Missouri Western State University

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism

 

ENG104-40 College Writing and Rhetoric

Online

Dr. Stacia Bensyl,  Eder Hall 222 I

Phone 271-5936  mailto:email—bensyl@mwsc.edu

Office hours: 10:00-12:00 MWF, 1-2 T,  and by appointment

 

Required Text:

Subjects/Strategies: A Writer’s Reader

Optional Text:

I cannot stress the importance of having a good handbook.  If you already have a handbook from another class, that is fine.

Please bring your books to class every day. 

 

Course Objectives:

This course is the first of a two-part composition requirement at Missouri Western.  In this course you will begin to look at your own, your peers’ and professional’s  writing as ways to communicate complex ideas effectively.  For the purposes of this course, let’s define rhetoric as the art of employing specific modes, or elements, in your writing, usually with the idea of influencing your reader in some way.  The term also applies to speaking, and you may have heard it used in that context. 

 

In English 104-40 you will meet the following objectives:

·         Learn the elements of four specific rhetorical modes

·         Be aware of the audience for each of these papers

·         Practice pre-writing as a way to organize your ideas for your papers

·         Edit your own and your peers’ papers

·         Read essays which use each of the four modes and be able to evaluate their effectiveness

 

To meet these objectives you will:

• Write four papers, each of which uses one of four modes
• Share ideas with others in the class to establish a sense of audience
• Complete pre-writing assignments
• Edit your own and your peers’ papers both for content and form
• Take frequent quizzes over reading assignments

 

Grading policy:

                The grading scale is as follows:

100-90% = A

80-89%   = B

70-79%   = C

60-69%   = D

59-0%     = F

Remember, you must receive a grade of "C" or above to enroll in English 108 next semester.

 

                Each assignment you are given will be worth a specific amount of points.  Your class participation (online postings and discussion) will be worth 100 points total for the semester.  Each of your four main papers will be worth 100 points each.  Daily assignments and quizzes will never be worth more than 10 points each. 

 

Requirements and advice:

• Because this is an online class, I expect you to have daily access to a computer.  You must have an open email account at MWSU in order to participate in this class. 
• One idea some people have about online classes is that they can do the work “any time they want to.”  That is true, up to a point.  You cannot, however, turn in work “any time you want to.”  I have specific due dates and time restrictions on assignments.  The key to being successful in a course of this nature is keeping up with daily work and pacing yourself.  Waiting until the last minute to do your work is the kiss of death.
• I will not accept late work.  If you are having technical difficulties, contact me.
• Make sure you save your work to something you have access to.  Don’t save it to a desktop you may not be able to get to each day.  NEVER save anything to a MWSU desktop.  They are cleared daily and your work will disappear.
• I insist on professionalism and respect in your interactions, both with me and with your peers.  Postings for class discussion should contain language your grandmother could read without blushing.  This doesn’t mean we can’t disagree.  I encourage it, as long as we are all civil with one another.  Sometimes it is difficult to convey tone effectively online.
• If you have some unforeseen problem, contact me.  I cannot help you if I don’t know what is going on. 
• Feel free to stop by my office if you wish.  Just because we are online doesn’t mean we have to be completely anonymous.

 

Paper Topics and Due Dates:

Paper #1: Process Analysis essay--Due September 21

Paper #2: Comparison/contrast essay--Due October 19

Paper #3: Cause and Effect Analysis essay--Due November 12

Paper #4: Argumentative essay--Due December 7

 

Attendance policy:

     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 and 200-level courses. 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.  As this is a non-traditional class, I cannot take daily attendance.  Your participation is your attendance. Thus, when you have failed to post or turn in your work two weeks in a row 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.

 

Student Disability:

Students with disabilities (impaired hearing, vision, reading disorders, etc.) should notify me in writing of the disability before the end of the first week of class.  In consultation with the Center for Academic Support, I will work out a course of study for such students.

 

Academic Honesty Policy:

     I abide by all the regulations outlined in the Missouri Western State College Catalog and Student Handbook:

 

Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process

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 online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

 

     I will not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or claiming another's work as your own.  Please don't cheat!  If I find evidence of academic dishonesty, I will automatically assign that student an “F” for the course.