English
104: College Writing and Rhetoric
Spring
2006
Missouri
Western State University
Division
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section: 04 10:00-10:50 MWF Popplewell 102
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:
Seeing and Writing, Donald McQuade and Christine McQuade, First Edition
Elements of Style, Strunk
and White, Fourth Edition
Notebook for journal (bound
composition books preferred)
Loose-leaf paper for in-class
assignments (please, no spiral)
Folders for each major essay (4)
3 ½” floppy disks and a
disk-storage box
Photocopies for group work as
requested
Course
Work
Assignment Format
All drafts of all major assignments must be typed. The heading of each assignment (which will appear in the upper left-hand corner) should include your name, the course and section numbers, the date, and the assignment number. Drafts of major essays will only be accepted in a folder with process materials. All previous drafts, responses, notes, and scribbles that show your writing and thinking processes should be included. You will receive a handout with more detailed instructions.
Major Essays
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.
Essay One: Description—due week four
Essay Two: Narration—due week six
Essay Three: Analysis—due week eleven
Essay Four: Writing/Reading—due week fourteen
Portfolio—due week fourteen
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.
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
the tutors will try to accommodate your request (The CAS extension is x4524.). You can learn more about CAS services and/or
submit an essay online at <www.mwsc.edu/cas>.
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 to enter ENG
108.
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 (four major writing
tasks; completeness of portfolio, etc.)
60%
--Journal, homework, quizzes, in-class assignments, process materials, and final exam 30%
--Class participation (attendance
and contributions to class activities/discussion) 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 graded as “credit” or “no credit,” which means that, if you make a reasonable effort, you will receive all of the possible points. You are expected to complete all reading assignments before class begins on the date for which they were assigned; be prepared for 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
their due dates 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). Late work will be subject
to a penalty of 25% and 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
Civility and Cooperation
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.
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,” and your
participation grade will be directly affected by absences, tardies, and early
departures.
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.
(continued on back)
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