English 104: College Writing and Rhetoric
Spring 2002 / MWF 10:00-10:50 / JGM 208
Dr. Anna Leahy
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Missouri Western State College
INSTRUCTOR OFFICE HOURS:
T 1-2 & 3:30-5, W 11-12, Th 3:30-5 in SSC 222D
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFO: amleahy@missouriwestern.edu / 271-4316 or 271-4310
English 104: College Writing and
Rhetoric serves as an introduction to formal, academic writing and introduces
students to different approaches to and techniques for writing essays. Students
learn to analyze readings as writers, share information and ideas with
classmates, and develop critical ideas into thoughtful essays. The main goals,
in no particular order, for students in this section of English 104 are as
follows:
q to form a supportive and
critical community of academic writers
q to learn ways to read and
respond thoughtfully and critically
q to write a variety of original,
thoughtful, organized essays
q to put ideas and thoughts in
writing by using evidence, detail, and specificity
q to make active, informed choices
about drafting and revising
q to recognize individual
strengths and possibilities as writers
q to move beyond what one already
knows and what one can already do.
In addition, students have
individual goals for their writing and for this course; students should
actively work to bring individual goals and course goals together to become
stronger, more interesting writers. The instructor in a writing course is an
expert guide and evaluator; the individual student must negotiate the course.
To see a more thorough description
of English 104, including a list of course objectives common to all sections,
refer to http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp.
TEXTBOOKS:
New Century Handbook
(NC)
Rereading America (RA)
GRADING:
This course is divided into four
sections, each with a culminating essay assignment. Each of the four required
essays will be weighted equally as 25% of your final grade. For those students
whose essay grades consistantly improve over the semester, the last two essay
grades will be weighted slightly more heavily than the first two.
All four essays, including every
required draft task (listed in bold on the schedule), must be completed to pass
the course. Each late required draft task will lower that paper grade by a full
letter. A late or missing peer response, when required, will lower your own
essay grade by a full letter. In other words, if you earn an A on an essay but
the proposal, one draft, and the final version were late and you did not
particpate in peer response, the essay grade will be recorded as an F.
A C-range grade represents
acceptable, college-level work; merely completing all work does not guarantee
at least a C unless the work is also reflective of college-level writing and
thinking. A separate statement on essay evaluation criteria will be
distributed. While some students initially worry that evaluation of writing is
entirely subjective, your writing in this course is evaluated according to
somewhat standard, academic criteria, including originality, active engagement
with language, effectiveness, evidence of thoughtful revision, and so on.
Basically, three areas are assessed: organization (structure), material
(content, evidence, detail), and expression (sentence-level issues).
OTHER POLICIES:
All assigned work, including
copied drafts, must be completed before the class meeting for which it is due.
All out-of-class, written work must be typed (double spaced), unless designated
otherwise in class. All word/page limits are strict.
Any work missed by a student
because of absence from class meetings remains entirely the student’s
responsibility. Other than required draft tasks, no work will be accepted late.
Late draft tasks will not receive peer or instructor comments.
While some guided collaboration is
encouraged in this course, plagiarism is not tolerated and will result in a
zero for the involved component and for any individuals involved. A zero is
calculated as less than an F and makes it difficult to pass the course. Refer
to your student handbook for more information.
Grammatical errors are generally
unacceptable and reflect less than college-level writing. Your textbook
provides a solid grammar handbook. Take advantage of the Center for Academic
Support (LRC 213) if this area of writing (or any other areas) concerns you.
Though the Center is not responsible for a student’s performance and will not
“fix” papers, tutors can assist with any stage of the writing process.
While I do not check up on work
beyond listed assignments, try to spend time on writing every day. Accumulated
engagement in the writing process often pays off in later drafts. To an even
greater extent than in many other courses, reaping the benefits from a writing
course depends upon individual enthusiasm and engagement.
I hold scheduled group or
individual conferences and encourage additional conferences as needed. Though I
provide some written responses to some of your work, I can offer response in
conference conversation that provides individual attention from me, active
involvement from you, and time for clarification and brainstorming.
Students with disabilities that
inhibit work in this course should notify me in writing within the first two
weeks of the semester so that accommodations can be considered.
No food or beverages (other than
water) are allowed in carpeted areas.
Other relevant policies are
included in your student handbook.
SCHEDULE I
Monday, January 14
Introduction to the course and to
each other.
Wednesday, January 16
Read the introduction to RA (1-15)
and Chapter 2 in NC (9-28). Assignment for Essay #1 discussed.
Friday, January 18
Instead of meeting as a class,
read “What Makes a Family” (26-39) and turn in to my mailbox a one-page
response to question #3. LOOK AHEAD for work due on 1/23.
Monday, January 21
Class will not meet. Campus is
closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Tuesday, January 22
Catie Rosemurgy reading at 4:30pm
in MC 214; attendance encouraged (not required).
Wednesday, January 23
Read and annotate (or take notes
on) the RA essay you will use as your topic for Essay #1. Read Chapter 3 (NC
29-52); bring two kinds of completed
prewriting for Essay #1.
Friday, January 25
Evaluation criteria for essays in
this course. Read 7a-b (NC 126-134); bring a working thesis statement for Essay #1.
Monday, January 28
Bring a completed draft of Essay #1.
Wednesday, January 30 - Friday, February 1
Instead of meeting as a class, you
will be required to attend a conference.
Monday, February 4
Bring the final final draft of Essay # 1. Assignment
for Essay #2.
Wednesday, February 6
Read “From Report of the Massachusetts...” (RA 141-150); write a one-page
summary.
Friday, February 8
Read as assigned for your group;
bring a one-page summary of the assigned RA chapter; you’ll prepare for
Monday’s group presentation during class time.
Monday, February 11
Group presentations of essays.
Wednesday, February 13
Read “From Social Class and...” (RA 174-190); in a one-page response, address
questions 1&2 as thoroughly as possible. Bring two proposals for Essay #2.
Friday, February 15
Read 7c-d (NC 134-142) and 7h
(149-151).
Monday, February 18
Class will not meet. Campus is
closed for Presidents’ Day.
Wednesday, February 20
Bring a completed draft of Essay #2.
Friday, February 22
Bring peer response.
Monday, February 25
Read Chapter 34 (NC 661-670);
bring one revised paragraph from Essay
#2 based on this reading.
Wednesday, February 27
Skim Chapters 37 and 38 (NC
686-698); we’ll go over them in class.
Friday, March 1
Bring a revised draft of Essay #2 for peer response.
Monday, March 4
Bring the final draft of Essay #2.
Wednesday, March 6 & Friday, March 8
We will not meet as a class;
instead, copy three print ads that depict gender in some way, write a one-page,
single-spaced analysis of the way these ads depict gender, and put these items
(stapled together) into my mailbox by Friday at noon.
March 10-17 - Spring Break
ESSAY #1 ASSIGNMENT
Length: 750-900 words
Purpose: to summarize
and respond to a published article in order to gain and share an understanding
of how someone else’s ideas relate to your own ideas; in doing so, you must
accurately represent the original article’s main points and must respond to
them as you go along
Topic: one of the
following in Section 1 of RA: “What We Really Miss About the 1950s” (52),
“About Marriage” (69), “The Military-Nintendo Complex” (81), or “Black Women
and Motherhood” (112); in choosing an article, balance the level of
understanding you have of that article with the level of interest you have in
the ideas it addresses
Audience: the members of this class, some of whom will not have read the essay