Missouri Western State College, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism

English 100-06: Introduction to College Writing

MWF 1-1:50

Friday classes meet in JGM 119

Monday and Wednesday classes meet in JGM 105

Writer’s Workshop: MW 2-2:50

Spring, 2001

Instructor: Kelly Lock Office: SSC 209D

Phone: 271-5994 Office Hours: M-F 9-3 by appointment

E-mail: kclock@missouriwestern.edu

Attendance Policy:

This class has a very strict attendance policy in Writer’s Workshop as well as in the class. If you miss seven class periods or three Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. Ordinarily, there are no exceptions and no "makeups" for this attendance requirement. If you know of any circumstances likely to make this policy difficult for you this semester, you may wish to consult with your advisor to review your options.

Required Texts and Course Materials:

Dietsch Mattix, Betty. Reasoning and Writing Well: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader and Handbook. 7^th ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing, 2000.

English 100 Writer’s Workshops. Spring 2001 ed.

Two computer disks and a disk storage box

A notebook to keep ALL work from the start of class to the very last day

Photocopies for group work

Course Goals and Class Assignments:

Reading Goals:

At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to

Read actively for greater understanding;
Use reading to improve their writing by drawing ideas and information from written material;
Use texts to understand their own and others’ experiences;
Read writing assignments effectively as a guide to creating better papers;
Recognize good writing by actively reading good prose.

Writing Goals:

At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to

Move easily from writing for self-expression to writing for readers;
Write at greater length more easily, more quickly and more usefully;
Structure their writing to fit the assignment, purpose and audience;
Develop ideas and concepts with specific details, examples and explanations;
Craft more effective and polished sentences and paragraphs;
Use effective planning, invention, revision and editing to complete successful writing tasks.

General Studies Goals:

In ENG 100 student should improve their ability to

Think critically and reason analytically;
Write and speak clearly and effectively;
Gain a greater awareness of the present through an understanding of other cultures and times;
Understand and appreciate moral values and ethical choices;
Understand and enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative activities.

Civility and Cooperation:

Missouri Western requires all students to help us maintain good conditions for teaching and learning. All students will treat their classmates, teachers and student assistants with civility and respect, both inside and outside the classroom. Students who violate this policy may, among other penalties, be counted absent and asked to leave. You should review your Missouri Western student handbook for further information.

Attendance and Promptness:

If you miss a class session, you are responsible for all the material covered and assignments given during your absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. No late assignments will be accepted unless you have received prior permission from me. This class has a very strict attendance policy in Writer’s Workshop as well as in class. This attendance policy carries over to promptness as well. You MUST be in class at the start of the hour. You will not receive participation points for a class if you are late. Be on time and turn off your cell phones and pagers!

Grading Policy:

Your grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the writings you submit in your portfolio and your class participation. The components of your grade in the course are:

Progress as a writer: Each writing that you submit will assess your progress as a writer. With each assignment, you should learn the problems you have with writing, and you must learn how to "fix" these problems. Thus, constant revision is necessary for progress.

Writing (75%): You will complete four major writing task assignments and numerous smaller in-class writings. Each of the smaller assignments builds a strong basis for your task papers. Completing all assignments is essential, whether I collect them or not. In addition, your four task assignments will be turned in no less than 3 times. Each rough draft will be turned in for points. Your first final draft will be submitted and returned with an "Acceptable" or "Unacceptable" notation rather than a grade. An Acceptable note does not mean that it is an A or a B paper. It simply means that you are on the right track. The comments I give you, along with the notation, will be prompted by questions you ask me about your task and will help you revise for your final portfolio. A paper that receives an unacceptable note MUST be revised. This indicates a failing paper. If you don’t revise it, you will fail the class. A revision MUST be turned in to me within one week of the date it is given back to you. All papers will be re-submitted at the end of the semester in a portfolio that includes all writing assignments, pre-writings, critiques, revisions and the four final drafts of your task papers. This portfolio will be graded. The work you put into your writings prior to submitting your portfolio is crucial because your portfolio will reflect the majority of your grade. As a result, you must conference with me at least once before turning in each task paper, and you must conference with me if you receive an unacceptable on a paper. In addition, you must conference with me about your final portfolio. Remember that you have to learn to evaluate the problems you have in writing and learn how to fix them. Talking with others will help, so the more you write and discuss your writing, the better your final drafts will be.

Reflective Cover Letters (15%): Critiquing your own writing process as well as your papers is an important step in learning to write, revise and communicate with others. Reflective letters are due with each draft (workshop drafts and all of the drafts submitted to me) of each of the four major writing assignments. Reflective letters should focus the reader on any questions you have about your work. The quality and number of thoughtful questions you pose with each draft will impact this part of your learning and your grade.

Class Participation (10%): Coming to class on time, having materials ready, participation in class discussion, willingness to read other students’ work and evaluate it fairly and willingness to have your work evaluated by other students and myself constitutes class participation. Your willingness to adhere to these rules and your workshop leader’s rules in Writer’s Workshop will also affect your class participation grade. Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the twice a week, small group, Writer’s Workshop (listed as labs in the class schedule). Some of your workshop materials may be used in class, and some of your class papers will be critiqued and proofread in Writer’s Workshop. At the end of the semester, your Writer’s Workshop Student Assistant will evaluate your performance and send that information to me.

Grading Scale: 90-100= A 80-89= B 70-79= C 60-69= D 59 and below = F

Due Dates for Task Papers and Final Portfolio

Task One: February 2

Task Two: February 23

Task Three: March 30

Task Four: April 20

Portfolio: May 1

No classes:

President’s Day February 19

Spring Break March 11-18

Final Exams begin May 3-9

Daily Assignments will be given as a starting point for your task papers. You will be expected to complete these assignments with your best effort even if they are not collected or given points. Even though points will not always be assigned to assignments given in class, they are required for completing each task paper successfully. If you choose not to complete them, you will be choosing to do poorly on your task papers. Most of these will be completed during class, so you will be losing participation points if you don’t complete them. If you are absent, you will need to contact me immediately for the assignment sheet. Do not ask me during class to give you work you missed. See me before or after class or come by my office and make an appointment.

Students with Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me and our Special Needs Coordinator, Lois Fox, for assistance.

Academic Honesty Policy: You will receive a grade of F on 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.

The tentative outline for Task 1 is attached. Please note that this is subject to change and that if refers only to the first task assignment. Subsequent outlines for each task will follow. Please note that I have listed the due dates for the tasks above. Make note of them in your planner so that you can ensure that you have the time needed to complete them! All papers must be word-processed. If you don’t have a computer available at home, make sure that you allocate time in your planner so that you can come to one of our campus computer labs.