Jim
Neal—001
Division
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
of English/Foreign Languages/Journalism
Syllabus
Course: Composition and Reading II (ENG 108-02),
spring 2008, in 104 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: SSC 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.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng108.asp
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
|
1 |
1 |
|
2 |
3 |
|
3 |
5 |
|
4 |
7 |
|
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, March 19 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, once 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.
|
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. | |||
Week1 |
1/ 15 |
We become acquainted, syllabi distributed and explained
(the riot act read) | |
|
1/ 17 |
More of the same | ||
|
2 |
1/ 22 |
More
of the same | |
|
1/ 24 |
Paper #1 assigned, standard format lecture | ||
|
3 |
1/ 29 |
Research
and documentation | |
|
1/
31 |
Research
and documentation | ||
|
4 |
2/5 |
Research
and documentation | |
|
2/7 |
Peer
toots | ||
|
5 |
2/ 12 |
Paper
#1 due, paper #2 assigned, persuasive appeal
lecture | |
|
2/ 14 |
Lecture
continued | ||
|
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. | |||
|
6 |
2/ 19 |
Assignment
reviewed | |
|
2/ 21 |
Emotional appeal lecture | ||
|
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.” | |||
|
7 |
2/26 |
Assignment
reviewed | |
|
2/28 |
Assignment
reviewed | ||
|
8 |
3
/4 |
Peer
toots, last day rewrites of paper #1 will be
accepted | |
|
3/6 |
Paper
#2 due, paper #3 assigned, logical appeal
lecture | ||
|
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. | |||
|
9 |
3/18 |
Ethical
appeal lecture | |
|
3/20 |
Assignment
reviewed | ||
|
10 |
3/25 |
Assignment
reviewed | |
|
3/27 |
Peer
toots | ||
|
3/
28 (no
class) |
Last
day to change from credit to audit.
If you are failing the course, I would advise you to change to
audit. | ||
|
11 |
4/1 |
Paper
#3 due, paper #4 assigned, two-scenario appeal lecture
| |
|
4/3 |
Last
day rewrites of paper #2 will be accepted | ||
|
12 |
4/8 |
Figures
of speech lecture | |
|
4/10 |
Assignment
reviewed | ||
|
Weeks
13-16: "There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel!!": All those people who were
complaining are gone. Summer
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! | |||
|
13 |
4/15 |
Exotic
dancers and pizza buffet (actually, we’ll probably just review the
assignment) | |
|
4/17 |
Peer
toots | ||
|
14 |
4/22 |
Paper #4 due,
“writer’s tools” lecture | |
|
4/24 |
last day rewrites of paper #3 will be accepted, Review for final exam, portfolio due | ||
|
15 |
|
| |
|
Reminder: students who do not complete all
assigned papers will not pass the course | |||
|
|
| ||
|
Final
Week: Give thanks! Rejoice! Praise your God, Allah, Jehovah,
Buddha, Confucius, Baal,
Tophet, Emanuel Kant, and/or whom/whatever. It’s over! It’s Over!! IT’S
OVER!!!!! | |||