North Central Texas College
Course Syllabus Spring 2017
Course: Composition II ENGL 1302.504 MWF 12-12:50pm
Instructor: Danielle Searles
Office: 107
Email: dsearles@nctc.edu or through Canvas
Office Hours: MWF 8-9 AM, 2-3 PM, TR 12-3 by appointment
Course Description: Intensive study of and practice in the strategies and techniques for developing research-based expository and persuasive texts. Emphasis on effective and ethical rhetorical inquiry, including primary and secondary research methods; critical reading of verbal, visual, and multimedia texts; systematic evaluation, synthesis, and documentation of information sources; and critical thinking about evidence and conclusions.
Prerequisite: English 1301 or its equivalent.
Required Textbooks/Materials:
- Austin, Michael. Reading the World: Ideas that Matter, 3nd W.W. Norton, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-3939363-08
- Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say I Say, 3rd W.W. Norton, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-393-93584-4
Grading Criteria:
Major Essays 45% A= 90-100
Short Writing Assignments 25% B=80-89
Exams and Quizzes 20% C=70-79
Attendance/Participation 10% D=60-69
F=59 or below
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance: Attending class is mandatory. The college requires attendance be taken daily, and your attendance comprises a portion of your semester grade.
- To be counted as present and receive full points for the day, students must attend the entire class.
- Students who are absent will not receive attendance points for the day, even if the absence is excused.
- Students will lose attendance points for tardiness and/or leaving class.
- Students who miss more than two weeks of classes (6 days for MWF classes, 4 days for MW classes) may be dropped from the course. After the drop date, students who miss more than two weeks of class may receive an F in the course.
If you must be absent, you should:
- Make arrangements to submit any assignments due on the date of your absence. Late work will not be excused because of absence.
- Check Canvas to see what discussions/assignments/handouts you missed and what will be due the day you return
- Email me with any questions about the assignments/handouts posted to Canvas
Class Cancelations: Over the course of the semester, it may be necessary to cancel a class meeting due to bad weather or instructor illness. Any time class is canceled, I will send a class message through Canvas explaining how we will adjust our weekly schedule, due dates, and assignments. It is your responsibility to check Canvas for these instructions so that you will not be penalized for late work or missing work. Don’t assume an assignment is not due because class has been canceled.
Classroom Etiquette: Please conduct yourself as a professional in the classroom. Any disruptive or offensive behavior will result in immediate dismissal. Please also be aware that tardiness and/or leaving in the middle of class is disruptive. Cell phones will not be seen, used, or heard during class. Students who violate this policy will lose participation points and may be asked to leave class and marked absent for the day.
Email Etiquette: Email is an excellent way for us to communicate outside the classroom, and it provides you the opportunity to ask additional questions and turn in assignments when you can’t be in class. Given our academic environment, this form of communication should also be professional, so please observe the following rules:
- Include a greeting (such as Ms. Searles, or Instructor,) and a signature—make sure you sign your email with your full name.
- Write complete, coherent sentences so that I know who you are, what class you are in, and what you need
- Please allow up to 24 hours for me to respond to your questions.
Grading:
- Short Writing Assignments must be submitted at the beginning of class unless otherwise specified. Students will have the option of submitting to an online drop box in Canvas OR handing in a printed copy of the assignment unless otherwise specified.
- Exams and Quizzes take home quizzes, pop quizzes, and the final exam CANNOT be made up. Students may make up ONE exam by scheduling an appointment at the testing center within a week of the original testing date. Any other missed exams cannot be made up.
- Major Essays must be submitted to an online drop in Canvas by a designated time in one of the accepted file formats (pdf, doc, docx, rtf). No other submission type will be accepted.
- Attendance/Participation includes attendance (points will be deducted for tardiness, absences, and disruptive behavior), in-class activities, and in-class writings. Participation Activities CANNOT be made up. The 1-2 lowest participation activity grades will be dropped at the end of the semester.
Online Drop Box: All writing assignments will be connected to a drop box in Canvas where students may submit their work for grading. For major essay assignments, submission to the drop box is required; for short writing assignments, submission to the drop box will be optional and can take the place of handing in a printed copy. When you submit an assignment to a Canvas drop box:
- The file you upload must be in one of the following formats: rtf, doc, docx, pdf. No other file type will be accepted
- You must verify that your assignment uploaded and actually appears in the drop box
Late Work: Students may submit ONE writing assignment (short writing OR major essay, NOT both) late—no questions asked, no penalty. This is your one freebie. NO OTHER LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Any assignment not handed in or submitted to the drop box by the designated time is considered late—even if it is only one minute, late is late.
Revision and Extra Credit Opportunities:
- Students may revise any major essay for a higher grade IF it was submitted on time. Those who are eligible for revision must complete all revision guidelines within the specified time frame for their work to be considered for a higher grade.
- Students may earn extra credit on every major essay assignment by scheduling an appointment with a writing tutor or with me to go over their rough draft. No other extra credit will be given during the semester
ANY MISSING WORK WILL BE AVERAGED AS A ZERO
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism, which should be avoided at all costs, includes the following student actions:
- Turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own;
- Unintentionally or inadvertently turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own as the result of failing to document sources both internally and in the Works Cited;
- Copying words, ideas, or images from someone without giving credit; Failing to put a quotation in quotations marks;
- Giving incorrect information about the source of information, quotations, or images;
- Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit;
- Copying so many words, ideas, or images from a source that it makes up the majority of the student's work, whether or not the student gives credit.
Plagiarism on any assignment in ENGL 1302 will result in a zero grade on the assignment and potentially one or more of the following penalties: failing grade for the course, removal from the course, and academic dishonesty report filed with the college.
- DO NOT submit an essay for this class that you have submitted/are submitting for another class. Please check with me and your other instructor before writing an essay on the same topic to receive guidelines. Duplicate essays will be treated as plagiarism.
Last Day to Withdraw: April 6th is the last day to withdrawal with a “W”
IMPORTANT STUDENT INFORMATION
Disability Services (OSD)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx
Support Services
Counseling and Testing staff offer a variety of services to current and prospective students, such as College 101, placement testing, academic advising and course registration, transfer assistance, and College Success seminars (Time Management, Study Skills, Test Anxiety, Choosing a Major, Learning Style Strategies, Career Exploration), and much more. http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/CounselingTesting.aspx
Student Success offers academic coaching, tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, free 24/7 online tutoring through Grade Results and assist new students acclimate to college by providing computer lab services for prospective students. First generation students can also participate in TRIOwhich offers specialized support services.
http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices.aspx
Financial Aid offers financial resources for students that qualify, visit the financial aid offices for more information. http://www.nctc.edu/FInancialAidHome.aspx
Tobacco-Free Campus: NCTC restricts the use of all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco on campus property. NCTC is aware that tobacco use influences underage students which cumulates unsightly tobacco litter and interferes with assuring clean air for all who come to NCTC. NCTC recognizes the health hazards of tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke. Information on a tobacco cessation program is available for students, faculty, staff who wish to stop using tobacco products. We would like to “thank you” for your help in making our campuses tobacco free. For questions and concerns please contact the Office of the Vice President of Students Services at 904.668.4249.
EEOC Statement: North Central Texas College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability in the employment or the provision of services.
Scholastic Integrity: Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. See Student Handbook “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct [FLB- (LOCAL)]” #18. Disciplinary Actions [Student Handbook, p. 164, #5] “When cheating, collusion, or plagiarism has occurred beyond any reasonable doubt, the instructor may give the student or students involved an “F” on a particular assignment or in the course. [See Scholastic Dishonesty FLB (Local)] The instructor shall make a written report of the incident and of the planned action to his Department Chair. The Department Chair shall report the incident and action to appropriate instructional dean who shall review the case, notify the student and, if necessary, take further action. This may involve either probation or suspension of the student or students in question. If such disciplinary action is deemed necessary, the Dean of Student Services shall be notified, and the action shall be taken through that office.”
Units of Study:
Students will read and analyze a variety of selections from the adopted textbook.
- Block II: Quizzes, Examination, and Final Exam
Students may be required to take quizzes or tests over assigned readings and/or related materials. The class MUST meet during final exam week.
Students will write a minimum of 5,000 words (20 pages) in a variety of compositions—formal and informal. As part of this required writing, students will produces a minimum of four graded assignments. At least two of these must use the complete writing process, which may consist of the following: Invention, Drafting, Peer Review, Revision, Final Draft.
- Block IV: Grammar and Mechanics
Students will study grammar and mechanics in the adopted handbook in order to meet departmental standards. This study may be done by examination of units in the handbook or through writing as a process, according to the discretion of the instructor.
Students will utilize library and electronic resources. They will submit a written assignment, such as an annotated bibliography, a documented essay, or several short compositions using MLA style documentation. Pages generated as part of this research block are included in the required writing in Block III.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes.
- Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic arguments, including one or more research-based essays.
- Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence.
- Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief or action.
- Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (e.g., APA, CMS, MLA, etc.)
Foundational Component Area: Communication
Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
Core Objectives:
- *Critical Thinking Skills (CT)- to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
- *Communication Skills (COM)- to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
- *Teamwork (TW)- to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
- *Personal Responsibility (PR)- to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making
SEMESTER OVERVIEW
*For a detailed list of what readings/assignments are due for each class meeting, please check Canvas for schedules every week.
All Core Objectives and Learning Outcomes will be met by weekly discussions, assessments, and assignments.
Week 1-6 Education
Readings and Discussion Topics
Introduction to Course, Discuss Syllabus
They Say/I Say Chapter 14: What’s Motivating this Writer?
They Say/I Say Chapter 1: Starting With What Others Are Saying
They Say/I Say Chapter 2: The Art of Summarizing
They Say/I Say Chapter 3: The Art of Quoting
Reading the World Chapter 9: Reading Ideas
“The Banking Concept of Education” by Paolo Freire
“Knowledge its Own End” by John Henry Newman
“Learning to Read” by Frederick Douglass
“Education for Profit, Education for Democracy” by Martha Nussbaum
“On Liberal and Vocational Studies” by Seneca
MLA Formatting and Documentation Review
Assignments
*Participation Activities—discussion questions, revision
*Short Writing Assignments—summary and response, synthesis
*Exam over readings and key writing concepts
*Major Essay 1—Rough Draft, Revision Draft, Final Draft
Weeks 7-11 Equality
Readings and Discussion Topics
They Say/I Say Chapter 4: Three Ways to Respond
They Say/I Say Chapter 5: Distinguishing What you Say from What They Say
Reading the World Chapter 14: Incorporating Ideas
They Say/I Say Chapter 7: Saying Why it Matters
“Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor” by Garrett Hardin
“Rent Seeking and the Making of an Unequal Society” by Joseph Stiglitz
“Equality” by Simone Weil
“Economic and Moral Progress” by Mohandas Gandhi
“To Those Who Fear Want” by Epictetus
Assignments
*Participation Activities—discussion questions, revision
*Short Writing Assignments—synthesis and argument
*Exam over readings and key writing concepts
*Major Essay 2—Rough Draft, Revision Draft, Final Draft
Weeks 11-16 Warfare
“from Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbs
“Warfare: An Invention—Not a Biological Necessity” by Margaret Mead
“What is a Just War” by Jean Bethke Elshtain
“The Unsurrendered People” by Kenzaburo Oe
“War Memoir” by Marevasei Kachere
Assignments
*Participation Activities—discussion questions, revision
*Short Writing Assignments—Synthesis and Argument
*Exam over readings and key writing concepts
*Major Essay 3—Rough Draft, Revision Draft, Final Draft
FINAL EXAMS MAY 8TH-11TH