English 104: College Writing and Rhetoric
Fall 2005
Missouri Western State University
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and
Journalism
Section:
05 9:00-9:50 MWF Murphy 103
Instructor: Charlotte Grider
Office: Eder (SSC) 222-T
Phone: 271-4239
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 and
1:00-2:00 MWF; 8:00-10:00 T
E-mail: cgrider@missouriwestern.edu
Feel free to stop by during
my office hours if you have a question or a concern. If you cannot stop by at those times, I would be happy to
schedule an appointment. You may also
e-mail me, and I will respond as quickly as possible (I check my e-mail frequently). You may reach me by phone during my office
hours.
Required Texts and Course
Materials:
Critical Thinking,
Thoughtful Writing, 3rd
ed., John Chaffee
Writing Down the
Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Natalie Goldberg
Notebook for journal (bound
composition books preferred)
Paper for in-class
assignments (no spiral)
Folders for each major essay
3 ½” floppy disks and a
disk-storage box
Photocopies for group work as
requested
Objectives
Learning to write for
different audiences and purposes
You will . . .
Ÿ
Write journal entries to
explore your mind and to extend the range of your thoughts and personal
experiences.
Ÿ
Write essays to
communicate ideas and to impose order on your thoughts and experiences.
Ÿ
Use organizational
methods and genres appropriate for different purposes.
Ÿ
Construct academic
essays that meet criteria for thesis, rhetoric, organization, development, and
language.
Learning to use active
reading and critical thinking
You will . .
Ÿ
Practice various
invention techniques.
Ÿ
Use prewriting to
recreate and to reflect on your experiences.
Ÿ
Use prewriting to
generate information and to discover ideas.
Ÿ
Move easily from writing
for self-expression to writing for readers.
Ÿ
Write at greater length
more easily, more quickly, and more usefully
Ÿ
Reread early drafts to
rethink what you want to write.
Ÿ
Revise for clear
presentation of your ideas.
Ÿ
Revise for depth of
insight, clarity of organization, and suitability for different purposes.
Ÿ
Identify and correct
your own spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors, especially in the final
stage of the writing process.
Learning written
conventions
You will . . .
Ÿ
Use thesis statements,
topic sentences, and transitions.
Ÿ
Apply all types of
common developmental and organizational forms.
Ÿ
Identify the main
qualities of effective sentences.
Ÿ Practice active sentence style and rich, efficient modification.
Ÿ Practice systematic approaches to editing sentences.
Ÿ
Craft more effective
paragraphs.
Course Work
Assignment Format
ALL DRAFTS OF ALL MAJOR
ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED. The heading
of each assignment should include your name, course number and section, the
date, and the title or number of the assignment. Drafts of major essays will only be accepted in a folder with
process materials.. All previous
drafts, responses, scribbles, and any other piece of paper that shows your
writing and thinking about the essay must be included.
Portfolio
At the end of the semester,
you will be required to submit a portfolio that includes all drafts of the four
essays, feedback from peer review, and all of your process materials, as well
as other selected assignments. Keep
everything! You will be required to
refer to these materials when you write your fourth essay, and failure to
include them with your portfolio will affect your grade. You will receive more specific guidelines
for portfolio submission later in the semester.
Grading Policy
You will be asked to read and
to respond to a variety of essays by professional writers and student
writers. You are expected to complete
all reading assignments before class begins on the date for which they were
assigned; you should always be prepared to take a quiz over the reading. In-class assignments and tasks will vary,
but you are expected to complete all of them.
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.
Ÿ
You need a C or higher
to pass ENG 104 and enter ENG 108.
Ÿ
You must complete all
four writing tasks in order to pass the class.
Ÿ
The final exam is
mandatory.
The components of your grade
in the course are:
Portfolio (four major writing
tasks; completeness of portfolio, etc.)
60-70%
Journal, homework, quizzes,
in-class assignments, process materials, and final exam 30-40%
Evaluation
All work in this class is
subject to evaluation, including your participation in group discussions. Most—but not all—assignments will be graded,
and most will be graded according to a standard grading scale. Some work, however, may be graded as
“credit” or “no credit,” which means that, if you made a reasonable effort, you
will receive all of the possible points for the assignment. You should have completed all assigned
readings by the beginning of class on the day upon which they are due, and you
should be prepared to discuss them.
Late work: Some assignments will be accepted only on
their due date at the time I call for the assignment (for example, quizzes or
writing assignments that provide the basis for or serve as a response to class
discussions). All late work will be
subject to a penalty of 20%.
Grades will be determined by
the following scale:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 59%
and below
Policies
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.
Attendance Policy:
You are expected to attend
all class meetings. The discussions,
lectures, and in-class activities are indispensable, and, in order for you to
understand the course content, you must be in class. Most in-class assignments cannot be “made up.” SEVEN absences will result in automatic failure
of the course. Three tardies or early
departures equal one absence.
If you absolutely must miss
class, let me know in advance, and make arrangements to meet with me so that we
can discuss the material and the assignments that you will miss. This is particularly important if you are
going to be absent on the due date for ANY draft of a major essay. Do not send your essay with another student
or leave it under my office door or in my mailbox--you must make arrangements
with me. Please do not assume that an
absence gives you “carte blanche” to turn-in late work.
Center for Academic
Support:
If you want additional help
with your essay or with any aspect of composition, you can visit the CAS, which
is located in LRC 213. Appointments are
“encouraged,” but if you are unable to make an appointment, you can drop by,
and they will try to accommodate your request.
The phone number is x4524. Go to
www.mwsc.edu/cas for
more information about CAS services.
Student Disability
Any student in this course
who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should
contact Missouri Western’s special needs coordinator for possible certification
of special needs and expert recommendation for assistance. You should also contact me personally as
soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
Academic Honesty Policy
If I find evidence of
cheating or plagiarism, you have the burden of showing that you have, in fact,
written the paper. 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. Depending upon the type of offense, other penalties may apply.
Questions? Ask during class, e-mail me, or stop by during my office hours!
If you ask a question that you think is “stupid,” your cheeks may get red or become hot, and this feeling will be gone in a couple of minutes. If you don’t ask a question because you think it’s “stupid” or because you think someone else will think you’re “stupid,” you may miss important information that could have a strong and lasting impact on your life.
We. . . write to heighten our own awareness of life. . .We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection. . .We write to be able to transcend our life, to reach beyond it. . .to teach ourselves to speak with others, to record the journey into the labyrinth. . .to expand our world, when we feel strangled, constricted, lonely. . .When I don’t write I feel my world shrinking. I feel I lose my fire, my color.” –Anais Nin