English 100: Introduction to College Writing
Spring 2005
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section 02:
Writers Workshop:
Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office: SSC 222R
Phone: 271-4156
Office Hours: MWF
E-mail: pankiew@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Introduction
to College Writing: English 100.
Bragg,
Rick. All Over but the Shoutin.
Gaines,
Ernest J. A Lesson before Dying.
English 100 Writers Workshops. Spring 2005 ed.
Notebook for journal
Folders for each task
3-1/2" floppy disks and a disk-storage box
Photocopies for group work as requested
Course Goals and Policies concerning Attendance, Civility and Cooperation, Grading, Student Disability, and Academic Honesty are found on pages vii-ix on the English 100 textbook.
I imagine you have heard before how necessary it is to be a good reader and a good writer if you wish to succeed in college. I know that when I was a high school teacher I was guilty of preaching this message. Some nights I still dream of the rows of rolling eyes, yawns, and sighs whenever I would bore my students with those words. So I hesitate to tell you that this is what this class is all about. Over the next semester you will discover the reading and writing strategies that work best for you.
I hope you noticed that last sentence. You will discover the reading and writing strategies that work best for you. The emphasis here is on you and your work. I know that you will not survive in this course if you come to class unprepared, if you do not revise your writing, if you do not ask questions, if you wait until the last minute to draft an essay or build a portfolio. The course is designed for you to grow as a reader and a writer. There is no magic formula or secret lesson, just hard, steady work.
Writing Tasks:
You will complete four major writing tasks and submit a course portfolio. A student who does not turn in all four tasks or submit a course portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory.
Each task will focus on a theme. A variety of class activities including assigned readings, class discussion, and multiple drafts reflecting response group suggestions will accompany each writing task.
The Tasks are:
· Task One: The Memoir. Write a narrative essay about an experience in your life that has had a significant effect on you and has changed you and your beliefs in some important way.
·
Task Two: The
· Task Three: The Collection. Write a documented essay that teaches about an issue raised in A Lesson before Dying.
· Task Four: The Lesson. TBA.
· Portfolio with a Reflective Essay.
Portfolio:
The four tasks mentioned above and other writings 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 your final grade to be based on your best writing; it places you in control of the quality of your writing. The portfolio, due at the end of the semester, will include published drafts of your essays, previous drafts and responses, selected course writing, and a reflective essay. I will evaluate the portfolio and return it by the final exam.
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 hold a series of revision workshops throughout the semester; 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.
Process Folder:
Each task will conclude with the submission of a process folder, a collection of the work that led to the essay. No essay will be accepted without a process folder. The folder will include:
· Polished draft of the essay;
· Working drafts of the essay with peer group responses attached;
· Writing log;
· In-class reflection and questions.
Each process folder will be
graded and returned. The process folder
will evaluate work on the task, but it will not evaluate the essay. No essay will receive a grade until it is
published in the portfolio.
Journal, Quizzes, and
In-class Participation:
You will be expected to participate fully in all class activities. Missing work, of course, receives a zero.
Final Exam:
The final exams for English
100 will be held on:
Section 02
(
Section 66
(
The components of your grade in the course are:
· Process Folders, Journal, Quizzes, Participation, and Final 30 40 %
· Portfolio . .60 - 70%
Conferences:
The most effective and valuable help that I can give you is through a conference or a conversation about your writing. My office hours are listed above if you wish to just drop by. I will also bring my calendar to every class to schedule appointments. If at any time during the semester, you do not understand an assignment or a task, see me, call me, or e-mail me to discuss the confusion.
Center for Academic Support:
In addition to conferences with me, you may find help with your writing at the Center for Academic Support. There is no cost to students for using these services. I encourage you to make use of these services throughout this course.
Essay
Format:
Papers must be word-processed, double-spaced, and use a 12-point font. Be sure to save each assignment on a computer disk and keep a hard copy of each assignment for yourself.
Late Work:
Late assignments will not be accepted unless you receive permission.
Late task papers will not be accepted for full credit after one day unless we have worked out an alternative plan. If you are facing difficulties in completing a task paper before the deadline, discuss the problems with me. During our conference, we will work out a plan to complete the assignment.