ENGLISH
104: COLLEGE WRITING AND RHETORIC
Spring
2003
Missouri Western State
College
School of Liberal Arts
and Sciences
Department of English,
Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section –02, 8:00-8:50
MWF, JGM 104
Section –05, 9:00-9:50
MWF, JGM 104
Section –10, 10:00-10:50
MWF, JGM 120
Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office:
SSC 222R
Office
Hours: 11:30-1:30 MW and 11:00-12:00 F and by appointment
Phone:
271-4156
E-mail:
pankiew@missouriwestern.edu
ENG 104 College Writing
and Rhetoric. Instruction in reading and writing;
emphasizes expository prose. Fulfills
first half of the General Studies requirement in English composition.
For a complete course description, objectives,
institutional competencies, and a sample paper, visit the English 104 page on
the English Department web site: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp#Course.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY
English 104 is about becoming critical readers and
thoughtful writers.
Key
Course Concepts:
1.
Define
thesis. Explain how a thesis controls
an essay.
2.
How
does a writer influence an audience?
3.
How
do you make specific decisions throughout the writing process? (Decisions about
audience, subject, purpose, writer, genre, thesis, development, organization,
structure, insight, revision, and editing.)
4.
Explain
and use specific critical thinking strategies in writing.
5.
Define
rhetoric.
6.
Explain
and use specific critical reading strategies.
7.
How
do you discover, judge, incorporate, and document outside sources of support?
8.
How
do you know when an essay is complete?
9.
Explain
how and why a piece of writing is effective?
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Axelrod,
Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. Reading Critically, Writing Well. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
Hult,
Christine and Thomas N. Huckin. The
New Century Handbook. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 2001.
A
good college dictionary.
Several
two-pocket folders.
Essays:
You will probably
write five essays this semester. The
essays will meet the following standards:
·
Be
3-5 pages in length unless a specific length is required.
·
Be
word-processed, using normal margins.
·
Be
printed in 10 or 12-point type only.
·
Be
double spaced.
·
Print
Name, Course, Professor, Date in the upper left hand corner of page one. See Hult pp. 98-102 for an example.
·
Have
a clear title. See Hult pp. 82-85.
·
Include,
if necessary, a Works Cited section, using MLA format. See Hult pp. 278-311.
·
Be
submitted on time. Late essays (this includes essays left at home or
“temporarily lost” by a computer malfunction) will result in a deduction of the
process folder grade.
·
Follow
criteria reflecting the specific assignment and genre.
Process Folder:
Each essay will be submitted in a process folder. The folder will include:
·
A
published draft of the essay.
·
A
reflection letter/essay written in class on the due date.
·
A
narrative that explains the writer’s reasons, decisions, and solutions in
writing the essay and that serves as a guide to understanding the contents of
the Process Folder.
·
A
revision section including prior drafts of the essay, dated process notes, and
dated peer and teacher responses.
·
A
preliminary writing section including invention writing activities as well as
in-class writings and quizzes.
·
A
reading section including Reading for Meaning, Reading Like A Writer, and
Reviewing What Makes Essays Effective activities.
·
No
essay will be accepted without the process folder. Incomplete process folders will receive no grade higher than a
C.
The Process Folders will account for 40 percent
of your course grade.
Ready
For The Portfolio/Not Yet Ready For The Portfolio:
I will read the published draft of each essay,
respond to your questions about it, comment on its merits according to the
scoring guide, and mark it as either Ready (for the Portfolio) or Not
Yet Ready (for the Portfolio). An
essay ranked as Ready indicates that it should receive a final grade of
C or higher. An essay ranked as Not
Yet Ready (NYR) indicates major flaws that should be addressed
immediately. If an essay is returned
NYR, I suggest that you schedule a conference to discuss the essay and plan a
revision strategy. Please note that a revision of an unacceptable essay does
not guarantee that the essay will be portfolio ready.
Portfolio:
Since writing is a process, you are expected to
revise your essays throughout the semester.
I encourage you to do so. A portfolio of all of your work will be due
during the last two weeks of the semester.
The portfolio will include published drafts of your essays and a
portfolio letter. I will evaluate the portfolio and return it by the final
exam. The portfolio will account for
50 percent of your course grade.
Exams:
The Mid-Term and Final Exams will account for 10
percent of your course grade.
Evaluation:
The assignments for this semester include: Five
(?) essays, Five (?) Process Folders, Mid-term (?) and Final Exams, Daily
assignments, and Quizzes.
All work will be evaluated on a point basis. Letter grades will be awarded according to
the following averages: 100% - 90% = A; 89% - 80% = B; 79% - 70% = C; 69% -
60% = D; Below 60% = F.
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. Such papers may not be rewritten or redone. 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://www2.mwsc.edu/eflj/plagiarism.html.
Attendance:
For this class to be successful and for you to
be successful in it, attendance is mandatory.
I expect you to be on time and ready to participate for every class
meeting. I realize that “things” sometimes come up. Therefore, you are allowed three
absences before your course grade will be affected. Every absence beyond three
will result in a 5 percent deduction of the final grade. More than five absences will fail you. The failure will be recorded on the date of
the sixth absence.
I usually take roll at the beginning of the
class. If you arrive after class
begins, it is your responsibility to see me after class to make sure I do not
count you absent. Once class begins, my
mind is on the work of the class and not on the attendance record. It is also a great time to discuss
tardiness. In counting absences, I must
follow my attendance record, not my memory.
The only exception to this policy is an absence
for a college-related activity such as an athletic trip or music
performance. In such cases the sponsor
of the activity will probably require that you notify me in writing. If you
miss class because of a college-sponsored activity, you will not be penalized,
but it is your responsibility to contact me for assignments.
If
you know of any circumstances likely to make this attendance policy difficult
for you, consult with me as soon as possible to review your options.
If you miss a class session, you are responsible
for all material covered and 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. In
other words, if you miss, call me or see another student before the next class,
so you do not fall further behind.
If you arrive late for class, you may not
“make-up” any class activities that you have missed.
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.
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.
My office hours are listed
above. I also bring a calendar to every
class to schedule appointments. I
encourage you to come by my office to discuss you writing and your progress in
class throughout the semester. A
required conference will be scheduled around the middle of the semester.
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 your teacher
personally as soon as possible so that the two of you can discuss class
requirements.