Syllabus for ENG 104-04

College Writing and Rhetoric

(Stacia L. Bensyl)


Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism

English 104-04 10:00-10:50 MW SS/C 215 10:00-10:50 F SS/C 226

Dr. Stacia Bensyl  SS/C 208P 

Phone 271-5936  email—bensyl@griffon.mwsc.edu

Office hours: 11:00-12:00 MWF and 1:00-2:00 MW, 10:00-11:00 T/Th and 2:00-4:00 Th, and by appointment



Required Text:

American Voices: Culture and Community

I will also provide you with photocopied material periodically in class.   I strongly suggest you have a folder or notebook of some type in which to keep these materials.



Course Objectives:

The course objectives for English 104 are outlined at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/genstud.asp.  I strongly recommend that students review these course objectives in addition to my going over them the first day of class.



Paper Topics:

Paper #1: Personal narrative on identity.  

Paper #2: Proposing a solution essay.

Paper #3: Comparison/contrast essay.

Paper #4: Documented essay using texts from American Voices. 

Final:  Friday, May 5, 11:30-1:20, in this room.



Your four papers and the final are worth 100 points each.



In class writing policy:

Each day you will write something in class.  The points assigned for those writings will be either a) clearly indicated at the top of the page, if the assignment is photocopied or b) clearly announced at the beginning of class if the assignment is not photocopied.  Please have a folder for your in-class writings.  I will collect them daily and hand them back to you the next class meeting.



Attendance policy:

I don’t take class time to call the roll.  Your in-class writings take the place of that.  As per the above item, these cannot be made up.  I will allow you one mental health day and two excused absences for things such as an on campus event you must participate in, jury duty, a death, illness, etc.  I will consider other absences on a case by case basis.  Ultimately, however, any absences above three will be excused at my discretion.  



Student Disability:

Students with disabilities (impaired hearing, vision, reading disorders, etc.) should notify me in writing of the disability before the end of the first week of class.  In consultation with the Center for Academic Support, I will work out a course of study for such students.



Grading policy:

First off, you can't pass this class without turning in all four of your essays and taking the final.  The grading scale is as follows:

100-90% = A

80-89%  = B

70-79%  = C

60-69%  = D

59-0%   = F

Remember, you must received a grade of "C" or above to enroll in English 108 next semester.



Late paper policy:

You may turn in one late paper.  It must be turned in the class meeting after its original due date.



Class Assignment Schedule:

Please remember that this is a TENTATIVE schedule.  We may need to adjust due dates or assignment dates as the semester progresses.  NB:  The term “invention” refers to your creating your own writing.  Sometimes we might see a film or read a photocopied hand-out to get the invention process going.  Ideally, the invention opportunities should help you build up to your four papers if you do them carefully and thoughtfully.



UNIT ONE

1-19	Introduction

1-21	CAI

1-24	"Born among the Born-Again"

1-26	invention  "A Black Athlete Looks at Education"

1-28	CAI  

1-31	invention  

2-2	"Forum: Bridging Two Cultures"

2-4	CAI  

UNIT TWO

2-7	Rough draft of Paper #1 due for peer review in class

2-9	no class meeting--Final draft of Paper #1 due in my mailbox by 4:00   p.m. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

2-11	CAI

2-14	invention  "Forum: Disparity of Wealth"

2-16	invention  "The Decline of Fatherhood"

2-18	CAI

2-21	President's Day  no class

2-23	Rough draft of Paper #2 due for peer review in class

UNIT THREE

2-25	CAI	final draft of Paper #2 due  

2-28	"The Mosaic vs. the Myth"		

3-3	CAI

3-6	"Talk in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers"

3-8	"Prayer Isn't Always Allowed"

3-10    CAI

3-13    Spring Break

3-15	Spring Break

3-17    Spring Break

3-20	handouts

3-22	invention

3-24    CAI

3-27	handouts

3-29	invention

3-31    CAI

4-3	Rough draft of Paper #3 due for peer review in class

4-5     final draft of Paper #3 due documentation instruction

UNIT FOUR 

4-7	CAI  documentation practice	

4-10	choosing a topic for Paper #4

4-12	invention

4-15    CAI  documentation practice

4-17	choosing a list of sources from American Voices

4-19	invention

4-20    CAI

4-24	invention

4-26	Rough draft of Paper #4 due for peer review in class

4-28    CAI

5-1	Final draft of Paper #4 due





Rewrite Policy:

You may re-write papers #1, #2, and #3 for a better grade.  Due dates for re-writes will be announced in class when I had back papers.  The grade you receive for the re-write supercedes the grade you initially received.  I do not require students to re-write.  The process is optional.  I do require you, however, to take the re-write process seriously.  Simply making mechanical changes in the paper is not re-writing, it's editing.  That should have been done initially.  In order to emphasize the seriousness of re-writing, I require all students who wish to re-write to visit the Center for Academic Support, make an appointment with a tutor, and discuss your paper.  I will make forms for this process available to you.  When you submit your re-write, you must include the initial, graded version of your paper, as well as the new, re-written version, and the CAS form, signed by the tutor with whom you met.  I will not accept the re-write if you do not have all the information required.

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