ENG
108-18: College Writing and Research
Saturdays 9-Noon
Kelly
Lock, instructor
Email: kclock@missouriwestern.edu
or kelly.lock@sjsd.k12.mo.us
Cell
Phone: 816-262-2916
Required
Materials:
Scholes,
Comley, Peritz. The
Practice of Writing. Fifth ed.
Hacker,
Diana. Pocket Style Manual. 2nd ed.
· A notebook for in-class notes and work (keep everything over the course of the semester!) and for all reading notes and activities done at home
Attendance:
In order to improve student learning as well as to achieve
compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory
attendance policy for all 100 and 200 level courses.
You will be given an excused absence when acting as an official
representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification
from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event.
All other absences will be deemed unexcused. The maximum number of
unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, March 19
is one. Thus, when you have two 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.
Because this is a Saturday class, missing one class is like
missing an entire week of day classes, so attendance is mandatory. This means arriving at the start of class and
remaining until dismissal. We will complete a number of in-class writings,
notes will be given and peer editing will take place. Some points may be given for these tasks, and
if you are not present, you will not receive credit for the work, and you
cannot make up these points. Of course,
I understand that life has a way of changing your plans for "perfect"
attendance. Kids get sick, cars break
down, bosses want you to work. You must contact me in advance of missing
your class—or arriving late—to ensure you have the necessary information to
complete any homework. Missing one class may not seriously affect your grade,
but if you miss two class periods, I strongly suggest that you drop the course
because you will not be able to achieve a grade higher than a C. If you miss
three classes, you will not pass the course.
If you are unable to make it to class on a day when an assignment is
due, you must call or email me and make arrangements for the assignment to get
to me BY THE END OF CLASS. Late
assignments will not be accepted unless you or a family have
been involved in an accident that prohibits you from calling me before class.
Course
Description:
ENG
108 students will complete three formal research based projects in addition to
other graded and ungraded work. In these assignments, students will learn how
to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the thinking of others in order to
discover, develop, and test their own points of view. Final drafts of all
formal writing assignments must be word-processed. All students are expected to
be prepared for class and participate in class discussions related to reading
and writing assignments. In addition, students will keep complete portfolios of
all their writings. 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 Departmental Review
Committee.
Course
Outline:
Because
many of you work full time, I have taken steps to make sure that you will have
time to visit the library so that you can conduct some research during class
time. This time may not be enough for
you to complete all research, though, so make sure to plan your time, your
questions, etc. in advance of each class so that you can make the most of your
library time. Undoubtedly, you will have
to visit either your hometown library or the MWSU library on your own
time.
Note: Interlibrary loans should be done about two
weeks before you need the material. Our
library has a good turn-around rate on books that you interlibrary loan, but if
you wait until the last minute, you may find yourself waiting for a reference
that you need, and I won't give you a time extension!
Important
dates to record in your planner:
No Class on March 15, Spring Break
March 19, mid-term grades
March 28, last day to withdraw
April 26, last regular class
May 3, final exam meeting
May 8, final grades due
In
addition to numerous smaller graded and ungraded assignments, you will have
five major writing assignments. Here are the tentative dates for those major
assignments:
Paper
#1 Topic: Personal Reflection
(photograph, artwork, song, favorite item, etc.)
3-5 pages, typed (100 points) Due
February 2
Paper
#2 Topic: Analysis of Media
Images/Ad Campaigns
3-5 pages (100 points)
Due
February 16
Paper
#3 Topic: Comparison of two
articles summary, analysis, reflection
4-5 pages, typed (100 points) Due
March 1
Paper
#4 Annotated
Bibliography
10-20 sources summarized, evaluated and cited (100 points) Due April 5
Paper#5
Research Paper
5-10 pages (100 points) Due
April 26
Grading:
A=
90-100% B= 80-89% C= 70-79% D=60-69% F= below 59%
If
you miss 3 classes, you will fail the course.
If
you miss 2 classes, you will be unable to achieve any grade higher than
a C.
Revisions:
Your first three papers can be revised. If you choose to revise, you will have two weeks from the time I return the paper. Because of time constraints, your annotated bibliography and your final paper cannot be revised. However, by the time you finish them, you should have control of the research and writing skills needed to complete successful work. If you cannot write a successful final draft of the last paper, you should consider repeating the course. You should visit with the Center for Academic Support on a regular basis so that revision, or the need for revision, is minimal.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism
is a serious offence. If you plagiarize
any work, you will fail the course immediately and may be referred to the Dean
of Student Affairs for further punishment.
We will discuss citing sources appropriately during this course, so
please pay close attention to the rules I give you.
Disabilities:
Any
student who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities
should contact me immediately so that we can discuss class requirements.
Objectives
Learning
to write for different audiences and purposes
Students
will…
* focus particularly on academic audiences
and scholarly purposes
Learning
to use active reading and critical thinking
Students
will…
* classify and define objects, events, data, ideas, and terms
discovered through research;
* make judgments based on criteria that can
be supported and explained;
* ask questions to clarify issues and solve
problems;
* identify explicit and implicit meanings
in a text;
* recognize problems and find workable
solutions.
Learning
to use writing processes
Students
will…
* apply pre-writing strategies to discover what they already know
and what they want to learn through research;
* write summary notes in the process of
doing research;
* write drafts in which they reconstruct
their beliefs on the basis of the wider
experience they gain through research;
* revise for an organization appropriate to
their specific main purpose and audience.
Learning
written conventions
Students
will…
* practice documentation conventions for
styles such as MLA and APA;
* learn important grammatical concepts used
for analyzing sentence correctness and
style;
* correctly incorporate language,
information, and ideas from sources;
* use advanced editing resources like
dictionaries and writing handbooks.
Institutional
Competencies
State-Level
Goals: SKILL AREAS
Communicating
To
develop students’ effective use of the English language and quantitative and
other symbolic systems essential to their success in school and in the world.
Students should be able to read and listen critically and to write and speak
with thoughtfulness, clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness.
A. Analyze and evaluate their own and others’ speaking and
writing.
B. Conceive of writing as a recursive process that involves many
strategies, including generating material, evaluating sources when used,
drafting, revising, and editing.
C. Make formal written and oral presentations employing correct
diction, syntax, usage, grammar, and mechanics.
D. Focus on a purpose (e.g., explaining, problem solving,
argument) and vary approaches to writing and speaking based on that purpose.
E. Respond to the needs of different audiences and choose words
for appropriateness and effect.
Higher-Order
Thinking
To
develop students’ ability to distinguish among opinions, facts, and inferences;
to identify underlying or implicit assumptions; to make informed judgments; and
to solve problems by applying evaluative standards.
A. Recognize the problematic elements of presentations of
information and argument.
B. Formulate questions for clarifying issues and solving problems.
C. Use linguistic, mathematical or other symbolic approaches to
describe problems, identify alternative solutions, and make reasoned choices
among those solutions.
D. Analyze and synthesize information from a variety of relevant
sources and use the results to address complex situations and problems.
E. Defend conclusions using relevant evidence and reasoned
argument.
F. Reflect on and evaluate their critical-thinking processes.
Managing
Information
To
develop students’ abilities to locate, organize, store, retrieve, evaluate,
synthesize, and annotate information from print, electronic, and other sources
in preparation for solving problems and making informed decisions.
A. Access and/or generate information from a variety of sources,
including the most contemporary technological information services.
B. Evaluate information for its currency, usefulness,
truthfulness, and accuracy.
C. Organize, store, and retrieve information efficiently.
D. Reorganize information for an intended purpose, such as
research projects.
E. Present information clearly and concisely, using traditional and contemporary technologies.
For more information on this course, visit http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng108.asp