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 may not earn a grade higher than a D for the class. Each class and workshop also counts toward your class grade. Ordinarily, 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 may wish to consult with your advisor to review your options.If you miss a class session, you remain responsible for all material, information and assignments given during your absence.

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.

Required Texts and Course Materials

• Dietsch, Betty. Reasoning and Writing Well. 3^rd edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2002.
• English 100 Writer’s Workshops. Spring 2003 ed.
• 3-1/2" floppy disks and a disk storage box
• Photocopies for group work as requested

Detailed course objectives are attached to this syllabus. Our main goal will be to prepare you for success in English 104 through lessons and guided practice in college writing.

Class Assignments: General Grading Policy:

Your grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the writings you submit, and your class participation over the course of the semester. The components of your grade in the course are:

Diligence. You will complete three major writing tasks, each consisting of a series of preparatory writings and a final paper for grading. All required materials must be turned in before you may receive a grade for the task. A student who does not complete all three tasks will not pass the course.

Writer’s Workshop. Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the weekly 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. Your teacher will also consider your Writer's Workshop participation as part of your "diligence" grade.

Quality. Each final task paper will be evaluated for its quality, as defined by the Task assignment. Your achievements as a writer will be assessed through an end-of-semester portfolio in which you must put your revised final papers. The standards for the final portfolio will be higher than those for the initial task papers, so that in most cases further revision and editing will be a very good idea. Your portfolio must receive an "acceptable" evaluation in order for you to pass ENG 100.

Grading Requirements and Evaluations:
 

All graded materials will receive scores in points. The point scale will be converted to letter grades as follows (no averaging up; points must meet or exceed the lower range to earn the grade): 90-100 = A   80-90 = B   70-80 = C   60-70 = D

These are the values for each course component:   Task One: 20% Task Two: 30% Task Three: 30% Final Portfolio:  20%* *Note that your final portfolio must also receive an "acceptable" rating for you to earn a C or higher.

Late or Incomplete Task Assignments

If any of the three main task assignments are turned in late or are incomplete as of the due date, I will require additional work for the same amount of credit before those assignments will be accepted. This policy also applies to students who are late for class on a major due date, unless they have already turned in their materials. All accepted late assignments will simply be graded, without further response or feedback.

Additional Response to Task Assignments

At any time after they are graded, substantially revised papers may be submitted for further review under these rules: 1) You must submit both the graded version and the revision together along with a cover note explaining exactly what revision efforts you have made and exactly what kind of response you would like; 2) The revision must be thorough enough to deserve additional review; 3) you may submit no more than one revision per week; and 4) You must be willing to receive only my review and commentary, not my own revision and editing. While such revision will not change your original Task grade, it should help you achieve a higher grade for the final portfolio.

Final Portfolio

The final portfolios will be evaluated for these traits: writing processes, development, organization, critical thinking, rhetorical awareness, and conventions. Throughout the semester you will receive information and responses that help you understand these traits and how they are evaluated to make up your grade. Your portfolio will need to include all three task papers revised into their best form, one complete set of process materials for one task paper, and a timed writing written during the final exam period. To get the best grade, you will need to keep all of your process materials and revise your papers on your own initiative throughout the term.

Final Exam

The final exam will be a timed writing that will be reviewed as part of your final portfolio grade.

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 the teacher personally as soon as possible so that the two of you can discuss class requirements.

Academic Honesty Policy

You will receive a grade of F for any paper that shows evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. You have the initial burden of demonstrating that a paper which shows evidence of cheating or plagiarism is in fact your own original work. You should keep thorough evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that you can meet this burden of proof. Stronger evidence proving plagiarism may lead to further penalties. Please note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental website, found at http://www2.mwsc.edu/eflj/plagiarism.html .

Schedule

Whenever you are asked to bring anything, you should have with you a version that you would be willing to have marked up or handed in for review. Make a photocopy or print an extra copy if you want a clean version for yourself. You may also bring an electronic copy if you know how to handle it for in-class work and deliver it to me when and as needed.

Whenever you are asked to read something, the assignment is to be read by the start of class on that date. Unless another source is mentioned, all reading assignments are in Reasoning and Writing Well, noted either by chapters (for example, "Ch. 11") or pages (for example, "pp. 405-20"). At times you will also need to do the reading before completing other tasks required by the start of class, so you should finish your reading early and review for quizzes (that is also the best strategy for succeeding on the quizzes). Quizzes may be announced or unannounced.

1/13 Introductions! We will get started on Task One.
1/15 Read Ch. 1. We will review the standards for this class.
1/17 Read Ch. 3. We will prewrite in class.

1/22 Read Ch. 4. Bring Task One drafts (at least 2 pages) for in-class work.
1/24 Bring Task One drafts (at least 2 pages) for peer review session.

1/27 Bring full Task One drafts (at least 3 pages) for teacher's review.
1/29 Review and problem-solving.
1/31 Bring Task One drafts (at least 3 pages) for further revision.

2/3 Task One due. We will get started on Task Two.
2/5 Workshop on making connections among topics and ideas; Friday reading assignments made
2/7 Read (as assigned) either Weiss (567), Gibbons (586) or Perrin (590). Discussion.

2/10 Bring a copy of your Task Two drafts for imitation practice.
2/12 Bring a copy of your Task Two drafts for further imitation practice.
2/14 Bring a copy of your Task Two drafts (at least 3 pages) for teacher review.

2/17 President's Day. No class.
2/19 We will take an ungraded in-class essay exam to check your progress.
2/21 I will return the in-class exam and review grading considerations. Bring Task Two drafts for in-class work

2/24 Read Ch. 7. Bring Task Two drafts (at least 2 pages) for paragraph revision.
2/26 Bring 3 copies of Task Two drafts (at least 3 pages) for peer review session
2/28 Review and problem-solving.

3/3 Task Two due. We will get started on the Task Three paper. Wednesday reading assignments made.
3/5 Read (as assigned) either Etzioni (689), Baker (632), Carter (594) or Norman (583). Discussion.
3/7 Read pp.367-77 and skim examples as needed. We will review "documentation" of sources.

3/17 Meet at Library; instruction on research
3/19 Teacher out of town; substantial research expected
3/21 Teacher out of town; substantial research expected

3/24 Bring a draft of Task Three for peer review
3/26 Bring your best draft of Task Three for in-class revision
3/28 Bring your best draft of Task Three for teacher review

3/31 Read Ch. 8. In-class editing and formatting
4/2 Class discussion.
4/4 Review and problem-solving.

4/7 Task Three due. We will get started on portfolios
4/9 To be decided.
4/11 To be decided.

4/14 To be decided.
4/16 To be decided.
4/18 To be decided.

4/21 To be decided.
4/23 To be decided.
4/25 To be decided.

4/28 Final portfolio due. Review session for the final test