II. Required Texts and Materials

The Conscious Reader, Eighth Edition, by Caroline Shrodes, Harry Finestone, and Michael Shugrue

The New Century Handbook by Christine Hult and Thomas Huckin

III. Objectives of ENG 104

Course Objectives (you should understand that:) Means to Objective (you will:)

Writing can be used for different purposes *use invention techniques to discover ideas

*make journal entries to explore your mind and to extend the range of your personal life

*write summaries to distill ideas

*write essays to communicate ideas and impose order on your thoughts and experiences

Multiple audiences exist *do some private writing for yourself

*write other work for your classmates or for an audience beyond the classroom

*write still other work where your teacher is the principal audience who responds to and evaluates the product

Writing is a recursive process *write drafts of material meant for an audience other than yourself

*reread first and second copies to rethink what you want to say

*revise for an organization appropriate to your main purpose

Many productive ways exist to generate ideas and images *practice various invention techniques, some of which may be brainstorming, listing, free-writing, looping, clustering, cubing, reading, interviewing, and researching

Common patterns of organization exist *describe people, objects, events, or processes

*illustrate points

*compare and contrast people, objects, events, processes, ideas, texts, or styles

*learn to write essays that display personal involvement, unity, coherence, clarity, and development

Formal distinctions exist among different prose genres *learn how to write summaries that accurately reflect the explicit ideas and supporting reasons of written texts

Editing skills enable writers to polish their work in order *learn how to identify and correct your

to keep the reader’s attention focused on the message own spelling, grammatical, and

conveyed or the experience created mechanical errors in the final stage of the writing process

Reading is an interactive process that functions in our *identify the main concepts of written

lives as a pleasurable activity as well as a means of works

acquiring knowledge *locate supporting details

*read for organization

IV. Basic Writing Requirements

Students will complete four formal/major writing assignments in addition to other graded and ungraded work. It is from this work that you will learn how to discover ideas, respond to texts, and summarize others’ ideas. In your assignments, you will learn how to analyze readings and share information with others by reading and responding to course texts and other materials.

Final drafts of major assignments should by typed or word-processed. Additional instructions for each essay will be distributed and discussed as the semester progresses.

All students are expected to be prepared for class and participate in class discussions related to reading and writing assignments. In addition, students are expected to keep complete portfolios of all their writings. It is important that you save and date all materials relating to this class, as any grade appeal will only follow the submission of your complete portfolio of writings to the Departmental Review Committee.

V. Grading and Attendance

A= 90-100%

B= 80-89%

C= 70-79%

D= 60-69%

F= Below 60%

Essay 1 (Definition) 150 points

Essay 2 (Illustration) 150 points

Essay 3 (Identification) 200 points

Essay 4 (Argument) 200 points

Journal & In-Class Writing 150 points

Participation/Quizzes 50 points

Final Exam 100 points

Total 1000 points

You must submit all four major writing assignments and your journal in order to pass this course. You must receive a course grade of “C” or better in order to enroll in ENG 108.

You are expected to arrive prepared to each class session. Since our class only meets once each week, it is important that you are physically and mentally present at each class. No in-class writings or quizzes may be made up. If you are absent, then you lose those points. I am happy to work with you if you know you will be absent on a certain date, so that you can turn in your assignments early.

Assignments are due at the beginning of the class. The grade for any assignment turned in late will be reduced by 20% for each class session late.

VI. Communication

Meeting only once a week has its drawbacks. One of those is lack of communication. I live outside of St. Joseph, but will be on campus Monday through Thursday if you must meet in person. It is far more efficient that we communicate throughout the week by e-mail. If you e-mail me by 2:00 p.m., then you will receive a response by that night. If you have an urgent need, then you are welcome to call me at home or on my cell phone. Please call only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

VII. 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 the instructor immediately in writing so that it can be discussed how he/she can be helped to meet class requirements.

VIII. 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 ENG 104 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 encouraged to make use of these services throughout the semester.

IX. Academic Honesty

Plagiarism or other academic dishonesty as assessed by the instructor will be the basis for a zero on any assignment. The student’s name and information about the violation will 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 be ready to submit all in-class writings and drafts so that 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.” Total honesty is expected.

X. Tentative Course Schedule

The following is a tentative course schedule which outlines reading assignments and paper deadlines. Readings are due on the day they appear. There will be additions and substitutions to this outline.

CR= The Conscious Reader (readings which begin on this page)

NCH= The New Century Handbook (chapters)

August 25 Assessment Writing

September 1 NCH 1,2,3 CR 3, 46, 64, 610

September 08 NCH 4,5,14 CR 53, 546, 807, 810

September 15 Definition Essay Due CR 588, 788

September 22 Journal Check CR 90, 655, 948

September 29 NCH 34, 35, 37, 38 CR 349, 454, 922

October 6 Illustration Essay Due

October 13 Writing Workshop CR 10, 11, 102, 232

October 20 Journal Check CR 51, 229, 939

October 27 CR 28, 388, 893

November 3 Identification Essay Due

November 10 NCH 9, 11 CR 853

November 17 Writing Workshop CR 209, 216, 400, 623, 665, 906

November 24 No Class, Thanksgiving Break

December 1 Argument Essay Due

December 8 Final Exam