English 100
Welcome to Western’s Writing Program. This sheet, along with your instructor’s syllabus, has been prepared to help
you understand what you’ll be doing in your English 100 class. You should read both sheets carefully.
Description of the Course
English 100, Introduction to Writing, is designed to provide you with a preview of the writing skills you’ll need to
successfully complete Western’s required writing courses and to do the writing expected of you in other classes.
The subject matter for your writing will be personal experience and observation. Many of the assignments will be
done in groups with peer discussion and editing. Other assignments will be based on class readings.
English 100 includes work with the process of writing, beginning with paragraph forms and building to longer,
multi-part essays. You’ll learn how to discover ideas to write about, how to organize your thoughts, and how to
revise and edit. You’ll have a chance to review elements of sentence construction, punctuation, usage, and
mechanics.
English 100 is required of all students placed in the course during orientation/registration. Students placed in 100 are
automatically blocked and cannot withdraw from the course without the permission of the Director of Writing. The
Director can unblock students if their instructors certify in writing that those students have made a good faith effort
to pass the class that semester. Once students are unblocked, they must still withdraw from the class on their own.
Course Objectives
English 100 will provide semester-long practice in:
1) Developing confidence as a writer
2) Discovering ideas for writing
3) Building an essay around a controlling idea
4) Developing your ideas in detail
5) Writing fully-developed and effective paragraphs
6) Writing full-length essays
7) Drafting different versions of paragraphs and sentences
8) Revising the content of essays
9) Using teacher and peer responses effectively
10) Editing and proofreading
11) Using conventions of Edited American English
University Writing Center
The University Writing Center offers students at any academic level collaborative, one-on-one consultation on
writing projects from any discipline at any point in the writing process. They have four writing centers open on the
Macomb campus for your convenience, and you can walk-in or call to make appointments: Malpass Library (2982815), Simpkins Hall (298-3512), Tanner (298-3477), and Bayliss / Henenger (298-3624). For more information,
visit the University Writing Center website at http://www.wiu.edu/university_writing_center/.
Grades
The grades given for English 100 are A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, or U. The grade of U carries no course credit and is
not included in the computation of Grade Point Average. If you receive a U in 100, you must repeat the course
before you can enroll in English 180. Past experience has demonstrated that students who earn a C or better in 100
will be more likely to succeed in later writing courses.
U Grades
Students who do not earn a passing grade (C or above) in ENG 100 will earn a U (unsatisfactory) grade. You will
earn no grade points or credits for a grade of U. However, the U grade is not a penalizing grade because it is not
calculated in grade point average (GPA).
The U grade reinforces our belief that writing is a process that requires considerable time and effort. We believe
students who attempt to do the work but fail to meet our standards should not be penalized, but should be permitted
to retake the course and continue to improve their writing abilities.
An incomplete grade may be given only when you fail to complete course requirements due to documented
circumstances beyond your control. The mere failure to complete an assignment does not justify the recording of an
incomplete, unless illness or other emergency is the cause.
Academic Dishonesty
Dishonesty of any kind with respect to examinations, course assignments, alteration of records, or illegal possession
of examinations shall be considered cheating. It is the responsibility of the student not only to abstain from cheating
but also to avoid making it possible for others to cheat. Any student who knowingly helps another student to cheat is
as guilty of cheating as the student he or she assists. The submission of the work of someone else as one’s own
constitutes plagiarism. Academic honesty requires that ideas or materials taken from another source for use in a
course paper or project be fully acknowledged. Multiple submissions, “when one intentionally or knowingly submits
substantial portions of the same academic work (including oral reports) for credit more than once without the
explicit authorization of both instructors,” are also a violation of the academic integrity policy. (See Student
Academic Integrity Policy in the University Policy Manual, http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php)
Final Examinations
The final examination is considered one of a course’s scheduled meeting periods. A course in which a final is not
given must still meet during this time. The final exam schedule for all courses is printed in the course schedule book
and on-line at http://www.wiu.edu/registrar/exams.php.
Attendance
All course work in the Department of English and Journalism involves a considerable amount of both reading and
writing outside of class, yet much of the learning occurs directly in the classroom. While out-of-class work involves
reading, working with texts, and writing, in-class work may include discussion, small group work, creative
exercises, and workshops. Such in-class work involves the productive exchange of ideas on which learning depends,
and thus this work cannot be “made up.”
In-class work, no matter what the form, prepares students for homework projects and papers. To work and read only
on one’s own outside of class and to miss in-class work is to miss preparation necessary to do well on assignments.
To sign up for a class and then not to attend is to risk failing the course and certainly to miss the most valuable part
of the educational experience.
Therefore, the Department of English and Journalism has approved the following:
The Department of English and Journalism supports the right of individual faculty members to penalize
students for attendance problems, provided the policy and penalties are described in the course syllabus.