Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
8:00 – 8:50 MWF Murphy 103; Writer’s Workshop 10:00 – 10:50 M or W Eder 222 U or V
Teacher: Corla Dawson
Office: Center for Academic Support (Hearnes 213)
Phone: 271-4531
Office Hours: By appointment
E-mail: dawson@missouriwestern.edu
Attendance Policy:
In order to improve student learning as well
as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a
mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level and 200-level courses. You will be given an excused absence when
acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior
written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the
event. All other absences will be deemed
unexcused, including medical problems, legal issues, and deaths in the family. The maximum number of unexcused absences
allowed for this class before October 16 is five. Thus, if you have six unexcused absences
before midterm, 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.
In addition to the institution’s
policy stated above, English 100 has a very strict attendance policy in
Writer’s Workshops as well as in class.
If you miss seven class periods or four Writer’s Workshops over the
duration of the semester, you will receive an FA in the class. There are no exceptions for this
attendance requirement and no excused
absences. Habitual tardiness or
leaving early can also result in absences.
If you know of any circumstances likely to make this attendance policy
difficult for you this semester, you should consult with your advisor and your
teacher to review your options.
If you miss a class session, you are responsible for all material covered and assignments given during your absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. If assignments are not submitted at the beginning of class the day they are due, they are considered a day late. Late submissions will be subject to a grade deduction (ten percentage points per day late).
Required Texts and Course Materials:
Introduction to College Writing - ENG 100, McGraw-Hill, 2008 (Fourth Edition)
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Spiral notebook for
journaling (one-subject size will be sufficient)
Computer jump drive
Photocopies for group work as requested
Course Goals and Class Assignments:
Reading Goals:
At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to
· Read actively for greater understanding;
· Use reading to improve their writing by drawing ideas and information from written material;
· Use texts to understand their own and others’ experiences;
· Read writing assignments effectively as a guide to creating better papers;
· Recognize good writing by actively reading good prose.
Writing Goals:
At the completion of ENG 100 students should be able to
· Move easily from writing for self-expression to writing for readers;
· Write at greater length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
· Structure their writing to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
· Develop their ideas and concepts with specific details, examples, and explanations;
· Craft more effective and polished sentences and paragraphs;
· Use effective planning, invention, revision, and editing to complete successful writing tasks.
General Studies Goals:
In ENG 100 students should improve their ability to
· Think critically and reason analytically;
· Write and speak clearly and effectively;
· Gain a greater awareness of the present through an understanding of other cultures and times;
· Understand and appreciate moral values and ethical choices;
· Understand and enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative activities.
Missouri Western requires 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.
Before
entering the classroom, make sure your cell phone and all other electronic
equipment are turned off so that they do not ring during class. If your cell phone or other electronic
equipment goes off during class, you will be asked to leave and counted
absent. Text messaging and other cell
phone activities are not allowed during class time. Classes are 50 minutes in length, and unless
there is an emergency, you are expected to remain in class the entire
time. Sleeping or working on anything
other than English 100 activities during this class period will result in an
absence for the day.
Grading Policy:
Your grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the writings you submit, and your class participation over the course of the semester. The following are components of your grade in the course:
Writing. You will complete four major writing tasks that will be graded. A student who does not turn in complete responses to all four tasks will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory. These writing assignments will make up 85 percent of your grade for this class.
Daily Assignments. 10 percent of your grade in English 100 will come from journal entries and other daily assignments.
Writer’s Workshop. Throughout the course, you will attend the once-a-week, small group Writer’s Workshop. Five percent of your grade will be based on your participation and cooperation in Writer’s Workshop. See below for complete explanation of Writer’s Workshop.
Grading Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F
To pass English 100 and enroll in English 104, you must earn a C or better.
Writer's Workshop:
Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the
once-a-week, small group Writer's Workshops (listed as “labs” in the class
schedule). Some of your Writer's Workshop
materials may be used in class, and some of your class papers will be critiqued
and proofread in Writer's Workshops. You
must ensure that you have the right materials in the right place. Remember: Writer’s Workshop makes up five
percent of your grade for the class.
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
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 for students to become independent writers, writers who have
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. During Writer's
Workshop, you will receive personal responses and suggestions as well as
lessons and activities 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 workshop 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/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 workshop
with a new text/draft, revision, ideas 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 p.m. 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.
Student Disability:
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression 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 your teacher personally as soon as possible so that the two of you 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 activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms. Please see the Student Handbook and Calendar for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook can be retrieved online by going to the A to Z search and clicking on Student Handbook.