Missouri
Western State College
Division of
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department
of English, Foreign Languages, & Journalism
Introduction
to College Writing
I. General course information:
Course and section
number: ENG
100, Section 02
Instructor: Nancy Reese-Dillon
Meeting time and
place: 9-9:50 MWF, JGM Room 106
Writer’s Workshops: 10-10:50, MW
Office location: SS/C
Suite 222, Office T
Office hours: 7:30-9:00 MWF, or by appointment only
Office telephone: 271-4239
Home telephone: 233-0386
Voice mail: 390-3146
email: dillon@missouriwestern.edu
II. Required Texts and materials:
Dietsch, Betty. Reasoning and Writing Well. 2nd edition. Mountain View, CA:
Mayfield, 2000.
English 100 Writer’s Workshops.
Spring 2002 edition.
Photocopies for group work
A two pocket folder to
turn papers in and to keep portfolio materials.
III. Recommended Texts:
College dictionary and
Thesaurus
IV. Objectives of ENG 100:
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 to 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;
• 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 students 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.
For more information about
the English Department at MWSC, students may check the web site at: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/genstud.asp. Sample papers and a complete listing of
common course goals and objectives for English 100, 104, 108, 112 and 210 can
be found here.
V. Key Concepts of English 100:
Throughout the semester
students will be presented with several key concepts that become the
cornerstone to good writing.
Instruction will be geared toward these concepts. Success in the class will be linked directly
to these concepts. Among the key
concepts are: fluency, detail,
structure, thesis statements and topic sentences, audience awareness, writing
as a process and recursive writing.
Students will engage in
exploratory and prewriting exercises in which they will learn how to discover
ideas, respond to texts and summarize texts.
Students will be expected to develop these exploratory writings into major writing assignments. In these assignments students will recreate
or reflect on personal experiences, share information, (gathered in part from
library research), and analyze and synthesize readings.
VI. Grading policy:
Your grade will be
determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the writings you submit,
and your class participation over the course of the semester. The components of your grade in the course
are:
Writing. You will complete four major writing tasks
that will be graded by your teacher. A
student who does not turn in responses to all four tasks will not pass the
course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory.
Progress as a writer. Your progress as a writer will be assessed
through an end-of-semester portfolio in which you must put your revised
responses to the writing tasks. Your
portfolio must receive an “acceptable” evaluation in order for you to pass ENG
100.
Writer’s Workshop. Throughout the course of the semester, you
will attend the twice-a-week, small group Writer’s Workshops (listed as “labs”
in the class schedule). Some of your
Writer’s Workshop materials may be used in class, and some of your class papers
will be critiqued and proofread in Writer’s Workshops. At the end of the semester, you will turn in
selected writings from Writer’s workshop to your teacher. You must submit these materials in order to
pass ENG 100. Writer’s Workshop
participation is also considered as part of your overall course grade.
Grading scale: 90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
59% and below = F
Factors which will
determine the final course grade:
(1) Major papers
(2) Daily work, quizzes,
and assignments
(3) Writer’s Workshop
(4) Participation (both
lecture and lab)
(5) Attendance (both
lecture and lab)
(6) Final Exam
(7) Portfolio
All drafts of essays must
be word processed. Handwritten drafts
or final papers will not be accepted. Additional information regarding paper
format will be given prior to each paper due date.
Students must keep a
complete portfolio of all writing that is done in ENG 100. It is important that students save and date
all materials generated as a part of this class, including homework assignments
and in-class work. Before any grade
appeal will be processed for a student in ENG 100, the complete portfolio of writings
will have to be submitted to the Departmental Review Committee.
Essay #1 - Describing Significance Carefully 100
points
Essay #2 - Explaining What Things Mean 100 points
Essay #3 - Blending Reading and Writing 100 points
Essay #4 - Re-Thinking Your Writing 100
points
Final Exam:
25 points
(Failure to attend the
final exam will result in failure of the course.)
Quizzes: Points will vary depending on type and
length of quiz. Quizzes will be given
after every reading assignment.
The course grade will
determined as follows: Major
papers, 60% of the final grade. Daily work, journals, etc., no more than 20 % of the final grade. Participation, including Writer’s Workshop, 20%
of the final grade.
Student grades will also
be affected by lack of attendance. This
will be discussed in more detail in Section VIII of the syllabus.
A student must receive a
final course grade of a “C” or better before he will be allowed to enroll in
English 104.
VII. Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism or other
academic dishonesty as assessed by the instructor will be the basis for a zero
on any exercise or major paper affected. The student’s name and information
about the violation may be forwarded to the Department Chairman of the English,
Foreign Language and Journalism
Department as well as to the Dean of Students. A second violation will result
in failure of the course. Students are
expected to show “proof of
process.” That is, when a major paper
is turned in, the student must also submit all in-class writings and drafts so
the instructor may adequately see that
the work and the ideas originated from and belong to the student submitting the
work. The work must be done in
accordance to the classroom schedule and deadlines to provide appropriate
“proof of process.” This policy
covers any and all participants involved with the cheating of any exercise. Total honesty is stressed and expected. Please note carefully the statement on
plagiarism on the departmental website, found at
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp.
VIII. Attendance Policy:
Each student enrolled in
the class is expected to arrive at each class meeting with any assigned
material read and prepared for discussion.
If a group evaluation is taking place, each student is expected to have
his/her material ready for the group evaluation. Since class attendance, participation, discussions, and group
work are such an important part of this course, your grade in the course is directly affected
by your attendance or lack of. When a
student has had seven absences, he/she
will receive an "F" for the final course grade. Excessive tardies may also
be counted as absences.
Likewise, this class has a
very strict attendance policy in Writer’s Workshops. If
you miss three Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F in the class.
There are no “makeups” for
these attendance requirement. If you
know of any circumstances likely to make these policies difficult for you this
semester, you may with to consult with your advisor to review your options.
It’s important to
understand that an absence is neither “excused” or “unexcused,” it just is. Students are advised to use
absences wisely and take into account bad weather, bad luck with alarm clocks,
and other personal or family emergencies, illness, etc. If a student misses class, it will count as
an absence regardless of the circumstances. Important reminder:
Tardiness may also be considered an absence.
When students are absent,
they are responsible for getting the work missed in class BEFORE the next class
period. An absence does not dismiss the
student from the obligations of homework or deadlines.
There will be announced
and unannounced writing exercises and quizzes. No in-class assignments may be made up. When students are absent, they lose those
points.
IX. Group evaluation or Writing Conferences
If a group evaluation or
writing conference is being performed the final draft of the paper will be
unacceptable without the required evaluation or conference. If a student misses the in-class group
evaluation or fails to keep a scheduled writing conference with the instructor,
(or show up late), the paper will automatically receive a grade of
"F." These conferences are
considered an integral part of the writing process, so the paper is considered incomplete without them. The evaluation and conference procedure will
vary from paper to paper, so it’s important to listen to information given
during class regarding these evaluations or conferences. Since some writing conferences may take the
place of a regularly scheduled class session, it is important to understand that
a missed writing conference is the same as a class absence and will be
treated as such.
X. Deadlines:
All assignments are due
and will be collected at the beginning of the hour, unless otherwise noted by
the instructor. Any assignment turned
in after the end of the class period on the same day as the due date will be
considered late and may carry an automatic 50% reduction of the final
grade. Any paper turned in the
following class session will be considered too late and may be given a grade of
"0".
XI. Disabled Student Policy:
Any student enrolled in
this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of
abilities or that prevents or hinders the completion of class requirements as
stated in this syllabus should contact Missouri Western’s special needs
coordinator, Lois Fox, for possible certification of special needs and expert
recommendations for assistance. Your
should also contact the instructor immediately
so it can be discussed how he/she can be helped to meet class
requirements.
XII. Center for Academic Support:
The Center for Academic
Support provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading or
writing instruction. There is no cost to the student for using
these services. The Center can be of
assistance to the student in the following areas: writing a thesis statement,
organizing ideas, structuring ideas
into an essay form and more. Students
are highly encourage to make use of these services throughout the course of the
semester.
XIII. 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.
• First and foremost,
students are expected to be responsible.
This includes doing
regular attendance in class and workshop, reading and writing assignments
according to deadlines (whether absent or not), obtaining help when needed -
either from myself, the Center for Academic Support, or from another classmate
, and becoming truly engaged and committed to improving writing skills.
• Turn all cell phones off when coming into
the classroom. Receiving a call during
class is extremely distracting to students and to the teacher and will not be
tolerated.
• Respect, civility, and courtesy are crucial
for building a successful writing environment.
When a student does not
understand a concept, does not agree with an earned grade, or has any other
questions or concerns, it is expected and hoped that the student will take the
responsibility to talk to the instructor.
I want to see you succeed in this class and will be willing to help you
develop and improve your writing skills.
I have given you my home telephone number and a number where I can be
reached by voice mail. I encourage, in
fact I insist that you call me if you have any questions about assignments,
concepts, etc. I have also
provided you with my email
address. I periodically check email.
XIV. Tentative course schedule:
The following is a tentative
course schedule which includes tentative reading and writing assignments and
paper deadlines. Those students that
wish to read ahead are encouraged to do so.
The course will generally
follow this pattern for each major paper:
The first part of the paper cycle will be for reading, invention and
discovery of topics and ideas. Learning
and practicing concepts relevant to the paper will occur during this time.
The second part of the
cycle will be for reexamining readings and drafting the paper. Students will be expected to incorporate and
practice the writing techniques discussed the prior week. Students will generally be expected to
complete at least two or three drafts for each major paper.
The third part of the
cycle will be used for revision, editing, peer reviews and writing conferences.
Paper #1 -Describing Significance Carefully
Tentative Schedule and
Assignments
Reading Assignments: Chapters 1-3, 10-13
Tentative peer review
date: Friday, February 1
** Paper due date: Monday, February 4
Mon. 1/14 First day of class; begin Paper #1
1/16 Invention phase
1/18 CAS visit to class
Mon. 1/21 No Class - Martin Luther King day,
1/23 Drafting phase begins
1/25
Mon. 1/28
1/30 CAS deadline 1/31
2/1 Peer review
Paper #2 -Explaining What Things Mean
Tentative Schedule and
Assignments
Reading Assignments: Chapter 7, 14-17
Tentative peer review
date: Friday, February 22
** Paper due date: Wednesday, February 27
Mon. 2/4 Paper #1 due; begin Paper #2
2/6 Invention phase
2/8
Mon. 2/11 Drafting phase
2/13
2/15
Mon. 2/18 No classes - President’s day
2/20 Revision phase. CAS deadline 2/21
2/22
Paper #3 -Blending Reading and Writing
Tentative Schedule and
Assignments
Reading Assignments: Chapters
18-20, 25
Tentative student writing
conference/peer review dates: March
27
** Paper due date: Monday, April 1
Mon. 2/25 Peer review
2/27 Paper #2 due; invention phase for
Paper #3
3/1
Mon. 3/4 Drafting phase
3/6
3/8
Mon. 3/11 Spring Break begins
3/13
3/15
Mon. 3/18 Classes resume; revision phase
3/20 Midterm grades due
3/22
Mon. 3/25
3/27 Peer Reviews ; CAS deadline 3/28
3/29 Last day to drop MWSC class
Paper #4 -Re-Thinking Your Writing
Tentative Schedule and
Assignments
Reading Assignments: TBA
Tentative student writing
conference/peer review dates: April 17
** Paper due date: Monday, April 22
Mon. 4/1 Paper #3 Due
4/3
4/5
Mon. 4/8
4/10
4/12
Mon. 4/15
4/17 Peer Review; CAS deadline 4/18
4/19
Mon. 4/22 Task #4 Due
4/24 Preparing portfolios
4/26
Mon. 4/29 Last day of class; portfolio due
Final
Exam:
Wednesday,
May 8, 8:30-10:20
JGM Room 106