English 100:
Introduction to College Writing
Fall
2006
College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and
Journalism
Course Theme: Through the
Looking Glass
Section 2: MWF
Writer’s Workshop: TR
Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office:
Phone: 816-271-4156
Office Hours: MWF
E-mail: mailto:pankiew@mwsc.edu
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Introduction to College Writing: English 100. Third Edition.
Clouse, Barbara Fine. A
Troubleshooting Guide for Writers. Fourth Edition.
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage
Inequalities.
Computer disks or a jump drive
Copies for group work as requested
Folders
Bookmark this reference web site: www.kplay.cc/reference.html.
Course Description:
“One thing that is always with the writer – no matter
how long he has written or how good he is – is the continuing process of
learning how to write.”
-Flannery O’Connor
In this course we will discuss
writing as a process. And you may
ask, what does this statement mean?
The truth is, no one just sits down and instantly produces a perfect
piece of writing. There are many
steps a writer goes through when producing a text, including pre-writing (or
gathering and organizing ideas and thoughts), writing, revising and editing, and
we will discuss these steps in this course. By breaking down these steps, hopefully,
the writing process will seem less difficult. In discovering writing as a process, you
will discover the reading and writing strategies and processes that work best
for you. The emphasis here is on
you and your attention to the topics.
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 and
ask for my help, if you wait until the last minute to draft an essay or build a
portfolio. I also know that you
probably will succeed if you become someone who connects reading and writing to
your life, to your experiences, and who reflects on the impact of these
connections.
Obviously, becoming an
independent and confident writer requires trusted readers of your writing. I will read drafts and schedule
conferences to respond to your work; your classmates and writing group will also
read and respond to your writing; and the class sessions and the Writer’s
Workshop sessions will focus instruction on your writing. Becoming a critical and thoughtful
writer is essential for success in college. This course has been designed to help
you make this effort.
The theme of this section is
“Through the Looking Glass.” This
theme comes from a description of a reader browsing through a book store. The reader searched for books that would
teach about events, explain new ideas, and provide new thoughts. The reader, in the search for a book,
looked through a window, a kind of looking glass, to another place and
time. As readers know, a good book
does more than tell a story; it also must touch the reader’s life and mind; it
must lead the reader to look into the mirror of self. When I heard that story, I connected it
to writing and to teaching writing. We must look through a window to see and to
learn about events; we must also study our reflection in the mirror of the glass
to understand how the event affects us. That is why the theme of this
course is “Through the Looking Glass”; the course will provide you with the time
to reflect on, to study and to express your ideas about events you study and
yourself.
Course Goals and Class Assignments:
Reading
Goals:
·
Read actively for
greater understanding;
·
Use reading to
improve writing by drawing ideas and information from written texts
·
Use texts to
understand own and others’ experiences;
·
Read writing
assignments effectively as a guide to creating better
papers;
·
Recognize good
writing by actively reading good prose.
Writing Goals:
·
Move from
writer-based to reader-based prose
·
Write at greater
length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
·
Structure writing
to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
·
Develop ideas and
concepts with specific details, examples, and
explanations;
·
Craft more
effective and polished sentences and paragraphs;
·
Use effective
planning, invention, revision, and editing to complete successful writing
tasks.
General Studies
Goals:
·
Think critically
and reason analytically;
·
Write and speak
clearly and effectively;
·
Gain a greater
awareness of the present through an understanding of other cultures and
times;
·
Understand and
appreciate moral values and ethical choices;
·
Understand and
enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative
activities.
For common objectives/means and
institutional competencies for ENG 100 also refer to the English department
website at
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng100.asp
Methods of instruction include assigned readings,
lectures, class discussions, group work, writer’s workshops, informal writing
assignments and formal writing assignments. Students will be expected to participate
in all group work and writing exercises.
Textbook(s):
Please be sure to read all assigned textbook/handbook chapters, essays
and other reading assignments, be prepared to discuss the essays in class and
complete journal assignments and other exercises in regard to the essays.
Journals:
You will write (informal) journal entries/responses to most of your
assigned readings. Please refer to
your assignment schedule for journal entries. These entries will be your explanations
of and reactions to the readings.
You can also answer the questions under “Reflecting and Interpreting” in
your textbook at the end of each essay.
The average length for a journal entry is one full page. Entries can be hand-written or
word-processed. The collection
dates will coincide with the collection dates of your writing
tasks/mini-portfolios. Journal
entries will be graded on content and will be part of your grade for the
portfolio and the course.
Writer’s
Workshops:
You have been scheduled a weekly Writer’s Workshop session. This small group workshop will be
facilitated by an undergraduate and will focus on activities and exercises
developed to help you grow as a writer.
Workshop information and activities are found in Introduction to
College Writing, 1-72.
Conferences:
Writers need readers. There
is no other way to improve. I know
that I am a strong reader and one who is willing read your work and to offer my
responses. During this semester,
you are required to schedule at least one conference during the writing of each
task. (In other words, you need to
schedule a minimum of five conferences.)
When you come to the conference:
·
Be on
time.
·
Missing a scheduled
conference will be counted as an absence.
·
If you do not come
prepared to the conference with a working draft, you will be marked absent.
·
Come to the
conference with a question or concern about your latest assignment/draft. You must initiate the conference,
showing your interest in your work and focusing on where you need a response.
·
Leave the
conference with a written revision plan.
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.
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.
·
Task One:
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:
Write a structured essay revealing the
meaningfulness of an object.
·
Task Three:
Write a
documented essay about education.
·
Task Four: TBA.
Possibilities include: Write an
argumentative essay to persuade the audience of your position. Or write a
literacy autobiography. Or write a portfolio self-reflection or cover
letter.
·
Portfolio.
Peer Revision
Groups:
Prior to submitting your writing tasks, you will be required to
participate in peer revision groups in which you will bring in copies of your
rough draft to share with your group and receive feedback from your group in
order to help you strengthen and revise your own written work. This is a required activity and will be
part of your grade for the portfolio and the course. (Note: During these sessions I will also
evaluate drafts).
Mini-Portfolios:
Since I believe strongly that writing is a recursive process of drafting,
revision and editing, I wish to read and to evaluate your process. Therefore, you will submit a
mini-portfolio documenting your writing of each task.
Save each draft in a folder. Save instructor comments and peer
comments. Write a reflective letter examining your process, problems and
decisions in completing the task. Each mini-portfolio will be worth 50
points.
No essay will be accepted without a mini-portfolio.
End-of-Course
Portfolio:
This section of English 100 requires an end-of-semester portfolio. In a
portfolio-course, final grades for each task are delayed until the end of the
course with the publication of the portfolio. This concept encourages revision
and allows your final grade to be based on
your best writing; it places you in control of the quality of your writing.
The
end-of-course portfolio will account for between 60 and 70 percent of your
course grade. The portfolio will
include the final drafts of your task essays, previous drafts and responses (the
mini-portfolios), and a cover letter.
Mini-portfolios, journals and other class work will account for 30 to 40
percent of the final grade. The
graded portfolio will be returned at the final exam.
Attendance
Policy:
In order to
improve student learning and to achieve compliance with federal financial aid
policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level
courses. A
student will be given an excused absence when acting as an official
representative of the university, provided the student gives prior written
verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event; however,
there are no other excused absences, exceptions or “make-ups” for this
attendance requirement.
Furthermore, the maximum number of absences
allowed before the midterm report, October 18, for this class is five
(5).
Thus, when you have six (6) you will be reported to the Registrar’s
Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce
financial aid as appropriate. This
course has a very strict attendance policy in Writer’s Workshops as well as in
class. If you miss seven class
periods OR four Writer’s Workshops, you will receive an F in the class. If you know of any circumstances likely to make
this policy difficult for you this semester, you may wish to consult with your
advisor to review your options.
Late Work:
If
you miss a class session, you are responsible for all material covered and
assignments given during your absence.
All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class
period. Late in-class writing assignments will not be
accepted.
Late
task essays will not be accepted unless you receive permission at least one day
before the due date. If you are
facing difficulties in completing a task paper, schedule a conference (leaving a
message on my answering machine or sending me an e-mail are insufficient) to
discuss the problems with me.
During our conference, we will set a new deadline. Remember, 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.
Grading
Policy:
The components of your grade in the course are:
·
End-of-Course Portfolio including a cover letter, revised task and their
mini-portfolios…..60-70%
·
Course work
including required mini-portfolios, reading responses, quizzes, journal or daily
writing…..30-40%
Student
Disability:
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest
expressions of abilities should contact Missouri Western's special needs
coordinator, Michael Ritter, for possible certification of special needs and
expert recommendations for assistance.
You should also contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can
discuss class requirements.
Academic Honesty
Policy:
Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include
any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work,
falsifying documents or academic records or any other fraudulent classroom
activity. You will receive a grade
of F (0 points) for any paper/ assignment/exam that shows evidence of cheating
and/or plagiarism and forfeit the opportunity to revise. You have the burden of proving that a
paper showing evidence of cheating or plagiarism has in fact been written by
you. You should keep thorough
evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that you can meet this
burden of proof. Violations of
academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or the designated
representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms. Please note carefully the statement on
plagiarism on the departmental website and refer to the 2006-07 Student Handbook
and calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of this
policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online
at
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Miscellaneous:
Civility and Cooperation --
Essay Format -- Papers must
be word-processed, double-spaced and use 12-point Times New Roman. Be sure to
save each assignment on the university’s “P” drive, or a computer disk or jump
drive, and keep a hard copy of each assignment for yourself.
Place your name, professor’s name, course, date, and draft number in the
upper left hand corner. Center the
title.
Center for Academic Support -- In addition to conferences, 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.
Reminders --
Please note that you must complete all writing assignments in order to pass this
course. In addition, admission into
ENG 104 requires a “C” or higher in ENG 100.
Personal note
-- Several pages ago, I wrote about how much responsibility you must assume in
order to be successful in this course.
That is true. I also want to
emphasize that I am here to help you be successful. Please feel free to come see me if you
have any problems or questions. You can make an appointment to
conference about any paper or homework assignment, to discuss your progress in
class, to clarify or question something that was discussed or done in class,
etc. Communication is very
important between an instructor and his students and, as a result, I will make
myself available to you for any reason.