College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences
English 104
Sections 9 and 21
Section 9
meets
Section 21
meets 2:3:20 Murphy Hall 210
Fall 2008
Instructor:
Dr. Karen U. Fulton
Office:
Eder Hall 222H
Email:
fulton@missouriwestern.edu
Office
phone: 816-271-4317
Office
hours: 10-11 and 1-3 Monday
11-12
TR; other times by appointment
Required Text: Anderson,
Chris and Lex Runciman. Open Questions.
The Course in
Brief:
This course asks you to become part
of a community engaged in reading, discussing and writing about how we make
decisions that define us and that influence many groups and communities to
which we belong. This sounds abstract, but the various readings and scenarios
in Open Questions will offer many particulars. You shall use these
readings as material for frequent in-class conversations and as the basis for a
variety of writing assignments. And you shall use these assignments as
opportunities to more thoroughly understand many of the writing aims and
practices that you will adapt for use in courses later.
Grades:
Grades for this course will be
determined on three factors:
1. Course participation (20%) Three times this semester you’ll be
asked to rate your own participation according to specific criteria, the form
is posted on the O/P-drive and
2.
Informal writes (30%) (which I will sometimes
refer to as a process journal; it means the same thing).You are required to
complete 25 informal writes this semester in order to receive a grade of C on
this portion of the course. You are encouraged to do more on your own. In general, these are to be word-processed
½-1 page (definition and example of a page are also on O/P-drive and
At the end of the semester, you will
turn in all your informal writes to me for an overall review. However, if you
have missed an informal write during the course of the semester, I will accept
only one for the last class day. In short you cannot “save up” your informal
writes for the end of the term. You need to keep up with them and be prepared
to hand in anyone assigned at any time. You may want to keep them in a binder
which you bring to class. Occasionally, I will assign an in-class informal
write; obviously this will be handwritten and not word-processed.
If you miss a class when an informal
write has been collected, it is your responsibility to email or hand me a
word-processed copy no more than two class sessions later than when it was done
in order for it to receive credit. All informal writes will be posted on the O/P
drive and/or
3.
Formal writing assignments (50%) You’ll be asked to complete several papers
this term. Each will have its own process which might have preliminary
assignments. Each will count as roughly equal weights though I reserve the
right to reward significant improvement over time. In general, I award grades
so that I can sleep at night. If at any time you have concerns about your
progress or your grade, you owe it to yourself to come and discuss this with
me.
Here, in brief are the formal
assignments:
1. The personal-essay
assignment (5 pages). Drawing from your own experience and from at least two of
the essays we’ve read and discussed, write an autobiographical assessment of
your own childhood. Focus on incidents
or themes that explain the complexities and clarities of what was considered
right or normal or praiseworthy in the world of your childhood. End by
explaining your
own current view of all this.
2. The
school-as-community essay (6 pages). Drawing from your own experience and from
at least two of the essays we’ve read and discussed, explain your understanding
of what would be the ideal college community. What purpose would it serve? What
would it value? What would it ask from students and professors? How would these
things be explained and embodied in classes? How and where do you see any of
these present at this institution?
3. The good-life essay
(5 pages). Drawing from at least three of the
readings in Open Questions, explain the
significant arguments about what consistitutes the
“good life.” End your essay by explaining your understandings and the stance to
which they lead you. On the basis of this stance, explain what community
organization (local or national) you feel inclined to join or investigate
further.
4. Final paper in lieu
of final exam (to be turned in at the time and date of the final). Return to
your school-as-community essay and revise it so that it accurately reflects
your views now, at the end of the term, and so that it communicates as clearly as
possible.
Grading
Criteria:
For Class
Participation, Journals, and for Formal Assignments are available in the Fulton
ENG 104 folder on the 0/P-drive and on
Disability
Policy:
It is the student’s responsibility to make the instructor aware of any
disability which may interfere with maximum learning. The instructor will work
to accommodate the student.
Attendance
Policy:
More than 2 absences will result in the lowering of a student’s grade; more
than 3 will result in failure for the course. All missed word must be made up
by the student. Under University Policy, if you have 3 unexcused absences (an
unexcused absence is one that does not involve a University function), I must
report you as FA. This will result in you being dropped from the class and your
financial aid being refigured.
Calendar
Week
One
Go
over syllabus and O/P-drive and
Read
and discuss “Introduction: Critical Thinking,
Week Two.
Begin
personal essay assignment. As time permits,
read and discuss from Chapter 1, “Where Are You Coming From?” Specific readings
and writings will be assigned from this chapter
Week
Three
Continue
reading and discussion from Week Two. Discuss strong introductions. Rough draft
material (minimum 5 pages—see definition of page) due at the end of the week.
Week Four.
Discuss
summarizing versus detailing. Full draft workshop. Personal essay due on 9/21.
Week
Five
First class participation evaluation due on Tuesday (9/26)
of this week. Begin school-as community assignment. As time permits read
and discuss “Too Many Colleges Are Still in Denial About Alcohol Abuse” (begins
page 96), “Life Size,” (279), “A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay
Boyhood” (314), “Claiming an Education” (608), “Passion at Yale” (539), “The
Case for Moral Relativism” (619) “Honesty and Honor Codes” (405)“Virtual
Virtue: Reflections on Academic Integrity in the Age of the Internet” (415),
“The Community of Truth” (627) “The Best Student Ever” (391) and “The Singer
Solution to World Poverty” (661)
Week
Six
Continue
reading and discussion from Week Five.
Week
Seven
Writing week. Discuss longer paper as a series of
shorter ones. Discuss and compose a forecast outline for Thursday, October 16
Week
Eight
Full draft workshop on Tuesday. Discussion of
scoring rubric and specifics as determined by professor and by performance in
the first essay. Final draft of school-as-community essay due Ocrober 23
Week
Nine
Begin
the good-life essay. Discuss these readings as time permits: “Designer Genes,”
“The Land Ethic” “On Being a Cripple” “Exile: El Paso, Texas” “The Need for
Discernment” “The Casualty” “The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic
Society” “Welcoming the Stranger” “Serving in Florida” “On Compassion” “Eggs
for Sale” “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Profits” “The
Good Doctor” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Second participation evaluation due at the end of the week. (October 30)
Week
Ten
Continue
reading and discussion from Week Nine.
Week Eleven.
Continue
reading and discussion from texts listed in Week Nine
Week
Twelve
In
class workshops on writing processes, revision, etc. as needed based on class
performance thus far. The good life essay due on Thursday,
November 20.
Week
Thirteen
Return
to your school-as-community essay and revise it so that it accurately reflects
your views now, at the end of the term, and so that it communicates as clearly
as possible. Workshop on December 2.
Week
Fourteen
Submit
your completed informal writes. Last class participation
evaluation. Submit your final revision of the school-as community essay
at last class (December 4)
Attend
final to receive your informal writes and school-as-community essay back.
Attendance is mandatory. Failure to attend the final will result in failure for
the course.
Section
09 Final Thursday, December 11,
Section
21 Final Tuesday, December 9,