Missouri
Western State University, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalsim
English
100: Introduction to College Writing
Section
13 MWF 11:00 Murphy 104
Section
18 MWF 12:00 Murphy 205
Section
23 MWF 2:00 Murphy 105
Steven
Frogge
Office:
Eder 222T Tel. 271-4239
Office
Hours: MWF 9:00-11:00 a.m., 1:00-2:00 p.m., and by appointment
E-mail: sfrogge@missouriwestern.edu Mailbox
Eder 222A
Required
Texts and Course Materials
Introduction to College
Writing: English 100,
McGraw-Hill, 2008 (4th Ed.), includes Writer’s Workshop
A
Troubleshooting Guide for Writers, McGraw-Hill, 2008
Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose, Penguin Books
Notebook,
pen, and paper for In-Class Writing
Electronic
storage device such as a floppy disk or USB flash drive
Pocket
Folder for submitting portfolios
Course
Overview
This
class prepares you not only for English 104 but also for the kind of writing
and thinking in which you will be engaged throughout your college career and in
life outside and beyond college. You
will write four papers, each as part of processes that will include planning,
drafting, and revising, processes in which you will work with classmates to
provide each other with valuable feedback.
In addition to writing, you will practice reading texts
analytically. Texts will serve as
models, sources, or both. The first two
papers will be personal narratives. You
will draw on your own experience. The
last two papers will require you to incorporate sources, blending and
documenting text that you have read with text that you write.
In
that the course is numbered 100 or above it does apply as an elective general
studies course toward the 124 hours required for graduation. It does not,
however, satisfy the composition requirement of English 104 and English108. You must receive a C or better in order to
qualify for English 104.
You will not pass this class if you come
to class unprepared, failing to prepare your assignments.
There are a number of people who can
help you to succeed in this class. Your workshop
leader will be able to provide you with valuable assistance. In addition, there are writing tutors in the Center
for Academic Support in Hearnes 213. These
specially trained staff can assist you with specific writing concerns. Finally, I am available outside of class. My office hours, office phone, and email
address are listed above.
Course
Goals and Class Assignments
Reading Goals
·
Read
actively for greater understanding;
·
Use
reading to improve writing by drawing ideas and information from written texts
·
Use
texts to understand your 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
·
Move
from writer-based to reader-based prose
·
Write
at greater length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
·
Structure
writing to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
·
Develop
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
·
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.
For common objectives/means and
institutional competencies for English 100 also refer to the English department
website at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/LG/html
Tools that shall be used as part of the
learning process include readings, lectures, class discussions, group work,
writer’s workshops, informal writing assignments, and formal writing
assignments. Students will be expected
to participate in conferences with peers and with me.
Grading
Your grade will be determined on the
basis of your progress as a writer, the writings (informal and formal) that you
submit, and your class participation over the course of the semester. Also note
that smaller assignments and class preparation/participation are very important
and do affect your grade. The components
of your grade in the course are:
Writing Task One Mini-Portfolio: 100 points
Writing Task Two Mini-Portfolio: 100
points
Writing Task Three Mini-Portfolio: 150
points
Writing Task Four Mini-Portfolio: 150
points
Quizzes, Class Work, and Homework: 100 points
A mini-portfolio consists of a formal
paper, including all of your prewriting, drafts, and written comments from peer
and professor conferences.
Revision
Policy
For all writing tasks you will be
required to participate in peer revisions groups. Graded writing tasks (tasks
one-three) can be revised and resubmitted for a “new” grade. You will have two weeks from the date the
paper is returned in class to revise and resubmit each task paper. If you miss the two-week deadline, you forfeit
the right to revise that specific task paper.
It is required that your original, graded essay accompanies your revised
essay. You will not have the opportunity
to revise Writing Task Four; however, you will have ample opportunity to share
and revise drafts with your peers, your workshop tutor and me.
Writer’s
Workshops
This section of English 100 is
participating in a project of 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 workshop requires three commitments
from you. First, you must confer with
your instructor, workshop tutor and/or small groups in workshop. It is expected that you will schedule a
conference with your workshop tutor or instructor (conferences will rotate) at
least once every two weeks. 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. Third, you must share with us how this project
is working. We need to know what
activities are most helpful and what activities are ineffective, so we will ask
for frequent feedback.
Workshop
and Conference Expectations
·
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.
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 and 200 level courses.
This course 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 throughout the course of the entire semester, you will
receive an F in the class. There
are no excused absences, exceptions or “makeups” for this attendance
requirement. Furthermore, the maximum number of absences allowed before the midterm
report, October 15, for this class is five (5). Thus, when you
have six (6) -- 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. If you know of any circumstances likely
to make this policy difficult for you this semester, you may wish to consult
with your advisor 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.
Late Work
All writing tasks are due at the
beginning of the class period on the due date.
Each student is allowed one late paper, and only one late paper, and
this must be discussed with me so we can discuss the extended due date. I will not accept/grade any other late
papers. This is important because you
must complete, turn in and receive a grade for all papers in order to pass this
class. In other words, a second late
paper will result in failure of the course.
If you are not in class on the due date you are still responsible for
submitting your assignment on time. Late
in-class writing assignments will not be accepted.
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. You will
receive a grade of F (0 points) for any paper/ assignment/exam that shows
evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism and forfeit the opportunity to
revise. You have the burden of proving
that a paper showing evidence of cheating or plagiarism 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. Violations of academic
honesty will be reported to the Provost or the designated representative on the
Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms.
Please note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental
website and refer to the Student Handbook and calendar for specific activities
identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure
(beginning on page 23). This handbook is
also available online at http://www..missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Miscellaneous
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, specifically sections of
Community Expectations and Code of Conduct and Procedures, for further
information. This handbook is also
available online at http://missouriwetsern.edu/handbook/index.pdf
Please note that you must complete all
writing assignments in order to pass this course. In addition, admission into English 104
requires a “C” or higher in English 100.
All drafts and final papers for this course must be word-processed. It is also important to save all writing
tasks on disks, jump drives, etc., keeping back-ups if necessary, and to save
all drafts as well.
Please feel free to come see me if you
have any problems or questions. You can make an appointment to conference
about any paper or homework assignment, to discuss your progress in class, to
clarify or question something that was discussed or done in class, etc. I believe communication is very important
between an instructor and her students and, as a result, I will make myself
available to you for any reason.