ENG 104 College Writing and Rhetoric Dr. Joseph Castellani
Fall Semester, 2003 Phone: 4310, Room: SSC 222 T
Missouri Western State College
Division of Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Materials:
McQuade and Atwan, Popular Writing in America, Oxford, 1993, 5th Ed.
A dictionary of your choice
A spiral notebook reserved exclusively for English work
Requirements: Regular attendance, no more than three unexplained absences; completing reading assignments before coming to class; submitting themes on designated dates; writing 7-9 brief quizzes; writing the final examination.
Objectives: See Composition Course Guide (online at:
Evaluation: Quizzes 20%; notebooks 25%; themes 30%; final writing 25%
Students with Disabilities: Those students with any disability that will prevent their fullest expression should contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
Attendance Policy: Consideration will be given to students in the case of genuine illness, emergency, or when acting as a representative of MWSC. It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify the class instructor prior to the absence, and if possible, meet with the instructor on the student’s return to discuss the materials missed.
Academic Honesty Policy: Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college constitutes a violation. A grade of zero may be assessed in the evaluation instrument.
Assignments:
August
T 26 Orientation; Bio-data
Syllabus review; writing sample
"The story of an Hour"; discussion
Th 28 Hemingway: "Hills Like White Elephants"; Shaw: "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses"
Quiz samples
Popular Writing in America (hereafter PWA): Narration, "Fifteen," p. 289; "Now You ‘Take Bambi’ or ‘Snow White,’" p. 285
Bring notebooks.
September
T 2 "Forbidden Words on Campus," p. 237
"A&P," p. 612
"Dillinger Gets His," p. 128
Th 4 Theme preparation (in class)
"Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki…," p. 140
"Rambos of the Road," p. 296
Suggested topics
T 9 Theme #1 due
Description
"We Do Abortions Here: A Nurse’s Story," p. 298
"The Fraying of America," p. 352
Th 11 "How to Win Friends…," p. 393
"The Hidden Persuaders," p. 415
T 16 "Blue Highways," p. 442
"Death of a Maverick Mafioso," p. 268
Th 18 Comparison and Contrast (Patterns)
"The Parable of the Ring…," p. 96
"The Next Great Moment…," p. 165
T 23 Theme #2 due
"Settlement of America," "Feting the Lindbergh of the 15th Century," p. 224
Th 25 "Redskins, Braves…," "Names Debate Off Target," p. 247
"The Senate and Sexism," p. 241
T 30 "The Joy Luck Club," p. 471
Handouts
October
Th 2 Theme #3 due; Classification
"The Closing of the American Mind," p. 682
T 7 "Fighting the War on Cigs,"p. 199
"On Kids and Slasher Movies," p. 197
Th 9 Process Analysis
"How to Write Potent Copy," p. 88
"The World’s Biggest Membrane," p. 659
"The Little Store," p. 670
T 14 Cause/Effect
"Mr. Welles and Mass Delusion," p. 136
"Who’s on First," p. 692
Th 16 "Youth’s Despair Erupts," p. 182
"Adolescents and Their Music," p. 317
T 21 "The Western: The Legend and the Cardboard Head," p. 264
"How to Tell a Story," p. 530
Th 23 Theme #4 due
Argument – "Is There a Santa Clause," p. 126
"Rapping Garbage as ‘Art,’" p. 192
"Shaken Survivors Witness Pure Fury," p. 194
T 28 "Hooray for This…," p. 206
"Much More Nasty Than They Should Be," p. 207
Th 30 Open
November
T 4 "Censorship in America," p. 225
"The Declaration of Independence," p. 496
Election Day
"Civilization and Its Malcontents," p. 330
"Antihero," p. 337
Th 6 "Born on the Fourth of July," p. 436
"Arctic Dreams," p. 457
T 11 Theme #5 due
"Columbus and the Moon," p. 494
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas," p. 510
Th 13 "Walden," p. 514
"Old Times on the Mississippi," p. 525
T 18 "The Solace of Open Space," p. 279
"The Use of Force" p. 576
Th 20 "Once More to the Lake," p. 579
Thanksgiving Vacation November 26, 27, & 28
December
T 2 Open
Th 4 Open
Final Exams:
8:00 Class – 12/9/03, 8:30 – 10:20
9:00 Class – 12/11/03, 8:30 – 10:20