II. Required Texts and Materials

Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, (3^rd ed.), by Diana Hacker

The New Century Handbook (2^nd ed.) by Christine Hult and Thomas Huckin

III. Objectives of ENG 108

You have been exposed to the majority of these objectives in ENG 104.

Course Objectives

(you should understand that:)

Writing can be used for different purposes, so you will:

*use invention techniques to discover ideas

*make journal entries to explore your mind and to extend the range of your personal life

*write summaries to distill ideas

*write essays to communicate ideas and impose on your thoughts and experiences

*focus particularly on scholarly purposes in ENG 108

Multiple audiences exist, so you will:

*do some private writing for yourself

*write other work for your classmates or for an audience beyond the classroom

*write still other work where your teacher is the principal audience who responds to and evaluates the product

*focus particularly on academic audiences in ENG 108.

Writing is a recursive process, so you will:

*apply pre-writing strategies to discover what you already know and what you want to learn

through research

*write summary notes in the process of doing research

*write drafts in which you reconstruct your beliefs on the basis of the wider experience you’ve

gained through research

*reread first and second copies to rethink what you want to say

Many productive ways exist to generate ideas and images, so you will:

*practice various invention techniques, some of which may be brainstorming, listing,

freewriting, looping, clustering, cubing, reading, interviewing, and researching

Active Reading and Critical Thinking Skills are vital, so you will:

*classify and define objects, events, data, ideas, and terms discovered through research

*make judgments based on criteria that can be supported and explained

*ask questions to clarify issues and solve problems

*identify explicit and implicit meanings in a text

*recognize problems and find workable solutions

Following written conventions is necessary in the research process, so you will:

*practice documentation conventions for styles such as MLA and APA

*learn important grammatical concepts used for analyzing sentence correctness and style

*correctly incorporate language, information, and ideas from sources

*use advanced editing resources like dictionaries and writing handbooks

IV. Basic Writing Requirements

Students will complete three formal research-based projects in addition to other graded and ungraded work. It is from this work that you will learn how to discover ideas, respond to texts, and summarize others’ ideas. In your assignments, you will learn how to analyze readings and share information with others by reading and responding to course texts and other materials.

Final drafts of major assignments should by typed or word-processed. Additional instructions for each essay will be distributed and discussed as the semester progresses.

All students are expected to be prepared for class and participate in class discussions related to reading and writing assignments. In addition, students are expected to keep complete portfolios of all their writings. It is important that you save and date all materials relating to this class, as any grade appeal will only follow the submission of your complete portfolio of writings to the Departmental Review Committee.

V. Grading and Attendance

A= 90-100% B= 80-89%

C= 70-79% D= 60-69%

F= Below 60%

Research Project #1 150 points

Research Project #2 250 points

Research Project #3 350 points

E-Mail Postings 50 points

Quizzes 50 points

Final Exam 50 points

Total 900 points

You must submit all three major research assignments in order to pass this course. You are expected to arrive prepared to each class session. Since our class only meets once each week, it is important that you are physically and mentally present at each class. No in-class writings or quizzes may be made up. If you are absent, then you lose those points. I am happy to work with you if you know you will be absent on a certain date, so that you can turn in your assignments early. Assignments are due at 9:00 a.m. The grade for any assignment turned in late will be reduced by 20% for each class session late, unless prior arrangements have been made.

VI. Communication

Meeting only once a week has its drawbacks. One of those is lack of communication. I live outside of St. Joseph, but will be on campus occasionally if you must meet in person. It is far more efficient that we communicate throughout the week by e-mail. If you e-mail me by 5:00 p.m., then you will receive a response by that night. If you have an urgent need, then you are welcome to call me at home, cell, or alternate phone. Please call only at a reasonable hour. If I’m not available, then please leave a message and a phone number.

VII. Disabled Student Policy

Any student enrolled in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities or that prevents or hinders the completion of class requirements as stated in this syllabus should contact the instructor immediately in writing so that it can be discussed how he/she can be helped to meet class requirements.

VIII. Center for Academic Support

The Center for Academic Support provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading or writing instruction. There is no cost to the ENG 108 student for using these services. The Center can be of assistance to the student in the following areas: writing a thesis statement, organizing ideas, structuring ideas into an essay form and more. Students are highly encouraged to make use of these services throughout the semester.

IX. Academic Honesty

Plagiarism or other academic dishonesty as assessed by the instructor will be the basis for a zero on any assignment. The student’s name and information about the violation will be forwarded to the Department Chairman of the English, Foreign Language and Journalism Department as well as to the Dean of Students. A second violation will result in failure of the course. Students are expected to show “proof of process.” That is, when a major paper is turned in, the student must also be ready to submit all in-class writings and drafts so that the instructor may adequately see that the work and the ideas originated from and belong to the student submitting the work. The work must be done in accordance to the classroom schedule and deadlines to provide appropriate “proof of process.” Total honesty is expected.

X. Inclement Weather

I live 75 miles from St. Joseph. If the roads are hazardous, then I will call you by 7:30 Saturday morning to let you know that class is cancelled. If you do not hear from me, then assume class is in session.

XI. Tentative Course Outline

The following is a tentative course schedule outlining reading assignments and paper deadlines. Readings are due on the day they appear. There will be additions and substitutions to this outline.

January 18 First Day of Class, Writing Sample

January 25 New Century Handbook Chapters 8, 9, 10

February 1 Research & Documentation Part I and II

February 8 New Century Handbook Chapters 11, 12; Research & Documentation Part III

February 15 New Century Handbook Chapter 13; Research & Documentation Part IV

February 22 Research Project #1

March 1 New Century Handbook Chapter 7, 14, 15,16

March 8

March 15 No Class

March 22 Research Project #2

March 29

April 5

April 12

April 19

April 26 Research Project #3

May 3 Final Exam