Syllabus
for ENG 100
Introduction
to College Writing
Missouri
Western State University
Division
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
“Western
Connections” Learning Community:
“Educational (R)Evolution”
10:00-10:50
MWF Eder Hall 210 (lecture)
Writer’s
Workshop: M or W 11:00-11:50 Eder Hall 222U/V
Fall
2006
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Office: Eder Hall 222C
Phone: 816-271-4313
Office
Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00,
Thursday 1:00-3:00 and by appointment
E-mail: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts and Course
Materials:
Introduction to College Writing – ENG 100. McGraw-Hill, 2006, Third edition.
A Troubleshooting Guide for
Writers. McGraw-Hill, 2005, Fourth
edition.
(This handbook is important – please read all
assigned chapters, respond to questions/test yourself sections and use as a
reference when writing and revising– and is packaged with textbook; bring both
to class and workshop)
Savage Inequalities. Jonathan Kozol. Harper Collins, 1991.
Computer disks
Photocopies for group work as
requested
Folders
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 Writer’s Workshop tutor 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.
In
addition, this section is part of a learning community in which the issue of
education will be discussed, read and written about. We will read about and discuss both your educational experiences
as well as the state of education in our country. In this class, as well as your freshman seminar class (COL
101-66), you will read/discuss the book Savage Inequalities and you may
discuss some of the following questions:
What does education mean to you?
What have been your past experiences in education? Why are you here? Where do you think education and college
will take you in the future? How do you define knowledge and learning? How can education change and even empower
people? Is our educational system fair
and inclusive? If it is not always
equitable and excludes people due to race or class, what are the
consequences? If you could change the
educational system, what would you do?
Hopefully these questions and answers will intrigue, challenge and help
you. Moreover, there is a “service
project” component for this learning community and, as a result, you will have
the opportunity to visit an elementary school in St. Joseph and help the
students in that school.
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 textbook, lectures,
class discussions, group work, writer’s workshops, informal writing assignments
and formal writing assignments.
Students will be expected to participate in peer revision groups and
in-class 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:
This section of English 100 is
participating in a pilot project of conferencing and tutoring in your Writer’s
Workshop. One of the major goals of
English 100 is to become an independent writer, a writer who has discovered
strategies and processes to write competent and thoughtful essays. As in all sections of English 100, you have
been assigned a mandatory, small group Writer’s Workshop which meets once a
week. Your Writer’s Workshop will differ from the traditional workshop in that
it will be a tutoring session focused on your writing rather than the planned
workshop sequence of activities. In
this section of English 100 you will confer with both your instructor and
workshop leader during the workshop.
You will receive personal responses and suggestions to help you develop
and revise each essay and to help you grow as a writer. You will also be allowed time, in workshop,
to write and revise. Your writing will
become the central text of both the class and the workshop and your needs will
become the content of the instruction.
This pilot project requires three
commitments from you. First, you must
confer with your instructor, workshop tutor and/or small groups in
workshop. It is expected that you will
schedule a conference with your workshop tutor or instructor (conferences will
rotate) at least once every two weeks.
Second, you must bring a work-in-progress to each writing workshop/conference
or be prepared to write, with the help of your tutor, in workshop . Your
instructor and workshop leader will discuss your progress weekly. This is a labor-intensive effort on the part
of your instructor and tutor, but it is one that we feel will benefit you. Third, you must share with us how this
project is working. Since this is a
pilot project, we need to know what activities are most helpful and what
activities are ineffective, so we will ask for frequent feedback.
Workshops/Conferences:
·
Be
on time.
·
Missing
a workshop/scheduled conference will be counted as a workshop absence.
·
If
you do not come prepared to the workshop/conference, you will be marked
absent. If a new draft or revised draft
is required then coming to a workshop/conference without one will lead to a
workshop absence. In addition, if the
workshop/conference is one that requires you to write, then you must come
prepared to write and spend the workshop hour writing and seeking help from
your tutor and peers; if you do not, then you will be marked absent for
workshop.
·
Come
to the workshop/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 new text/draft, revision or written revision plan .
·
Make-up
workshop/conference: If you miss a
workshop or are not prepared you will be marked absent; however, you have the
opportunity to make it up. You can
attend the general make-up session on Friday at 2:00 or 3:00 pm in Eder 222
U-V. However, in this makeup session,
you will be required to complete a specific lesson or activity and you will not
be able to receive feedback on your writing or to do your own writing. Moreover, you will be allowed only three
make-up opportunities. Please remember
that you and your writing will benefit the most by attending your regularly
scheduled workshops/conferences and working on your writing.
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:
The mini-portfolio system is explained in an attached handout.
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. 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. 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 “makeups” 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.
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. 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
Work:
All writing tasks are due at the beginning of the
class period on the due date. Each
student is allowed one late paper, and only one late paper, and this must be
discussed with me so we can discuss the extended due date. I will not accept/grade any other late
papers. This is important because you
must complete, turn in and receive a grade for all papers in order to pass this
class. In other words, a second late
paper will result in failure of the course. If you are not in class on the due date you are still responsible
for submitting your assignment on time.
Late in-class writing assignments will not be accepted.
Grading
Policy:
Your grade will be determined on the
basis of your progress as a writer, the writings (informal and formal) you
submit, and your class participation over the course of the semester. Also note
that smaller assignments and class preparation/participation are very important
and do affect your grade. The
components of your grade in the course are:
· Four writing tasks. A
student who does not turn in responses to all four tasks will not pass the
course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory.
Writing
Task One Mini-Portfolio: 100 points
Writing
Task Two Mini-Portfolio: 100 points
Writing
Task Three Mini-Portfolio: 125 points
Writing
Task Four Mini-Portfolio: 125 points
· Final exam: 100 points
Progress
as a Writer/Revision Policy:
For all writing tasks you will be required to
participate in peer revisions groups. Graded writing tasks (tasks one-three)
can be revised and resubmitted for a “new” grade. You will have two weeks from the date the paper is returned in
class to revise and resubmit each task paper.
If you miss the two-week deadline, you forfeit the right to revise that
specific task paper. It is required
that your original, graded essay accompanies your revised essay. You will not have the opportunity to revise
Writing Task Four; however, you will have ample opportunity to share and revise
drafts with your peers, your workshop tutor and me.
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 -- 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.
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. All drafts and final papers
for this course must be word-processed.
*It is also important to save all writing tasks on disks, keeping
back-ups if necessary, and to save all drafts as well.
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. I believe communication is very important
between an instructor and her students and, as a result, I will make myself
available to you for any reason.