Syllabus for ENG 108
College Writing and Research
Department of English,
Foreign Languages and Journalism
College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
ENG 108-05 – College Writing
and Research
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Spring 2008
TTH 9:30-10:50 am Murphy Hall
108
Office:
Office Phone: 816-271-4313
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-3:00, Monday
11:00-12:00 and by appointment
Email: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts:
·Class
Matters. Correspondents of the New York Times.
·The Working Poor:
Invisible in
·The
Required Materials:
·Computer disks, jump
drives, etc. 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, locate books and journals, locate
source materials on electronic databases and participate in field research.
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:
The American Dream:
Reality or Myth?
Oftentimes,
we hear that, in
In
this course and through your research projects, I would like you to think about
these questions and provide your own answers and conclusions. In doing so, you can research and write about
issues such as poverty, race, health care, working conditions, neighborhood,
family structure, education, immigration, and segregation as well as take a
closer look at your own family’s history and place within this American dream. I want you to choose an issue that is of
importance to you and that you feel others need to know about. I also want you to include your own opinions,
observations and even experiences in this project.
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 specific
issue of this project (although there are guidelines, 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, observation, 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 books, textbooks, lectures, class discussions, group
work/in-class workshops, informal writing assignments, formal writing
assignments and a final exam. 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
unless you can provide a valid, documented and unavoidable reason. The maximum number of absences allowed before
the midterm report, March 19, for this class is three (3). Thus, when you have four (4) 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 violate the
attendance policy after the midterm mark, your grade will likely be affected. 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.
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.
· 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: Feb. 5
Paper/Mini-Portfolio
#2: Feb. 19
Paper/Mini-Portfolio
#3: Mar. 18
Paper/Mini-Portfolio
#4: Apr. 3
Oral Presentation: Apr. 10-24
Final
Paper/Mini-Portfolio: Apr. 24
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 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.