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College Writing and Rhetoric 104 College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences Department of English, Foreign
Languages, and Journalism
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Required
Textbook: Axelrod,
Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St.
Martin’s Guide to Writing. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2008.
Course
Description: The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing integrates
reading and writing as well as provides practical guides to writing different
genres. College Writing and Rhetoric 104 emphasizes expository writing. Exposition is a type of oral or written
discourse that is used to explain, describe, give information, or inform
readers about a topic. The genres you will be practicing include autobiography
(“Remembering Events” organized as stories), interpretive argument (“Interpreting
Stories”), profiles (“Writing Profiles”), and explanation (“Explaining a
Concept”). You will also be practicing
skills cuing the reader, narrating, describing, and defining. And finally, you will be drafting, revising,
and editing your writing.
Course
Environment: You
will be using the WebCT Learning Environment (accessed from the Missouri
Western Homepage under the Current Students Links). Once you log in, you will
find announcements, the syllabus, assignments, and required activities within this
environment. You will be expected to log
in to the web site on each week day (including the two when you are not in
class). You will also post all prewriting activities, drafts, revisions,
and final essays to folders within your workspace. You should keep backup
copies on your personal electronic storage. Additionally, in the Notes link,
you will keep a journal of your daily work related to this class that provides
the date and the type of activities completed. Please expect that you will work
within groups as you complete your assignments in “Remembering Events,” “
Interpreting Stories,” “Writing Profiles,” and” Explaining Concepts.” Additionally,
you will be expected to demonstrate your use of The St. Martin’s Handbook
and the Companion Web Site: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/theguide8e/Player/Index.asp
If you do not have a personal
computer and web access, you will accommodate this by scheduling significant
time in the computer labs on campus, including the CAI lab (listed at the top).
Other lab info may be found at the following link:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/imc/acs/labsmap.asp
Course
Objectives:
- Learn to write
for different audiences and purposes.
- Learn to use
active reading and critical thinking.
- Learn to use writing
processes.
- Learn written
conventions.
Each general objective has several associated
specific objectives. Please visit the English Department web site:
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/eng104.asp
Course
Requirements:
- Complete
four units in The St. Martin’s Guide
to Writing: (2) “Remembering an Event,” (10) “Interpreting Stories,”
(3) “Writing Profiles,” and (4) “Explaining a Concept.” This will require you to read at least
two Readings, read and understand the four assignments, and complete all
pre-writing activities through invention and research, planning and
drafting, revising, and editing.
- Submit
all pre-writing, drafts, and revisions in WebCT.
- Complete
a class log of all activities in the Notes section of WebCT.
- Participate
in four different groups as constructive readers for pre-writing, drafts,
and revision of essays.
- Submit
four major essays for evaluation and course grade. Formal essays must be
in 12-point Times New Roman and at least 3 to a maximum of 5 double-spaced
pages. The final “Explaining a Concept” essay should include at least two
sources appropriately documented.
- Demonstrate
your use of the Handbook and Companion Web and E-book. Include a description of your
work in this area in your class log. All final essays should be free of errors
in grammar and punctuation and should demonstrate a growing sophistication
in the use of concise and graceful sentences. Pacing yourself throughout
the semester in a general use of the Handbook and the online St. Martin’s
Exercise Central should help you accomplish these objectives.
You should familiarize yourself with
the schedule of due dates for drafts, revisions, and final essays. You are also
encouraged to work independently and in advance of these dates whenever
possible (this encouraged by the electronic environment). Late work will not be accepted.
Basis
for Final Grade
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Assessment |
Percent Final Grade |
Your Scores |
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Essay
1 |
15% |
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Essay
2 |
15% |
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Essay
3 Essay
4 (Final) Pre-writing
and Group Work (all essays) Draft
(all essays) Revision
(all essays) Handbook
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15% 15% 10% (2 discretionary) 10% (2 discretionary) 10% (2 discretionary) 10% (2 discretionary) |
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100% |
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Grading Scale (%) |
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90-100 |
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A |
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80 - 89 |
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B |
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70 - 79 |
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C |
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60 - 69 |
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D |
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0 - 59 |
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F |
Your mid-term grade is an indicator
of progress and will be based on your success in completing two essays
assignments and associated pre-writing activities and group work, drafts,
revisions, and Handbook exercises.
Grades
of "Incomplete": An
incomplete grade may be given when accident, illness, death in the immediate
family, or other documented circumstances beyond your control prevent you from
completing some course requirements. An incomplete grade will be considered
only when you have satisfied the majority of course requirements. An incomplete
grade must be removed within six weeks after the first day of the next term
(fall, spring, summer) of the semester in which it was received; otherwise, the
grade will be recorded as "F."
Policies
Attendance: English
104 has an attendance policy. If you
miss more than six class periods during the semester, you will receive an F in
the course. You must obtain written verification from the
faculty/staff/supervisor of the event before you will be excused for acting as
an official representative of the university. You will still be expected to log
in to WebCT and complete required assignments daily; late essays will be
accepted only in the event of a clearly documented emergency. You will be permitted a maximum of five
absences before the midterm report. When
you have six absences, you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office and
automatically withdrawn from this class.
Civility and Cooperation: You are expected to help create and
maintain good conditions within the learning environment. Please arrive on time
for all class meetings. Habitually disturbing the class by talking, arriving
late, etc., will result in a
significant reduction in your final grade (up to 8 points, or almost a complete
letter grade). Please silence any mobile devices and refrain from using them
while in class. Please consult your Student Handbook.
Disability:
Should you have a disability that will affect your success in this
course, you will need to contact Disability
Services in Eder Hall, Room 203N (816.271.4330). You should also contact me
personally to discuss class requirements.
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. You
should be aware that WebCT will check all your submitted work for evidence of
plagiarism. Plagiarism is the uncredited use (both intentional and
unintentional) of somebody else's words or ideas. If you’re unsure how to
recognize plagiarism in your work, you
should log on and complete the Plagiarism Tutorial found on the Companion Web http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/theguide8e/Player/Index.asp.
Violations of academic
honesty will result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course,
or expulsion from school. Please consult your Student
Handbook.
Academic
Calendar:
Fall
2009
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Walk-In Registration |
August 18 |
Tues |
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Classes Begin |
August 24 |
Mon |
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Late Registration/Add
Period |
August 24-28 |
Mon-Fri |
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Last day to change
from “audit” to “credit” |
August 28 |
Fri |
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Withdrawal period
begins (“W” recorded on transcript) |
August 31 |
Mon |
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Labor Day (campus
closed) |
September 7 |
Mon |
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Last day to choose
A/CR/U (Pass/Fail) Option |
September 18 |
Fri |
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Mid-term break (no
classes) |
October 9 |
Fri |
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Mid-term grades due |
October 14 |
Wed |
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Spring advisement
begins |
October 28 |
Wed |
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Last day to withdraw
(“W” recorded on transcript) |
October 30 |
Fri |
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Last day to change
from “credit” to “audit” |
October 30 |
Fri |
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Deadline for Spring
graduation application |
November 1 |
Sun |
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Registration begins
for Spring |
November 2 |
Mon |
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Thanksgiving Holiday
begins (classes beginning after |
November 25 |
Wed |
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Classes resume |
November 30 |
Mon |
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Last day of classes |
December 4 |
Fri |
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Final Exams |
December 5-11 |
Sat-Fri |
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Commencement |
December 12 |
Sat |
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Final grades due |
December 15 |
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You should consider the following
weekly schedule a tentative plan for meeting the requirements of this course.
You are expected to meet deadlines, to post assignments, to work with groups in
class, and to demonstrate your overall seriousness and commitment to improving
your writing during this semester.
Weekly Schedule
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Assignment
1: Remembering an Event 16-71 |
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Week 1 |
Aug. 24, 26,28 |
Course introduction: Syllabus, The Writing Guide, WebCT, Handbook, and Companion Web Discover Familiarize yourself with the
e-book http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/theguide8e.ph. Read 17-38, including “Calling Home” and “American
Childhood” (22-24). Review Writing Assignment
“Remembering an Event” (43) and Color-Coded Menu (42). |
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Week 2 |
Aug. 31, Sept. 2, 4 |
Read “Cueing the Reader” (610-624),”
Narrating” (625-638), “Describing” (639-649). Complete Pre-writing (43-82)
including Outlining by end of day September 2. Bring printed copy of completed
prewriting to class to share with group. Group response due by Sept. 4. |
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Week 3 |
Sept. 7 (Labor
Day), 9,11 |
Draft of “Remembering
Event” due posted by class period Sept. 9. Bring printed copy to class for
sharing. Complete critical reading of draft
by Sept. 11. |
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Week 4 |
Sept. 14,16,18 |
Revised draft of “Remembering
Event” due by class period Sept. 14. Bring printed copy to class for sharing. Final Essay 1 due Sept. 18. |
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Assignment
2: Interpreting Stories 514-568 |
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Week 5 |
Sept 21,23,25 |
Read Sally Crane interpretive
essay (532-534) and one other Reading (516-539). Review Writing Assignment (543)
and Color-Coded Menu (542). Read “A Catalog of Invention
Strategies” (570-608). |
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Week 6 |
Sept. 28, 30, Oct. 2 |
Complete Pre-writing (543-568) by
Sept. 30. Bring pinted copy of completed prewriting to class to share with
group. Attend
Convocation: Oct. 1 Group response due by Oct. 2. . |
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Week 7 |
Oct. 5,7, 9 (Mid-term Break) |
Draft of “Interpreting Stories” due posted by class period Oct. 5. Bring printed copy to class for sharing. Complete critical reading of draft
(555-556) by class period Oct. 7. |
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Week 8 |
Oct. 12,14,16 |
Revision of
“Interpreting Stories” due Oct. 12. Bring printed copy
to class for sharing. Mid-term grades reported on Oct.
14. Final Essay 2 “Interpreting Stories” due Oct. 16. |
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Assignment
3: Writing Profiles 72-133 |
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Week 9 |
Oct. 19, 21,23 |
Read Brian Cable (76-79) and one
other Profile (75-98). Review Writing Assignment (103)
and Color-Coded Menu (102). |
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Week 10 |
Oct. 26,28,30 |
Complete Pre-writing (103-133) by Oct.
28. Bring printed copy of completed prewriting to class to share with group. Group response due by Oct. 30. |
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Week 11 |
Nov. 2,4,6 |
Draft of “Writing
Profiles” due by beginning of class Nov. 2. Bring printed copy to class for
sharing. Complete critical reading of draft
by class period November 4. |
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Week 12 |
Nov. 9,11,13 |
Revision of “Writing
Profiles” due Nov. 9. Bring printed copy to class for sharing. Final Essay 3 “Writing
Profiles” due posted Nov. 13. |
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Assignment
4: Explaining a Concept134-190 |
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Week 13 |
Nov16,18,20 |
Read Linh Kieu Ngo (137-140) and
one other Profile (75-98). Review Writing Assignment (167)
and Color-Coded Menu (166). |
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Week 14 |
Nov. 23, 25, 27 |
Complete Pre-writing by Nov. 25
(165-179). Bring printed copy of completed prewriting to class to share with
group. Read “Acknowledging Sources” MLA
(738-763). |
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Nov. 30, Dec. 2, 4 |
Draft of “Explaining
a Concept” due by beginning of class period on Nov. 30. Bring printed copy to
class for sharing. Complete critical reading of draft
by class period Dec. 2. Revision of
“Explaining a Concept” due Dec. 4. Bring printed copy to class for sharing. |
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Dec. 11 Final Exams |
Final Essay 4 “Explaining a Concept” due posted on Dec. 11. |
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Dec. 15 Grades Due |
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