Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Syllabus—Spring
2007
ENG 104-6/7/8 College Writing and Rhetoric
MWF Murphey Hall—Eng104-6 10am (rm 219); Eng104-7 12pm (rm103); Eng104-8 1pm (rm103)
Instructor: Ellen Lilley, MS Ed
Office:
(conference by appointment) Eder Hall 222-T 816-271-4239
elilley@missouriwestern.edu
Required
Texts:
1-The
Little, Brown Reader. Tenth Edition. Eds. Marcia Stubbs and Sylvan Barnet. Pearson
Longman, Inc. 2006.
Recommended
Text:
The
Required
Materials:
Computer disks for revising and
saving work
Notebook for journal entries, class
work, notes, etc.
Folders (4) for portfolios (with brads and pockets)
Course
Description:
Students will learn how to think critically, explore
and effectively express ideas, read actively and respond to texts, and to
discover and respond to others’ ideas.
Course
Goals:
To communicate ideas and perceptions
clearly, students will:
Summarize, analyze, and
evaluate texts
Understand, address, and
write arguments
Engage in formal and
informal, personal and collaborative writing and speaking
Participate in peer revision
groups
Recognize and practice
the processes of writing
Methods
of Instruction:
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. Each of these activities will contribute to your portfolio grade.
For common objectives/means and institutional
competencies for ENG-104, refer to the English department website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp
Policies:
Attendance and Class
Preparation/Participation:
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. 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. A student will be given an
excused absence if he or she provides documentation that proves the absence was
unavoidable. All other absences will be
deemed unexcused. For this class the
maximum number of unexcused absences allowed before the midterm report, March
21, is five. When you incur a sixth
unexcused absence, you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office where you
will be automatically withdrawn from this class and the Financial Aid Office
will reduce financial aid as appropriate.
If you exceed the allowed absences after midterm, your final grade will
be adversely affected.
All students are expected to
arrive prepared and on time for every scheduled class meeting 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. Chronic lateness and unprepared- ness will likely
affect your grade. Late work will not be accepted; thus, your portfolio grades
will be adversely affected. Use your
assignment schedule to prepare for classes after you’ve been absent.
Grades:
Admission into ENG-108 requires a
minimum grade of “C” in this course, ENG-104.
Grades
will be determined as follows:
Portfolio One: 100 points (process = 40 points; paper = 60
points)
Portfolio Two: 100 points (process = 30 points; essay = 70 points)
Portfolio Three: 100 points (process = 20 points; essay = 80 points)
Portfolio Four: 125 points (process = 10 points; essay = 115 points)
Presentation: 125 points
Final
Exam (mandatory): 100 points
All drafts and final papers
for this course must be word-processed (MLA style) and saved on disks, with
back-ups recommended. Word-processed
drafts are required for participation in mandatory peer revision teams.
Papers One and Two may be
revised and resubmitted for a “new” grade; if the portfolio, including the
original, graded essay is not resubmitted with the revised essay, the
revision will not be graded. If the one-week
deadline is not met, the revision will not be graded.
Essay Three may be revised and resubmitted; the new score will be averaged with the original score to determine the new grade. Your original essay and portfolio must be submitted with the revised essay or it will not be graded.
Essay Four will stand “as is” since it represents all you know about writing an essay and numerous opportunities for revision. Presentations will not be repeated for improved grades.
You must complete all requirements—portfolios, presentation, and final exam— in order to pass this course. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due dates. If you are not in class on a portfolio due date, you are still responsible for submitting your portfolio on time. Only one late portfolio will be accepted; this portfolio should be handed in at the beginning of the next class period unless you have previously made other arrangements with the instructor. If you submit more than one late portfolio or you miss the deadline for the one allowable late portfolio, you will fail the class. Your presentation must be presented on the date assigned and will not be considered for the “one late paper” exception.
Academic Honesty
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. 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. This handbook is also available online at http://missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
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. Review your Missouri Western student handbook for further information
Communication between instructor and student is very important. If you have problems or questions, please make an appointment to see me so we can work together to create a positive experience for you.