English 301 – Advanced Composition

MWSU Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, & Journalism

FALL 2007     MWF 1:00-1:50      Murphy 106

Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Jenéy

Office:  Eder 222K

Phone: 271-4447

Email: jeney@missouriwestern.edu

Office Hours: TBA

WebBoard: http://webboard.missouriwestern.edu (click on “English 301 Advanced Composition”)

 

Required Texts:

1.         Lanham, Richard. Revising Prose (5th Edition)

2.         Eggers, David (Ed.). The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006

3.         Spence, Gerry.  How to Argue and Win Every Time.

 

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 concentrating on analytical, critical, and argumentative writing. We will also do a substantial amount of critical reading.  Through practice, you should be working to improve your writing. We’ll be studying and experimenting with arguments, narratives, case studies, and published ideas. You will become familiar with a diverse range of perspectives, voices, styles, forms, and attitudes. Come to the reading with an open mind, and be prepared to examine, own, and write about your own reactions to the Eggers anthology—it is strong medicine in some places, but that is probably why the series is so popular.  Be prepared to examine texts closely, and to self-examine when you’re either resisting a writer or just “going along” with no resistance at all. Both experiences are important to think about—and to write about.

      Weekly writing assignments will be weighted as homework and will usually be posted to the course WebBoard.  You should print and save all of your posts to the electronic forum.  Always come with writing materials (including some way to save and store your online writing).  We will be reading and commenting on each other’s writing – be prepared to bring drafts of your papers and to engage with the posts your classmates make to the WebBoard.  Note: if you forget to bring a disk or a flash drive, 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. Many students find that bringing a laptop with WiFi capability works just fine in Murphy Hall.

 

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 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, due to my current teaching load and the size of enrollment in the course.  Make a not of all due dates now, and plan accordingly.

 

Attendance:  A student with more than 6 (MWF) 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.  Please see the student handbook for the definition of “excused absence” (i.e., I do not wish to see doctor’s excuses or obituaries).  If you miss a class it is your responsibility to consult the syllabus for regularly scheduled reading and writing assignments. In addition, you may wish to contact a classmate (hint: email addresses of classmates will appear in the WebBoard posts) 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 trips to Oaxaca 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 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 account 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 there 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 4 required writing projects. You will be permitted to revise and resubmit one assignment of your choice. 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. Do not simply submit a revision at the end of the semester without consulting first with the instructor.

 

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) Researched Descriptive Analysis

                        20%                 Paper #3 (required) Situating Social Problems: Allegory/Folk Tale & The News

                        20%                 Paper #4 (required) Argumentative Case Study

                        20%                 Weekly Writing(required): WebBoard participation

                        20%                 Class presentation, attendance, 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. Papers will be work-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:  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.

 

Contacting Dr. Jeney:  Office hours are established for the specific purpose of helping students concerning the content and assignments of the course or who may wish to discuss the materials further. Office hours will be announced (and posted on my office door). Polite phone or written messages requesting further help with class assignments are considered a priority and are answered within 48 hours.

 

Email: Do not send email concerning personal illnesses, absences or missed assignments. All email messages must identify the student, the course number and section number. All nastygrams (rude or abusive messages) are saved and forwarded to the dean of students. Emails may or may not receive a response, since the campus webmail systems are prone to shut-downs, and other technological failures. Bottom Line: If you need to contact me about an urgent matter, come and talk to me, or contact me by phone.

 

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 MWSC Special Needs Offices as soon as possible so that we can discuss alternative ways to satisfy class requirements:  Phone: (816) 271-4330

 

ENG 301 FALL 2007

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

This schedule of readings* and assignments may change, in adaptation to the semester and the needs of the class.

 

AUGUST

27

M

Introduction; Syllabus; Class Schedule—Buy your books!

29

W

Intro Lanham; Grammatical Sentence Types; Intro WebBoard

31

F

Lanham Chapter 1; Grammatical Sentence Types; Intro WebBoard

SEPTEMBER

3

M

LABOR DAY—NO CLASS MEETING

5

W

Lanham Chapter 1; Intro WebBoard

7

F

Lanham Chapter 1; WebBoard writing, as time allows

Discuss Paper #1 Literacy Narrative

10

M

Lanham Chapter 2; “The Insurgent’s Tale” Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006  (BANR)

12

W

Lanham Chapter 2; “The Insurgent’s Tale” BANR

14

F

Lanham Chapter 2; “Nadia” BANR

17

M

Lanham Chapter 3; “Nadia” BANR

19

W

Lanham Chapter 3; “False Cognate” BANR

21

F

Lanham Chapter 3; “False Cognate” BANR

24

M

Paper #1 Due: Literacy Narrative;  Lanham Chapter 4

26

W

Lanham Chapter 4; Discuss Paper #2: Researched Descriptive Analysis (Place)

28

F

Lanham Chapter 4; “Shipwreck” BANR

OCTOBER

1

M

Lanham Chapter 5; ;“Shipwreck” BANR

3

W

Lanham Chapter 5; “Wading Toward Home” BANR

5

F

Lanham Chapter 5; “Wading Toward Home” BANR

8

M

Lanham Chapter 6; “The New Mecca” BANR

10

W

Lanham Chapter 6; “The New Mecca” BANR

12

F

MIDTERM BREAK—NO CLASS MEETING

15

M

Paper #2 Due: Researched Descriptive Analysis; Lanham Chapter 7

17

W

Lanham Chapter 7; Discuss Paper #3: Allegory/Folk Tale & The News

19

F

Lanham Chapter 7; “The Pirate Station” BANR

22

M

Lanham Chapter 8; “Room No. 12” BANR

24

W

Lanham Chapter 8; “Room No. 12” BANR

26

F

Lanham Chapter 8; “The Kidney-Shaped Stone that Moves Every Day” BANR

29

M

“The Kidney-Shaped Stone that Moves Every Day” BANR

31

W

Spence. How to Argue and Win Every Time Chapters 1, 2, 8, (1-31; 113-134); Sign-up sheet for group presentations on Spence chapters (7, 9, 12 & 13  MUST be done, other 4 are optional).

NOVEMBER

2

F

Spence. How to Argue and Win Every Time Chapters 1, 2, 8, (1-31; 113-134);

5

M

Spence Chapter 7 Presentation

7

W

Spence Chapter 9 Presentation

9

F

 

12

M

Paper #3 Due: Situating Social Problems: Allegory/Folk Tale & The News

Discuss Paper #4: Argumentative Case Study

14

W

Spence: Chapter 12 Presentation; “Kenyon Commencement Speech” BANR

16

F

Spence: Chapter 13 Presentation; “Kenyon Commencement Speech” BANR

19

M

Spence: Chapter Presentation; “Love It Or Leave It” BANR

21

W

THANKSGIVING—NO CLASS MEETING

23

F

THANKSGIVING—NO CLASS MEETING

26

M

Spence: Chapter Presentation; “Love It Or Leave It” BANR

29

W

Spence: Chapter Presentation; “The Innocents” BANR

30

F

Spence: Chapter Presentation; “The Innocents” BANR

DECEMBER

3

M

“Best American Answers to the Question “What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?” BANRR

5

W

“Letting Go of God?”; BANRR

7

F

“Letting Go of God?”; BANRR

8-14

 

FINAL PAPER DUE: Argumentative Case Study

 

Note: Additional handouts and textbook readings may be added for purposes of writing, discussion, and critical thinking.