Missouri Western State University, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

English 104:  College Writing and Rhetoric

T-Th Murphy 108

 

Teacher:           Dr. Cynthia Jenéy

Office:              Eder Hall 222-K

Phone:              271-4447

Office Hours:    Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00-12:00 | Friday 10:00-11:00

E-mail:              jeney@missouriwestern.edu

 

Required Text:

NOTE—THESE BOOKS ARE SHRINK-WRAPPED TOGETHER IN THE BOOKSTORE

            The publisher agreed to “bundle” them together for a good price!

Schwegler, Robert A. Patterns of Exposition. Eighteenth Edition. New York: A.B. Longman, 2004.

Aaron, Jane. The Little, Brown Essential Handbook. New York: A.B. Longman, 2006.

 

Make sure you have read assigned sections of the textbook before coming to class on the day readings are listed. Come to class prepared for quizzes and discussion based on the assigned reading.

 

Quizzes over assigned reading will occur at the instructor’s discretion.

 

Other Course Materials:

• A stapler.

• Notebook for note taking
• Pocket folder for handouts
• Word Processor (or typewriter)

 

The Official Course Description:

ENG 104 students will complete four formal writing assignments in addition to other graded and ungraded work through which they will learn how to discover ideas, respond to texts, and summarize others’ ideas. In these assignments, students will learn how to analyze readings and share information with others by reading and responding to course texts and other materials gathered through research. Final drafts of all formal writing assignments must be word-processed, and possibly submitted electronically. All students are expected to be prepared for class. All students are expected to participate in class discussions related to reading and writing assignments.

 

You should keep all assignments you have completed for this class. Before any grade appeal will be processed for a student in ENG 100, 104, or 108, the complete portfolio of writings will have to be submitted to the Departmental Review Committee. In order for an ENG 104 student to be admitted into ENG 108, he or she must earn at least a C in ENG 104.

For course goals & objectives, see the EFLJ Department website http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp

 

This Syllabus: Read this syllabus and the attached schedule very carefully, and refer to it often. All information presented here is regarded as part of your own knowledge for the course. All answers to your questions about the class will be based on an assumption that you understand the syllabus and seek further clarification. The teacher reserves the right to alter the course schedule and to make announced changes as need arises during the course of the semester.

 

Class meetings: Class meetings are conducted under the assumption that students are well-versed in the basic etiquette of classrooms and academic environments.

• Come to class on time and remain until the end of the period (rude entrances and exits are disruptive; disruptive behavior is grounds for banishment from the class).
• Be prepared, and plan to participate and remain engaged with the materials for the entire class  period.
• In the unlikely and unfortunate event that you find yourself unprepared, come anyway – absence only compounds the problem.
• Turn off/silence all cell phones and pagers.
• Do the assigned reading (No, really, trust me on this). Quizzes will be based upon assigned sections in Patterns of Exposition and The Little, Brown Essential Handbook.

 

Due Dates: Dates for handing in all required assignments are listed in the course schedule attached. There is no room in the semester calendar for late papers. There is no provision for “make-up” of missed assignments or quizzes, as worksheets and quizzes are usually completed and scored during the class period. An assignment not received on its due date constitutes a failure to meet one of the minimum requirements of the course. All minimum requirements must be met for a passing grade.  Make a note of all due dates now, and plan accordingly.

 

Attendance: If you miss class, get notes and assignments from a classmate.  In order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level course.

            You will be given an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. 

            All other absences will be deemed unexcused.  The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, October 18 [for Fall 2006] is three (3).  Thus, when you have four (4) unexcused absences 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. 

            Students who consult with me well in advance of known legitimate conflicts or hardship will be given consideration on a case-by-case basis. Serious efforts to attend and to complete the work for this class will be given fair consideration, especially in cases of earnest dedication and hard work. Note: Weddings and vacation trips do not constitute conflicts, hardships, or emergencies. You are advised to save up your allotted absences in case of real illness or emergencies.

 

Contacting Dr. Jenéy: Office hours are established for the specific purpose of helping students who have questions concerning the content and assignments of the course or who may wish to discuss the materials further. Hours are posted at the beginning of this syllabus (and on my office door). Polite phone or written messages requesting help with class assignments are answered within 48 hours.

 

Email: Some general rules for emailing professors:

• Email messages should be courteous, clear, concise, and directly related to specific content in the course. (If your email makes the instructor’s life harder, it will probably not garner the results you want).

• Messages must include your full name, the course in which you are enrolled, your campus email address, and a specific subject line.
• Emails may or may not receive a response, since the campus webmail systems are prone to  hacking, glitches, and technological failures.
• Be nice—nastygrams are saved and forwarded to the Dean of Students (when in doubt, click “save” instead of “send”).
• Unsigned emails that do not identify the student, the course number and section number will probably be deleted or returned unanswered (“I’m in your class” is not enough to identify you—faculty at MWSU teach several classes).
• Do not send email detailing personal illnesses, absences or missed lectures/assignments—you are responsible for your absences and missed materials. If you need help, visit or phone the instructor during office hours.
• Always use your campus email account to send messages to your professor.

 

Assignments: Final drafts of the required essay assignments will be word processed and handed in at the beginning of class on the due date. Working drafts and workshop worksheets will be attached. Do not send essays to the professor as email attachments. Grades will be weighted as follows:

                    10%         Paper #1 Analysis / Exemplification (required)

        10%         Paper #2 Definition (required)

        20%         Paper #3 Comparison & Contrast (required)

        20%         Paper #4 Process (required)

        20%         Final Exam: In-class Essay Exam, Causes & Effects (required)

                    20%         Quizzes, In-Class Exercises, Attendance, & Class participation (required)

        100%        Total

 

A note about the writing in this course: although we will all encourage each other to be open and to explore ideas, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, essay assignments shall be considered  public texts. Be mature. Be considerate. Be excellent.

 

Legal stuff: I have a strict policy against writing about any un-prosecuted crime or suspected illegal activity which you have witnessed, or in which you have been involved. Confidentiality does not apply to classmates or professors. When in doubt, I must always err on the side of safety, and you will be sent up the river.

 

You should keep all assignments you have completed for this class. Before any grade appeal will be processed for a student in ENG 100, 104, or 108, the complete portfolio of writings will have to be submitted to the Departmental Review Committee. In order for an ENG 104 student to be admitted into ENG 108, he or she must earn at least a C in ENG 104.

For course goals & objectives, see the EFLJ Department website http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp

 

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 activity.  Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University.  When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

 

Please see 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 on the MWSU web site.

 

Above all, do not represent any other writer’s words, ideas, or information as your own.

 

 Paper Format in ENG 104:

 

Papers will be in standard MLA Style. Papers will be word-processed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1-inch margins all around. Your name and the date will be in the upper-right hand corner. “English 104” (without the quotation marks) and the instructor’s name in the upper-left. Skip one space and center your paper title. Remember that new paragraphs are set off by indenting the first line, not by skipping 2 more spaces. Page numbers appear in the upper right-hand corner (but not on the first page).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tentative Class Schedule English 104-07

Fall 2006

 

AUGUST
T	29	Introduction; Syllabus; Policies
Th	31	Patterns 1-4 Reading as a Writer; 25-28 Planning
SEPTEMBER
T	5	Patterns 29-32 Drafting; 32-39 Revising; Introduce Analysis/Exemplification Little, Brown 1-8 Introduction; 61-73 Sentence Fragments, Commas
Th	7	Patterns Analying/Using Example: 44-54; 338-344 Kids in the Mall; 74-77 Underground Dads
T	12	Film: A Day Without A Mexican
Th	14	Film: A Day Without A Mexican; Patterns Analysis: 424-430 War room at Bellevue; 432-436 Carnival of the Dead
T	19	Writing Workshop Essay #1: Analysis/Critique;  Patterns 39-41 Editing & Final Drafting Little, Brown 46-60 Pronouns, Modifiers
Th	21	Essay #1 Due: Analysis; Introduce Definitional Essay Assignment
T	26	Patterns Definition: 354-358; 369-363 Student Essay—Stars
Th	28	LIBRARY WORK DAY: DEFINITION: Meet in the Library (Hearnes Center) Patterns Definition: 379-386 Honesty; 387-393 Courage
OCTOBER
T	3	In-Class Workshop; Little, Brown 127-136 Integrating Sources into your text
Th	5	Little, Brown 127-136 Integrating Sources into your text Little, Brown 33-46 Verbs
T	10	Essay #2 Due: Definition; Intro. Comparison and Contrast
Th	12	Patterns 50-54 Comparison; 160-164 Mark Twain; 164-170 Grant & Lee
T	17	Patterns 170-176 Smoker
Th	19	Workshop Comparison and Contrast
T	24	Patterns 176-183 Blue Little, Brown 11-19 Effective Sentences; 77-83 Apostrophe, Quotations, End Punctuation
Th	26	Patterns 184-189 Think
T	31	Essay #3 Due: Comparison and Contrast intro Process Analysis
NOVEMBER
Th	2	Patterns Process Analysis: 251-256;  262-266 Juggling
T	7	Patterns Process Analysis: 265-274 Deranged Marriage 275-279;
Th	9	Patterns Process Analysis: 305-312 Live Burial
T	14	Working Draft Due Essay #1: In Class Writing Workshop
Th	16	Little, Brown 11-19 Effective Sentences; 77-83 Apostrophe, Quotations, End Punctuation
T	21	Final Draft Due Essay #4: Process Analysis; Introduce Cause-and-Effect: NPR’s “This I Believe” Essays
Th	23	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY—NO CLASS MEETING
T	28	Patterns Cause-and-Effect: 315-319 Analyzing Cause-and-Effect Relationships; 320-322 Student Essay—Public Documents
Th	30	Strategies for in-class essay exams; Patterns Cause-and-Effect: 334-337 Geezer
DECEMBER
T	5	In-Class Workshop
Th	7	OPEN
Th	14	FINAL EXAM  8:30 - 10:20 a.m.