English 104-61: College Writing and Rhetoric

T-Th 8:00-9:20 Fall 2001

Teacher: Dr. Cynthia Jeney

Office: S/SC 222-K

Phone: 271-4447

Office Hours: Mon 1:30-3:00; Tues 4:30-6:00

E-mail: jeney@griffon.mwsc.edu

Required Text:

John D. Ramage and John C. Bean The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing.

Recommended:

Branscomb & Gotthoffer. Composition on the Net: 2001 (bundled in with new copies of Ramage & Bean)

Make sure you have read assigned sections of the textbook before coming to class on the day readings are listed. Come to class prepared for quizzes and discussion based on the assigned reading.

Other Course Materials:

A stapler. Yes. Get your own. Bring it with you. You’ll need it.

A steady working email account (preferably your MWSC email account)
Several 3.5” floppy disks (PC-formatted), each one labeled with your name, course title, and contact information

(increasing the slight chance that it will be returned, should you leave it in a computer floppy-drive)

Pocket folder for handouts

Recommended:

A good desk dictionary such as Webster’s New World College Dictionary 4^th Edition.

The Official Course Description:

ENG 104 students will complete four formal writing assignments in addition to other graded and ungraded work through which they will learn how to discover ideas, respond to texts, and summarize others’ ideas. In these assignments, students will learn how to analyze readings and share information with others by reading and responding to course texts and other materials gathered through research. Final drafts of all formal writing assignments must be word-processed, and possibly submitted electronically. All students are expected to be prepared for class. All students are expected to participate in class discussions related to reading and writing assignments.

You should keep all assignments you have completed for this class. Before any grade appeal will be processed for a student in ENG 100, 104, or 108, the complete portfolio of writings will have to be submitted to the Departmental Review Committee. In order for an ENG 104 student to be admitted into ENG 108, he or she must earn at least a C in ENG 104.

For course goals & objectives, see the EFLJ Department website http://www2.mwsc.edu/eflj/eng104.html

Class meetings: Class meetings are conducted under the assumption that students are well-versed in the conventions of classrooms and academic environments. Come to class prepared, and plan to participate and remain engaged with the materials for the entire class period. In the unlikely and unfortunate event that you find yourself unprepared, come anyway, but I expect you to arrive doubly-prepared the next time. Should the situation become chronic, you may wish to re-examine your priorities for the semester, as this is a writing- and participation-intensive course. In short: develop good academic habits now, or pay later.

This Syllabus: Read this syllabus very carefully, and refer to it often. All information presented here is regarded as part of your own knowledge. All answers to your questions about the class will be based on an assumption that you understand the syllabus and seek further clarification. The teacher reserves the right to alter this syllabus and to make announced changes as need arises during the course of the semester.

Due Dates: Dates for handing in all required assignments are listed in the course schedule attached. There is no room in the semester calendar for late papers. I do not accept late papers, due to my current teaching load and conference schedule. An assignment not received on its due date is given a Zero. Add this to the knowledge that all required work must receive a grade above zero in order to pass the course, and realize that a late paper equals a failing grade for the course.

Make a note of all due dates now, and plan accordingly.

Attendance: A student with more than four unexcused absences (Tuesday-Thursday schedule, equivalent to more than 2 weeks) will automatically be given a failing grade for the course. Please see the student handbook for the definition of "excused absence" (do not bring doctor's excuses or auto-repair receipts).

It is your responsibility to keep track of your own attendance in the class.

If you miss class it is your responsibility to contact a classmate (and of course refer to this syllabus) regarding announcements, assignments, class notes, and additional readings. Assignments that have been carried out during class will not be “made up.” You should also log on to the class WebBoard regularly, in case you have turned off the “email list” function in your login profile.

Students who consult with me in advance of known conflicts will be heard on a case-by-case basis, but this by no means is a guarantee that absences will be excused, nor that work will be accepted past deadline. CONTACT me in the event of unforeseen hardship and/or illness. Serious efforts to complete the work for this class will be given fair consideration, especially in cases of earnest dedication and hard work.

Note: Weddings and trips to Baja do not constitute “hardships” or “emergencies.”

Assignments: Requirements for the course are four essays, a midterm, regular (approx.1/week) posts to the electronic forum, and a final exam. The final exam will be a literacy narrative based upon the work you have done, and the progress you have made as a writer throughout this semester. Early in the semester, I will give fairly specific e-forum assignments, but later in the semester, you will have more freedom to choose your own topics. Grades will be weighted as follows:

15%	Unit One WebBoard activities and short assignments, Chapters 1,2,3, and 4.
15%	Paper #1 (required)
15%	Paper #2 (required)
15%	Paper #3 (required)
15%	Paper #4 (required)
15%	Electronic Forum (required)
10%	Final Exam (required)
100%	Total

A note about the writing in this course: although we will all encourage each other to be open and to explore ideas, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, essay assignments and the electronic forum posts shall be considered public texts. Be mature. Be excellent. Be polite.

I have a strict policy against writing about any un-prosecuted crime or suspected illegal activity which you have witnessed, or in which you have been involved. When in doubt, I will always err on the side of safety (tranlsation: if you write about your involvement in a crime, we’re turning over all your written ‘testimony’ to the authorities). No one in the class is your attorney, your priest, or your medical doctor, and therefore we will all squeal / sing / send you up the river, should anyone write about criminal activity.

Electronic Forum: Depending upon the available technologies, students in English 104 may be required to post regularly to the class electronic forum. Posts to the forum will sometimes be responses to exercises in our textbook, sometimes summaries of reading material, and at other times analytical questions, commentaries, and working drafts of formal essays. The e-forum posts will be based initially upon specific assigned prompts, possibly becoming more open-ended over time, drawing from the reading and writing assignments in the class. Since internet technologies are often subject to “down-time” you should save a printed copy of every post you make, as well as backing up your writing on floppy disks.

You must have a stable email account established in order to satisfy this writing requirement for the course. I strongly urge you to use your MWSC email account for this forum. Do not shift around with Yahoo and Hotmail account subscriptions, as this will confuse the moderator, and possibly cause her to delete your membership. As moderator, I will do my best to insure that you do not receive advertising or other unwanted messages in your account. Expect the usual glitches and snafu’s when first getting subscribed to the electronic discussion group. I tend to use different technologies as time goes by, and as internet services evolve. I will try to make it as painless and easy as possible for you, but there is a certain amount of meticulous attention required at the outset, in order to get the forum up and running efficiently for us all.

Academic Honesty Policy:

You will receive a grade of F for any paper that shows evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. You have the burden of proving that a paper showing evidence of cheating or plagiarism has in fact been written by you. You should keep thorough evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that you can meet this burden of proof. Stronger evidence proving plagiarism may lead to further penalties. Please note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental website, found at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp.

Tentative Course Schedule

(subject to change, according to the needs of the class)

English 104-40
College Writing and Rhetoric

Fall 2001- MWSC

Dr. Cynthia Jenéy

WebBoard: http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~jeney10461/

8/21	Read Schedule, policies, manual, tips.
8/23	WebBoard: Post Introduction of yourself http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~jeney10461/
8/28	Chapter 1--Terms (get definitions into your notes, don't wait until finals week to find them all)
8/30	Chapter 1--Writing Assignment WebBoard post due. http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~jeney10461/
9/4	Chapter 2--Terms, definitions.
9/6	Chapter 2--Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
9/11	Chapter 3--Terms, definitions.
9/13	Chapter 3--Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
9/18	Chapter 4--Terms, definitions.
9/20	Chapter 4--Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
9/25	Chapter 5 - reading & terms.
9/27	Chapter 5 --Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
10/2	Chapter 18 -- read lessons 1 & 2.
10/4	Chapter 5 -- work on essay draft (questions in chat or web board discussion thread)
10/9	Essay #1 Observation & Analysis Due. Begin reading Chapter 6. First complete the survey on p. 101 (respond in your notes or in your book). THEN read "On Teenagers & Tattoos," pp. 101-104.
10/11	Chapter 6 --Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
10/16	Chapter 18: lessons 3 & 4. Know terms & their definitions.
10/18	Chapter 6 drafting your Strong Response. Post any questions, problems with the assignment to WebBoard discussion thread.
10/23	Essay #2 Strong Response Due. Film: The Day The Earth Stood Still
10/25	Film: The Day The Earth Stood Still Chapter 13--Terms & concepts
10/30	Chapter 13 -- Writing Assignment work on WebBoard post.
11/1	Chapter 13 -- Writing Assignment WebBoard post due. Post any questions or further discussion on WebBoard discussion thread.
11/6	Essay #3 Cause-to-Effect Due.
11/8	Chapter 11 Terms & concepts -- post questions and research question ideas on the WebBoard.
11/13	Chapter 11-- Writing Assignment WebBoard post due.
11/15	Research Roundtable: WebBoard and Chat discussions of individual research topics.
11/20	Essay #4 Numerical Analysis Due.
11/22	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11/27	Chapter 24
11/29	Terms Review, Study Review.
12/1	"Take-Home" Final posted. EMAIL YOUR EXAM TO JENEY@missouriwestern.edu NOT the WebBoard!
12/8	Final Exam Due.