English
100: Introduction to College Writing
Spring
2006
Missouri
Western State University
Division
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section
11 2:00-2:50 MWF Murphy 105
Writer’s
Workshop: 10:00-10:50 M or W
Instructor: Charlotte Grider
Office: Eder (SSC) 222-T
Phone: 271-4239
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-9:50,
11:00-1:30; T/TH by appointment
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:
Introduction to College Writing
– English 100, McGraw-Hill 2005
English 100 Writer’s Workshops Spring
2006 Edition
Notebook for journal (bound
composition books preferred)
Loose-leaf paper for handwritten
assignments (please, no spiral)
Folders for each essay (4)
3 ½” floppy disks and a
disk-storage box
Photocopies for group work as requested
OPTIONAL: Elements of Style by Struck and
White—any edition (4th is most recent)
Writing
Tasks
You will complete four major
essays and submit a course portfolio. If you do not turn in all four essays or
submit a course portfolio, you will not pass the course, even if your
grades for the other writing tasks are satisfactory. Note: The due dates
listed below are subject to change.
The tasks:
Ÿ
Task One:
Describing Significance Carefully—DUE:
week four
Ÿ
Task Two:
Explaining What Things Mean—DUE:
week six
Ÿ
Task Three:
Connecting Reading and Writing—DUE: week eleven
Ÿ
Task Four:
Re-thinking Your Writing—DUE:
week fourteen
Ÿ
Portfolio—DUE:
week fourteen
Assignment Format
All drafts of all major assignments must be typed. The heading of each assignment should include your name, the course and section numbers, the date, and the number of the assignment. Drafts of major essays will only be accepted in a two-pocket folder with process
materials. All previous drafts, responses, and
scribbles, that show your writing and thinking processes must be included. You
will receive a handout with more detailed instructions.
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. Failure to include them with your portfolio
will affect your grade. You will
receive more specific guidelines for portfolio submission later in the semester.
Writer’s Workshop
Throughout the semester, you will attend the once-a-week, small group Writer’s Workshop (listed as “labs” in the class schedule). Some of your Writer’s Workshop materials may be used in class and some of your class papers will be critiqued and proofread in Writer’s Workshop. You must ensure that you are prepared for workshop and class meetings.
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
the tutors will try to accommodate your request (The CAS extension is 4524.). You can learn more about CAS services and/or
submit an essay online at <www.mwsc.edu/cas>.
Your semester grade will be
determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the quality of the
writings you submit, and your class participation.
Ÿ
You need a C or higher to pass ENG 100 and enter ENG
104.
Ÿ
You must complete all four writing tasks in order to
pass the class.
Ÿ
The final exam is mandatory.
Components of your grade:
--Portfolio (final grades on the
four major writing tasks; completeness, etc.)
60%
--Journal, homework, quizzes,
in-class assignments, process materials, and final exam 30%
--Class participation (attendance and contributions to class activities/discussions) 10%
All work in this class is subject
to evaluation, including your participation in 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 assessed as
“credit” or “no credit,” which means that, if you make a reasonable
effort, you will receive all of the possible points for the assignment. Complete all assigned readings by the
beginning of class on the day upon which they are due and be prepared for a
discussion and/or a quiz. Some
assignments will be completed and submitted electronically; if you do not have Internet
access at home, please plan ahead.
Late work: Some assignments will be accepted only on
the due date and at the time I call for them (for example, quizzes or writing
assignments that provide the basis for or serve as a response to class discussions). If you cannot submit an assignment on the
due date, please contact me in advance.
All late work will be subject to a penalty of 25%. Late work should be submitted by the class
period that follows the assigned due date.
If you believe that there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you
from submitting the assignment at that time, you must contact me in
advance.
Grading Scale:
A 90-100% D 60-69%
B 80-89% F 59%
and below
C 70-79%
Please Note: Throughout the semester, you will write
several drafts of each of your essays. I will return each draft with my
comments and a rubric that shows whether your essay meets the assignment
criteria. At that time, rather than a
letter grade, your essays will earn an “E” (early draft), an “M” (middle
draft), or an “L” (late draft). An “E”
needs significant work; an “L” meets the assignment criteria. Letter grades will be assigned when you
submit your portfolio at the end of the semester.
Policies
Missouri Western requires all
students to help 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 of the classroom. Students who
violate this policy may be counted absent and asked to leave. You should review your Missouri Western
student handbook for further information.
Attendance Policy
This class has a very strict attendance policy. If you miss seven class periods or four workshops, you will receive an F for the class. There are no exceptions and no “make-ups” for this attendance requirement. Minutes of tardiness will be recorded and rounded up to the nearest five-minute mark. Your total minutes of tardiness will be rounded up to equal a whole missed class period as soon as they equal half of a class period. It is always in your best interest to attend class—even if you are very late. If you know of any circumstances that might make it difficult for you to adhere to the attendance policy, you should consult with your advisor and with me to review your options.
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 in my office or in my mailbox unless you have
arranged this with me. If you are
absent, your work is still due on the assigned date. If you turn it in at the next class meeting, it will be subject
to a late penalty unless you have documentation that shows that your absence
was due to urgent, necessary, and unavoidable circumstances.
Student Disability
Any student with a disability
should contact Missouri Western’s special needs coordinator for certification
of special needs and expert recommendation for assistance. You should also contact me personally as
soon as possible so that we can discuss how I can facilitate your success.
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 showing 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!
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