English 10409—College Writing and Rhetoric

Syllabus—Fall 2003

Missouri Western State College

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

 

Instructor:              Corla Dawson

Office:                       Center for Academic Support—LRC 213

Phone:                      816/271-4531 (8:00-4:30 Monday-Friday)

E-mail:                      dawson@missouriwestern.edu

Office Hours:         By appointment

Time and Room: 6:30-9:20 M JGM 104

 

Required Texts:   Reading Critically Writing Well, 6^th Edition, Axelrod and Cooper

 

Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability that prevents the fullest

expression of his or her potential to succeed in this course must notify me in writing as soon as possible, so we may discuss course requirements, options and/or accommodations.

 

Academic Honesty: Most cheating is accidental. If, however, I determine that a

student is cheating deliberately or repeatedly, I will award a failing grade for the project and/or the course, in addition to forwarding the names and acts of all involved students to my department chair and to the dean of students.

 

Civility and Cooperation: Missouri Western requires all students to help us

maintain good conditions for teaching and learning.  All students will treat their classmates and teachers 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.

 

Before entering the classroom, make sure your cell phone is set so that it does not ring during class.  The class runs from 6:30-9:20 and includes a break (time and length will be determined by a class vote).  Unless there is an emergency, you are expected to remain in class except during the break. 

 

Grading: There will be four major writing assignments. I will determine final grades based on the following:

 

Essay   # 1                 Due Monday, September 22

            Essay   # 2                 Due Monday, October 20

            Essay   # 3                 Due Monday, November 17

            Essay   # 4                 Due Monday, December 8

 

Announced quizzes—cannot be made up

Daily assignments—cannot be made up

 

(80% of the grade will be determined from the four paper assignments.)

 

(20% of the grade will be determined from the quizzes over assigned readings and other point opportunities.)

A = 90-100

            B = 80-89

            C = 70-79

            D = 60-69

            F = 0-59

                       

Please Note: No one will pass this class without completing all four writing

assignments, regardless of what the student's point total would indicate.  If students are borderline between grades, other factors such as effort, class participation, attendance, and attitude will be used to determine the final grade.

 

Late Work: When papers are assigned for a given date, they are due at the

beginning of the hour.  I penalize all late papers 10 percentage points per day late, and any papers I do not receive at the beginning of the hour on the day they are due will be considered one day late.  If something should happen that prevents you from turning your paper in on time, you must make arrangements with me before the paper is due, not afterwards. 

 

Attendance: Punctual, regular attendance is necessary for your success in this

class.  I will frequently give quizzes over readings.  Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class and cannot be made up.  Daily assignments will also have points attached that cannot be made up.  If you are absent, you are still responsible for what was covered in class on the day you are absent and what is due for the next class period.

 

Assignments and Extra Credit: Like papers, daily assignments are due at the

beginning of class on the designated date.  To avoid problems with disks crashing, etc., always have a backup.  There is no extra credit for this class.

 

Course Objectives—upon completion of ENG 104, you should understand the following:

 

q       Writing can be used for different purposes.

q       Multiple audiences exist.

q       Writing is a recursive process.

q       Many productive ways exist to generate ideas and images for your work.

q       Common patterns of organization exist.

q       Formal distinctions exist among different prose genres.

q       Editing skills enable writers to polish their work in order to keep the reader's attention focused on the message conveyed or the experience created.

q       Reading is an interactive process that functions in our lives as a pleasurable activity as well as a means of acquiring knowledge.

 

A more detailed description of the course goals/objectives is available at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp#Objectives.