Department of English, Foreign Languages, Journalism
College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
English
ENG112-01 & 80
Course
Syllabus – Spring 2008
Instructor: Bill Church
Office:
Phone: 816 271-5966
email: church@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours: 12-1 MW; 11:00-12:30 TR; other times by appointment.
Class Meeting Time and Room: 9:00 – 10:00 MWF, Murphy Hall 109.
Required
texts and materials: Field Working: Reading and Writing
Research, Sunstein & Chiseri-Srater;
rereading
Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of her or his potential to succeed in this course must notify me in writing as soon as possible so we may discuss course requirements, options, and accommodations.
Course
Description & Goals: ENG 112 is a
three-credit course for students of higher ability that satisfies the college's
composition requirement for general studies. My goal is for you to develop
voice, conduct research, and construct lucid, interesting writing in
exposition, narration, and argument. Our primary text, FieldWorking, will lead us to
examine “communities” firsthand before researching secondary sources. In essence, you will choose one
“culture/community” to research for the entire semester. That culture,
therefore, should fascinate you. That
said, some cultures pose excessive dangers or
difficulties inappropriate for our course. I ask, therefore, that you consult
with me and your classmates before selecting your subject matter. We will focus
and complement your research with selected readings from our other texts. Each
of you will become an expert on the culture of your choice, educating the rest
of us. For more information on our course goals in general, please see http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng112.asp.
Academic
Honesty: I trust that you will not cheat deliberately.
Occasionally, however, students are not familiar and practiced with required
methods of crediting sources. If I notice any oversights, I will ask you to
correct the mistakes and submit a corrected version quickly. That said, I am
required to post the following official statement of this university:
MWSU Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process: 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 activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student's grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.
Please
see the 2006-07 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
Grading:
Because everything
begins with careful reading, class will often begin with what I prefer to call
a Retention-Enhancement Questionnaire. You may know the term by its vulgar
cousin, “quiz.” You must be present at the beginning of class to participate.
You will write five papers for your portfolio, which is 75% of your course
grade. The papers will increase in value as their length and level of
difficulty increase. I will assign each paper a raw score with suggestions for
improvement. You may revise all papers for your final portfolio. While the
opportunity to revise tends to raise grades, it also allows me to hold
standards higher than I might without that opportunity.
Daily Retention-Enhancement Questionnaires: 10%
Brief writings as assigned: 10%
Preparation (peer reviews, discussion) 5%
Final Portfolio 75%
Total: 100%
Grades based on semester point totals will be assigned as follows:
0-60% = F; 61-70% = D; 71-80% = C; 81-90% = B; 91-100% =A.
The five major papers will be as follows, one
due approximately every three weeks. I will provide formal written criteria and
guidance for each.
Attendance: We have two policies at work in tandem, both of which can result in automatic failure.
The first is the MWSU campus policy stated as follows: “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 three. Thus, when you have four 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.”
The second attendance policy is my own. Class participation is an important component of our course. Any student who accrues five unexcused absences, regardless when the fifth absence occurs, will receive an FA, failed for nonattendance, which may carry negative Financial Aid consequences. Note: I take roll at the beginning of class, often based on the quiz. Anyone not present then will be marked absent. We need to be responsible course citizens.
Excused Absences: Common sense and human decency will prevail. I will grant special consideration to students who can document extenuating circumstances. I do not consider a routine illness, car problem, or job conflict as extenuating. Work schedules and appointments with other faculty do not qualify. Field trips for classes but not acting as a representative of the University may, but do not automatically, qualify. Dental and medical appointments other than for emergencies do not qualify. If, however, you can document a major health condition (broken bones, mono, etc.) of your own or of a family member who requires your care, that may qualify. A court appearance may qualify, as may a hearing with the MWSU traffic panel. Excused absences, other than when representing our university, will be rare.
Late
and Make-up Work: Except in the case of extenuating circumstances,
I will not accept late or make-up work.
Classroom behavior: In order to concentrate on learning, we must establish and maintain an upbeat environment free of distractions. Anything that interferes with your or your classmates’ learning is unacceptable. Sleeping, conducting private conversations, using computers for other than assigned purposes, eating, drinking, damaging property, and using vulgar or deliberately offensive language are some of the more common acts that can damage the learning environment. Likewise, all telephones are to be silent during class time. No headphones may be worn, no music played, no text messages sent, no homework done for other classes. Let's establish a cordial and respectful atmosphere in which we can have fun while learning together.
Final Exam: Thursday, May 1, 8:30 –
10:20 a.m.
Course Outline: Paper One
Jan.
15: Icebreaker, syllabus distribution,
intro to course. We will write to the
prompt in
Jan.
17: Have read pps.
1-24 in FieldWorking. Bring
written answers to
Jan.
22: Have read pps.
25-44 in FieldWorking. Bring
written answers to
Jan. 24: Have read pps. 44-64 in FieldWorking.
Jan.
29: Have read pps.
64-73 in FieldWorking. Bring
written answers to
Jan. 31: Have read pps. 74-90 in FieldWorking. Bring word-processed drafts of Paper One for Peer Review.
Feb. 5 Have read pps. 91-106 in FieldWorking. Paper One due to me at beginning of class.
Feb. 12: Have read pps. 107-115 in FieldWorking. Begin Paper Two.