Department of
English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Class: 8 – 8:50, MWF, Murphy Hall 104
Writer’s Workshop: 10 – 10:50, MW, Eder Hall 222U-V
Fall 2008
Name: Meg Thompson Phone:
816-271-4316
Office:
Office Hours: 11 – 1 MW,
12:30 – 2:30 T/by appt. Mailbox:
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-level courses. This course has a very strict attendance
policy in class as well as in Writer’s Workshops. If you miss seven class periods for MWF
classes or four Writer’s Workshops, for the entire semester, 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, Oct. 15, for this class is five. Thus, when
you have six absences for a MWF class 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 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.
No late assignments will be accepted unless you have received prior
permission from your teacher.
Required Texts and Course
Materials:
Introduction
to College Writing – ENG 100,
McGraw-Hill, 2008 (Fourth Edition)
A
Troubleshooting Guide for Writers,
McGraw-Hill, 2008
Jump drive
Photocopies for group work as requested
Access to a printer, healthy supply of ink, and a stapler
Course Goals:
Reading Goals:
At the completion of ENG 100
students should be able to
·
Read actively for
greater understanding;
·
Use reading to
improve their writing by drawing ideas and information from written material;
·
Use texts to
understand their 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:
At the completion of ENG 100
students should be able to
·
Move easily from
writing for self-expression to writing for readers;
·
Write at greater
length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
·
Structure their
writing to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
·
Develop their
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:
In ENG 100 students should
improve their ability to
·
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.
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. This handbook is available online at http://missouriwetsern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Grading Policy:
Your grade will be determined on the basis of your
progress as a writer, the writings you submit, and your class participation
over the course of the semester. You
need a C or higher to pass ENG 100 and enter ENG 104. The components of your grade in the course
are:
Task One: 10%
Task Two: 10%
Task Three: 15%
Task Four: 15%
Quizzes: 10%
Class Participation[1]: 10%
Final Portfolio: 30%
You will complete four major
writing tasks that will be graded by your teacher. A student who does not turn in complete
responses to all four tasks will not pass the course even if the grades
achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory.
Due Dates for Formal
Writing Assignments:
Task One: Sept. 17
Task Two: Oct. 8
Midterm
Task Three: Nov. 11
Task Four: Dec. 5
Writer’s Workshop:
Throughout
the course of the semester, you will attend the once-a-week, small group
Writer’s Workshops (listed as “labs” in the class schedule). Some of your Writer’s Workshop materials may
be used in class, and some of your class papers will be critiqued and proofread
in Writer’s Workshops. You must ensure
that you have the right materials in the right place. Your teacher may also consider your Writer's
Workshop participation as part of your grade.
If you miss four Writer’s Workshops, you
will fail ENG 100. You can make-up an
absence, but you must attend the make-up session on Friday of the week you
missed. You can only attend the make-up
session three times throughout the entire semester. If you wish to appeal your failure due to
absences, you must be able to provide valid documentation for ALL absences and
you must have an A or B grade in ENG 100 at the time (see Appeal Procedure in
textbook). In addition to not showing up
for workshop, you can also be counted absent for the following reasons (these
situations also apply to class as well):
-arriving very late; tardies will be added up for an
absence
-not having required materials (textbook, draft of paper,
portfolio, etc.)
-not participating/not paying attention to the SA and the
lesson
-sleeping
-unacceptable behavior that impedes others’ learning such
as being disruptive, showing disrespect to your SA and/or peers, using foul
language, using a cell phone or other electronic devices, working on other
coursework
Writer’s Workshop Portfolio: Throughout the semester, you will be required to keep a notebook or folder that will serve as your Writer’s Workshop portfolio. Each week, you will record all of the activities and responses for workshop, which may include the textbook lessons as well as mini-reflective writings, freewrites and/or work on your ENG 100 task papers. In addition, it is required that you always have a current assignment sheet and task paper in your Writer’s Workshop portfolio. If you miss a workshop, you will not be able to make-up that week’s lesson unless you attend the make-up session on Friday. At the end of the semester, you will write a cover letter for your Writer’s Workshop portfolio. Then your completed portfolio will be submitted to your ENG 100 instructor, graded and will count towards your final ENG 100 course grade. As a result, attending and participating in workshop will be vital to your ENG 100 grade. Furthermore, if you take advantage of this time to learn new writing skills and apply them to your ENG 100 coursework and to work on and receive feedback on your task papers, you will see an improvement in your writing and in your course grade.
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 your teacher
personally as soon as possible so that the two of you can discuss class
requirements.
Academic Honesty Policy:
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. Cheating and plagiarism are not
acceptable. If your teacher finds
evidence of cheating or plagiarism, you have the burden of showing that the
paper 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. You will receive a grade of F (0 points) for
any paper/assignment/exam that shows evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. You have the burden of proving that a
paper/assignment/exam showing evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism has been
in fact written by you. You should keep
thorough evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that you can meet
this burden of proof. If you plagiarize
a paper, you forfeit the right to revise that paper; if you cheat on an exam,
you will not be allowed to retake the exam.
Violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or the
designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms. Please see the Student Handbook for specific
activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process
procedure. This handbook is also
available online at http://missouriwetsern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Misc.
·
I
do not want to see or hear your cell phone, iPod, BlackBerry, or any other
electronic during class. It is disruptive to the learning environment, not to
mention disrespectful. Keep them off and out of the way. I reserve the right to
mark you absent if you pay more attention to an overpriced gadget as opposed to
the glory of education. If, for some reason, you need to keep your phone on
during class, please see me prior to class starting.
·
Late
work is not accepted.
·
A
class learns to teach itself.
·
Don’t
mistake kindness for weakness.
·
Writing
is a process.
M, 8.25
Agenda: Course introduction, informal writing
Homework: Purchase course materials
Agenda: Goals for the semester, good writing techniques
Homework: Read handout of “Sudden Impact” by Zimmer
F, 8.30
Agenda: Reading discussion, introduce Task One
Homework: Contemplate a topic, read “Growing Up” by Baker
M, 9.1
Labor Day (No Classes)
W, 9.3
Agenda: Freewrite, discuss your topic/reading
Homework: Read handout of “Is this Schadenfreude?”by Muhlhausen
F, 9.5
Agenda: Examining introductions
Homework: Read handout of “Put a Lid on It” by Sedaris
M, 9.8
Agenda: Outlining
Homework: Read handout of “Nixon did It” by
W, 9.10
Agenda: Examining conclusions
Homework: Continue working on your full-breadth draft
F, 9.12
Agenda: Workshopping skills
Homework: Prepare to bring in copies of your full-breadth draft
for you and your group
M, 9.15
Agenda: In-Class Workshop
Homework: Prepare to turn in Task One
W, 9.17
Agenda: Task One Due, introduce Task Two
Homework: Read handout of “Five Positions” by Nicholson
F, 9.19
Agenda: Structuring the sentence
Homework: Read “How it feels to be Colored Me” by Hurston
M, 9.22
Agenda: Structuring the narrative
Homework: Read “Objects” by Lester
W, 9.24
Agenda: Using our memories
Homework: Read handout of “On Violence” by Ansary
F, 9.26
Agenda: The importance of detail
Homework: Read handout of “My Father Tongue” by Paik, compose an
outline to bring to class
M, 9.29
Agenda: Outline workshop
Homework: Re-draft outline
W, 10.1
Agenda: Remembering goals
set for the semester
Homework: Continue working on your full-breadth draft
F, 10.3
Agenda: Editing and revising skills
Homework: Prepare to bring in copies of your full-breadth draft
for you and your group
M, 10.6
Agenda: In-class workshop
Homework: Prepare to turn in Task Two
W, 10.8
Agenda: Task Two Due, introduce Task Three
Homework: Compose mid-term reflection letter to turn in
F, 10.10
Mid-Term Break (No
Classes)
M, 10.13
Agenda: Mid-term
reflection letter due
Homework: Contemplate a topic to discuss in class
*Mid-Term Grades Due*
Agenda: Topic discussion
Homework: Read handout of “Hidden Intellectualism” by Graff
F, 10.17
Agenda: Book Smarts v. Street Smarts
Homework: Read handout of “The Speech the Graduates Didn’t Hear”
by Neusner
M, 10.20
Agenda: MLA
Homework: Read “Where College Fails Us” by Bird
W, 10.22
Agenda: Thesis statements
Homework: Read “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” by Botstein
F, 10.24
Agenda: Direct and indirect quoting
Homework: Make sure you have at least two sources
M, 10.27
Agenda: Proofreading
Homework: Continue working on your draft
W, 10.29
Agenda: How to prepare for conferences
Homework: Prepare to bring copies of your full-breadth draft for
you and your group
F, 10.31
*Last Day to Withdraw*
Agenda: In-class workshop and conference sign-up
Homework: Prepare your draft for conference
M, 11.3
Agenda: Class cancelled for conferences
Homework: Continue working on your draft and preparing to
conference
W, 11.5
Agenda: Class cancelled for conferences
Homework: Continue working on your draft and preparing to
conference
F, 11.7
Agenda: Class cancelled for conferences
Homework: Prepare to turn in Task Three
M, 11.10
Agenda: Task Three due, introduce Task Four
Homework: Read Kozol handout from “Savage Inequalities”
W, 11.12
Agenda: Kozol discussion
Homework: Read “Learning to Write” by Baker
F, 11.14
Agenda: Examining our progress
Homework: Read “How I Learned to Read and Write” by
M, 11.17
Agenda: The Revision Checklist
Homework: Read “Watcher at the Gates” by Godwin
W, 11.19
Agenda: Applying criticism to our writing
Homework: Read “The Lonely, Good Company of Books” by Rodriguez
F, 11.21
Agenda: Reflecting on our
goals
Homework: Read “One Writer’s Beginnings” by Welty
M, 11.24
Agenda: Assign presentation order, examining effective
presentations
Homework: Continue working on your draft and presentation
11.26 – 11.28
Thanksgiving Break (No
Classes)
M, 12.1
Agenda: Presentations
Homework: Prepare for your presentation and final workshop
W, 12.3
Agenda: In-class workshop
Homework: Prepare for your presentation, prepare to turn in Task
Four
F, 12.5
*Last Day of Classes*
Agenda: Task Four Due, finish presentations and evaluations
Our Final Exam is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10,
8:30 to 10:20
[1] Class participation includes your critical input to discussions, preparedness for class/conferences, presentations, general alertness (read: not sleeping. I reserve the right to mark you absent if you sleep through class), contributions to group work, paying attention to your peers/me, not interrupting, not texting, exercising civility, asking questions which spark intelligent dialogue, and contributing to the greater good.