English 100: Introduction to College Writing
Fall 2003
Missouri Western State College
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section 03: 8:00-8:50 MWF, JGM 106 (Lecture)
Writer’s Workshop: 10:00-10:50 MW SS/C 222 U-V
Section 10:
10:00-10:50 MWF, JGM 104 (Lecture)
Writer’s Workshop:
10:00-10:50 TTh SS/C 213
Section 15: 12:00-12:50 MWF, JGM 220 (Lecture)
Writer’s Workshop: 1:00-1:50 MW SS/C 222 U-V
Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office: SSC 222R
Phone: 271-4156
Office Hours: 9:00-9:45 and 2:00-3:00 MWF and by appointment.
E-mail: pankiew@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts and Course Materials:
McWhorter, Kathleen T. Successful College Writing. 2nd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
English 100 Writer’s Workshops. Fall 2003 ed.
Folders for each task
3-1/2" floppy disks and a disk-storage box
Photocopies for group work as requested
I also plan to refer to Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven throughout the semester.
Attendance Policy:
This
class has a very strict attendance policy in Writer’s Workshops as well as in
class. If you miss seven class periods
or four Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. There are no exceptions and no “makeups”
for this attendance requirement. If you
know of any circumstances likely to make this policy difficult for you this
semester, you should consult with your advisor and me to review your options.
Due to the noise in the hallway, I will close
the classroom door at the beginning of the class. I will also take roll
at that time. If you arrive a few minutes late, please knock so we can let you
in. Be sure to see me after class so I can adjust my attendance record. I don’t want to forget to change your
absence. As a rule if you are more than
10 minutes late, your tardiness will be counted as an absence. In counting absences, I must follow my attendance record, not my
memory.
If you miss a class session, you are responsible for all material covered and all assignments given during your absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. No late assignments will be accepted unless you have received prior permission from your teacher (See Below).
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 for 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;
· Develop their ideas and concepts with specific details, examples, and explanations;
· 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 common objectives/means and institutional competencies for ENG 100 also refer to the English department website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng100.asp
Writing Tasks:
You will complete four major writing tasks and a course portfolio. A student who does not turn in all four tasks or submit a course portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory.
Each task will discuss a theme. A variety of class activities including assigned readings, class discussion, and multiple drafts reflecting response group suggestions will accompany each writing task.
The Tasks are:
· Task One: Describing Significance Carefully. Why I believe. Write a narrative essay about an experience in your life that has had a significant effect on you or that changed your views in an important way. The essay must recreate the event and analyze the events significance. Due on September 17.
· Task Two: Explaining What Things Mean. Who I am. Write a descriptive essay that shows how several concrete objects define who you are. Due on October 8.
· Task Three: Connecting Reading and Writing. My view of education. Write an illustrative essay that examines an issue relating to education. The essay must use examples from your experience as well as from several essays read in class. Due on November 3.
· Task Four: Re-thinking Your Writing. Joining a conversation. (I have several ideas for writing an argument, an analysis, or a reflective essay. I have not yet decided which one will be used.) Due on November 24.
· Portfolio. Due on December 3.
Process Folder:
Each task will conclude with the submission of a process folder. No essay will be accepted without a process folder. The folder will include:
· a revised draft of the task essay,
· previous drafts of the essay with peer group responses attached,
· reading summaries and responses,
· in-class writings,
· an in-class letter explaining the writing process, commenting on the reading-writing connection, discussing the class activities, or highlighting peer response and revision.
Each process folder will be graded and returned. The process folder will evaluate work on the task, but it will not evaluate the essay. No essay will receive a grade until it is published in the portfolio. Each process folder will account for approximately 8% of the final grade. If you do not understand the grade assigned to the process folder, see me immediately.
Portfolio:
Since writing is a process, I encourage you to revise your essays throughout the semester. That is why I will respond to your essays and discuss them with you throughout the semester but will not grade any of them until they are published in the portfolio. A portfolio of all of your work will be due at the end of the semester. The portfolio will include published drafts of your essays, previous drafts and responses, selected course writing, and a reflective essay, explaining the contents of the portfolio and discussing your growth as a writer. I will evaluate the portfolio and return it by the final exam. The portfolio will account approximately 70 percent of your course grade.
Since you need a final grade of C or better to move on to English 104, I will inform you of any task paper that is not portfolio ready. I will be happy to meet with you to discuss any essay and work with you as you revise.
Guidelines:
Guidelines or a description of expectations will be provided for each task. You should consider these guidelines revision tools, not scoring guides.
Conferences:
My office hours are listed above. Your most effective learning may occur during conferences about your writing. I will schedule at least one conference with you during the semester. I will also bring my calendar to every class to schedule additional appointments. If at any time during the semester, you do not understand an assignment or a task, see me, call me, or e-mail me to discuss the confusion.
Center for Academic Support:
In addition to conferences with me, you may find help with your writing at the Center for Academic Support. The CAS, which is located at the northeast corner of the library building, provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading and writing instruction. There is no cost to students for using these services. I encourage you to make use of these services throughout this course.
Late Assignments:
Late assignments (this is any work that is not submitted on time and includes assignments left at home or “temporarily lost” by a computer malfunction) will result in a 10% deduction of that assignment’s grade for the first day. If you are facing difficulties in completing an assignment, discuss the problems with me in person—not over the phone or via e-mail—before the assignment is due. If necessary during the conference, we will work out a plan to complete the assignment. No late assignment will be accepted after one day unless it is accompanied by the written plan.
Essay
Format:
Papers must be word-processed double-spaced using a 12-point font. Be sure to save each assignment on a computer disk and keep a hard copy of each assignment for yourself.
Writer’s Workshop:
Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the once-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. You must ensure that you have the right materials in the right place. Your teacher may also consider your Writer's Workshop participation as part of your grade.
Policies
Academic Honesty
Policy:
Plagiarism is an act of theft. It is taking another’s words or ideas and calling them your own. That does not mean you cannot use another’s words or ideas to illustrate and to support your thoughts, but it does mean that you must give credit to the one whose words and ideas you are using.
If I find evidence of cheating or plagiarism, you have the burden of showing that you have in fact written the paper. You should keep thorough evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that you can meet this burden of proof. You will receive a grade of F for any paper that shows sufficient evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. Stronger evidence proving flagrant cheating and/or plagiarism may lead to stronger penalties. Please note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental web site, found at http://www2.mwsc.edu/eflj/plagiarism.html.
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.
Student Disability:
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expressions of abilities should contact Missouri Western's special needs coordinator, Lois Fox, for possible certification of special needs and expert recommendations for assistance. You should also contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
Your grade will be determined by the writings you submit, your progress as a writer, and your class participation over the course of the semester. The components of your grade in the course are:
· Process Folders …………………………………30%
· Portfolio ………………………………………….70%