English 100: Introduction to College Writing
Fall 2009
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section 01: 8:00-8:50 MWF, Murphy 104
Writer’s Workshop: 10:00-10:50 MW, Eder 222U and Eder 222V
Section 61: 9:00-9:50 MWF, Murphy 103
Writer’s Workshop: 8:00-8:50 MW, Eder 222V and Eder 214
Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office:
Phone: 816-271-4156
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00, Thursday 10:00-12:30, and by appointment
E-mail: pankiew@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Introduction
to College Writing: English 100. Fourth Edition.
Clouse,
Barbara Fine. A
Troubleshooting Guide for Writers. Fifth Edition.
Two self-selected books on issues of importance to you.
Course Objectives:
For English 100 objectives and institutional competencies also refer to the English department website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng100.asp
Course Description:
“One thing that is always with the writer – no matter how long he has written or how good he is – is the continuing process of learning how to write.” -Flannery O’Connor
In this course we will study the process of writing. The truth is, no one just sits down and instantly produces a perfect piece of writing. There are many steps a writer goes through when producing a text, including pre-writing (or gathering and organizing ideas and thoughts), writing, revising and editing, and we will discuss these steps in this course. In discovering writing as a process, you will discover the reading and writing strategies and processes that work best for you. The emphasis here is on you and your attention to the topics.
What Is Expected From
You?
Expect a reading assignment from the textbooks or from on-line sources for every class. You will also select two books on issues of importance to you. You must have your first book in class on September 11 and have that book read by October 2. The second book must be in class on October 12 and read by November 9.
Writer’s Notebook:
You are required to maintain a writer’s notebook in which you will collect in-class writings, responses to assigned reading, reflections on class discussion, and exploratory writings. Be sure you identify and date each piece in your notebook; I cannot give credit to any piece that I cannot identify. You will also complete several Writer’s Notebook Audits during the semester.
Major Essays:
You will complete four major writing tasks and submit a course portfolio. A student who does not turn in all four tasks or submit a course portfolio will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory. I suggest you purchase four folders, one for each major essay. Collect all drafts of the essay to examine your revision and progress and to document your work. I cannot give credit to what is not in the folder.
Task
One: Describing Significance Carefully
Write
meaningfully about a significant person, place or event in your life. You will
describe this person, place or event and will also reflect on and explain the
significance and importance of this person, place or event to your life.
Task
Two: Explaining What Things Mean
Describe,
reflect on, and explain the impact one, two or three possessions have had on
you. You will explain why the object or objects have a special meaning for you
and how they have affected and continue to affect your life. In this essay, you
need to support with well-developed examples a thesis about the connection
among these objects and their lasting impact on you.
Task
Three: Blending Reading and Writing
Reflect
upon your experiences in school and your opinions about education and establish
a link between your own experiences and opinions and one or more of the essays
that you have read in class.
Task
Four: Literacy Narrative
Using
the strategies practiced in the first three tasks, describe, explain, and
reflect upon your history as a reader, writer, and student. You will illustrate and support your
narrative with evidence from the essays you have read in class and other
sources.
Portfolio:
Introductory Essay
Introduce
the writing published in your portfolio. Describe and analyze your writing
process.
Since writing is a process, you will revise your essays throughout the semester. I will respond to your essays through a series of conferences. In order to honor the process of writing, I will not assign a grade to any essay until it is published in the portfolio. I will only return your essays at a scheduled conference.
Essays must be word-processed, double-spaced and use 12-point Times New Roman. Place your name, course, date, and draft number in the upper left hand corner. Center the title. Number the pages. Be sure to save each assignment on the university’s “P” drive, and on a computer disk or jump drive. Every semester at least one student struggles to complete the final portfolio—and sometimes fails the course—because of computer problems or a disk failure. Save and back up all of your work.
Portfolio:
This section of English 100 requires an end-of-semester portfolio. In a portfolio-course, final grades for each task are assigned 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 draft of your task essays, previous drafts and teacher and peer responses, reflection letters as well as an introductory essay to the portfolio. The graded portfolio will be returned at the final exam.
The Process of
Revision:
Conferences:
Writers need readers. There is no better way to improve. I know that I am a close reader and willing to offer my responses to help you write the strong and effective essays. If you wish to have my help, please schedule a conference with me as often as needed.
Conference Writer’s Workshop:
A second source of readers for your writing will be in the Writer’s Workshop held on Monday and Wednesday.
In this section of English 100, you will participate in conferencing and tutoring in your Writer’s Workshop. One of the major goals of English 100 is to become an independent writer, a writer who has discovered strategies and processes to write competent and thoughtful essays. As in all sections of English 100, you have been assigned a mandatory, small group Writer’s Workshop which meets once a week. Your Writer’s Workshop will differ from the traditional workshop in that it will be a tutoring session focused on your writing rather than the planned workshop sequence of activities. In this section of English 100 you will confer with both your instructor and workshop leader during the workshop. You will receive personal responses and suggestions to help you develop and revise each essay and to help you grow as a writer. You will also be allowed time, in workshop, to write and revise. Your writing will become the central text of both the class and the workshop and your needs will become the content of the instruction.
This project requires commitments from you. First, you must confer with your instructor, workshop tutor and/or small groups in workshop. Second, you must bring a work-in-progress to each writing workshop/conference or be prepared to write, with the help of your tutor, in workshop. Your instructor and workshop leader will discuss your progress weekly. This is a labor-intensive effort on the part of your instructor and tutor, but it is one that we feel will benefit you.
Workshops/Conferences:
· Be on time.
· Missing a workshop/scheduled conference will be counted as a workshop absence.
· If you do not come prepared to the workshop/conference, you will be marked absent. If a new draft or revised draft is required then coming to a workshop/conference without one will lead to a workshop absence. In addition, if the workshop/conference is one that requires you to write, then you must come prepared to write and spend the workshop hour writing and seeking help from your tutor and peers; if you do not, then you will be marked absent for workshop.
· Come to the workshop/conference with a question or concern about your latest assignment/draft. You must initiate the conference, showing your interest in your work and focusing on where you need a response.
· Leave the conference with a new text/draft, revision or written revision plan.
· Make-up workshop/conference: If you miss a workshop or are not prepared you will be marked absent; however, you have the opportunity to make it up. You can attend the general make-up session on Friday at 2:00 or 3:00 pm in Eder 222 U-V. However, in this makeup session, you will be required to complete a specific lesson or activity and you will not be able to receive feedback on your writing or to do your own writing. Moreover, you will be allowed only three make-up opportunities. Please remember that you and your writing will benefit the most by attending your regularly scheduled workshops/conferences and working on your writing.
If you miss four Writer’s Workshops, you will fail ENG 100. You can make-up an absence, but you must
attend the make-up session on Friday of the week you missed. You can only attend the make-up session three
times throughout the entire semester. If
you wish to appeal your failure due to absences, you must be able to provide
valid documentation for ALL absences and you must have an A or B grade in ENG
100 at the time (see Appeal Procedure in textbook). In addition to not showing up for workshop,
you can also be counted absent for the following reasons (these situations also
apply to class as well):
-arriving very late; tardies will be added up for an
absence
-not having required materials (textbook, draft of paper,
portfolio, etc.)
-not participating/not paying attention to the SA and the
lesson
-sleeping
-unacceptable behavior that impedes others’ learning such
as being disruptive, showing disrespect to your SA and/or peers, using foul
language, using a cell phone or other electronic devices, working on other
coursework.
Center for Academic Support:
A third source of readers for your writing is the Center for Academic Support located on the northeast corner of the Hearnes Library. The CAS will provide you with readers who will discuss your writing with you. There is no cost to students for using these services. I encourage you to make use of these services throughout this course.
Grading:
The components of your grade in the course are:
· Portfolio including an introductory essay, portfolio-ready copies of all tasks, previous drafts, instructor, tutor, and peer comments………………………………………….. 66%
· Writer’s Notebook, Writer’s Notebook Audits, Quizzes, Conferences, Writer’s Workshop, Class Discussion Participation…………………………34%
· A = 100 – 90%; B = 89 – 80%; C = 79 – 70%; D = 69 – 60%; F = 59 – 0%.
· Remember you must complete all writing tasks in order to pass this course.
· Admission into ENG 104 requires a “C” or higher in ENG 100.
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. This course has a very strict attendance
policy in class as well as in Writer’s Workshops. If you miss seven class periods or
four Writer’s Workshops, for 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 14, 2009, for this class is five (5). Thus, when you have six (6) 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 unless you have received prior permission from your teacher.
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.
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: