English 104-12N: College Writing and Rhetoric
Missouri Western State
College
Division of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Department of English,
Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Instructor: Patricia Smith Home Phone: 816-324-3560
E-Mail: pat.smith@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Office Hours: By appointment
Class: 6:30-9:20pm Thursdays, SSC 210
Required Materials:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 6th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Recommended Materials:
Hult, Christine A. And Thomas N. Huckin. The New Century Handbook. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
1999.
A good college dictionary and thesaurus.
Course Description, Objectives, and Institutional Competancies: Please see the
following internet site:
<http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp>
Attendance: Each Thursday class represents one week of the semester or three class sessions. A single absence, therefore, constitutes missing one week of classes. Multiple absences will lower your grade. The third absence will result in an automatic "F."
Essays: Each student will be required to complete four essays in this class. Each essay should be between 3-5 pages in length. It is an English Department requirement that the drafts of all essays be word-processed. For students without access to a word processor, MWSC has several computer labs on campus. Regardless of the computer used, saving each assignment on disk is essential since revisions will be made. Technical problems do not constitute a legitimate excuse for late work or unacceptable format.
Final drafts: Final drafts are to be submitted in a two-pocket folder, containing all pre-writing activities for the assignment. No credit will be given unless all documents are submitted with the final draft.
Revisions: Each student is afforded the opportunity to revise and resubmit any and all papers. Revisions need to be submitted at the beginning of the next class session. The final grade will be a composite grade based on the revision process.
Any major paper receiving a grade below a C is unacceptable. If you receive a grade below a C, you should schedule a conference to discuss the essay and to work out a revision plan leading to the re-submission of the essay.
Format: All papers submitted for credit are to be doubled spaced with one-inch margins. The following information is required in the upper left corner on EVERY paper for which credit is given:
ü
student name
ü
class
ü
assignment
description
ü
date of
submission
Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each
page. To avoid papers being separated,
a single staple in the upper left corner is sufficient.
Written Assignments: Each reading assignment requires a typed student reaction. These short writing assignments are to be more informal and adapted to the essay being considered. A brief, yet detailed, paragraph is generally adequate.
Quizzes: Quizzes, given during the
beginning of the class session, will
cover the readings assigned for that class period. There will be no opportunity to make up quizzes.
Academic Honesty: Cheating, plagiarism, and knowingly furnishing false information in either the classroom or on paper constitute a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the MWSC Student Handbook. Violations of this policy are grounds for a failing grade for the course and referral to the English Department Chair and the Dean of Students.
Disabled Student Policy: Any student enrolled in this course 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 the course requirements and options available.
Center for Academic Support: The Center for Academic Support provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading and 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: proofreading a draft for mechanical correctness, writing a thesis statement, organizing ideas, and structuring ideas into an essay form. You are encouraged to make use of these services throughout this course.
Grading: The assignments for this semester include:
Four essays
Quizzes/In-class writings/participation
Attendance
Final Exam
Scores on these assignments will be tallied at the end of the course. Final grades will be based on the following scale:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F Below 60%
Students must complete ALL assignments in order to pass the class.
Writing
Assignments and Final Due Dates
Sept. 18 Paper #1 due. Personal Narrative (reflective essay—Chapter 2)
Oct. 9 Paper #2 due. Concept Paper (informative essay—Chapter 5
Oct. 30 Paper #3 due. Position Paper (argumentative essay—Chapter 6)
Nov. 20 Paper #4 due. Solution Paper (argumentative essay—Chapter 7)
Dec. 11 Final Exam. In class--Persuasive Paper (argumentative essay--Chapter 8)
Reading and Writing Assignments
Aug. 28 Introduction to course. Review syllabus and text.
For next class: Review Chapter 2 Remembering Events (25-78). Write reactions to text examples. Find and read a short story or essay about an event you feel is exemplary for this assignment. Bring copy to class.
Sept. 4 Chapter 2--Remembering Events. Discuss examples in text and personal selection. Hand in written reactions to examples.
For next class: Write an essay about an event in your life (51-59). See syllabus for details.
Sept. 11 Paper #1--Event Paper (Personal Narrative) due--3 copies needed. Peer editing session. In class writing.
For next class: Review Chapter 5--"Explaining a Concept," (183-236). Send an e-mail to instructor with comments on peer editing session.
Sept. 18 Edited copy of Paper #1 due. Discuss Chapter 5. Discuss papers.
For next class: Read essays provided by instructor. Choose one of the examples and
explain how it fits or doesn't fit the model for this chapter. Be specific and give supporting details to defend your answer. (One page due at beginning of class).
Sept. 25 Hand in writing assignment. Read (in class) and discuss "Larger Than Life" (handout will be
provided.
Oct. 2 Paper #2--Concept Paper (Informative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peer editing
session.
For next class: Review chapter 6--"Arguing a Position," (237-290). Write reactions to
examples in text.
Oct. 9 Edited copy of Paper #2 due. Discuss Chapter 6. Written reactions to essays due.
For next class: Read stories/essays in handout from Sticks and Stones. Write a
memo with information about best writing example from the readings.
Oct. 16 Discuss stories from Chapter 6 in Sticks and Stones (handout). Write in class.
Oct. 23 Paper # 3--Position Paper (Argumentative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peer
editing session. Midterm grades due.
For next class: Review Chapter 7--"Proposing a Solution," (293-349). Bring a “clipped” job
description to class.
Oct. 30 Edited copy of Paper #3 due. Discuss Chapter 7. Write reactions to stories in class.
Mid-term grades due.
For next class: Write a cover letter for job interest. Bring résumé to class. Read essays in
Sticks and Stones handout (provided by instructor).
Nov. 6 Discuss stories from Chapter 7 in Stick and Stones. Look at résumés and cover letters.
For next class: Work on cover letter and résumés.
Nov. 13 Paper #4--Solution Paper (Argumentative Essay) due--3 copies needed. Peer
editing session.
For next class: Review Chapter 8--"Justifying an Evaluation," (351-405).
Nov. 20 Edited copy of Paper #4 due. Discuss Chapter 8. Hand in cover letter and résumé.
Nov. 27 Thanksgiving break. NO CLASS.
Dec. 4 Assign Final Exam. All work must be completed.
Dec. 11 Final Exam