Missouri Western State
College, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English,
Foreign Languages, and Journalism
English 100
Introduction to College
Writing
Cynthia Bartels
Office Hours:
8-8:50 a.m. Mon; 8:30-9:00 a.m. WF; 12-12:50 MWF; by appointment
SSC 222N
816-271-5812
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 three Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. Two tardies will count as an absence, as will
coming to class without a draft on a workshop day. 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 should consult with your
advisor and your teacher 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 from your teacher.
Required Texts and Course Materials
Introduction to College Writing
– ENG 100, McGraw-Hill, 2005.
English 100 Writer’s Workshops. Fall 2005 ed.
Four Folders
3-1/2" floppy disks and a disk
storage box
Photocopies for group work as
requested
Reading
Goals:
At the
completion of ENG 100 students should be able to
·
Read
actively for greater understanding;
·
Use
reading to improve their writing by drawing ideas and information from written
material;
·
Use
texts to understand their own and others’ experiences;
·
Read
writing assignments effectively as a guide to creating better papers;
·
Recognize
good writing by actively reading good prose.
Writing
Goals:
At the
completion of ENG 100 students should be able to
·
Move
easily from writing for self-expression to writing for readers;
·
Write
at greater length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
·
Structure
their writing to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
·
Develop
their ideas and concepts with specific details, examples, and explanations;
·
Craft
more effective and polished sentences and paragraphs;
·
Use
effective planning, invention, revision, and editing to complete successful
writing tasks.
General
Studies Goals:
In ENG
100 students should improve their ability to
·
Think
critically and reason analytically;
·
Write
and speak clearly and effectively;
·
Gain
a greater awareness of the present through an understanding of other cultures
and times;
·
Understand
and appreciate moral values and ethical choices;
·
Understand
and enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative activities.
Grading and Assignments
Grading
Policy:
This
class uses a portfolio system of grading which means you do not receive final
grades
on papers until the end of the semester. However, we will be working on four
writing tasks throughout the class, and each task has a specific due date. For
each task, there are also a number of required smaller components such as peer
reviews, workshops, journal writings, and invention exercises. You must
complete all this work in addition to the drafts. Note that this part of the
writing PROCESS is very important; you cannot pass the class within
completing these tasks. Ultimately, if you do the small assignments
diligently, your writing will improve, and so will your final grade. Your final
grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, measured
daily, and by the quality of your final portfolio at the end of the semester.
The
components of your grade in the course are:
Peer
reviews, workshops, reflections, journal writing, in class exercises-20%
drafts
and revisions for each writing
task: 15% each
Writer’s
workshop: 15%
Final
Portfolio: 50%
Writer’s
Workshop:
Throughout
the course of the semester, you will attend the once-a-week, 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. I do not conduct
the workshops nor do I give grades for them. However, you must complete all
work and submit the materials for Writer’s Workshop in order to pass ENG 100.
Process
assignments and Journals:
For each task,
there will be a series of reading and writing assignments. Among those
assignments will be journal responses for most of your assigned readings.
Please refer to your assignment schedule for journal assignments. The
average length for a journal entry is one full typed page. Entries can be
hand-written or typed, but the length remains the same. For each task,
you will also have invention assignments, reading and short writing
assignments, and evaluations. Although this work will be graded mostly on
content and completion, it is very important that you complete everything. You
cannot receive more than 50% of the points for each task should you not complete
the process assignments; however, since you are graded mostly on effort,
completing this work can help you raise your grade.
Peer
Revision Groups:
Prior to submitting your
writing tasks, you will be required to participate in peer revision groups in
class (there are in addition to the writers workshop labs) to which you will
bring in copies of your rough draft to receive feedback from your group in
order to help you strengthen and revise your own written work. This is
another required process activity and will be part of your grade for the
portfolio and the course. (Note: During these sessions I will also
evaluate drafts).
Portfolios:
Since I
do not assign a final grade to the writing tasks until the end of the semester,
I give points for the projects throughout the semester based on completeness
and effort. I also respond to each project with a grading rubric that indicates
the degree to which that paper is "PR," or Portfolio Ready. Rubrics
that show an average score of 7 to 8 are usually close to being PR, so that
project should earn at least a "C" at semester's end. Work not “PR”
will be at best a "D" at semester's end and likely result in a
repetition of the course if not revised successfully. The student may decide on
the amount of revision s/he wishes to make. It is the student’s responsibility
to determine the strength and weaknesses of the paper and to decide how much
s/he needs to revise.
Quality
portfolios will contain multiple drafts of major assignments, thoughtful
reflective letters, thoughtful questions about the writing, and quality
revisions. Likewise, students who receive the highest grades will have
contributed meaningfully to class discussions, will have met all deadlines for
drafting and submitting all assignments, and will have fulfilled attendance
requirements. All these factors indicate the student has put forth a strong
effort, has developed his/her writing, reading, and thinking intellect, and can
produce complete, clear and thoughtful writing. These qualities will result in
an exceptional portfolio.
Midterm
grades:
I submit a "C" for students whose
work is complete and passing and whose absences are below the limit. I submit a
"D" for students whose work is complete but not acceptable. I submit
an "F" for students whose work is incomplete or unacceptable and/or
who have exceeded the absence limit or have plagiarized.
Final
grades:
Completion
and quality, timeliness, attendance, and participation will all influence your
final grade.
* Timeliness
-- students who miss any deadlines on any major papers, including peer review,
without documented extenuating circumstances are ineligible for course grades
higher than C.
*
Attendance -- your constant presence is mandatory for your success (please see
"Attendance Policy" above).
Missing
excessive classes, deadlines, and assignments will result in substantially
lower grades, in many cases to the point of failure. Also, superficial,
off-topic or poorly edited papers, or an unwillingness or inability to
contribute meaningfully to class discussions or to revise papers effectively
will result in low final grades.
Please
Note: No one will pass this class without
completing all four writing tasks, regardless of what the
student's point total would indicate. If a student falls between grades,
other factors such as effort, class participation, attendance, and attitude
will be used to determine the final grade.
Be sure to bring
all work to class, in person, and on time. I cannot be responsible for work
that you do not hand me personally. Remember that regardless of the quality of
your portfolio, you will not pass the class unless you write all papers
throughout the semester.
Late
Work: If
something should happen that prevents you from submitting your paper on time,
you must make arrangements with me before the paper is due, not
afterwards. At this time, we will plan a date by which the work will be
completed. Otherwise, your work is late if not submitted on time and will be
given a zero. Note that regardless of the circumstances or assignments
granted late status, the number of absences allowed in this class does not
change. This rule is a departmental policy and applies to all English 100
classes.
Make-up
Work:
It is nearly
impossible to make up work in this class. Class discussions cannot be
recreated, nor can in-class writings and group. If you do not have your paper
or draft copies, you cannot write a reflective letter nor have your paper
adequately evaluated.
I expect you to respect everyone in this
class. Part of learning to read and write well is exploring ideas. There will
no doubt be people who have ideas different than yours. One of our goals is to
learn to understand and respect different ideas. Remain open-minded; you may
even change your own ideas. Understanding and developing ideas is a natural
outcome of the reading and writing, and therefore of this class, and thus I
consider these an accomplishment and evidence that you are becoming an educated
and mature reader and writer.
I also expect you to behave respectfully in
class. This means: do not interrupt, walk in front of anyone who is talking,
enter the room or a workshop late, or leave your seat or the room while class
is in session unless it is an emergency. It also means that you turn off cell
phones before you enter the classroom, and that they remain off until you have
exited the classroom.
Student Disability
Any
student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest
expressions of his/her abilities should contact Missouri Western's special
needs coordinator for possible certification of special needs and expert recommendations
for assistance. The student should also
contact me personally as soon as possible so that the we can discuss class
requirements.
Academic Honesty Policy
If I find
evidence of cheating or plagiarism, you have the burden of showing that the
paper has in fact been written by you.
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 even stronger penalties. Please note carefully the statement on
plagiarism on the departmental website, found at http://www2.mwsc.edu/eflj/plagiarism.html.
Academic Support
The
Center for Academic Support, located in LRC 213, offers you assistance with
your reading or with papers at any stage of the game. Contact the Center at
271-4624 or Coral Dawson, the Writing Director, at 271-4531. I highly encourage
you to use this free service regardless of your abilities.