ENGLISH 104: COLLEGE WRITING AND
RHETORIC
Spring 2006
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and
Journalism
Instructor:
Valorie Stokes
Office: Eder Hall, 212 E
Office Hours: TTH
Phone: 271-4312
E-mail: vstokes@missouriwestern.edu
ENG 104 College Writing and Rhetoric. Instruction in reading and writing;
emphasizes expository prose. Fulfills first half of the General Studies requirement in English
composition. For a complete
course description, objectives, and institutional competencies, visit the
English 104 page on the English Department web site:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/
COURSE PHILOSOPHY
English 104 is about becoming critical readers,
thoughtful writers, attentive listeners and articulate speakers.
McQuade and Atwan, Popular Writing in
Ross-Larson,
Stunning Sentences, W.W. Norton and
Co., 1990.
Peck and
Elder, How to Read a Paragraph, The
Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2003, 1st Ed.
A good college dictionary of
your choice
A three-ring binder
exclusively for English 104 work with sections for class notes, composition
“calisthenics”, reading response work
Folders for Process Work on
the major assignments
A couple of computer disks
Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability
that prevents the fullest expression of her or his potential to succeed in this
course must notify me in writing as soon as possible so we may discuss course
requirements, options, and accommodations.
Essays:
You will complete four essays
and a course portfolio this semester. A student who does not complete all
essays or submit a portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades
achieved in other activities are satisfactory.
The major writing assignments will probably include:
· A Self-Definition or Ah-ha
Moment Essay
· An Intense Personal Experience
or Snapshot Essay
· An Analysis of a Non-Fiction
Essay or Work of Literature
· A Persuasion or Argumentation
Essay
·
Portfolio with
reflective essay.
Essay Format:
All papers (with the exception
of in-class writings) must be word-processed, double-spaced and use a 12-point
very readable font such as Times Roman. Be sure to save each assignment on a
computer disk and keep a hard copy of each assignment for yourself.
Portfolio:
The essays mentioned above 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 for your course grade to be based on your best
writing; it places you in control of the quality of your writing.
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 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.
The portfolio of all of your work will be due at the
end of the semester. The portfolio will
include published drafts of your essays, previous drafts and responses,
selected course writing, and a reflective essay, explaining the contents of the
portfolio and discussing your growth as a writer. I will evaluate the portfolio
and return it by the final exam.
Process
Folder:
Each essay will conclude with the submission of a process folder. No essay will be accepted without a process
folder. Each process folder will be graded and returned. The process folder will evaluate work on the
essay, but it will not evaluate the essay.
No essay will receive a grade until it is published in the portfolio.
The folder will include:
·
Polished draft of the essay;
·
Working drafts of the essay
with self-evaluations/peer group responses attached;
·
Prewriting/Preliminary Work
·
In-class
letter and questions.
Composition “Calisthenics”:
Because students learn to write best by writing frequently, I will
typically open class with one of a rotation of writing exercises intended to
help you sharpen specific writing skills. These will be explained with examples
at the beginning of the semester. You
will complete a number of them; I will not collect all of them, and I will not
tell you which ones I will and will not collect. I assign these writings so
that you can practice your writing skills.
Quizzes and In-class Participation:
You will be quizzed
or expected to complete brief in-class follow-up exercises on many of the
reading assignments and will be expected to participate fully in all class
activities. If the work is missing that will be recorded as a
zero. Missing work and less than expected work will affect the
grade.
Final Exam:
The Final Exam for this class is scheduled for:
Section 13 – Thursday, May 4 @
The components of your grade in
the course are:
·
Process
Folders, Writing Exercises, Quizzes, Participation, Final Exam ……30 – 40 %
·
Portfolio………………………………………………………..…..60 – 70 %
Academic Honesty:
Why anyone would enroll in a course and then go to the work of cheating
or stealing in the guise of plagiarism is beyond me. If, however, I determine
that such instances have occurred, the burden of proof that a student has
indeed authored the suspect item is squarely on that student’s shoulders. Make
sure you keep thorough and ample evidence of every piece of writing you
generate for every assignment should the need arise for you to meet that burden
of proof.
If
I do determine that you are cheating, at the very least you will “earn” an F
for your “effort”; evidence of flagrant, deliberate or repeated incidents of
cheating or plagiarism will result in stronger penalties.
Late Papers/Make Up Work:
Because of the nature of the
courses I teach and the number of papers I must evaluate, late papers will not
be accepted unless you have spoken with me in person prior to the due date and
we have arranged an alternative plan. No late assignment will be accepted after
the due date unless this is the case. Remember: a student who does not complete
all essays or submit a portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades
achieved in other activities are satisfactory.
Of course, in-class
activities, group work and discussions cannot be recreated later for absentees.
I cannot allow make-up quizzes if we go over the answers in class—which we will
ordinarily do. Consequently, if you missed the work, in most instances, you
missed it and there will not be time or opportunity to make it up.
Attendance:
For you to have a successful
experience in this class, your attendance is mandatory. My expectation is that
you will be here on time and ready to participate for every class meeting.
While occasionally “things” come up that make you run late, anyone not present
when I take roll at the beginning of the class will be marked absent. You will
need to see me after class to talk to me about any extenuating circumstances
that might change the absence status. All students will be allowed one of these
post-class conferences to allow for rare occasions and to eliminate the need
for me to conference more than once with chronic or repeat offenders. If you
arrive more than 15 minutes late to class, however, the absence will stand
regardless of the reason for your tardiness.
Although occasional illnesses
or emergencies will cause students to miss class, minimizing absences can only
contribute to your success in this class. Therefore, you are allowed two
absences before your course grade will be affected. Absences beyond that up to
four in TTH classes and five in MWF classes will result in deduction on your
final grade. More than those allowable absences will fail you. Students
who are in absence trouble by midterm should withdraw to avoid the F on their
transcript.
If you miss a class session,
you are responsible for all material covered and all assignments given during
that absence. Please remember that all out-of-class assignments are due at the
beginning of each class period and no late assignments will be accepted unless
you have prior permission from your instructor.
Center for Academic Support:
In addition to conferences with me, you may find
help with your writing at the Center for Academic Support. The CAS, which is located at the northeast
corner of the library building, provides trained tutors for students requiring
additional reading and writing instruction.
There is no cost to students for using these services. I encourage you
to make use of these services throughout this course.
Civility and
Cooperation:
Missouri
Western requires all students to help us 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 the classroom.
Students who violate this policy may, among other penalties, be counted
absent and asked to leave. You should
review your Missouri Western student handbook for further information.