English 301 – Advanced Composition
MWSC Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, & Journalism
MWF 9:00-9:50 Murphy 220
Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Jenéy
Office: Eder 222K
Phone: 271-4447
Email: jeney@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours: Monday 10:00-12:00 | Wednesday 10:00-12:00 | Friday 10:00-11:00
WebBoard: http://webboard.missouriwestern.edu (click on “English 301 Advanced Composition”)
Required Texts:
1. Williams, Joseph. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Eighth Edition.
2. Cialdini, David. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
3. Spence,
Gerry. How to Argue and Win Every
Time.
4. Norman, Donald. The Design of Everyday Things.
Required Materials:
- A working steady email account to which you know the exact address.
- Pocket Folder for handouts, etc.
- Notebook for notes, exercises, quizzes, etc.
- Stapler
Recommended:
- A good college dictionary
- A good style handbook (MLA, APA, AP, Chicago, CBE, etc.)
Course
Objectives (official objectives):
· To study and practice the tools writers can use to adapt their texts to various purposes and audiences.
· To critically analyze and respond to the written discourse of others.
· To practice revision and editing strategies.
· To write clear, powerful prose.
· To take a few risks and establish a voice as a writer.
About the course: This course will be conducted as a writing and critical reading workshop. We will do some writing for nearly every class period, usually posting homework to WebBoard. You should print and save all of your posts to the electronic forum. Always come with writing materials (including PC-formatted zip or floppy disks). We will be reading and commenting on each other’s writing both as a class and in small groups. Note: if you forget to bring a disk, there is a public access drive available for students to use, as well as the option of simply using email to send yourself a copy of your written work.
Class Meetings: Class meetings of upper division of courses are conducted under the assumption that students are well versed in the conventions of college classrooms and academic environments. Come to class 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, but I expect you to arrive doubly prepared the next time. Should the situation become chronic, you may wish to re-examine your priorities for the semester, as this is a writing- and participation- intensive course. In short, this is not the class to cut: you will be missed (and if attendance is taken that day, counted absent).
This Syllabus: Read this syllabus very carefully, and refer to it often. All information presented here is regarded as part of your own knowledge. All answers to your questions about the class will be on an assumption that you understand the syllabus and seek further clarification. The teacher reserves the right to alter this syllabus and make announced changes as need arises during the course of the semester.
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. I do not plan to be accepting late papers, sue to my current teaching load and conference schedule. Make a not of all due dates now, and plan accordingly.
Attendance: A student with more than 6 (M-W) unexcused absences will automatically be given a failing grade for the course. It is your responsibility to keep track of your own attendance in the class. 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 (I do not wish to see a doctor’s excuse or obituary of a relative).
If you miss a class it is your responsibility to contact a classmate (and of course refer to this syllabus) regarding announcements, assignments, changes, class notes, and additional readings or writing.
Students who consult with me in advance of known conflicts will be given consideration on a case-by-case basis. DO contact me in the event unforeseen hardships and illnesses. In such cases, serious efforts to complete the work for this class will be given fair consideration, especially in cases of earnest dedication and hard work.
Please understand that there is no possible way for the college to take student work schedules into considerations when creating the academic calendar - your job is your responsibility, and any scheduling conflicts must be solved by you and your employer.
Note: Weddings and vacation trips do not constitute “hardships” or “emergencies” and the burden of assignment completion and attendance is on the student where social engagements are concerned.
Electronic Forum: Each student will be required to post to the class WebBoard when class-writing assignments are given. Posts to the forum will vary: full length critiques, summaries, analytic questions, exercises, explorations, and commentaries based upon the reading and writing assignments in the class are possible types of assignments. All members of the class will have posting and reading access to the forum on the web.
Please use your MWSU email address for this forum. Expect the usual glitches and snafu’s when first getting subscribed to the electronic discussion group. I tend to use different technologies as time goes by, and as internet services evolve. I will try to make it as painless and easy as possible for you, but these is a certain amount of meticulous attention required at the outset, in order to get the forum up and running efficiently for us all.
Assignments: This course is an LAS Area of Focus for writing. The course meets the objectives for an LAS writing course through formal writing assignments (the required essays) and informal assignments (various kinds of writing exercises, usually posted to the electronic forum). The course includes 5 required writing projects. You will be permitted to revise and resubmit one assignment of your choice (except for the research paper). If you wish to revise and resubmit a paper, you must meet with the instructor to set up guidelines and a deadline for the revision.
Through practice, students will improve their writing. Through the study of, and experimentation with, arguments, narratives, case studies, and published ideas, students will become familiar with the diversity of texts available to them as writers and as students of English.
There will be four formal essays assigned during the semester. In addition, you will be responsible for regular written participation on the WebBoard electronic forum, and you will be expected to give two oral presentations on issues/topics related to rhetoric and strategies of writing.
10% Paper #1 (required) Literacy Narrative
10% Paper #2 (required) Case Study
20% Paper #3 (required) The Power of Story
20% Paper #4 (required) Research Paper: Cyborg Citizens
20% Writing Assignments and Exercises (mostly WebBoard participation: required)
20% Attencance, Class presentation,
and 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 and the electronic forum posts shall be considered public texts. Be considerate. Be mature. Be excellent.
The 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. When in doubt, I will always err on the side of safety and delete such writing from any public forum. Please be aware that there are no confidentiality laws or rules about professors or classmates – if you confess to something, we will be obliged to call the authorities and send you up the river.
Format:
Papers will be submitted in standard MLA or APA style (If you’re using Chicago Style, let me know). Papers will be word-processed, in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around. Your name and the date will be in the upper-right hand corner, “English 301” (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). Pages should be stapled (not paper-clipped) together in the upper right-hand corner.
Grading: Graded papers are returned with a scoring guide sheet whose elements are based upon the strategies, topics, requirements, and elements given in the assignment itself. I expect papers to have a clear thesis, reasonable organization and development, focused paragraphs, and sentence-level competency. During the course of the semester you should integrate the stylistic features we have been practicing. I also reward experimentation. If you want to try an unconventional approach to an assignment, please do so. It is a good idea to see me with a draft and to explain what you are attempting, so I will know what you are attempting to accomplish when I grade your paper.
Email: Do not abuse the privilege of electronic communication. Your professors have limited time in the work day for composing and sending numerous messages of any length or detail. A general rule of thumb for all email to faculty is to make sure your message does not make your professor’s life harder, if at all possible. Please do not send email concerning personal illnesses, absences or missed assignments. All nastygrams (rude or abusive messages) are saved and forwarded to the dean of students. Because technology breaks down, emails may or may not receive a response. All email messages must identify the student, the course number and section number.
Academic Honesty: “Since honesty in the classroom is required, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college constitutes a violation.” Policy Guide II, B, C. In short, the work you turn in should be your own.
Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact the MWSU Special Needs Offices as soon as possible so that we can discuss alternative ways to satisfy class requirements.
ENG 301 SPRING 2006
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
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AUGUST |
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M |
28 |
Introduction;
Syllabus; Class Schedule |
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W |
30 |
Intro
Williams; Grammatical Sentence Types; Intro WebBoard |
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SEPTEMBER |
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F |
1 |
Intro
Williams; sign-up sheet—Williams chapter presentations |
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M |
4 |
LABOR
DAY—NO CLASS MEETING |
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W |
6 |
Williams
Lesson 1, 2; Work on presentation and exercise (in or out of class, as time
allows) |
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F |
8 |
Williams
Lesson 1, 2; Work on presentation and exercise (in or out of class, as time
allows) |
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M |
11 |
Williams
Lesson 3, 4; post response to WebBoard; WebBoard Chapter
exercises/questions due |
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W |
13 |
Williams
Lesson 3, 4; post response to WebBoard |
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F |
15 |
Williams
Lesson 5, 6; post response to WebBoard |
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M |
18 |
Williams
Lesson 5, 6; post response to WebBoard |
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W |
20 |
Williams
Lesson 7, 8; post response to WebBoard |
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F |
22 |
Williams
Lesson 7, 8; post response to WebBoard; Paper #1 Due: Literacy
Narrative |
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M |
25 |
Williams
Lesson 9, 10; post response to WebBoard |
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W |
27 |
Williams
Lesson 9, 10; post response to WebBoard |
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F |
29 |
Intro Cialdini Influence: The Psychology of
Persuasion. Introduction (xi-xiv); Chapter 1 (1-16); Discuss Paper #2
Case Study. [Read ahead—the next sections are long]. |
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OCTOBER |
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M |
2 |
Cialdini. Chapter 2 & 3 (17-113). WebBoard
Post: “I’m a Sucker” |
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W |
4 |
Cialdini. Chapter 2& 3 (17-113). WebBoard Post:
“I’m a Sucker”; Cialdini. Chapter 4 & 5 (114-207). WebBoard Post: Paint
the White Elephant |
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F |
6 |
Cialdini.
Chapter 4 & 5 (114-207). WebBoard Post: Paint the White Elephant |
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M |
9 |
Cialdini. Chapter 6 & 7 (208-272). |
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W |
11 |
Cialdini. Chapter 6 & 7 (208-272). |
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F |
13 |
MIDTERM
BREAK—NO CLASS MEETING |
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M |
16 |
Cialdini.
Epilogue (273-280). |
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W |
18 |
Cialdini. Epilogue (273-280). Working draft due of
Paper #2, Case Study, Print and post to WebBoard. |
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F |
20 |
Spence.
How to Argue and Win Every Time Chapter 1, 2, 8, (1-31; 113-134); Sign-up
sheets for group presentations on Spence chapters (7, 9, 12 & 13 MUST be done, other 4 are optional). |
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M |
23 |
Spence.
How to Argue and Win Every Time Chapter 1, 2, 8, (1-31; 113-134); Sign-up
sheets for group presentations on Spence chapters (7, 9, 12 & 13 MUST be done, other 4 are optional). Paper
#2 Due: Case Study |
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W |
25 |
Spence Chapters 1, 2, 8 (cont.); Bettelheim’s
Struggle for Meaning (or similar handout); Connecting contemporary social
problems with ancient stories/traditional tales. (Case Study). Discuss Paper
#3 (Story Analysis). Groups prep Spence presentations in/out of class as time
allows. |
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F |
27 |
Spence Chapters 1, 2, 8 (cont.); Bettelheim’s
Struggle for Meaning (or similar handout); Connecting contemporary social
problems with ancient stories/traditional tales. (Case Study). Discuss Paper
#3 (Story Analysis). Groups prep Spence presentations out of class as time
allows. |
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M |
30 |
MEET
IN THE LIBRARY: FOLK & FAIRY TALE RESEARCH DAY; Groups prep Spence
presentations in/out of class as time allows. |
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NOVEMBER |
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W |
1 |
RESEARCH DAY. What’s In the News—BRING TODAY’S
NEWSPAPER TO CLASS. Group discussion question
post to WebBoard DUE. |
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F |
3 |
STORYTELLING DAY. (telling stories&
identifying arguments). Discuss Meaning and the Making of Meanig in “Ancient”
vs. “Contemporary” stories. |
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M |
6 |
Spence.
Chapter 6 (74-99) |
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W |
8 |
Spence. Chapters 7, 9. Assign Dr. Jeney’s WebBoard assignment
for Spence 7 |
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F |
10 |
Spence.
Chapters 7, 9. Working draft due: Paper #3 (post to WebBoard and print a
copy). |
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M |
13 |
Spence. Chapters 12 & 13 Group presentations. |
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W |
15 |
Spence.
Chapters ____________________ Group presentations |
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F |
17 |
Norman, The Design of Everyday Things.
Preface & Chapter 1. Discuss Paper #4 (research paper) And topic
proposals. |
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M |
20 |
Norman. Chapter 2. Discuss research paper. Paper
#3 Due (story
analysis) |
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W |
22 |
THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY—NO CLASS MEETING |
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F |
24 |
THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY—NO CLASS MEETING |
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M |
27 |
Dr.
Jeney’s WebBoard assignment for Spence Chapter 7 DUE |
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W |
29 |
Norman.
Chapter 3 & 4. Post Term Paper Topic Proposal to WebBoard (bring printed
copy to class). In-class presentation and review of Term Paper Topic
Proposals. |
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F |
1 |
Norman. Chapter 3 & 4. Post Term Paper Topic
Proposal to WebBoard (bring printed copy to class). In-class presentation and
review of Term Paper Topic Proposals. |
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M |
4 |
Norman. Chapter 5 & 6. In-class presentation
and review of Term Paper Topic Proposals. WebBoard: Concepts of Usability and
Design. |
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W |
6 |
Norman. Chapter 7. WebBoard post due. Last day to
turn in resubmission. |
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F |
8 |
OPEN |
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Paper #4 Due—Final Exam Day |
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