Syllabus
for ENG 100
Introduction
to College Writing
Missouri
Western State University
College 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 Popplewell 111
Fall
2007
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Office: Eder Hall 222F
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
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 and 200 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 17, 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 2007-08 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.