Course Goals

Students will complete three formal research projects in addition to other graded and ungraded work. In these assignments, students will learn to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the thinking of others in order to discover, develop, and test their own points of view.

English 108 is a general studies course. Students will learn to write for different audiences and purposes, to use active reading and critical thinking, to use writing processes and conventions. This course also meets the state level competencies of communicating, higher order thinking, and managing information. For more information on these goals, see the English Department web site for general studies courses at General Studies English Courses.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Rottenberg, Annette T. Elements of Argument. 7^th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.

A composition handbook such as The New Century Handbook.

A collegiate dictionary.

Folders for each unit.

3-1/2” floppy disks.

Photocopies for group work when requested.

Course Information

Writing Units:

You will complete several writing units including three research-based arguments and a course portfolio. A student who does not complete the research arguments or submit a course portfolio will not pass the course even if the grade achieved through other work is satisfactory.

Class activities for each unit may include writing, reading, class discussion, in-class writing and quizzes, presentations, and peer response group sessions.

The Units are:

· Finding your voice. A series of short essays based on class reading.

· Dialogue to Essay. A cooperative unit that includes research, a collaborative dialogue, and an argument.

· Rhetorical Analysis. An essay analyzing a published work.

· Research Project. A well-researched and reasoned argument on a specific issue.

· Class presentation of the research project.

· Portfolio.

Process Folder:

Each unit will conclude with the submission of a process folder, a record of your participation and progress. No essay will be accepted without a process folder. The folder will usually include:

· a revised draft of the unit’s 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. Together the process folders will account for between thirty and forty percent 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. I will respond to your essay drafts and discuss them with you throughout the semester, but I will not grade any of them until they are published in the portfolio. If I find that your essay is not ready for the portfolio or is in danger of receive a grade below a C, I will encourage you to confer with me. If you are in doubt of your progress on a specific essay, I will be happy to meet with you to discuss the essay and work with you as you revise. I will meet with each of you around mid-term to discuss your progress in the course.

The portfolio 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. Specific requirements will be determined later. The portfolio will be evaluated and returned by the final exam. The portfolio will account for between sixty and seventy percent of your course grade.

Guidelines:

Guidelines or a description of expectations will be provided for each unit. You should consider these guidelines as revision tools, not as scoring guides.

Conferences:

My office hours are listed above. Your most effective learning may occur during conferences about your writing. I will schedule a mid-term conference with you to discuss your course progress. I will schedule a portfolio conference with you late in the semester to discuss your writing. 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 deduction of that assignment’s grade for the first day. No late assignment will be accepted after one day unless it is accompanied by the written plan. 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.

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.

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://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp

Attendance:

Most of this class requires your participation in writing, reading, discussing, and presenting. It is not possible to make up this kind of work. Your attendance and your participation are expected. More than three absences will lower your final grade. You will fail the course on the date of the sixth absence. 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.

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.

Grading:

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 …………………………………30-40%

· Portfolio ………………………………………….60-70%

Tentative Schedule

Week 1, August 25-29:

Course Introduction. What is an argument? (In-class writing; Rottenberg Chapter 1; selected readings.)

Week 2, September 3-5:

Reading and responding to an argument. (Rottenberg Chapter 2; short essay draft; peer group; selected readings.)

Week 3, September 8-12:

Claims. (Rottenberg Chapter 3, short essay draft, peer group, selected readings.)

Process Folder is due.

Week 4, September 15-19:

Support. (Rottenberg Chapter 5, selected readings, topic and claim, research, annotated bibliography, Dialogue to Essay.)

Week 5, September 22-26:

Dialogue to Essay. (Group presentations, peer groups.)

Week 6, September 29-October 3:

Dialogue to Essay Process Folder is due. Warrants or Assumptions. (Rottenberg Chapter 6, selected readings.)

Week 7, October 6-10:

Rhetorical Analysis. (Rottenberg Chapter 6, peer groups, selected readings.) Begin mid-term conferences.

Week 8, October 15-17:

Rhetorical Analysis Process Folder is due. (Peer groups, selected readings.) Complete mid-term conferences.

Week 9, October 20-24:

Research Project. (Rottenberg Chapters 9 and 10, peer groups, selected readings.) Mid-term grades due on October 22.

Week 10, October 27-31:

Research Project. (Peer groups, selected readings.)

Week 11, November 3-7:

Research Project. (Peer groups, selected readings.)

Week 12, November 10-14:

Research Project Process Folder is due. (Peer groups, selected readings.) Research Project Presentations.

Week 13, November 17-21:

Research Project Presentations. Portfolio. (Peer groups, selected readings.) No class on November 21. Begin Portfolio conferences,

Week 14, November 24:

Research Project Presentation. (Selected reading.) Portfolio conferences.

Week 15, December 1-5 and December 8:

Research Project Presentations. Portfolio. (Peer groups, selected readings.) Portfolio is due.

Final Exam, Monday, December 15, 2:00-3:50.