Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism

Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism

English 104-09 1:00-1:50 MWF JGM 109

Dr. Stacia Bensyl SSC 222 I

Phone 271-5936 email—bensyl@griffon.mwsc.edu

Office hours: MWF 10:00- 12:00 & TTh 11:00-12:00 and by appointment

Required Text:
American Voices: Culture and Community

The New Century Handbook

I will also periodically provide you with photocopied material for in class writings.

Please bring your books to class every day. You never know when you might need them.

Course Objectives:

The course objectives for English 104 are outlined at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/genstud.asp. I strongly recommend that students review these course objectives in addition to my going over them the first day of class.

Paper Topics:

Paper #1: Comparison/contrast essay

Paper #2: Persuasive essay.

Paper #3: Documented position essay.

Paper #4: Documented essay.

Your four portfolios are worth 100 points each.

NOTE: I will bring portfolios to class once to hand them back. If you're not in class to receive your portfolio, you need to come to my office to pick it up.

Final Exam:

You MUST take the final exam to pass the class. The final is objective (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, matching) and is worth 100 points.

The total number of points for the class is 500.

In class writing/portfolio policy:

You will write something in class almost every day. I say almost, because sometimes peer reviews or class discussion will take up all of our class time. You cannot make up the in class writings. Each day's assignment must be dated. Individual assignments will not be graded; instead, you will be graded on your portfolio performance as a whole. All rough drafts must be word-processed. On portfolio due dates, I will collect your completed portfolio. You will receive a typed evaluation of the in class work in the portfolio, as well as an evaluation of the process and final draft of your paper.

Attendance policy:

I don’t take class time to call the roll. Your in-class writings take the place of that. As per the above item, these cannot be made up. I will allow you one mental health day and two excused absences for things such as an on campus event you must participate in, jury duty, a death, illness, etc. After the third absence you will receive an "F" in the class.

Student Disability:

Students with disabilities (impaired hearing, vision, reading disorders, etc.) should notify me in writing of the disability before the end of the first week of class. In consultation with the Center for Academic Support, I will work out a course of study for such students.

Grading policy:

First off, you can't pass this class without turning in all four of your portfolios and taking the final. The grading scale is as follows:

100-90% = A

80-89% = B

70-79% = C

60-69% = D

59-0% = F

Remember, you must receive a grade of "C" or above to enroll in English 108 next semester.

Late paper policy:

You may turn in one late portfolio. It must be turned in the class meeting after its original due date.

Rewrite Policy:

You may re-write papers in portfolios #1, #2, and #3 for a better grade. Due dates for re-writes will be announced in class when I hand back papers. The grade you receive for the re-write will be averaged with the grade you initially received for the portfolio. I do not require students to re-write. The process is optional. I do require you, however, to take the re-write process seriously. Simply making mechanical changes in the paper is not re-writing--it's editing. That should have been done initially. In order to emphasize the seriousness of re-writing, I require all students who wish to re-write to visit the Center for Academic Support, make an appointment with a tutor, and discuss your paper. I will make forms for this process available to you. When you submit your re-write, you must include the initial, graded version of your paper, as well as the new, re-written version, and the CAS form, signed by the tutor with whom you met. I will not accept the re-write if you do not have all the information required.

Class Assignment Schedule:

Please remember that this is a TENTATIVE schedule. We may need to adjust due dates or assignment dates as the semester progresses. The term "invention" refers to any writing that we do which is "brainstorming" or "prewriting" for your final paper, or any writing which lets you practice techniques and methods of writing.

Reading/Writing Assignments:

UNIT ONE

1-14 Introduction

1-16 "The Mosaic vs. the Myth" 77

1-18 "Talk in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers" 455

1-21 Dr. King’s Birthday—no class

1-23 FORUM: Disparity of Wealth--all reading for this section

1-25 invention

1-28 invention

1-30 invention

2-1 rough draft of paper #1 due in class for peer review

2-4 Portfolio #1 due/start persuasive essay

UNIT TWO

2-6 "I Won't Be Celebrating Columbus Day" 123

2-8 "Miss Treatment" 627

2-11 "Listening to the Air" 557

2-13 invention

2-15 Dr. Bensyl at conference--no class

2-18 Presidents’ Day—no class

2-20 invention

2-22 invention

2-25 rough draft of paper #2 due in class for peer review

2-27 Portfolio #2 due/introduce documented position essay

UNIT THREE

3-1 "Violence as Fun" 619

3-4 Forum: Tough on Crime--all readings for this section

3-6 invention

3-8 invention

3-11 Spring Break—no class

3-13 Spring Break—no class

3-15 Spring Break—no class

3-18 introduction to documentation

3-20 choosing a secondary source from American Voices

3-22 invention

3-25 invention

3-27 invention

3-29 invention

4-1 rough draft of Paper #3 due in class for peer review

4-3 Portfolio #3 due/introduce documented essay

UNIT FOUR

4-5 more documentation

4-8 library--look at secondary sources in print

4-10 library--look at secondary sources online

4-12 invention

4-15 invention

4-17 invention

4-19 invention

4-22 invention

4-24 rough draft of paper #4 due in class for peer review

4-26 Portfolio #4 due/study for final

4-29 study for final

FINAL EXAM Friday, May 3, 2:00-3:50 pm