Meredith Katchen
Office: Eder Hall,
Office Hours: MWF
E-mail: mkatchen@missouriwestern.edu Phone: 271-5815
I will also be in my office at times other than those posted. Feel free to stop by, or make an appointment.
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Blue Highways, William Least-Heat Moon
Introduction to College Writing – ENG 100, McGraw-Hill, 2005.
English 100 Writer’s Workshops. Fall 2004 ed.
3-1/2" floppy disks and a disk storage box
One spiral notebook
The semester is divided into four segments, each culminating in a polished essay. Each segment will emphasize particular writing strategies and skills. Each segment is worth a set number of points, and all segments together will total 1000 points. Your final letter grade will correspond to the total points you have earned.
Attendance Policy:
Be aware that this course has a very strict attendance policy. If you miss seven class periods or four Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F for the course. Ordinarily, there are no exceptions and no “make-ups” 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 with me to review your options. Please keep in mind that the above is not meant as permission for you to be frequently absent. Each and every absence or late arrival may adversely affect your overall performance.
In addition, absences will result in the following penalties:
3 absences - 25 points
4 absences - 25 additional points
5 absences - 50 additional points
6 absences -100 additional points
If you are late, I may require you to explain your disruption of the class. Further, after roll has been called a late student will be penalized ˝ of an absence until the bottom of the hour and a full absence thereafter. Therefore, every two times late will equal at least one absence.
If you are absent or late, you are still 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.
Course Goals and Class Assignments:
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.
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.
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 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.
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. A grade of “C” or better is necessary to advance to English 104. Points will be converted to a letter grade by the following scale:
900-1000=A, 800-899=B, 700-799=C, 600-699=D, below 600=F
The components of your grade in the course are:
Writing: You will complete four major writing tasks that will be graded by your teacher. A student who does not turn in complete responses to all four tasks will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory. Writing will consist of the following:
Journal Writing
– Bring your journal to each class meeting. Your journal should be for use in
this class only. I will collect and evaluate journals more than once during the
semester. Journal entries will earn points for
thoroughness, volume, and thoughtfulness.
Essays – Essays will make up the largest portion of your grade. You will need to create and revise drafts of essays until the finished essay satisfies the minimum assigned evaluation criteria. Specific evaluation criteria will be distributed with each assignment. I will discuss your essays with you, but I will not assign a grade until you have completed it. I will give zero points to an essay that does not satisfy the basic requirements of the assignment. If you are satisfied with your grade, you are done. If you would like to work for a higher grade, you may revise and resubmit your essay after consulting with me. However, because of time constraints, the final essay cannot be revised.
Projected Due Dates for Essay Assignments:
These dates are subject to modification as we go along.
Task One: week 4
Task Two: week 7
Task Three: week 11
Task Four: week 15
Writer’s Workshop. Throughout 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. You must ensure that you have the right materials in the right place. Your teacher may also consider you Writer's Workshop participation as part of your grade.
Academic Honesty Policy:
If your teacher finds evidence of cheating or plagiarism, or if your teacher suspects 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.
English 100
SEGMENT ONE – 250
points
Journal Entries
50 points
Drafts
60 points
Peer Review
40 points
Polished Essay 100 points
Schedule for
Segment One
Mon 8/29 Introductions
Wed 8/31 Barbara
Jordan, p. 126
Fri 9/2 Blue
Highways, pages 3-14
Mon 9/5
Wed 9/7 Blue Highways, pages 19-22
Fri 9/9 Blue
Highways, pages 26-37
Mon 9/12 Drafting
Wed 9/14 Bring draft
for peer review
Fri 9/16 Bring revised draft
for polishing. Submit journals.
Mon 9/19
Submit essay, drafts
Scheduling Notice
I reserve the right to alter the schedule as I think appropriate and necessary.
All changes or additions will be announced in class. Absence will not excuse
you from responsibility for being properly prepared for the next class. Missed
work cannot be made up.
Content
In an essay of about 700 words, write about
yourself making a decision either in the past or at the present time.
Format
Your essay must be
typed or computer-printed on 8˝" x 11" plain
white paper. Leave 1” margins all
around. Double space. Use 12-point font and
easy-to-read characters.
Evaluation Criteria
Your essay will be evaluated by its relevance to
the assignment, focus, vigor, length, sense of wholeness, organization, control
of style and mechanics.
Due Date
This assignment will be due at the start of
class on