Jim Neal—001
Division of
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of
English/Foreign Languages/Journalism
Syllabus
Course: Composition and Reading II (ENG 108-06), fall
2008, in 224 Murphy Hall from 9:30 until 10:50 a.m. TTH for three credit hours
at Missouri Western State College
Instructor: Jim Neal
I have no office hours, but you may meet with me before or after class.
Office and
Phone:
Eder 222T; 271-4239; my e-mail address is Neal13@kc.rr.com
Texts: there are no required texts for this class;
however, I recommend that you check out my English II notes at nealz.tripod.com
ENG 108 Goals/Objectives and
Means
See
http://www.mwsc.edu/~engdept/eng108.html
Basic writing requirements in ENG
108:
Students
will engage in exploratory writing exercises in which they learn how to
*analyze,
*synthesize, and
*evaluate the thinking of others in
order to
*discover,
*develop, and
*test their own points of view.
Students will
complete a minimum of three researched writing projects and a final exam in ENG
108.
Students will
keep complete portfolios of all writing that is done in ENG 108.
Before any grade appeal will be processed for a student in ENG 100, 104, or 108, the complete portfolio of writings will have to be submitted to the Department Review Committee.
Objective: The primary objective in Comp II is to
develop a proficiency in proper research and documentation. The secondary objective is to continue to develop
the student's writing skills beyond what was learned in Comp I and to focus on
any lingering areas of deficiency in basic skills. The tertiary objective is to develop a skill
and proficiency in persuasive techniques, with a sensitivity to style and semantic
nuance.
Grading Formula: All students are required to submit all work
within the assigned specifications and on time and to come to class
prepared. Attitude, effort, and
attendance are a must. Students must
complete all assigned papers to pass the course. The students’ grade will be based upon the
scores received on the assigned papers, the final exam, and bonus and penalty
points. The following grading scale
will be used in this class: 0 - 59% = F,
60 - 69% = D, 70 - 79% = C, 80 - 89% = B, and 90 -100%= A.
The
papers will be graded holistically and receive a letter grade of A for
excellent, B for above average, C for average, D for below average, and F for
unsatisfactory. This grade will then be
translated into a percentile reflecting the grading scale in the previous
paragraph. The percentile grade will be
recorded. The criteria I will use to
arrive at this grade are unity, support, coherence, sentence skills, and
following directions. Students must
avoid these serious errors, any single instance of which has the potential of
lowering a grade one letter: ruptures in
paragraph unity, choppiness, sentence fragments, fused sentences, verb ruptures
(time and number unity), pronoun ruptures (in unity, ambiguous antecedent, use
of improper case), misplaced modifiers, comma splices, faulty or mixed
constructions, and rambling sentences (more than two independent clauses joined
by a repeated conjunction). Students
should also avoid these minor errors:
spelling, typing, or capitalization errors; abbreviations; use of low or
improper diction, such as "you," “just,” “get,” “got,” or "a
lot"; omitted or repeated words; use of the adjective rather than the
adverbial case, or vise versa, such as "secondly," "more importantly,"
or "hopefully"; ending sentences with prepositions; split
infinitives; parentheses; use of double prepositions or double negatives;
faulty parallelism or faulty coordination; one-sentence paragraphs; ending a
list with a non-specific term or etc.; or punctuation errors. I do not grade on style; opinion; or topic,
unless it falls outside the perimeters of the assignment. Assigned papers will be considered late at
the end of the class period on which they are due regardless of things like computer
problems. Late papers will be penalized
ten percentage points for each class session they are late, though I will not
accept papers that are more than three weeks late, which means the student will
not pass the course. Penalty points may
not be made up. Papers may be rewritten
to improve the grade as many times as the student wishes until the end of the
peer tutorial period for that particular paper.
Once the papers are handed in for grading, failing papers may be
rewritten once, though the revised grade will not exceed 60%; however, if the
paper is very good except for one problem area, I might, at my discretion,
allow a student to correct it and split the difference. Rewrites of papers 1-3
must be submitted to the instructor within three weeks of the paper's original
due date, and rewrites of paper 4 are due by the end of the final exam; all
rewrites must be accompanied by the graded copy. Students who simply omit a problem indicated
on a graded paper will still be charged for the error on the rewrite. Rewrites that are not rewritten will be
recorded as 20%. I claim at least a week
to grade papers.
At the conclusion of the term, I will
figure a percentage, which will break down as follows: papers 90% (papers 3 and 4 count as two
papers each) and the final exam 5%. To
this average I will add up to five percentage points for perfect attendance,
consistent and constructive class participation, effort, and courtesy. I will subtract up to five percentage points
from the averages of those students who have come to class ill-prepared or
displayed rude or inconsiderate behavior such as talking other than when called
upon, eating, drinking, smoking, eye rolling, desk diving, yawning or sighing
loudly and blatantly, winking, blinking, nodding, sitting with feet propped up
on chairs or desks, note passing, or sleeping.
Tobacco chewing is not allowed. Students who engage in any of these
activities will receive two verbal warnings before being required to move to
seating assigned by the instructor and/or meet with the dean. Rudeness toward the instructor or fellow
students will not be tolerated. These
points will be awarded or deducted entirely at the instructor's personal
discretion. Cell phones and electronic
devices must be turned off, and children are not allowed in the classroom.
Objectionable
material:
This class may contain frank and open discussions of gender, sexuality,
race, and ethnicity. There is a
possibility that religion, politics, drugs, and alcohol may pop up as well. The class discussions may include words that
some consider profane. Occasionally, the
instructor might, at his discretion, crossdress and/or interject humor as an
attempt to enliven the discussion and render the experience more palatable.
Western
Attendance Policy for All 100 and 200 Level Courses
In order to improve student learning and retention
as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western
has implemented a mandatory attendance policy for students in all 100-level
courses beginning Fall Semester 2006 and all 100- and 200-level courses
beginning Fall Semester 2007.
Instructors are required to monitor and track student attendance. 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. Any additional excused absences are at the
complete discretion of the instructor.
Maximum allowed unexcused absences
accrued before the reporting of midterm grades, March 19, are:
Class meetings/week Maximum unexcused absences
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1 |
1 |
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2 |
3 |
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3 |
5 |
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4 |
7 |
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5 |
9 |
When a student exceeds the maximum number of unexcused absences, instructors must
report the student to the Registrar’s Office, who will administratively
withdraw the student from the course and notify the Financial Aid Office to
reduce financial aid as appropriate.
From the midterm to the end of the course, faculty will assign grades
according to their grading policies with regard to absences and record an FA
when a student fails due to absences.
Students experiencing illness or other
serious personal problems will be allowed up to three additional excused
absences. Whether these absences are
deemed excused will be left to the discretion of the instructor.
All other absences will be deemed
unexcused. The maximum number of
unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, October
13, is three. Thus, when you have 4 unexcused absences, 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. Students who are experiencing difficulty
with attendance should check with me as soon as possible. Students entering class late or leaving class
early will be considered tardy, and three tardies will count as an
absence. Students missing more than
twenty-five minutes of class will be considered absent. Students absent for any reason will bear the
responsibility for obtaining lecture notes from fellow students. An excused absence does not exempt the
student from doing the work or from the absence penalty. Students who sleep or appear to sleep or
engage in activities other than those being conducted by the instructor during
class will be considered absent.
Academic Honesty: Since honesty in the classroom is required,
cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college
constitutes a violation. I will not
accept papers which are substantially similar to those of other students or the
sample papers. I will accept only
original work.
Portfolios: Students must maintain a portfolio of graded
papers to verify assignments completed or dispute a grade. This must be turned in one week before the
final exam, and it will be returned on the day of the final. Course grades will not be issued until the
portfolio is handed in.
Students with Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a
disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me
as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
Specifications for Papers in ENG
108
I don’t want folders, outlines, or
title pages. All papers must be
word-processed, laser-printed, and stapled in the upper left-hand corner. There must be a one-inch margin on all four
sides of the page. Click off the “widow
and orphan control” to make a consistent one-inch margin at the bottom of the
page. All papers must be double-spaced. All papers must have the student's name, the
assignment number, and the current date in the upper left-hand corner. All
pages must have a header which contains the student’s last name and the page
number in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top of the
page. All papers must have a title,
which must be centered from left to right.
The first and last words in the title must be capitalized, as must all
the major words. Articles
("a," "an," and "the"), coordinating conjunctions
("and," "or," "nor," "for,"
"so," "yet," and "but"), and prepositions may be
presented in low case unless they are the first or last word. One may play it safe and simply capitalize
the first letter of all the words, but the title must not be presented in all
capital letters. The title must not be
underlined unless it contains a title; placed within quotes unless it is a
quote or contains a quote; or followed by punctuation unless it is a question
or an exclamation. All paragraphs must
be indented one-half inch. One space between words and following a period is
the current MLA style, but two spaces following a period are acceptable. Left justify your papers. Do not right justify. Use a 12-point Bookman or a 14-point Times New
Roman font. The first paper must contain a minimum of 600
words, and papers 2-4 must contain a minimum of 1,000 words. The word count pertains to the text and
excludes documentation, name, date, assignment number, and title. Short papers will be penalized one percentage
point per word. Penalty points may not
be made up. No paper may contain more than 250 words of quotes. The instructor will assign the topics for the
papers. Do not fight your topics. Strive for a smooth, even flow by avoiding a
series of simple declarative statements.
Replace forms of the verbs "to be" and "to have"
with more colorful, active verbs whenever possible. Do not abbreviate. Any paper which has a proof summary in the
conclusion or refutation will be penalized a letter grade. Please remember that this is not a creative
writing class, nor are we involved in a search for truth. Think of these assignments as drills designed
to develop a specific skill area.
The Papers
These are subject to change!
All
papers may be made up or contain fictional information. I never assume that what students write
actually happened or reflects their personal opinions. The students may be as creative or frivolous
as they wish, as long as they satisfy all aspects of the assignment. Feel free to add Richard Simmons, Elvis's
ghost, and/or flying saucers. These
papers can be fun.
All
papers will evolve through the following steps:
a group discussion of the assigned readings and the assignment itself,
peer tutorials, and grading by the instructor.
These are the sources of help:
the learning center, the computer center, the textbook, fellow students,
and family and friends. Still, you are
the one who receives the grade, and therefore you are responsible for your
paper. Not all advice is good advice.
Also, I will be happy to answer specific questions on papers through, but not
after, the peer tutorial class period, though I WON’T PROOFREAD them. There is plenty of time to ask questions in
class and plenty of time between when the paper is assigned and when it’s due.
Students who wish to achieve a grade of B or higher may do so by selecting a
topic and preparing a rough outline and then showing me the outline as soon as
possible. The student should show me the
paper at each stage of the composition process, having a complete paper, one
which is ready to be handed in, no later than the day of the peer
tutorial. Students who wish to achieve a
grade of C or lower may do so by handing me a “midnight special,” one I see for
the first time when it’s handed in for grading.
Papers
2-4 inclusive must be documented in accordance with current MLA style, and I
want parenthetical cites. Each must contain a minimum of six cites from
a minimum of two works cited entries. Of
these, at least one must be from a book-length source other than a reference
work or a computer-accessed source, and one must be from a periodical source
other than a computer-accessed source.
Introduce all quotes and paraphrases and identify your sources. Some of you may be tempted to respond to
these assignments by turning in papers written for another class, perhaps
written by someone else. This temptation
must be resisted! Don't do it! It will not work! Papers 2 and 3 must contain and develop with
a minimum of three proof points a thesis which says, in effect, "this is
bad," "this is good," "we should do this," or "we
should not do this" and be organized in the "persuasive appeal"
format presented in class.
Paper #2: The
conclusion of this paper must present a specific
object which will elicit a specific emotional response from the
reader. The introduction and/or
refutation may contain the same or similar objects as well.
Paper #3:
The conclusion of this paper must contain one of the “short cuts” presented in
the “ethical appeal” lecture. You may,
if you wish, present one in the introduction and/or refutation as well. In addition, this paper must be accompanied
by a separate piece of paper upon which the argument will be reduced to the
form of a syllogism.
Paper
#4:
This paper must follow the “two-scenario appeal” format presented in lecture.
The text of this paper must also contain a labeled
figure of speech (at least as specific as scheme or trope).
Course Outline for ENG 108
This is subject to change!
A finished draft, one which could theoretically be handed in, is due on
the day of the peer tutorial.
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Weeks
1-4: "The Honeymoon":
Everyone likes everyone else; school is new, fun, and interesting.
Everyone should try it. We’re lucky to
be here. |
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Week1 |
8/ 26 |
We become acquainted, syllabi distributed and explained
(the riot act read)
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8/ 28 |
More of the same
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2 |
9/ 2 |
More
of the same |
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9/ 4 |
Paper #1 assigned, standard format lecture |
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3 |
9/ 9 |
Research and documentation |
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9/ 11 |
Research and documentation |
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4 |
9/ 16 |
Research and documentation |
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9/ 18 |
Peer toots |
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5 |
9/ 23 |
Paper #1 due, paper #2 assigned,
persuasive appeal lecture |
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9/ 25 |
Lecture continued |
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Week 6: "The Days of
Rage": You’ve just received your
first paper back. You hate me. You say bad things to and about me. You glare at me and mutter in class. I
don’t seem to realize that you may not be as fascinated by this boring,
stupid subject as I am. I don’t realize
that you have other classes and other interests and that you have to work to
pay your bills. You fabricate a Voodoo fetish doll in my likeness and stick
pins into it while burning a black candle and chanting a litany of all the
terrible things you hope will happen to me, most of which already have. |
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6 |
9/ 30 |
Assignment reviewed |
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10/ 2 |
Emotional appeal lecture |
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Weeks 7 and 8: “The Doldrums”: You lapse into a mute apathy. You no longer hate me, and we’re minimally friends again, though not as we were during “The Honeymoon.” |
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7 |
10/7 |
Assignment reviewed |
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10/9 |
Assignment
reviewed |
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8 |
10/ 14 |
Peer toots, last day rewrites of paper
#1 will be accepted |
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10/ 16 |
Paper #2 due, paper #3 assigned,
logical appeal lecture |
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Weeks
9-12: "The Black Hole": You
hate school. You’re sick and tired of
the teachers, the assignments, going to class, studying—the whole thing. Your relationships and health are
suffering. You’ve lost your sense of
humor. You’re behind on your bills,
and your car needs work, but you can’t afford to have it fixed. The attendance policy is catching up with
some of your fellow students, and they are dropping like flies. Some of your classmates have appealed my
grading criteria and attendance
policies but have lost, and now they’re considering hiring a lawyer. You would rather fail—let’s be honest,
you’d rather die—than have to write another paper or sit through another
boring lecture. That job at McDonalds
doesn’t sound so bad any more, and in some moments it is downright
appealing. All is darkness. No end is in sight. You’ve gone into the “ultraglide”
mode. The clutch is in, and you’re
coasting. This will basically continue
until the end of the term. |
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9 |
10/ 21 |
Ethical
appeal lecture |
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10/ 23 |
Assignment reviewed |
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10 |
10/ 28 |
Assignment reviewed |
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10/ 30 |
Peer toots |
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10/ 31 (no class) |
Last
day to change from credit to audit. If
you are failing the course, I would advise you to change to audit. |
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11 |
11/4 |
Paper #3 due, paper #4 assigned,
two-scenario appeal lecture |
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11/6 |
Last day rewrites of paper #2 will be
accepted |
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12 |
11/ 11 |
Figures of speech lecture |
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11/ 13 |
Assignment
reviewed |
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Weeks
13-16: "There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel!!": All those people who were complaining are
gone. Christmas vacation is just
around the corner! Finals are only a
couple weeks away, and I’ll be done!
Can I make it? Are you kidding? Are bears Buddhists? Heck yes I can make it! |
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13 |
11/ 18 |
Exotic
dancers and pizza buffet (actually, we’ll probably just review the
assignment) |
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11/ 20 |
Peer toots |
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14 |
11/ 25 |
Paper
#4 due, “writer’s tools” lecture |
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11/ 27 |
Thanksgiving vacation—no school |
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15 |
12/2 |
last
day rewrites of paper #3 will be accepted |
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Reminder: students who do not complete all assigned
papers will not pass the course |
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12/4 |
Review
for final exam, portfolio due |
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Final Week: Give thanks! Rejoice! Praise your God, Allah, J | |||