Syllabus for ENG 108
College Writing and Research
Department
of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism
College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
ENG
108-10 – College Writing and Research
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Fall
2007
MWF
12:00-12:50 Murphy Hall 103
Office:
Office
Phone: 816-271-4313
Office
Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00, Thursday
1:00-3:00 and by appointment
Email: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Required
Texts:
·Community Matters. Marjorie Ford and Elizabeth Schave
Sills. Pearson/Longman Publishing
Company. 2005 (second edition).
·The
Required
Materials:
·Computer disks for revising
and saving all work.
·Folders
Recommended
Texts:
·A writing handbook or style
guide of your choice
Course
Description:
Research
is "the spirit of inquiry. The habits of mind that good research
writers develop are something we can teach that is truly
multidisciplinary. That spirit is
charged with curiosity, of course -- the itch to know and learn and
discover. But it also involves the ability to ask researchable questions,
the instinct to look in the right places for answers, a willingness to suspend
judgment, and an openness to changing one's mind.” -Gary Goshgarian
“Writing
[is] both a personal and social process.
The writing process often begins with expressive writing: writing for oneself to articulate and clarify
thoughts and feelings. Making one’s
thoughts public through writing then initiates a connection between the writer
and his/her audience. Writing can
empower us. As writers we can effect change within ourselves and the
communities to which we belong.” -Marjorie
Ford and Elizabeth Schave
We
live in an information society, a society that is dominated by language;
therefore it is imperative that we, as human beings, understand the information
around us. Those who think critically
about their own and others’ ideas, sort through this information that is
available to them and effectively convey their thoughts and ideas will be able
to successfully function in this society.
In order to achieve these goals as a class, we will:
·Improve our reading skills
through extensive reading and participating in discussions regarding the
readings.
·Summarize, analyze and
evaluate written works
·Revise our written
work. We will write drafts, reread first
and second copies to rethink what we have discovered and revise for an
organization appropriate to our main purpose and audience.
·Collect, sort through,
determine the validity of and synthesize research and information. We will have to familiarize ourselves with
several reference tools in the library, work with the Inlex-System, locate
books and journals in the library and locate source materials on electronic
databases.
For
common objectives/means and institutional competencies for ENG 108, also refer
to the English department website at
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng108.asp
Course
Structure:
I have structured this course so that everything you read, discuss and write is connected in some way.
A large part of research is reading and truly understanding what
you read and, as a result, the first weeks of the course will focus on refining
your evaluation and analysis skills.
Your reading and writing assignments will reflect this. Then, we will begin to narrow our focus to
the final research project. Your
research project will involve exploring your topic from different perspectives
and utilizing a variety of sources.
Moreover, the reading and research you complete for this project will
allow you to obtain new information and points of view and, as a result, you
will be able to develop a more informed and substantial perspective on your
topic. You will be able to decide the
topic/issue of this project (although there are certain topics I will not
accept and your topic must be approved by me).
Your topic can be related to your major, intended career, an issue that
you have read about or have been involved in within your community, etc. I will review the details of this project in
class. You will also be required to write
“smaller,” but equally important, papers and these papers are some of the
different stages in the process of the final research project (project
proposal, background essay and interview paper). Each paper will be submitted and graded and
you will have the opportunity for revision.
These assignments will then be synthesized and expanded into your final
research project. Although you must meet
certain deadlines, you will also be given the opportunity to work at your own
pace on your project. By breaking down a
large writing and research project into smaller steps, it will make the entire
process less intimidating and easier to manage.
However, be aware that this course entails extensive writing and
researching and, as a result, requires that you remain aware of due dates and
stay on schedule.
Methods of Instruction:
Methods of instruction include textbooks, lectures, class
discussions, group work/in-class workshops, informal writing assignments and
formal writing assignments. Students
will be expected to participate in peer revision groups and in-class
exercises. Students will also be
required to give an oral presentation regarding their research project at the
end of the semester.
Policies:
Attendance
and Class Preparation/Participation: 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. 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. All other absences will be deemed
unexcused. 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. Students are expected to attend
every scheduled class meeting. Also,
arriving to class late is disruptive. As
a result, chronic lateness will likely affect your final grade. Students are also expected to come prepared
to every class meeting and participate in class discussion for this is the only
way we can all share ideas, ask questions and learn.
Late
Work: All writing assignments 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 the instructor. 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. Consequently,
if you submit more than one late paper, you will fail 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. Late presentations will not be
accepted.
Revision: All formal, graded writing assignments,
except your final research project, 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 paper. However, you cannot revise other portfolio
work. If you miss the two-week deadline,
you forfeit the right to revise that specific paper. It is required that your original, graded
essay accompanies your revised essay.
Revision is important because each paper covers important skills that you
will need to know for the next paper.
Although you cannot revise your final research project, you will write
it in “stages” and those stages can be revised.
You will also have ample opportunity to obtain feedback from your peers
and from me regarding your final research project.
Grading: Your final grade will be based upon your
papers and portfolios (which include your formal writing assignments, in-class
exercises, peer revision work and research process), oral presentation and
final examination. Please remember that
you must complete all assignments in order to pass the course. Also note that smaller assignments and class
preparation/participation are very important and do affect your grade.
· Paper #1: 100 points
Rhetorical
Précis/Analysis
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #2: 100 points
Project
Proposal
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #3: 100 points
Background
Essay
· Paper/Mini-portfolio #4: 100 points
Interview
Paper
· Final Research
Project/Portfolio:350 points
· Oral Presentation of
Project: 100 points
· Final Exam: 100 points
Due Dates: Please be aware of due dates for all assignments. It is important that you plan your time and decide upon whom you are going to interview and what site you are going to observe before the assignment is distributed. It is also important to schedule your own time to go to the library and engage in research (not only library research but research on the computer and in the field); some class time will be allotted for this but it will not be enough time for you to complete your research.
Paper #1: Sept. 17
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #2: Oct. 1
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #3: Oct. 26
Paper/Mini-Portfolio #4: Nov. 12
Oral Presentation: Nov. 26-Dec. 7
Final Paper/Mini-Portfolio: Dec. 7
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. In addition, you must
submit all of your research, notes and copies of documents with all of your
papers/portfolios. 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.
Students
with Disabilities: Anyone who has a
disability that prevents the fullest expression of his or her potential to
succeed in this course must notify Michael Ritter, Special Needs Coordinator, me
as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements and
accommodations.
Miscellaneous: All drafts and final papers for this course
must be word-processed. Please note that
you must complete all major assignments and the final examination in order to
pass this course. In addition, all
research, notes, outlines, drafts, etc. must be submitted with your written
work. It is also important to save all
work on disks, keeping back-ups if necessary.
Please
feel free to come see me if you have any
problems or questions. 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.