BASIC WRITING

ENG 108-10 -- FALL 1998

SYLLABUS

Instructor: Richard Varron                                                                        Phone: 973-720-3307
Section: ENG108-10                                                                                Time: MW  3:30-4:45
Room:  M R210 / W R1     (Y 125)                                                           Mailbox: Atrium
Office Hours: MW 12:00-1:00 (College Hall 220) also by appointment
Office: Information Systems (College Hall 220)

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E-Mail:                      rich@wpc.wpunj.edu
E-Mail for Papers:  varronr@gw.wpunj.edu
Forums:                    ENG 108-10 FORUMS CONFERENCE
Reading and Writing Assignments
Additional Source Material
new_tiny.gif (189 bytes)In order to make it easier to print out the asignments, I put the assignments and additional readings on a seperate page. Follow the links above to read the assignment/source material.

  1. Deadlines to Drop Course
  2. Texts
  3. Class Policies
  4. E-Mail, Forums, Listservers and Other Electronic Media
  5. Reading and Writing Assignments
  6. Additional Material
  7. Grading
  8. General Guidelines For Typing Papers
  9. Plagiarism
  10. Academic Integrity Policy

Deadlines to Drop Course

9/9/98               100% refund
10/8/98            50% refund
10/22/98          last day to drop class

Texts 

Against the Current, Annas & Rosen Eds., 1998.
Readings From the Internet

Class Policies

The goal in this course is to explore different modes of writing that you will need to master in order to enhance your success in college as well as develop links between writing and other academic areas such as History, Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, Politics and Statistics.
 
In order to make it easier for you to revise your papers frequently, both in this course as well as your other courses, you will be expected to learn to use a word processing program. Drafts of your papers must be handed in at the time your papers are handed in. PAPERS MUST BE TYPED TO BE GRADED.
 

ATTENDANCE:

Since you will be working in small groups and critiquing each other's papers, on time attendance and participation is mandatory. 6 absences will result in a grade of "F" at the discretion of the instructor. Your computer disks, textbook, journal and writing assignments are an integral part of your attendance and class participation. Not being prepared for class will result in a lost of your class grade for the day (an absence).  Game playing, non-class related discussions or other disruptive behavior will result in lost of class participation grade (an absence) for that day.

GRADING:

There will be 6 formal, TYPED papers to be handed in. Late papers will lower your  grade. Papers that are more than 2 classes late will receive an F.  (Extensions will be granted if more time is needed to improve a paper; however, a completed draft must be handed in or E-mailed at the time the assignment is due. It is up to YOU to contact me in a timely manner if there is a problem in getting the papers in on time.) Plagiarism, Collusion, and/or Cheating will result in an "F" for the assignment and/or the course. Returned papers may be revised once. At the end of the semester, you will be required to hand in your essays along with any revisions.

GRADES:

P, N or F. You must get a grade of P or better to pass the course. This means that you must receive a passing grade on all your papers and other assignments AND pass the Basic Skills test. In the event of a borderline score on the Basic Skills test, attendance may be used as a factor in the determination of the final grade.
 

E-JOURNAL:

As part of this course, you will be required to participate in an electronic journal. At least once a week, you will submit your reactions in the class FORUM on essays we read in class, papers from other students or reactions to other events that your would like to share. The information in FORUMS is available to all in the class. If you want to address one or more people individually, you can also send them an E-mail message. This method of responding will allow you to share your ideas with other in a written form and give you a chance to get feedback to your comments and questions. E-mail is available from almost any campus computer open to students.

If there are extenuating circumstances for absences or late papers, the reason should be submitted in a well written formal E-mail message as soon as is feasible. Requests for extensions on papers should be made via E-mail prior to the due date outlining the reasons for the extension and including what work has been done thus far. In addition to writing practice, this will provide you with the communications skills needed in today's business world by having you present your concerns and requests in writing. As in any business situation, how you state your case will have an effect on whether or not your request will be granted. As in business, there will be times when you need to call because of time constraints and then follow up in writing. Verbal request must be followed up in writing.

 
If there are any problems with getting an assignment done or any other complications during the semester, feel free to either see me before class or call me.

E-MAIL, FORUMS AND OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIA

FORUMS

The class will be using a product called FORUMS. This product allows you to use a net browser such as NETSCAPE or INTERNET EXPLORER to read and post messages to various class forums. A forum is an organized discussion on a specific topic within a conference. Within a forum, there are various threads or subtopics. It will be possible to organize a forum on a particular paper, a specific problem  anything else related to class. It should also be possible to post your papers for others to review. As a general rule, the FORUMS are not restricted to members of the class.

Other sources of information: On NETSCAPE / WWW, WPUNJ has a home page at  http://www.wpunj.edu. It has information on E-mail, campus events and much more such as other listservers that may be of interest to you either for this course or other courses that you are taking.
 

What is the purpose of using E-mail in a Writing course? The first goal is to get people to discuss writing outside of a formal class setting. This will help you to get questions answered either by me or one of your classmates rather than having to wait until the next class. Instead of the traditional journal, you as a class are writing a journal. This allows you to work as part of a group even when you are not physically together. Second, though the use of electronic searching, you may be able to find more recent information or find information quicker. You will also be able to discuss questions you might have with students at other colleges. Third, it is a way for me to get feedback and to offer suggestions. It also gives me a chance to answer questions that come up in class or add something. Lastly, I work in College Hall as a programmer in the Office of Information Systems / Planning, Research and Evaluation. It is a long trip; with E-mail, I can answer questions whether I am in my office, on campus or home. At the same time, if you are someplace where you have INTERNET access (such as an off campus library), you can do the same.
 

 
 

The 6 thematic papers will allow you to expand on some of the ideas you come across in your readings. They will focus in on narration, description, argument, definition and comparison/contrast essays.  While I may give specific assignments, feel free to discuss any other ideas that you might have for a paper with me.
 

 
 

GRADING  

Electronic Journals     10%                 Basic Skills Test 40%
Class Participation     10%                 6 Papers          40%

       Papers for which earlier drafts / outlines / notes are not available may be rejected for grading. 

   

                                     GRADES

            PASSING

  • 6 Paper well above average; clear focus with several sub points well developed; no mechanical mistakes.
  • 5 Papers above average; clear focus; well developed; may lack some development of subpoints; few if any mechanical mistakes.
  • 4 Average papers; generally focused and developed in terms of the main point; subpoints not developed.
                                                  NON-PASSING
  • RD (non-passing grade) Paper needs to be revised and developed.
  • RM (non-passing grade) Paper needs to be revised and have mechanical mistakes corrected.
  • RR (non-passing grade) Paper should be rethought out from scratch.
  • N (non-passing grade) All work handed in, but not satisfactory to pass course.
  • F (non-passing grade) Plagiarized paper, handing in work done for another class, 6 or more absences, failure to turn in work, copying assignments (including journals, cheating or any other violation of the Academic Integrity Policy (see attached or Student Handbook pp. 28-30).

 
In order to pass ENG 108, you need to earn a grade of P.

  

The reason I require drafts to be available is that in the past students have had others write their papers for them or make substantial corrections. I want to be able to see what you are going at each stage of the writing process.

As I said on the first page, if you run into any kind of problems, please let me know and we can sit down and go over them. While I will generally go by the guidelines in the syllabus, I will look at individual problems on a case by case basis. The fact that I give one person some latitude does not mean anyone else is entitled to it since each person's situation is unique.

General Guidelines For Typed Papers

Before handing in your work, make sure you proofread your papers and spellcheck them.

Your last name should be in the top right hand corner along with the page number (except for the first page). There should be a one inch margin on all sides. The cover sheet should have the title in the middle of the page and your name, course/section, instructor's name and date in the lower right hand column.

Papers should be double spaced. There should be no additional space between paragraphs. The title of your paper should not be underlined or put in quotes; however, if it contains a book or poem, these should be quoted or underlined as required. Text references generally have the form of (author pages) or (author lines) in the case of poetry [or just (pages) or (lines) if the work is mentioned in the paragraph]. It is not necessary to include the course text in your work cited for this class, but you are required to site quotes and paraphrases that you use in your papers.

While assignments may vary, your papers should contain citations from the texts to support your arguments. Papers which lack citations are usually not specific enough while papers with too many (or long) quotes/citations without adequate explanation do not allow you to express your own views. Make sure that quotes relate to the points that you are making If you are not sure of what a quote means, leave it out; don't expect your reader to understand something that you are not clear about.

READ CAREFULLY

 
 
 

Plagiarism is trying to pass off someone else's work as your own without proper citation. This includes not only paraphrasing material from outside sources without citation but also includes using words and phrases from your sources without using quotation marks in your paper, even with citations. It includes taking ideas from sources without attribution (including a classmate's paper). It also includes copying from your source by changing a few words here and there. Either put what you want to say in your own words or use direct quotes. In all respects, your paper should be your own voice except where you have indicated that you have incorporated ideas from others. Remember, it is not improper to use outside sources-- in fact it is frequently a good idea to do so-- as long as you clearly indicate what are your ideas and what are the ideas of others. 

If you work with a classmate on a paper, put both your names on both papers to indicate the collaboration. If only part of the paper was worked on jointly, then cite those parts. Not only is this the correct thing to do, but it avoids the problem of who was/were the original writer(s) when, by sharing ideas, you come up with a paper that is similar to someone else's. In any event, both papers should be distinct with each writer contributing his or her own ideas. (i.e.. if two people are working on an assignment, the ideas may be similar, but the papers should be written by each person.) Papers which are in whole or substantially identical will both receive an "F" since they are plagiarized unless there is proper citations. 

If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism or what you need to avoid it, make sure you ask or put a note on your paper. 

Why is plagiarism frowned upon? The reason is that you are submitting work that was done by others and handing it in to be graded as you own work. In addition, it is not fair to the people that do their own work. The minimum penalty is an F on the paper. Subsequent violations may result in an "F" for the course. (See Student Handbook for College policy.) 

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