English 104-90: College Writing and Rhetoric
Spring 2001
Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Instructor: Patricia Smith Home Phone: 324-3560
E-Mail: pat.smith@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Office Hours: By Appointment
Class: 6:30-9:20pm Wednesdays, JGM 105
Required Materials:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 6th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Companion texts: Who Are We? Readings on Identity, Community, Work, and Career and Sticks and Stones and Other Student Essays (same editors and publisher as above).
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 Wednesday 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 third 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 essays be word-processed. For students without access to a word processor, MWSC has several computer labs on campus. Regardless of the computer used, saving each assignment on disk is essential since revisions will be made. Technical problems do not constitute a legitimate excuse for late work or unacceptable format.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: Each student is afforded the opportunity to revise and resubmit any and all papers. The final grade will be a composite grade based on the revision process.
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.
Format:
All papers submitted for credit are to be doubled spaced with one-inch margins. A heading in the upper left corner should include: student name, class, assignment description, and date of submission. Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each page. To avoid lost papers being separated, a single staple in the upper left corner is sufficient.Journal:
The purpose of the journal is to keep an accurate log of assigned readings. Journals, while informal and brief, still need to be typed (word-processed) and in the student's possession at each class meeting.Quizzes:
Quizzes, given during the beginning of the class session, will cover the readings assigned for that class period. There will be no opportunity to make up quizzes.Portfolio:
The final assignment will be a collection of revised essays. It is the responsibility of each student to keep all of the writing done in this class. More information concerning the portfolio will be provided later.Academic Honesty:
Cheating, plagiarism, and knowingly furnishing false information in either the classroom or on paper constitute a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the MWSC Student Handbook. Violations of this policy are grounds for a failing grade for the course 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
Quizzes /In-class writings
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.
Assignments
Jan. 17 Introduction to course. Review syllabus and text.
Jan. 24 Chapter 2--Remembering Events (25-78). Discuss examples in text and Sticks and Stones, Chapter 2 (4-27). Written
Writing Assignment: Write an essay about an event in your life (51-59).
Jan. 31
Paper #1--Event Paper (Personal Narrative) due--3 copies needed. Peer editing session.
In class writing.
Feb. 7 Edited copy of Paper #1 due. Discuss Chapter 5--"Explaining a Concept," (183-236).
Choose one of the stories from Sticks and Stones--Chapter 5 (67-92) and explain how it
fits or doesn't fit the model for this chapter. Be specific and give supporting details to
defend your answer. (One page).
Feb. 14 Discuss "Larger Than Life," (32-43) in Who Are We?
Feb. 21
Paper #2--Concept Paper (Informative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peer editingsession.
Feb. 28 Edited copy of Paper #2 due. Discuss Chapter 6--"Arguing a Position," (237-290).
Written reactions to stories due.
March 7 Discuss stories from Chapter 6 in Sticks and Stones (96-116).
March 14 Spring Recess--No Class
March 21
Paper # 3--Position Paper (Argumentative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peerediting session.
Midterm grades due.
March 28 Edited copy of Paper #3 due. Discuss Chapter 7, "Proposing a Solution," (293-349).
Written reactions to stories due.
April 4 Discuss stories from Chapter 7 in Stick and Stones (117-138).
April 11
Paper #4--Solution Paper (Argumentative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peerediting session.
April 18 Edited copy of Paper #4 due. Discuss Chapter 8, "Justifying an Evaluation," 351-405.
April 25 Portfolio due. Assign final exam.
May 2 No Class
May 9 Final Exam