Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Syllabus—FALL 2008
ENG 104 College
Writing and Rhetoric
Instructor:
Ellen
Lilley, MS Ed elilley@missouriwestern.edu
Office: Eder Hall 212 816-271-4527
Conference
by appointment: 11-11:30 a.m. Mon and
Wed; 8-8:30 a.m. Wed and Fri
Meeting information: M-W-F Popplewell Hall
Section 06 9:00 a.m.— 9:50 p.m.
Room 101
Section 12 10:00 a.m.—10:50 p.m. Room 102
Section 17 12:00 a.m.—12:50
p.m. Room 102
Required
Text and materials:
The
·
Computer disk or jump drive for revising and saving work.
·
Printer and internet access (available at many sites on campus)
·
Composition Book, highlighter, stapler, and portfolio cover
·
Pocket-folder, notebook, or other system for organizing handouts,
class work, notes, etc.
Bookmark
these web sites: http://www.time-management-for-students.com
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/theguide8e
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource
http://more.net/online/index/html
Course Description and Goals:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng104.asp
Students
will develop skills that will help them to think critically, read actively,
respond to texts and others’ ideas, and to explore and effectively express their
ideas. To communicate ideas and perceptions
clearly, students will:
Summarize,
analyze, and evaluate texts
Engage
in formal and informal, personal and collaborative writing and speaking for
various purposes.
Participate
in peer revision groups
Recognize and practice Writing Processes, including Standard
English conventions
A variety
of methods will be used to encourage students’ learning: textbooks, lectures, class discussions, group
work, journaling, informal and formal writing.
Students are expected to read, summarize, and respond to text
selections, take notes, ask questions, complete journal and other writing
exercises and assignments, and participate in peer revision teams, and
conference with instructor. Each of
these activities will contribute to your final grade.
Attendance and Class
Preparation/Participation:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/
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 “count” (unlike high school where absences
are termed excused or unexcused)
For this class the
maximum number of absences allowed before the midterm report is 5. When you incur a 6th absence
before October 14, you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office where you
will be automatically withdrawn from the class and the Financial Aid Office
will reduce financial aid as appropriate.
In addition, if you exceed 8 absences during the course of
the semester in this class, you will receive an FA for the
course, no matter what your grade is at that time. If you choose to contest
absences, you must present outside documentation that ALL absences were
unavoidable.
Students
are expected to arrive prepared and on time for every scheduled class meeting,
to remain for the entire period, and to participate in class discussions and
peer editing groups; these attitudes of respect and cooperation provide the
forum for sharing ideas, asking questions, and maximizing learning. Three instances of
being tardy count as an absence. Leaving class early two times counts as an absence. You
are expected to return from absences prepared for class. Late work will not be accepted and in-class
quizzes and writings cannot be made up.
Grades: A minimum grade of “C” in this course,
ENG-104, is required for admission into ENG-108. http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/grades.asp 90%=A
80%=B 70%=C 60%=D
Grades are earned by
accumulating points on:
o
quizzes, informal writings, drafts, and other assignments
o
Portfolio of four revised formal essays
o
Presentation
o
Final Exam
You must complete all requirements—essays, portfolios,
presentation, and final exam— in order to pass this course. All drafts and final papers must be word-processed (MLA style)
and saved on disks/thumb drives (backups in RTF recommended). Process-work
must be attached to each preceding draft to document your writing process; a
revision is NOT eligible for points if prior work did not meet deadlines and/or
task objectives. Four copies of word-processed drafts are required for
participation in mandatory peer revision teams.
Deadlines
for all work = beginning of class. If
you are not in class on a due date, you are still responsible for submitting work
on time. If you must be absent when an assignment is due, the paper must be received
as an e-mail attachment in Rich Text Format before your class meeting time to
be considered on time. Late homework papers are not accepted. Only one late final essay will be
accepted—and there will be a 10% deduction for each 24-hour delay. Writing conferences and presentations must occur on the agreed-upon date unless you are
able to reschedule before that date.
http://missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Academic Honesty
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. 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 has been written, in fact, 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. See the
2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar (page 21) for specific activities
identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure.
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 me as soon as possible and
contact Michael Ritter, Special Needs Coordinator, to submit all necessary
documentation so we can make the necessary accommodations.
Civility
and Cooperation:
Missouri
Western requires all students to help us maintain good conditions for teaching
and learning. All students will treat
their classmates and teachers 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 a class; specifics include use
of cellular/other electronic devices during class, private conversations, and
sleeping. Review your Missouri Western student handbook for further information
Note: Welcome. You can succeed in this course! Experience indicates that students who attend
class regularly and complete daily work find success; experts report that
students who spend 2-3 hours studying for each hour in the classroom have the
greatest success rate. If you have
problems or questions, please call or e-mail, or make an appointment to
see me so we can work together to create a positive experience for you—and please
don’t wait until the last minute when there is no way to “fix” the
problem!