Jim Neal--001
Division of Liberal
Arts and Sciences
Department of
English/Foreign Languages/Journalism
Missouri Western State
College
Syllabus
Course: ENG 108-13 College Writing and Research,
2:00-3:20 p.m. TTH,
JGM 310
Semester/Year: fall 2002
Office and Phone: SSC 222T; 271-4239;
my
e-mail address is Neal13@kc.rr.com
Office Hours: I have no office hours, but I would be happy
to meet with you
before or after class.
Required Texts: there are no required texts; however, I would
strongly 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
Basic writing requirements in ENG 108:
Students
will engage in exploratory writing exercises in which they learn how to
*analyze,
*synthesize, and
*evaluate the thinking of others in
order to
*discover,
*develop, and
*test their own points of view.
Students will complete
a minimum of three researched writing projects and a final exam in ENG 108.
Students will keep
complete portfolios of all writing that is done in ENG 108.
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 Department Review
Committee.
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, winking, blinking, nodding, 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. Turn off cell phones and pagers before entering the classroom,
and 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.
Specifications
for Papers in ENG 108
I don’t want folders, outlines, or
title pages. All papers must be
word-processed, laser-printed, and stapled in the upper left-hand corner. There must be a one-inch margin on all four
sides of the page. Click off the “widow
and orphan control” to make a consistent one-inch margin at the bottom of the
page. All papers must be
double-spaced. All papers must have the
student's name, the assignment number, and the current date in the upper
left-hand corner. All pages must have a header which contains the student’s
last name and the page number in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch
from the top of the page. All papers
must have a title, which must be centered from left to right. The first and last words in the title must
be capitalized, as must all the major words.
Articles ("a," "an," and "the"),
coordinating conjunctions ("and," "or," "nor," "for,"
"so," "yet," and "but"), and prepositions may be
presented in low case unless they are the first or last word. One may play it safe and simply capitalize
the first letter of all the words, but the title must not be presented in all
capital letters. The title must not be
underlined unless it contains a title; placed within quotes unless it is a
quote or contains a quote; or followed by punctuation unless it is a question
or an exclamation. All paragraphs must
be indented one-half inch. One space between words and following a period is
the current MLA style, although two spaces are acceptable. Left justify your papers. Do not right justify. Use a 12-point Bookman or a 14-point Times New
Roman font. The first paper must contain a minimum of 600
words, and papers 2-4 must contain a minimum of 1,000 words. The word count pertains to the text and
excludes documentation, name, date, assignment number, and title. Short papers will be penalized one
percentage point per word. Penalty
points may not be made up. No paper may contain more than 250 words of
quotes. The instructor will assign the
topics for the papers. Do not fight
your topics. Strive for a smooth, even
flow by avoiding a series of simple declarative statements. Replace forms of the verbs "to be"
and "to have" with more colorful, active verbs whenever
possible. Do not abbreviate. Any paper which has a proof summary in the
conclusion or refutation will be penalized a letter grade. Please remember that this is not a creative
writing class, nor are we involved in a search for truth. Think of these assignments as drills
designed to develop a specific skill area.
The Papers
These are subject to
change!
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 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 #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.
Course Outline for ENG 108
This is subject to change!
A
finished draft, one which could theoretically be handed in, is due on the day
of the peer tutorial.
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. 20: We get acquainted; handouts distributed and explained
" 22: “standard
format” lecture
Week
2 " 27: paper #1 assigned
" 29: “research and
documentation” lecture
Week
3 Sept. 3: assignment reviewed
" 5: dittos
Week
4 " 10: peer tutorials
" 12: 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.17: assignment
reviewed
" 19: “emotional
appeal” lecture
Week
6 " 24: assignment reviewed
" 26: dittos,
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. 1: peer
tutorials
" 3: "logical
appeal" lecture, paper #2 due, paper #3 assigned
Week
8 " 8: "ethical
appeal" lecture
" 10: dittos
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. 15: assignment reviewed
" 17: assignment reviewed, last day rewrites will
be accepted on paper #2
Week
10 " 22: peer tutorials
" 24: paper #3 due, “two-scenario appeal”
lecture, paper #4 assigned
October
25 is the last day to drop courses without academic assessment. If you are failing the course, I would
advise you to withdraw.
Week
11 " 29: assignment reviewed
" 31: “figures of speech”
lecture
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 Nov. 5: assignment reviewed
" 7: assignment reviewed, 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 " 12: assignment reviewed
" 14: dittos
Week 14 " 19: peer tutorials
" 21: paper #4 due
Week 15 " 26: “the writer's tools” lecture
Week 16 Dec. 3: 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 Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 2:00-3:50 p.m.