 2/11 A = 90-100
Task Two: Friday, 3/10 B = 80-89
Task Three: Friday, 4/7 C = 70-79
Task Four: Monday, 5/1 D = 60-69
F = 0-59
Student Disability:
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest
expressions of abilities should contact me as soon as possible so that we can
discuss class requirements.
Academic Honesty Policy:
Cheating and plagiarism on assignments or tests are not acceptable. You will
receive a grade of F for the paper that shows evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism. Also note the statement on "Composition Ethics and Plagiarism" in
the Composition Course Guide, p. 13.
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