English 108-11N: College Writing and Research
Fall 2005
Missouri Western State University
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and
Journalism
Instructor: Pat Smith Home Phone: 816-324-3560
e-mail: pat.smith@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Office Hours: By appointment
Class: 6:30-9:20 p.m. Tuesdays, JGM 105
Required Materials:
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 7th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.
Recommended Materials:
A reliable handbook (New Century Handbook is the MWSU EFLJ choice)
A good college dictionary and thesaurus.
Course Description and Goals: The course objectives, goals, institutional competencies, and a sample English 108 paper are available on the EFLJ Department web page:
<http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng108.asp#Objectives>.
Attendance: Each Tuesday class represents one week of the semester or three class sessions. A single absence, therefore, constitutes missing one week of classes. Multiple absences will lower your grade, but the third absence will result in an automatic "F."
Projects: Each student will be required to complete four projects in this class. It is an English Department requirement that the drafts of submitted materials be word-processed. For students without access to a word processor, MWSU has several computer labs on campus. Regardless of the computer used, saving each assignment on disk is essential since revisions will be made. Technical problems do not constitute a legitimate excuse for late work or unacceptable format.
Final drafts are to be submitted in a two pocket folder, containing all pre-writing activities for the assignment. No credit will be given unless all documents, including previously marked copies, are submitted with the final draft.
Research projects receiving a grade below a C are unacceptable. It is up to the student to schedule a conference time to discuss the paper/project and to work out a revision plan leading to the resubmission of the project.
Format: All papers submitted for credit are to be
doubled spaced with one-inch margins.
For credit to be given, all assignments must have a heading in the upper
left corner (name, class, assignment
description, and date of submission).
Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each page. To avoid papers being lost or separated, a
single staple in the upper left corner is required.
Assignments: Students are advised to keep all materials and papers together in an organized fashion until the final grade for this class has been assigned. It will be the responsibility of the student to produce the material in question, in the event of a disputed grade.
Quizzes: Quizzes, given during the
beginning of the class session, will
cover the readings assigned for that class period. There will be no opportunity to make up quizzes.
Academic Honesty: Cheating, plagiarism, and knowingly furnishing false information in either the classroom or on paper constitute a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the MWSU Student Handbook. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment, but could also be grounds for a failing grade for the course and referral to the English Department Chair and the Dean of Students.
Disabled Student Policy: Any student enrolled in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of his or her potential to succeed in this course should talk to me as soon as possible so we may discuss the course requirements and options available.
Center for Academic Support: The Center for Academic Support provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading and writing instruction. There is no cost to the student for using these services. The Center can be of assistance to the student in the following areas: proofreading a draft for mechanical correctness, writing a thesis statement, organizing ideas, and structuring ideas into an essay form. You are encouraged to make use of these services throughout this course.
Grading: The assignments for this semester include:
4 Research Projects
Quizzes/In-class writings
Class work
Final Exam
Scores on these assignments will be tallied at the end of the course. Final grades will be based on the following scale:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F Below 60%
Students must complete ALL assignments in order to pass the class.
Four Major Research
Assignments for ENG108:
1—Family Research
2—Field Research
3—Annotated Bibliography
4—Researched Argument Paper
Aug. 30 Introduction of materials; distribute syllabus and discuss and assign Research Project #1. Narratives are covered in Chapter 2 (25-80) and Chapter 3 (83-135) of the text. Students are advised to at least peruse EBSCOhost articles under “ORAL HISTORIES” and other search engines for exposure to family histories. Refer to Chapter 21, “Library and Internet Research,” (709-746). Bring family snapshot to next class.
Sep. 6 Prospectus (paragraph or two) for Research Project #1 (Family Paper) due. Discuss ideas and possible difficulties. Review Chapter 22 (747-790) in class.
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 11, “A Catalog of Invention Strategies,” (569-581) and be prepared to discuss concepts during the next class period. Bring a copy of a SHORT article (student’s field of interest).
Sep. 13 Have working copy of Research Project #1 in class. Discuss invention strategies in Chapter 11. Work on articles and annotation procedures.
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 12, “A Catalog of Reading Strategies,” (583-608) and be prepared to discuss concepts for the next class period.
Sep. 20 Research Project #1 (Family Research) due. Discuss reading strategies (Chapter 12). Work
in class on different techniques. Discuss Research Project #2 (Field Research). Consider
areas and ideas to research.
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 20, “Field Research,” (695-708) and be ready to discuss for next class. Have topic proposal for Field Research project ready in MEMO form.
Sep. 27 Review ideas for field research. Consider (in class) the proposed topics. Discuss possible
strategies for effective research. Library activity.
Oct. 4 Working copy of Field Research due.
Topic for Research Project #3
and #4 (Annotated Bib
and Researched Paper) due. Further discussion and work on Field Research topics.
Oct. 11 Research Project #2 (Field Research) due. Discuss field projects in class. Present ideas for Annotated Bib. Discuss specific requirements and problems with documentation. Work on examples and MLA formatting.
Assignment for Oct. 8: Send e-mail message with topic for Annotated Bib before Oct. 17, 2005.
Oct. 18 Working copy of Annotated Bib. due. Continue working in class on details of research
collection and documentation. Midterm grades due.
Oct. 25 Research Project #3 (Annotated Bibliography) due.
Assignment for next class: Investigate job market. Choose a position you would like to apply for. Bring a copy of the job listing, your cover letter, and a copy of your résumé to the next class.
Nov. 1 Turn in letter assignment. Review letters and résumés. Research opportunity. Catch up.
Nov. 8 Bibliography for Researched Argument due.
Nov. 15 Working copy of Researched Argument Paper due in class. Discuss.
Nov. 22 NO CLASS—Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 29 Research Project #4 (Researched Argument) due.
Dec. 7 Return papers. Assign final Exam topic.
Dec. 13 FINAL EXAM due.