ENGLISH 104: COLLEGE WRITING AND RHETORIC

Fall 2005

Missouri Western State College

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

 

Section 3: 8:00-9:20 TTH, JGM 103

Section 15: 3:00- 3:50 MWF, JGM 219

 

Instructor:  Valorie Stokes                                              

Office: Eder Hall, 212 E

Office Hours: 1:45-2:45 M; 11:15-12:15 TH, and by appointment

Phone: 271-4312

E-mail: vstokes@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, thoughtful writers, attentive listeners and articulate speakers.

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS

McQuade and Atwan, Popular Writing in America, Oxford, 1993, 5th Ed.

Ross-Larson, Stunning Sentences, W.W. Norton and Co., 1990.

Peck and Elder, How to Read a Paragraph, The Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2003, 1st Ed.

A good college dictionary of your choice

A three-ring binder exclusively for English 104 work with sections for class notes, composition “calisthenics”, reading response work 

Folders for Process Work on the major assignments

A couple of computer disks

 

Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of her or his potential to succeed in this course must notify me in writing as soon as possible so we may discuss course requirements, options, and accommodations.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Essays:

                 You will complete four essays and a course portfolio this semester. A student who does not complete all essays or submit a portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in other activities are satisfactory. 

                The major writing assignments will probably include:

·         A Self-Definition Essay

·         An Intense Personal Experience/Memory Essay 

·         An Analysis of an Essay

·         A Position Paper

·         Portfolio with reflective essay.

 

Essay Format:

                 All papers (with the exception of in-class writings) must be word-processed, double-spaced and use a 12-point very readable font such as Times Roman. Be sure to save each assignment on a computer disk and keep a hard copy of each assignment for yourself. 

 

 

Portfolio:

The essays mentioned above will be revised and collected in an end-of-course portfolio. The portfolio will account for approximately 70 percent of your course grade.  A portfolio allows for your course grade to be based on your best writing; it places you in control of the quality of your writing.   

                 Since writing is a process, I encourage you to revise your essays throughout the semester. I will respond to your essays with written comments; I will be available to confer with you about your writing throughout the semester. But I will not assign a grade to any essay until it is published in the portfolio. 

                The portfolio of all of your work will be due at the end of the semester.  The portfolio will include published drafts of your essays, previous drafts and responses, selected course writing, and a reflective essay, explaining the contents of the portfolio and discussing your growth as a writer. I will evaluate the portfolio and return it by the final exam. 

                 

Process Folder:

Each essay will conclude with the submission of a process folder.  No essay will be accepted without a process folder.  Each process folder will be graded and returned.  The process folder will evaluate work on the essay, but it will not evaluate the essay.  No essay will receive a grade until it is published in the portfolio. 

The folder will include:

·          Polished draft of the essay;

·          Working drafts of the essay with self-evaluations/peer group responses attached;

·          Prewriting/Preliminary Work

·          In-class letter and questions. 

 

Composition “Calisthenics”:

Because students learn to write best by writing frequently, I will typically open class with one of a rotation of writing exercises intended to help you sharpen specific writing skills. These will be explained with examples at the beginning of the semester. You will complete a number of them; I will not collect all of them, and I will not tell you which ones I will and will not collect. I assign these writings so that you can practice your writing skills. 

Quizzes and In-class Participation:

You will be quizzed on many of the reading assignments and will be expected to participate fully  in all class activities. For these items I will record a +, P, or --. The + means the work is strong; the P means the wok is satisfactory/acceptable, and the – means the work is unacceptable. If the work is missing that will be recorded as a zero. Missing work and less than expected work will affect the grade.    

Final Exam:

The Final Exam for this class is scheduled for:

Section 3 (TTH 8:00-9:20):                     Tuesday, December 13, 8:30-10:20 a.m.

Section 15 (MF 3:00-3:50)                      Friday, December 16, 2:00-3:50 p.m.

An in-class essay will serve as the final exam.

Grading:

                The components of your grade in the course are:

·              Process Folders, Writing Exercises, Quizzes, Participation, Final Exam ……30 – 40 %

·             Portfolio………………………………………………………..…..60 – 70 %

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Honesty:

                Why anyone would enroll in a course and then go to the work of cheating or stealing in the guise of plagiarism is beyond me. If, however, I determine that such instances have occurred, the burden of proof that a student has indeed authored the suspect item is squarely on that student’s shoulders. Make sure you keep thorough and ample evidence of every piece of writing you generate for every assignment should the need arise for you to meet that burden of proof.

 

If I do determine that you are cheating, at the very least you will “earn” an F for your “effort”; evidence of flagrant, deliberate or repeated incidents of cheating or plagiarism will result in stronger penalties.

 

Late Papers/Make Up Work:

 

Because of the nature of the courses I teach and the number of papers I must evaluate, late papers will not be accepted unless you have spoken with me in person prior to the due date and we have arranged an alternative plan. No late assignment will be accepted after the due date unless this is the case. Remember: a student who does not complete all essays or submit a portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in other activities are satisfactory.

 

Of course, in-class activities, group work and discussions cannot be recreated later for absentees. I cannot allow make-up quizzes if we go over the answers in class—which we will ordinarily do. Consequently, if you missed the work, in most instances, you missed it and there will not be time or opportunity to make it up.

 

Attendance:

 

For you to have a successful experience in this class, your attendance is mandatory. My expectation is that you will be here on time and ready to participate for every class meeting. While occasionally “things” come up that make you run late, anyone not present when I take roll at the beginning of the class will be marked absent. You will need to see me after class to talk to me about any extenuating circumstances that might change the absence status. All students will be allowed one of these post-class conferences to allow for rare occasions and to eliminate the need for me to conference more than once with chronic or repeat offenders. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late to class, however, the absence will stand regardless of the reason for your tardiness.

               

Although occasional illnesses or emergencies will cause students to miss class, minimizing absences can only contribute to your success in this class. Therefore, you are allowed two absences before your course grade will be affected. Absences beyond that up to four in TTH classes and five in MWF classes will result in deduction on your final grade. More than those allowable absences will fail you. Students who are in absence trouble by midterm should withdraw to avoid the F on their transcript.

 

If you miss a class session, you are responsible for all material covered and all assignments given during that absence. Please remember that all out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of each class period and no late assignments will be accepted unless you have prior permission from your instructor.

 

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.