SYLLABUS

English 104, English Composition 2 

104-010, MWF, 1-1:50 PM, RB 106

Professor Michael Meyerhofer

The easiest way to reach me is via email (mrmeyerhofer@bsu.edu) with “English 104” in the subject line), but it is not the only way. You can also drop by my office (RB246) during my office hours (MW, 3 to 5 PM). When I am in my office, you can call me at 285-8573. If these mornings do not work, you are more than welcome to set up an appointment with me.

Required Texts/Materials:

The Wadsworth Guide to Research

Recommended Texts/Materials:

-A college dictionary (American Heritage, Oxford, or even Merriam Webster, available online at www.merriamwebster.com)

-A thesaurus (Roget’s, or Merriam Webster at www.merriamwebster.com)

-Ambition to improve as a writer, willingness to challenge your own ideas, a respectful attitude, a thick skin, and if at all possible, a sense of humor. 

Course Description & Goals:

Welcome to English 104! This is one of those rare college courses that incorporate elements of virtually all other disciplines! In other words, you are encouraged to bring your knowledge of other history, sociology, psychology, business (particularly business ethics), political science, art, creative writing, or other disciplines—not to mention your own unique backgrounds and experiences—into my classroom, so as to better enrich course discussions.

This course—built around the theme of defining and challenging one’s personal and cultural identity—applies the fundamentals of rhetoric to the critical thinking and research process. It introduces you to the methods of research and validating your sources; the rhetorical nature of research; and the elements, strategies, and conventions common to research writing, including visual as well as verbal organization of new knowledge.

At the completion of English 104, students should be able to achieve the following goals:

• Create and complete research projects. This involves generating a research question, engaging in critical/analytical reading, developing an argument with evidence collected from both primary and secondary research, and documenting sources appropriately.
• Align research questions with appropriate research methods.
• Employ critical thinking in evaluation, speculation, analysis, and synthesis required to evolve and complete a research project.
• Use a variety of strategies to gather and organize information appropriate for the context and persuasive to the intended audience.
• Use the university research library to forward their research agenda.
• Engage in collaborative research.
• Employ format, syntax, punctuation, and spelling appropriate to various rhetorical situations in a stylistically sophisticated manner.
• Collect, analyze, and organize research information in verbally and visually compelling ways.
• Take initiative for the development and completion of individual and joint research projects.

UCC Goals:
Through core curriculum courses, students will be able to:

• Engage in lifelong education by learning to acquire knowledge and use it for intelligent ends.
• Communicate at a level acceptable for college graduates.
• Clarify their personal values and be sensitive to those held by others.
• Recognize and seek solutions for the common problems of living by drawing on knowledge of historical and contemporary events and elements of the cultural heritage surrounding those events.
• Assess their unique interests, talents, and goals and choose specialized learning experiences that will foster their fulfillment.

GRADING:

Your final grade will be determined by your performance in the areas described below. I will assign plus/minus grades; the grading scale for this class is 93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 88-89 = B+; 83-87 = B; 80-82 = B-; 78-79 = C+; 73-77 = C; 70-72 = C-; 68-69 = D+; 63-67 = D; 60-62 = D-; 59 and below = F. There are 1,000 points possible in this class. The following letter grades equate with the following percentages:

A+ 98 B+ 88 C+ 78 D+ 68 F 50

A 95 B 85 C 75 D 65

A- 92 B- 82 C- 72 D- 62

ASSIGNMENTS:

Journal Activities & Quizzes (25%)

• Reading (and keeping up with assigned readings) is crucial to your success and development as a writer/critical thinker in college and beyond. These readings will introduce concepts essential to the class and provide examples of those concepts in practice. For every reading, you are required to submit a double-spaced, typed journal entry (two full pages unless otherwise specified) on the day that reading is to be discussed in class. I will accept journals either over email or printed. These readings can encompass your responses to the reading and/or your praise or criticism of the piece’s writing style. You should be prepared in class discussions to present and discuss at least part of your journal and/or a passage from the assigned readings with your peers. These journals will also give you something to talk about during discussion, so you won’t miss out on participation points. As for quizzes, I generally give these only when class discussions falter and I get the distinct impression that I’m talking to myself. In total, journals and quizzes are worth 200 points, or 20% of your final grade.

Major Projects (65%):

• Over the course of the semester, you will compose four major essays/projects. These projects will help you practice skills related to the rhetorical appeals as well as make you consider your audience, medium, and purpose. These can be either printed and turned in or emailed to me in doc or docx format. Detailed information on the specific requirements for each project can be found on the class blog, www.composition104.blogspot.com. Combined, the projects are worth 60% of your final grade, or 600 points on a 1,000-point scale.

Participation (10%):

• This is not a lecture-based course. Instead, this is a course based on writing, discussion, and revision. True, writing is often a solitary act, but we are also members of a community, so you must be prepared to participate actively and honestly in classroom discussions. You are not required to agree with all the opinions of your peers (or even your humble instructor) but hard work and a respectful attitude are required. Participation is worth 10%, or 100 points of your final grade.

Manuscript Guidelines:
All manuscripts must be printed on white paper in Times New Roman, 12-point font (or something similar), standard one inch margins (note: that may not be the default on your computer’s office program). Also, your manuscripts must be double-spaced and left-justified. Your essays should be page-numbered and stapled. Failure to staple your papers will annoy your instructor to no end (which is never a good idea). Title pages are not necessary. Instead, in an upper corner of the first page, please include this information:

Your name
Your section number
Meyerhofer
Date

If your essay does not follow these guidelines, I will deduct a letter grade from the assignment. You are also expected to follow the rules for Standard American English.

Classroom Etiquette:

Everyone is expected to treat others with respect and dignity, even in the most heated discussions, whether or not you agree with someone else’s opinion. As people, writers, learners, and teachers, we bring to class our varied experiences as well as our varied levels of expertise and knowledge; in order to build a strong community in the classroom, it is important that we respect these variations. The more we do this, the more we will learn from everyone. Your criticism regarding another’s writing and/or contribution during discussion must be constructive.

Also before class begins, turn off beepers, cell phones, iPods and Walkmans, and other noise-making devices. While in class, do not complete other homework, chat casually with neighbors, use email, sleep, make shadow puppets, or engage in any other distracting behavior. I reserve the right to ask students to leave class at any time; if you are asked to leave, you will be counted absent.


Participation and Attendance:

Since you signed up for this class, I expect you to be in class everyday, alive, awake, ready to write, read, talk, listen. But I understand that life happens outside of class as well. So, you have three free absences at your disposal for those days when life floods the system (i.e. illness, funerals, etc.). For each absence thereafter I will subtract half a letter grade from your final grade. I also expect you to be on time. If you are late (more than 5 minutes) you are counted as such. Being tardy three times counts as an absence.

Please note: English Department policy states that should you miss more than 20% of the class (the equivalent of about nine meetings in a MWF class, six in a TR class), you automatically fail. I will adhere to this policy. Also see “Classroom Etiquette” above.

Should something very serious keep you from attending class, please contact me as soon as possible and I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs!

Late Work:

In general, I do not accept late work without prior approval. I do understand that last-minute accidents and technological disasters happen, though. If you have a problem with turning in an assignment on time, let me know as soon as possible. Situation permitting, I may be able to allow you to turn your work in late for a point deduction.

Note: technology problems in general are not a valid excuse for late work. If your printer runs out of ink, bursts into flames, etc., use on at one of the many computer labs on campus (after you put the fire out). I also recommend you save your work in a variety of places should you lose your disc, should your hard drive crash, etc. If nothing else, email your work to yourself. If you’re not good with computers, let me know and I’ll try to help (although odds are, you’re better with computers than I am).


Plagiarism: If you do not know what plagiarism is, you can: a) talk to me; b) refer to the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student Academic Ethics Policy” in the student handbook, or; c) risk a failing grade. Plagiarizing constitutes an F in this class. It is a grave offense and one not to be taken lightly. Essentially plagiarism in this class most commonly includes the following: using someone else’s words without providing proper MLA citation, copying your paper off the internet (trust me; I’ve probably seen every paper you could copy), or having someone else to write your paper (which I’ll also catch, because the tone won’t match). If you’re having trouble with an assignment, don’t plagiarize; talk to me.

Unfortunately, each semester I catch a few people who simply cut and pasted large sections, or even a whole paper, off a web page. This is very risky and very stupid; it’s also VERY easy to catch!

This Syllabus…

...is a survival kit for your journey in this 104 course. In it, you can find everything from materials needed to assignments to be completed to my expectations of you. But know that parts of the syllabus and course, including the schedule, are subject to change to meet the needs of students in this class. And, remember, the best way to succeed in this class is to work hard, giving yourself ample time to read and write, and to be open to the possibilities and opportunities writing presents.


Special Needs:

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office hours and location are listed above.

What to Do If You Disagree with a Grade and/or Assignment:
If at any point you feel you deserve a higher grade on a paper, or you do not understand why I assigned a particular assignment, or you have some other sort of grievance or concern, the proper thing to do is to contact me right away! Don’t let it fester. Remember, if I don’t know about a problem, I can’t address it. Likewise, it will not hurt my feelings in any way if you approach me with such concerns so long as you maintain a respectful attitude.

AVAILABLE RESOURCES

The Library

• The libraries on campus are wonderful learning resources available to you. But they are not the only ones you have access to; with the help of the librarians, you can also borrow materials from other university libraries, like IU and Purdue, etc.

Computer Labs

• These labs are located across the campus. You can find all kinds of cool software on these computers and they provide access to software like Microsoft Word, printers, the internet, and your email account. Some are even open 24 hours. The bookstore also offers a great deal on software packages, like MS Office for $5 or thereabouts.

The Writing Center

• The Writing Center offers free writing feedback to all students at Ball State. Peer tutors can help students with many writing projects from essays to PowerPoint presentations to résumés, and at all stages from brainstorming to final drafts. Students can make an appointment for face-to-face tutoring at the main center (Robert Bell 291) or for an online session at http://writing.iweb.bsu.edu. You can also call them at 765-285-8387, or chat at AIM:bsuwritingcenter or email writing@bsu.edu.

Note: as a general rule, I offer extra credit for students who seek help from the Writing Center on major assignments, so long as they: 1) go to the Writing Center before the assignment is due, 2) take the session seriously, and 3) have the Writing Center notify me so I can apply extra credit to Gradebook.

Non-Academic Resources:

• The university provides health care, psychological counseling, legal aid, career counseling, and affirmative action and sexual harassment counseling through various offices on campus. Please take advantage of these services if you are in need. On that note, you are also encouraged to come see me if you are having troubles. I may be very busy, but I am always willing to try and assist you as best I can.

About Your Instructor:

• I've published three books and five chapbooks of poetry and have won quite a few national prizes. I also have a fantasy novel forthcoming. Feel free to swing by www.troublewithhammers.com and check out some of my work, if you’re bored.This is my seventh year as an Assistant Professor at Ball State University.Before this, I taught composition and creative writing at Southern Illinois University for four years.I’m the Poetry Editor for Atticus Review and I’ve also been a tutor, worked in a rehab center, flipped burgers, and built refrigerators in a factory (worst job ever). As my prior students can attest to, I believe very strongly in helping my students. So if you have questions or concerns, let me know!