Syllabus for ENG 108
College Writing and Research
Missouri
Western State College
Department
of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism
Division
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
ENG
108-103 – College Writing and Research
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Spring
2003
MWF
8:00-8:50 JGM 108
Office: SSC 222Q
Office
Phone: 816-271-4313
Office
Hours: 9:00-10:00 and 1:00-2:00 MWF and
by appointment
Email: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Required
Texts:
·Community Matters: A Reader for Writers. Ford, Marjorie and Elizabeth Schave. Longman Publishing Company. 2002
·The Bedford Researcher. Palmquist, Mike. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2003.
Both
texts are vital to your success in this course. Community Matters is a reader and will help you to refine
your summarization, analysis and evaluation skills. Moreover, every essay we read can provide you both with a topic
for your own project as well as a reference to the various kinds of research
you will be doing and how you can synthesize all of your research and sources
into one coherent and unique research essay.
The Bedford Researcher will take you through the entire research
process, from finding a topic to editing your final research essay. We will use the text in class (be sure to
bring this text to class) and you will also be required to complete exercises
from the text and its accompanying website and CD.
Required
Materials:
·Computer disks for revising
and saving all work.
·Folders
Recommended
Texts:
·A writing handbook or style
guide of your choice (i.e., The New Century Handbook)
Course
Description:
Research
is "the spirit of inquiry. The habits of mind that good research
writers develop is something we can teach that is truly multidisciplinary. That spirit is charged with curiosity, of
course -- the itch to know and learn and discover. But it also involves
the ability to ask researchable questions, the instinct to look in the right
places for answers, a willingness to suspend judgment, and an openness to
changing one's mind.” -Gary
Goshgarian
“Writing
[is] both a personal and social process.
The writing process often begins with expressive writing: writing for oneself to articulate and
clarify thoughts and feelings. Making
one’s thoughts public through writing then initiates a connection between the
writer and his/her audience. Writing
can empower us. As writers we can effect change within ourselves and the
communities to which we belong.” -Marjorie
Ford and Elizabeth Schave
We
live in an information society, a society that is dominated by language;
therefore it is imperative that we, as human beings, understand the information
around us. Those who think critically
about their own and others’ ideas, sort through this information that is
available to them and effectively convey their thoughts and ideas will be able
to successfully function in this society.
In order to achieve these goals as a class, we will:
·Improve our reading skills
through extensive reading and participating in discussions regarding the
readings.
·Summarize, analyze and
evaluate written works
·Revise our written
work. We will write drafts, reread
first and second copies to rethink what we have discovered and revise for an
organization appropriate to our main purpose and audience.
·Collect, sort through,
determine the validity of and synthesize research and information. We will have to familiarize ourselves with
several reference tools in the library, work with the Inlex-System, locate
books and journals in the library and locate source materials on electronic
databases.
For
common objectives/means and institutional competencies for ENG 108, also refer
to the English department website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng108.asp
Course
Structure:
I have structured this course so that everything you read, discuss and write is connected in some way.
A large part of research is reading and truly understanding what
you read and, as a result, the first weeks of the course will focus on refining
your evaluation and analysis skills.
Your reading and writing assignments will reflect this. Then, we will begin to narrow our focus to
the final research project. Your
research project will involve exploring your topic from different perspectives
and utilizing a variety of sources.
Moreover, the reading and research you complete for this project will
allow you to obtain new information and points of view and, as a result, you
will be able to develop a more informed and substantial perspective on your
topic. You will be able to decide the
topic/issue of this project (although there are certain topics I will not
accept and your topic must be approved by me).
Your topic can be related to your major, intended career, an issue that
you have read about or have been involved in within your community, etc. I will review the details of this project in
class. You will also be required to
write “smaller,” but equally important, papers and these papers are some of the
different stages in the process of the final research project (project
proposal, observation, background report and interview paper). Each paper will be submitted and graded and
you will have the opportunity for revision.
These assignments will then be synthesized and expanded into your final
research project. Although you must
meet certain deadlines, you will also be given the opportunity to work at your
own pace on your project. By breaking
down a large writing and research project into smaller steps, it will make the
entire process less intimidating and easier to manage. However, be aware that this course entails
extensive writing and researching and, as a result, requires that you remain
aware of due dates and stay on schedule.
Methods of Instruction:
Methods of instruction include textbooks, lectures, class
discussions, group work/in-class workshops, informal writing assignments and
formal writing assignments. Students
will be expected to participate in peer revision groups and in-class
exercises. Students will also be
required to give an oral presentation regarding their research project at the
end of the semester.
Policies:
Attendance
and Class Preparation/Participation:
Students are expected to attend every scheduled class meeting. Each student will be allowed five absences. More than five absences will likely affect
your final grade. However, please feel
free to speak to me about any extenuating circumstances for I reserve the right
to excuse some absences. If you are
going to miss class due to a school-sponsored event you must notify me in
advance. Also, arriving to class late
is disruptive. As a result, chronic
lateness will likely affect your final grade.
Students are also expected to come prepared to every class meeting and
participate in class discussion for this is the only way we can all share
ideas, ask questions and learn.
Late
Work: All writing assignments are due
at the beginning of the class period on the due date. Each student is allowed one late paper (and only one late paper)
and this must be discussed with the instructor. I will not accept/grade any
other late papers. This is important
because you must complete, turn in and receive a grade for all papers in order
to pass this class. Consequently, if
you submit more than one late paper, you will fail the course. If you are not in class on the due date you
are still responsible for submitting your assignment on time. Late in-class writing assignments will not
be accepted.
Revision: All formal, graded writing assignments,
except your final research project, can be revised and resubmitted for a “new”
grade. You will have two weeks from the
date the paper is returned in class to revise and resubmit each paper. However, you cannot revise other portfolio
work. If you miss the two-week
deadline, you forfeit the right to revise that specific paper. It is required that your original, graded
essay accompanies your revised essay.
Revision is important because each paper covers important skills that
you will need to know for the next paper.
Although you cannot revise your final research project, you will write
it in “stages” and those stages can be revised. You will also have ample opportunity to obtain feedback from your
peers and from me regarding your final research project.
Grading: Your final grade will be based upon your
portfolios (which include your formal writing assignments, in-class exercises,
peer revision work and research process), oral presentation and final
examination. Please remember that you
must complete all assignments in order to pass the course. Also note that smaller assignments and class
preparation/participation are very important and do affect your grade.
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #1: 100 points
Rhetorical
Precis/Summary, Analysis, Evaluation
· Research group work/essay: 100 points
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #2: 100 points
Project
Proposal
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #3: 100 points
Background
Report
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #4: 100 points
Interview
Paper
· Mini-portfolio #5: 50 points
Observation
Notes
· Final Research
Project/Portfolio:350 points
· Oral Presentation of
Project: 100 points
· Final Exam: 100 points
Due Dates: Please be aware of due dates for all assignments. It is important that you plan your time and decide upon whom you are going to interview and what site you are going to observe before the assignment is distributed. It is also important to schedule your own time to go to the library and engage in research (not only library research but research on the computer and in the field); some class time will be allotted for this but it will not be enough time for you to complete your research.
Research group work: January 22 OR January 27
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #1: January 31
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #2: February 14
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #3: March 7
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #4: April 2
Observation Assignment: TBA
Final Paper/Mini-Portfolio: April 28
Academic
Honesty Policy: Cheating and plagiarism
are not acceptable. You will receive a
grade of F (0 points) for any paper/assignment/exam that shows evidence of
cheating and/or plagiarism. Please make
sure to correctly document all borrowed information and ideas on all of your
writing assignments. You have the
burden of proving that a paper/assignment showing evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism has been in fact written by you.
You should keep thorough evidence of your writing and researching
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://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp.
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 as soon as possible so that we can
discuss class requirements and accommodations.
Miscellaneous: All drafts and final papers for this course
must be word-processed. Please note
that you must complete all major assignments in order to pass this course. In addition, all research, notes, outlines,
drafts, etc. must be submitted with your written work. It is also important to save all work on
disks, keeping back-ups if necessary.
Please
feel free to come see me if you have any
problems or questions. I believe communication
is very important between an instructor and her students and, as a result, I
will make myself available to you for any reason.