Required Texts

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Risking Contact: Readings to Challenge Our Thinking edited by W. Royce Adams

Recommended Text

A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker

Required Materials (Bring to each class meeting.)

Spiral notebook (for journal)
Loose-leaf paper and folder or a spiral with a perforated edge for class notes and in-class writing assignments (no spiral edges on in-class assignments)
Two-pocket folder (for your own convenience, you should purchase one for each of the four essays so that you can keep the materials for each essay organized)
Computer disk(s)

Objectives : http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp - Objectives

Learning to write for different audiences and purposes

You will . . .

· Write journal entries to explore your mind and to extend the range of your thoughts and personal experiences.

· Write essays to communicate ideas and to impose order on your thoughts and experiences.

· Use organizational methods and genres appropriate for different purposes.

· Construct academic essays that meet criteria for thesis, rhetoric, organization, development, and language.

Learning to use active reading and critical thinking

You will . .

· Practice various invention techniques.

· Use prewriting to recreate and to reflect on your experiences.

· Use prewriting to generate information and to discover ideas.

· Move easily from writing for self-expression to writing for readers.

· Write at greater length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully.

· Reread early drafts to rethink what you want to write.

· Revise for clear presentation of your ideas.

· Revise for depth of insight, clarity of organization, and suitability for different purposes.

· Identify and correct your own spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors, especially in the final stage of the writing process.

Learning written conventions

You will . . .

· Use thesis statements, topic sentences, and transitions.

· Apply all types of common developmental and organizational forms.

· Identify the main qualities of effective sentences.

· Practice active sentence style and rich, efficient modification.

· Practice systematic approaches to editing sentences.

· Craft more effective paragraphs.

Methods of Presentation: Reading, class discussion, collaborative learning, peer review, writing activities, instructor-student conferences, and short presentations by the instructor.

Assignments

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. You will also be responsible for the following:

Four major essays: Assignment sheets, grading criteria, and guidelines for submission will be presented on separate handouts.

The Writer’s Portfolio: At the end of the semester, you will hand in your portfolio, which will include all drafts of your essays. You will receive a separate handout that details the format for the portfolio.

The Writer’s Journal: You will be expected to keep a journal for this class. Occasionally, I will assign topics, but you will often be expected to generate your own topics. For more information, please refer to the supplementary handout.

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. You must include all previous drafts.

Attendance

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.” SIX absences will result in automatic failure of the course. Three tardies or early departures add up to 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. Please do not assume that an absence gives you “carte blanche” to turn in the next class meeting’s assignments late. For example, if you miss class on a Monday, and there is a major assignment due on Wednesday, you are still expected to turn in the assignment on Wednesday. Due dates for major assignments are given out well in advance, and you are expected to turn in your work on time.

The following rules will apply for absences on assignment due dates:

1. We do peer review on the first draft of every essay, and, if you do not attend class on that day, you must give me your paper in advance so that someone can peer review your paper; the points you miss for peer reviewing someone’s paper cannot be “made up.” If your paper is not peer reviewed by a member of our class, you are required to take it to the Center for Academic Support for revision suggestions, and you must have the assignment revised by the due date for the second draft (which is sometimes the next class period).

2. If you will be absent on the due date of the second or third draft of an essay, you must contact me (either by phone, voicemail, or e-mail) before class starts to let me know that you will not be in attendance and to make arrangements to deliver your essay. Do not leave your paper in my mailbox or under my office door. Late submissions are subject to a late penalty.

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; insufficient effort will not earn credit. 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 penalized one full letter grade.

Grades will be determined by the following scale:

A 90-100%

B 80-89%

C 70-79%

D 60-69%

F 59% and below

IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BE ADMITTED TO ENG 108, YOU MUST EARN AT LEAST A C IN ENG 104.

YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL FOUR ESSAYS IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS!

YOU MUST TAKE THE FINAL EXAM IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS.

Writing journal, in-class assignments, homework, and quizzes 40%

Essays/Process Materials and Portfolio 55%

Final Exam 5%

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.missouriwestern.edu/cas for more information about CAS services.

Policy on Revisions:

You will create at least three drafts of every major essay. The first draft will be reviewed during peer review. You are expected to make necessary revisions to your essay and bring the second draft the following class period. I will then write detailed comments on your essay and return it to you (in approximately one week). You will make the necessary revisions and resubmit it to me by the due date; this third draft will be graded. If you are not satisfied with your grade, you may revise it a fourth time. Your grade on the assignment will be an average of the first and second grades. If I do not assign a letter grade, revision is required. In that case, when I average the two grades, I will use 50% for the grade on the first paper, unless your essay did not even merit the name “essay.” All fourth revisions are due no later than two weeks after the essay has been returned to you. If you are required to revise (if there is no letter grade on your paper) and you fail to do so, you will receive a zero for the assignment.

Academic Honesty

“Since honesty in the classroom is required, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college constitutes a violation.” Policy Guide II, B, C.

It is easier than ever to “cheat” on an assignment or to plagiarize someone else’s work. It’s also easier to get caught. If you are suspected of plagiarism, you must provide for review all process materials for your essay, and they must adequately demonstrate that you are the writer of the paper. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment. See your handbook and the handout on plagiarism for more information.

There’s one important note that you won’t find in the handbook or on the Internet, where there are innumerable texts to “copy and paste.” Plagiarism compromises your integrity, your education, and the bond of trust that exists between teacher and student. Picture yourself in the career or profession that you hope to have when you graduate. Teacher? Accountant? Entrepreneur? Nurse? Journalist? Athlete? Are you in a military reserve unit? Think about the awesome responsibility borne by each of these people. Trust plays an important role in these professions. Let honesty and integrity follow you on your career path.

Disabilities

Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.

This plan will be amended as necessary throughout the semester. Changes will be announced in class and/or by e-mail, but you may not receive written notification of changes.

Major Essays:

Descriptive
Narrative
Investigation/research
Position

Topics to be covered:

Weeks One and Two

Creating the right mindset
Gathering material from the inside
Finding your voice
Seeing v. observing
Using descriptive detail
“Rules” and practice—timed writing
Critical reading and logical fallacies
Reading with an open mind

Weeks Three, Four, and Five

Critical reading and logical fallacies
What about using humor in my writing?
Descriptive writing
Analyzing and planning for audience and purpose
Sensory detail
Objective v. subjective details
Showing v. telling
Clichés v. figurative language
Clustering/brainstorming
Writing a thesis/creating a focus
Writing an effective title and introduction
Why do peer review?
How to be an effective peer reader
Accepting feedback and choosing how to respond (and how not to react)

Week Six

Common punctuation errors (strategies for locating and correcting)
Analyzing emotional and ethical appeal
Techniques for narrative writing
Writing dialogue

Week Seven and Eight

Media trends
Analyzing media validity/verifying sources
Library resources (orientation?)
Expanding a topic; narrowing a topic

Week Nine—Spring Break

Week Ten

Begin research for investigation/research paper
Note-taking, paraphrasing, summary writing
Citing sources

Week Eleven

Organizing information/organizing essay

Week Twelve to End of the Semester

Position paper
Generating topics for a position paper (local interest)
Choosing an appropriate topic
Using logical, ethical, and emotional appeal
Organizational methods
Review logical fallacies
Developing and elaborating

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