Required Texts: Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa (fifth edition)
Writing from Sources by Brenda Spatt (fifth edition)
I would also recommend that you check out the MLA web site at www.mla.org and my English II notes at nealz.tripod.com
ENG 108 Goals/Objectives and Means
See http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng108.asp
Grading Formula: All students are required to submit all work within the assigned specifications and on time and to come to class prepared. Attitude, effort, and attendance are a must. Students must complete all assigned papers to pass the course. The students’ grade will be based upon the scores received on the assigned papers, pop quizzes and in-class themes, the final exam, and bonus and penalty points. The following grading scale will be used in this class: 0 - 59% = F, 60 - 69% = D, 70 - 79% = C, 80 - 89% = B, and 90 -100%= A.
The papers will be graded holistically and receive a letter grade of A for excellent, B for above average, C for average, D for below average, and F for unsatisfactory. This grade will then be translated into a percentile reflecting the grading scale in the previous paragraph. The percentile grade will be recorded. The criteria I will use to arrive at this grade are unity, support, coherence, sentence skills, and following directions. Students must avoid these serious errors, any single instance of which has the potential of lowering a grade one letter: ruptures in paragraph unity, choppiness, sentence fragments, fused sentences, verb ruptures (time and number unity), pronoun ruptures (in unity, ambiguous antecedent, use of improper case), misplaced modifiers, comma splices, and rambling sentences (more than two independent clauses joined by a repeated conjunction). Students should also avoid these minor errors: spelling, typing, or capitalization errors; abbreviations; use of low or improper diction, such as "you," "just," "get," "got," or "a lot"; omitted or repeated words; use of the adjective rather than the adverbial case, or vise versa, such as "secondly," "more importantly," or "hopefully"; ending sentences with prepositions; split infinitives; parentheses; use of double prepositions or double negatives; faulty parallelism or faulty coordination; one-sentence paragraphs; ending a list with a non-specific term or etc.; or punctuation errors. I do not grade on style; opinion; or topic, unless it falls outside the perimeters of the assignment. Assigned papers will be considered late at the end of the class period on which they are due regardless of things like computer problems. Late papers will be penalized ten percentage points for each class session they are late, though I will not accept papers that are more than three weeks late. Penalty points may not be made up. Failing papers may be rewritten once, though the revised grade will not exceed 70%; however, if the paper is very good except for one problem area, I might, at my discretion, allow a student to correct it and split the difference. Rewrites of papers 1-3 must be accompanied by the graded copy and submitted to the instructor within two weeks of the paper's original due date; rewrites of paper 4 are due by the end of the final exam. Students who simply omit a problem indicated on a graded paper will still be charged for the error on the rewrite. Rewrites that are not rewritten will be recorded as 20%. I claim at least a week to grade papers. At the conclusion of the term, I will figure a percentage, which will break down as follows: papers 85% (papers 3 and 4 count as two papers each), pop-quizzes and in-class themes 5%, and the final exam 5%. To this average I will add up to five percentage points for perfect attendance, consistent and constructive class participation, effort, and courtesy. I will subtract up to five percentage points from the averages of those students who have come to class ill-prepared or displayed rude or inconsiderate behavior such as talking other than when called upon, eating, drinking, smoking, eye rolling, desk diving, yawning or sighing loudly and blatantly, sitting with feet propped up on chairs or desks, note passing, or sleeping. Tobacco chewing is not allowed. Students who engage in any of these activities will receive two verbal warnings before being required to move to seating assigned by the instructor and/or meet with the dean. Rudeness toward the instructor or fellow students will not be tolerated. These points will be awarded or deducted entirely at the instructor's personal discretion. Children are not allowed in the classroom.Objectionable material: This class may contain frank and open discussions of gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. There is a possibility that religion, politics, drugs, and alcohol may pop up as well. The class discussions may include words that some consider profane. Occasionally, the instructor might, at his personal discretion, crossdress and/or interject humor as an attempt to enliven the discussion and render the experience more palatable.
Attendance: Students are required to attend all class sessions. Students who miss four consecutive class sessions or a total of eight class sessions will fail the course, regardless of the reason for the absences. Students who are experiencing difficulty with attendance should check with me as soon as possible. Students entering class late or leaving class early will be considered tardy, and three tardies will count as an absence. Students missing more than twenty-five minutes of class will be considered absent. Students absent for any reason will bear the responsibility for obtaining lecture notes from fellow students. All absences are deemed excused, but that means that the work missed may be made up, except for pop quizzes and in-class themes, which may not be made up in any case. An excused absence does not exempt the student from doing the work or from the absence penalty. Students who sleep or appear to sleep or engage in activities other than those being conducted by the instructor during class will be considered absent.
Academic Honesty: Since honesty in the classroom is required, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college constitutes a violation. I will not accept papers which are substantially similar to those of other students. I will accept only original work.
Portfolios: Students must maintain a portfolio of graded papers to verify assignments completed or dispute a grade. This must be turned in one week before the final exam, and it will be returned on the day of the final. Course grades will not be issued until the portfolio is handed in.
Students with Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
All papers may be made up or contain fictional information. I never assume that what students write actually happened or reflects their personal opinions. The students may be as creative or frivolous as they wish, as long as they satisfy all aspects of the assignment. Feel free to add Richard Simmons, Elvis's ghost, and/or flying saucers. These papers can be fun. All papers will evolve through the following steps: a group discussion of the assigned readings and the assignment itself, peer tutorials, and grading by the instructor. These are the sources of help for those who want it: the learning center, the computer center, the textbook, the instructor, fellow students, and family and friends. Still, you are the one who receives the grade, and therefore you are responsible for your paper. Not all advice is good advice. Also, I will be happy to assist students on their papers through the peer tutorial class period. There is plenty of time to ask questions in class and plenty of time between when the paper is assigned and when it’s due.
Papers 2-4 inclusive must be documented in accordance
with the specifications and guidelines covered in sections 300-71 in Write for
College. Each must contain a minimum of six cites from a minimum of two works
cited entries. Of these, at least one must be from a book-length source other
than a reference work or a computer-accessed source, and one must be from a
periodical source other than a computer-accessed source. This documentation
must be in current MLA style, and I want parenthetical cites. Introduce
all quotes and paraphrases and identify your sources. Some of you may be tempted
to respond to these assignments by turning in papers written for another class,
perhaps written by someone else. This temptation must be resisted! Don't do
it! It will not work! Papers 2 and 3 must contain and develop with a minimum
of three proof points a thesis which says, in effect, "this is bad," "this is
good," "we should do this," or "we should not do this" and be organized in the
"persuasive appeal" format presented in class.
Paper #1: "Contrasting
Views" This is a warm-up paper, in which students contrast the political views
of two groups of people in response to a certain problem. Or, if the
students wish, they may discuss a minimum of three differences between two
groups of people based on race, gender, nationality, political persuasion,
sexual orientation, or other socially significant criteria. Documentation is
neither required nor desired, even if the paper contains statistics or quotes.
This is your basic five-paragraph paper (I'm referring to the format rather
than the number of paragraphs--a "five-paragraph" paper must have at least five
paragraphs, but it may have more than three proof paragraphs if the student
desires). The paper must have an introduction, a minimum of three proof points,
and a conclusion. I want two sentences in the introduction: a thesis statement
and a proof summary. The thesis statement must be "This group (women, Democrats,
pro-lifers, etc.) is different from this group (men, Republicans, pro-choicers,
etc.)," or "Americans and Mexicans have different opinions concerning NAFTA."
The proof summary would be "Three (or more) ways in which men (or whatever)
are different from women (or whatever) are x, y, and z. I want the proof paragraphs
developed in the order in which the proof points were summarized, with transitional
expressions; clear topic sentences; and unified, detailed support. I want the
first part of each proof paragraph to cover certain criteria regarding that
category from one group's perspective, followed by a transitional expression,
followed by an explanation of how the second group's response differs regarding
those same criteria, in the same order they were covered in the first half of
the paragraph. I want a two-sentence conclusion, the first of which must be
introduced by a transitional expression, followed by a re-affirm the thesis.
The next sentence is an editorial comment. I DO NOT want a proof summary
in the conclusion. Though the papers must cover difference in two actual, distinct
groups of people, the main proof points as well as the minor support
points may be inaccurate, stereotypical, or even silly. As students write about
the differences in any two groups, I think they will conclude that no group
is monolithic, that the differences between groups are more apparent than real,
and that these differences shrink to insignificance when compared to the similarities.
Be careful of your pronoun references in this paper.
Paper #2: The
conclusion of this paper must present a specific object which will elicit
a specific emotional response from the reader. The introduction and/or refutation
may contain the same or similar objects as well. Paper #3: The
conclusion of this paper must contain one of the "short cuts" presented
in the "ethical appeal" lecture. You may, if you wish, present one
in the introduction and/or refutation as well. In addition, this paper must
be accompanied by a separate piece of paper upon which the argument will be
reduced to the form of a syllogism.
Paper #4: This paper must follow the "two-scenario appeal" format presented in lecture. The text of this paper must also a labeled figure of speech (at least as specific as scheme or trope). The conclusion contains neither emotional nor ethical appeal, nor does the paper contain a syllogism.
Weeks 1-4: "The Honeymoon" Everyone likes everyone else; school is new, fun, and interesting. Everyone should try it. We’re lucky to be here.
Week 1 Aug. 21: We get acquainted; handouts distributed and explained "standard format" lecture, read chapters 1 and 2 in Hayakawa (all assigned readings will be in Hayakawa)
Week 2" paper #1 assigned, readings discussed "research and documentation" lecture, read chapters 3 & 4
Week 3 readings discussed and assignment reviewed dittos
Week 4 peer tutorials , Paper #1 due, "persuasive appeal" lecture, paper #2 assigned
Weeks 5 and 6: "The Days of Rage" You’ve just received your first paper back. You hate me. You say bad things to and about me. You glare at me and mutter in class. I don’t seem to realize that you may not be as fascinated by this boring, stupid subject as I am. I don’t realize that you have other classes and other interests and that you have to work to pay your bills. You fabricate a Voodoo fetish in my likeness and stick pins into it while burning a black candle and chanting a litany of all the terrible things you hope will happen to me, most of which already have.
Week 5 Sept.18: "logical appeal" lecture "ethical appeal" lecture, read chapters 5 & 6
Week 6 readings discussed and assignment reviewed, read chapter 7
dittos, read chapter 9, last day rewrites of paper #1 will be accepted
Weeks 7 and 8: "The Doldrums" You lapse into a mute apathy. You no longer hate me, and we’re minimally friends again, though not as we were during "The Honeymoon."Week 7; Oct. peer tutorials "emotional appeal" lecture, paper #2 due, paper #3 assigned
Week 8 " assignment reviewed
Weeks 9-12: "The Black Hole" You hate school. You’re sick and tired of the teachers, the assignments, going to class, studying--the whole thing. Your relationships and health are suffering. You’ve lost your sense of humor. You’re behind on your bills, and your car needs work, but you can’t afford to have it fixed. The attendance policy is catching up with some of your fellow students, and they are dropping like flies. Some of your classmates have appealed my grading criteria and attendance policies but have lost, and now they’re considering hiring a lawyer. You would rather fail—let’s be honest, you’d rather die—than have to write another paper or sit through another boring lecture. That job at McDonalds doesn’t sound so bad any more, and in some moments it is downright appealing. All is darkness. No end is in sight.
Week 9 Oct.; readings discussed and assignment reviewed, read chapter 10 readings discussed and assignment reviewed, read chapters 11 & 12, last day rewrites will be accepted on paper #2
Week 10 peer tutorials paper #3 due, "two-scenario appeal" lecture, paper #4 assigned October 26 is the last day to drop courses without academic assessment. If you are failing the course, I would advise you to withdraw. Week 11 readings discussed and assignment reviewed
Nov. "figures of speech" lecture, read chapter 13
Weeks 12-13: "There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel!!" All those people who were complaining are gone. Thanksgiving break is just around the corner! Finals are only a couple weeks away, and I’ll be done! Can I make it? Are you kidding me? Are bears Buddhists? Heck yes I can make it!
Week 12 read chapter 14 readings discussed and assignment reviewed, read chapter 15, last day rewrites will be accepted on paper #3 Reminder: rewrites which are not rewritten will receive a grade of 20%, and students who do not complete all assigned papers will not pass the course
Week 13 read chapter 16 peer tutorials, read chapters 17 & 18
Week 14 paper #4 due, readings discussed
Week 15 "the writer's tools" lecture, review for final exam, portfolio due, grades verified
Final Week: Give thanks! Rejoice! Praise your God, Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Confucius, Baal, Tophet, Emanuel Kant, and/or whom/whatever. It’s over! It’s Over!! IT’S OVER!!!!!
The final exam is Thursday, Dec. 6, from 11:30 a.m.-1:20 p.m.