ENGLISH
104: COLLEGE WRITING AND RHETORIC
Fall 2008
College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences
Department of English,
Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section 16: 12:00 –
12:50 MWF, Murphy 206
Section 20: 1:00 – 1:50 MWF,
Murphy 206
Instructor:
Tom Pankiewicz
Office:
Phone:
816-271-4156
Office
Hours: MW 2:00-4:00, T or Th
9:00-12:00, and by appointment.
(As the Dual Credit Liaison, I conduct high
school visit on either Tuesday or Thursday morning. I will announce my office
hours each Monday.)
E-mail:
pankiew@missouriwestern.edu
For
the specific course objectives, please visit the English Department web site,
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng104.asp
Anderson, Chris and Lex Runciman. Open Questions.
Bookmark
the following web sites:
The OWL at Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/.
Re: Writing at Bedford/St.
Martins: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rewriting/.
Toplinks at Bedford/St. Martins:
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/hrel/toplinks/.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This section of English 104 is an inquiry-based
class. According to Janet Alsup and Michael Bernard-Donals in “The Fantasy of
the ‘Seamless Transition,”
Inquiry can be analogous to ‘critical thinking,’
‘analysis,’ and even ‘argument.’ When applied to the teaching of writing, a
process of inquiry includes the following stages: development of interest in a
topic; exploration of this interest through reading, talk, and prewriting;
crystallization of a question or issue to be explored; drafting of a text;
discussion of text with peers and instructor; revision; asking new questions;
revision again; editing; and finally sharing with an audience (120).
Alsup and Bernard-Donals describe how I expect
you to approach your writing for this course.
This course is also a portfolio-class. Your
writing will be collected and read throughout the semester; you will receive
frequent comments and suggestions for revision; but no essay will be evaluated until
it is published in the end-of-semester portfolio. The portfolio will account
for two-thirds of your course grade. In
a portfolio-class, your course grade is based on your best writing, writing
that has been revised and edited throughout the semester. The portfolio places
you in control of the quality of your writing and in control of your grade.
Please expect a reading assignment from Open Questions or another source for
every class.
Writer’s
Notebook:
Every student will be required to maintain a
writer’s notebook to discuss impressions of, responses to, and reflections on
assigned readings. The writer’s notebook will also collect exploratory
writings, drafts, revision notes, and in-class writing. Your writer’s notebook
will be a resource to you as well as a record of your reading and writing.
Be sure you identify and date each piece you
collect. Since you will periodically turn in specific assignments and since you
will include a variety of handwritten and word-processed texts, it would be
best to use a loose-leaf binder for your notebook or a folder in which you keep
your writing organized.
Units of Study:
As a class we will
examine several thematic units. Each unit will include a series of readings and
reading responses as well as a major essay. The units include:
·
Acceptance,
Rejection, Compromise: How do individuals fit into society?
·
What Kind of Education Would Be Best?
·
The Argument: Dialogue to Essay.
·
Taking a Stand.
·
The Portfolio with a Writer’s Notebook Audit.
·
Final Exam Essay: This I Believe.
Essay Format:
Tasks must be
word-processed, double-spaced and use 12-point Times New Roman. Be sure to save
each assignment on the university’s “P” drive or an Internet storage site as
well as on a computer disk or jump drive. Keep a hard copy or a working copy of
each draft in your writers’ notebook. Every semester at least one student
struggles to complete the final portfolio because of computer problems or a
disk failure. Save and back up all of your work.
Because of the variety of word processing programs,
operating systems, printers and email accounts, it would be best to save
material as an rtf (Rich Text Format) file.
Place your name, course, date,
and draft number in the upper left hand corner.
Center the title. Number the pages.
Portfolio:
This section of
English 104 requires an end-of-semester portfolio. In a portfolio-course, final
grades for each essay are with the publication of the portfolio. This concept
encourages revision and allows
your final grade to be based on your best writing; it places you in control of
the quality of your writing.
The portfolio will account for two-thirds of
your course grade. The portfolio will
include the portfolio-ready drafts of selected essays, previous drafts and
teacher and peer responses, and reflection letters. An audit of your Writer’s Notebook will also
be a required element.
The graded portfolio will be returned at the
final exam.
Conferences:
Writers need readers. Discussing drafts with a close reader is one
of the most effective practices writers employ. I am a strong reader, willing
to read your work and to offer my response.
You may drop by during office hours; these hours are listed above. It
is, however, more courteous and convenient to schedule a conference.
When you come to scheduled conference:
·
Be
on time with the draft of the essay you wish to discuss.
·
Come
with a question or concern about your draft or revision. You should initiate
the conference, showing your control of your writing and focusing on areas you
wish to emphasize.
·
Leave
with a written revision plan.
Center
for Academic Support:
In addition to conferences and writer’s workshop
sessions, you will find readers who will discuss your writing with you at the
Center for Academic Support. There is no cost to students for using these
services. I encourage you to make use of these services throughout this course.
The CAS, which is located on the northeast corner of the library, also provides
online responses to your writing.
Grading
Policy:
·
Portfolio including a Writer’s
Notebook audit, portfolio-ready copies of selected essays along with previous
drafts, instructor and peer comments and reflection letters……………………………………….…………..
66%
·
Writer’s Notebook including such items as reading
responses, exploratory writing, drafts, reflection letters and in-class writing
…………….34%
·
A
student who does not complete all major assignments will not pass the course
even if satisfactory grades are achieved in other work.
POLICIES:
Attendance Policy
In order to
improve student learning and to achieve compliance with federal financial aid
policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level courses. English 104 has an attendance policy. If
you miss six class periods during the entire semester, you will receive
an F in the class. 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; however,
there are no other excused absences, exceptions or “makeups” for
this attendance requirement.
Furthermore, the maximum number of absences allowed before the midterm
report, October 15, 2008, for this class is five classes. Thus, when you have six 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.
Late
Work:
If you miss a class session, you are responsible
for all material covered and assignments given during your absence. All assignments are due at the beginning of
the class period. Late assignments will not be accepted.
If you find yourself facing difficulties in
completing a task paper, schedule a conference (a phone call, leaving a message
on my answering machine or sending me an e-mail are insufficient) to discuss
the problems with me. During our conference, we will set a new deadline.
Student
Disability:
Any student in this course who
has a disability that prevents the fullest expressions of abilities should
contact Missouri Western's special needs coordinator, Michael Ritter, for
possible certification of special needs and expert recommendations for
assistance. You should also contact me
personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.
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. Cheating
and plagiarism are not acceptable. If
your teacher finds evidence of cheating or plagiarism, you have the burden of
showing that the paper 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. You will receive a grade of F (0
points) for any paper/assignment/exam that shows evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism. You have the burden of
proving that a paper/assignment/exam showing evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism has been in fact written by you.
You should keep thorough evidence of your writing processes for all
papers so that you can meet this burden of proof. If you plagiarize a paper, you forfeit the
right to revise that paper; if you cheat on an exam, you will not be allowed to
retake the exam. Violations of academic
honesty will be reported to the Provost or the designated representative on the
Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms.
Please see the Student Handbook for specific activities identified as
violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://missouriwetsern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Civility
and Cooperation:
Missouri
Western requires all students to help us maintain good conditions for teaching
and learning. All students will treat
their classmates, teachers, and student assistants with civility and respect,
both inside and outside the classroom. Students who violate this policy may, among
other penalties, be counted absent and asked to leave. You should review your Missouri Western
student handbook for further information.
This handbook is available online at http://missouriwetsern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Do
nothing to disturb the class’s work.
·
If
you arrive late for class and the door is closed, do not disturb our work by
knocking or starring in the window.
·
Turn
off and put away your cell phone.
Final
Note:
If you know of any circumstances likely to make
any of these policies or expectations difficult for you to meet this semester,
consult with me as soon as possible to review your options.
Tentative Weekly Schedule
|
Aug. 25 |
Course introduction. Read “On Compassion,” 657
and “The Parable of the Sadhu,” 102. Mini-essay. What is the Reading-Writing
Connection? |
|
Sept. 3 |
Labor Day – No class. Introduce “Acceptance,
Rejection, Compromise.” Read and discussion “Black Men and Public Space,”
289. List of suggested reading
for the unit will be included in the unit handout. |
|
Sept. 8 |
“Acceptance” draft due for
peer review. |
|
Sept. 15 |
Revised draft of
“Acceptance” is due. Introduce “What Kind of
Education Would Be Best?” Read “Claiming an Education,” 608. List of suggested reading
for the unit will be included in the unit handout. |
|
Sept 22 |
Education draft due for
peer review. |
|
Sept. 29 |
Revised Education draft
due. Attend Convocation: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 9:30 |
|
Oct. 6 |
Introduce “The Argument.” Read “Letter from List of suggested reading
for the unit will be included in the unit handout. Mid-term break, Oct. 10 –
No class |
|
Oct. 13 |
Dialogue is due for public
reading. |
|
Oct. 20 |
Draft of the argument is
due for peer review. |
|
Oct. 27 |
Revised draft of the
argument is due. Introduce “Taking a Stand.”
|
|
Nov. 3 |
Draft of “Taking a Stand”
is due for peer review. |
|
Nov. 10 |
Revised draft of “Taking a
Stand” is due. Introduce Portfolio and
Writer’s Notebook Audit |
|
Nov. 17 & 24 |
Portfolio: Instructor and
peer conferences. Thanksgiving break |
|
Dec. 1 |
Portfolio and Writer’s
Notebook Audit is due for Section 20 (1 PM class) on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Portfolio and Writer’s
Notebook Audit is due for Section 16 (Noon class) on Friday, Dec. 5. |
|
Dec. 8 |
Final Exam: “This I
Believe.” Section 16 (Noon class) –
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 11:30 – 1:20 Section 20 (1 PM class) –
Monday, Dec. 8, 11:30 – 1:20 |