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 Office Phone: 271-4310
E-Mail: pat.smith@sjsd.k12.mo.us Home Phone: 324-3560
Office Hours: By Appointment
Class: 9:00-11:45am Saturdays, SSC 221
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
laGuardia, Dolores and Hans P. Guth. AMERICAN VOICES: MULTICULTURAL LITERACY AND CRITICAL
THINKING. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co.,1993.
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 fifth 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. The closest one to this class is
SSC 226. Regardless of the computer used, saving each assignment on disk is essential since revisions will be
made.
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.
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, 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 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
Class Presentation
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.
Reading and Writing Assignments
Jan. 22 Introduction to course, define journals, discuss writings. Preview
AMERICAN VOICES text. Discuss "Writing about Your Reading," pp. 236- 242.
Jan. 29 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 1, "Growing Up in America," pp. 29-66.
Feb. 5 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 2, "Diversity and Community," pp. 75-112.
Feb. 12 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 3, " Rediscovering America," pp. 121-164.
Paper #1 due.
Feb. 19 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 4, "Unheard Voices," pp. 175-232.
Feb. 26 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 5, "Rethinking Race," pp. 241-293.
Mar. 4 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 6, "Constructing Gender," pp. 301-350.
Mar. 11 Last class before mid-term grades--AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 7, "Image and Reality," pp.
359-399.
Paper #2 due
Mar. 18 SPRING BREAK--No class
Mar. 25 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 8, "In Search of Heroes," pp. 407-446.
April 1 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 9, "Bond or Barrier?" pp. 453-497.
April 8 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 10, "Living at Risk," pp. 503-547.
Paper #3 due.
April 15 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 11, "Saving the Planet," pp. 555-591.
April 22 AMERICAN VOICES, Chapt. 12, "Watching the Trend," pp. 603-637.
April 29 Catch Up!
Paper #4 due.
May 6 FINAL EXAM
Portfolios due
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