ENGLISH 104: COLLEGE WRITING AND RHETORIC
Spring, 2000
Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
SECTION - 90N; W 6:30-9:20; SSC 215
Instructor:Tom Pankiewicz Office Phone:271-4310
Office:SSC 208K
Home Phone:279-2794
E-Mail:tom.pankiewicz@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Office Hours: By Appointment
"If you have the ability to find specific, accurate information and fit it together in a meaningful pattern through language you will have the pleasure of making something that was not there before, of finding significance where others find confusion, of bringing order to chaos."
Donald Murray
COURSE PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
A writing class must be one of activity. You will learn very little if you only listen to lectures about writing. Only when you read and discuss ideas, write and revise works does learning take place. This class will give you the opportunity to read, discuss and write frequently. I hope it will be a demanding, challenging class, one that helps you find significance where others find confusion, one that helps you bring order to chaos.
For a complete course description, objectives and a sample paper, visit to the English Department website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/genstud.aspObjectives
Upon completion of ENG 104: 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.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide To Writing. 5th Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
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
A thesaurus
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance
Each evening class represents one week of the semester or three class sessions. A single absence, therefore, is the same as missing a week of classes. More than two absences will lower your grade.
Essays
You will complete four revised, peer-edited essays and several exploratory essays in this class. Each essay should be between 2 and 4 pages in length, at least 600 words. It is an English Department requirement that the drafts of all essays be word processed. If you do not have a computer or access to one, you should familiarize yourself with one of the computer labs on campus.
Papers receiving a grade below a C are unacceptable. You will be asked to schedule a conference and revise these papers.
Portfolio
The final assignment will be a collection of your writing. It is your responsibility to keep all of the writing done in this class. More information of this assignment will be provided later.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is an act of theft. It is taking another's words or ideas and calling them your own. That does not mean you cannot use another's words or ideas to illustrate and to support your thoughts, but it does mean that you must give credit to the one whose words and ideas you are using.
A discussion of plagiarism is found on page 602 in The St. Martin's Guide. Please read this section.
Plagiarism cannot be tolerated. If an has evidence of plagiarism, the essay will receive a zero.
Disabled Student Policy
Any student enrolled in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities or that prevents or hinders the completion of class requirements as stated in the syllabus should contact the instructor immediately in writing so it can be discussed how he/she can be helped to meet class requirements.
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
I expect you to complete all assignments on time. If you are facing difficulties in completing a major assignment, please discuss the problems with me.
The assignments for this semester include:
* Four multiple-draft, revised essays worth 100 points each
* Several exploratory drafts worth 25 points each
* Several microthemes worth 25 points each
* Various class activities including discussion, peer editing, and in-class writing
* An end-of-semester Portfolio worth 200 points.
* A final examination
Your scores on these assignments will be tallied at the end of the year. Your final grade will be based on the following scale:
100 - 90% = A
89 - 80% = B
79 - 70% = C
69 - 60% = D
Below 60% = F
A PERSONAL NOTE
I am here to help you. You will notice that this syllabus includes my home phone number. Please call me (at a decent hour) if you have a question or a problem. If necessary, we can schedule a conference.
Course Schedule
This schedule explains the directions of the class, but it is subject to change.
January 19: Introductions and explanations. In-class essay. Assignment: Read "Grandma," p. 71 and "Father," p. 82. Complete an exploratory draft of an important person essay.
Review "Narrating," p. 481.
January 26: Discuss readings. Peer edit exploratory draft. Assignment: Read "On Being a Real Westerner," p. 26 and "Calling Home," 35. Complete an exploratory draft on a significant event. Review "Describing," p. 491.
February 2: Discuss readings. Peer edit exploratory draft. Workshop. Assignment: Read "The Use of Force," p. 388. Complete a microtheme in response to this story. Review "A Catalog of Invention Strategies," p. 429.
February 9: Discuss reading. Workshop: Revision. Assignment: Revise one of the exploratory drafts. Read "Why Write," p. 30 and "A Different Kind of Mother," p. 78.
February 16: Discuss reading. Peer Edit revision. Conference. Assignment: Polish Revision for publication. Read "School Serves No Purpose," p. 120 and "Children Need to Play, Not Compete," p. 218. Complete a microtheme in response to one of these essays. Review "A Catalog of Reading Strategies," p. 441.
February 23: Revision is due. Discuss readings. Introduce Family Essay. Assignment: Read "Birth Control in the Schools," p. 257 and "Working at McDonald's," p. 299. Complete an exploratory draft of the Family essay. Review "Cueing The Reader," p. 465.
March 1: Discuss readings. Peer edit Family draft. Assignment: Revise Family essay. Read "Uncle Willie," p. 67. Review "Defining," p. 503.
March 8: Discuss reading. Peer Edit Family essay. Conferences. Assignment: Polish Family Essay for publication. Complete a definition essay. Read "In Defense of Talk Shows," p. 209 and "Talking Trash," p. 304. Review "Comparing and Contrasting," p. 520.
March 15: Spring Break.
March 22: Family Essay due. Discuss readings. Peer edit definition. Assignment: Complete a comparison/contrast essay. Read "The Declining Art of Political Debate," p. 214 and "Street Hassle," p.253. Review "Arguing," p. 526.
March 29: Discuss readings. Peer edit comparison. Introduce Media and Society Essay. Assignment: Complete an exploratory draft on Media and Society. Read "The Strange Disappearance of Civil America," p. 348 and "The Strange Disappearance of Civil America," p. 348.
April 5: Discuss readings. Peer edit Media and Society draft. Assignment: Revise Media and Society. Read "Sticks and Stones and Sports Team Names," p. 204.
April 12: Discuss reading. Peer edit Media and Society revision. Introduce Inquiry Essay. Assignment: Polish Media and Society essay for publication. Read "Love: The Right Chemistry," p. 159. Complete an exploratory draft of the Inquiry essay.
April 26: Discuss reading. Introduce Inquiry. Assignment: Revise Inquiry essay. Read "Why We Crave Horror Movies," p.339.
May 2: Discuss reading. Peer Edit Inquiry revision. Introduce Portfolio. Assignment: Revise Inquiry essay for publication. Complete portfolio.
May 10: Final Exam. Portfolio (Inquiry Essay and Revision of a previous essay or microtheme) is due.
Back to Index