North Central Texas College Course Syllabus Summer II 2019

Course:   ENGL 1302.325    (Composition II)

Instructor: Danielle Wagner  (Searles)                       

Office: Virtual

Email: dsearles@nctc.edu or through Canvas

 Office Hours: Thursdays: 8-10 pm

Feel free to ask questions anytime via  email/Canvas message. We can also connect through conferences in Canvas if you would like to speak in person.

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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. [Rev. Fall 2012 THECB] Prerequisite:  English 1301 or its equivalent.

Textbooks & Materials: Joining the Conversation by Michael Palmquist and Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist by Paul Kingsnorth

COURSE POLICIES

Grading Policies:

• Weekly Writing Activities (25%): Students will be assigned discussions and reflection writings each week.
• Evidence of Writing Process, Quizzes (10%): Quizzes will be available until the assigned due date and cannot be made up. For major assignments, you will be required to show evidence of the writing process by presenting rough drafts and completing peer reviews. If you do not show evidence of the writing process, I will not evaluate your work.
• Collaborative Project (10%): Students will be assigned small groups to complete a project during the second week of the term. Each group member will receive an individual grade for his/her contributions to the project and the quality of the submission.
• Literary Analysis (15%): A major essay assignment; rough draft and peer reviews will be required as part of the process. The essay  will be submitted to  a drop box  connected to Vericite to check for plagiarism.
• Annotated Bibliography (10%): will be assigned as part of the process of writing the documented research paper.
• Documented Research Paper (30%): The research paper will require use of scholarly sources, submission of an annotated bibliography, and rough draft. The essay  will be submitted to  a drop box  connected to Vericite to check for plagiarism.

Late Work:

• All assignments are due by 11:59pm. If you upload an assignment to the drop box and it reads LATE, the assignment will not be accepted for credit and will receive a 0.
• All students get ONE extension on an assignment. No penalties, no questions asked. If you need an extension on an assignment, you must email to let me know which assignment, AND you MUST schedule your own due date so that I can open up the assignment for you. You tell me when you will complete and submit the assignment. If you miss your own deadline, the assignment will be given a 0. The last day that I will accept an assignment with an extension is 8/12. You only get one extension, so save it for when you might really need it.

Revision and Extra Credit Opportunities:

• Revision Opportunities will be given.
• Students may earn extra credit on the literary analysis and documented research paper by working with a writing tutor on campus (please provide documentation) or by scheduling a virtual conference to work with me on a draft. No other extra credit will be given.

Policy for Technical Problems

If you experience technical problems (such as a computer crash during a quiz or problems with submitting an assignment), send an email to the instructor immediately. (If Canvas is unavailable, send the email to dsearles@nctc.edu). Describe as specifically as possible what you were doing when you experienced the problem. Include any error messages that appear, and attach your completed assignment if you are unable to submit to the drop box.

All major writing assignments are required.  If you fail to turn in one of the major tasks, you cannot pass the course. I reserve the right to administratively drop any student who does not submit all major assignments.

ANY MISSING WORK WILL BE AVERAGED AS A ZERO

Online Dropbox

When you submit an assignment to a Canvas drop box:

• You must verify that your assignment uploaded and actually appears in the drop box. It would also be a good idea to make sure you uploaded the correct file. "I thought I submitted my paper" will not work as an excuse for missing assignments.

Attendance Policies:

Attendance, in both online and face-to-face courses, is required.  Because this course progresses very quickly, I reserve the right to block students who fail to complete assignments for more than one week. Students who are blocked MUST contact the registrar's office and withdraw from the course, or they will receive a semester grade of F. Logging into the course, submitting writing assignments, and participating in discussions counts as your attendance in the course.

LEARNING OUTCOMES AND CORE OBJECTIVES

Learning Outcomes. Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes.
2. Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic arguments, including one or more research-based essays.
3. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence.
4. Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief or action.
5. Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (e.g., APA, CMS, MLA, etc.) [Rev. 8-2012 THECB]

Foundational Component Area:  Communication

Core Objectives. 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.

• 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 [Rev. 5-2014 THECB]

Institutional Learning Goals. A quality general education curriculum in all associate degree programs.

• Quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences which parallel the lower division offerings of four-year colleges and universities.
• Quality technical programs leading directly to careers in semi-skilled and skilled occupations, and quality technical education programs up to two years in length leading to certificates and associate degrees.
• Quality programs and services in support of adult literacy and basic skills development as a mean of workforce enhancement and expanding access to higher education.

Course Type: Academic General Education Course (from Academic Course Guide Manual but not in NCTC Core). Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course. WECM Course

Program Purpose Statement. NCTC seeks to implement its goal of providing quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences that parallel the lower division offerings of four-year colleges and universities by offering a coherent sequence of courses with appropriate breadth and depth to prepare a student for transfer to a university.

Departmental Purpose Statement. The Department of English, Speech, and Foreign Language provides quality instruction to students pursuing their academic and career goals.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

College Attendance Policy: Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgment by the faculty member. Approved college-sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. A student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon the recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered adequate cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Disability Accommodations: North Central Texas College does not discriminate on the basis of disability for admission or access to its programs. The College is committed to providing equal access to its students with disabilities by providing appropriate accommodations; a variety of services and resources are made available through the ACCESS Department. Students are responsible for notifying the ACCESS Department of their need for assistance. Students with documented disabilities, such as mobility impairment, hearing or visual impairment, learning, and psychological disorders are eligible for services.

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. A disability is anything that can interfere with learning, such as a learning disability, psychological challenge, physical illness, or injury. Accommodations may include extra time on tests, tests in a distraction-reduced environment, volunteer note taker in class, etc.

On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 in the Administration Building (100) or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209 to arrange for an intake appointment with OSD.

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/student-services/disability-services/index.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

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.

Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Veterans Services: The Financial Aid Office is responsible for administering a variety of programs for students who need assistance in financing their education.  The first step for financial aid is to complete a FAFSA.  For more information, please visit your nearest Financial Aid Office: http://www.nctc.edu/financial-aid/index.html.

Last day to Withdraw: Last day to drop a class with grade of “W” is  August 3rd.

Scholastic Integrity – Plagiarism: 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, #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 the planned action to his Department Chair. The Department Chair shall report the incident and action to the 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.”

Plagiarism, which should be avoided at all costs, includes the following student actions:

1. Turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own;
2. 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;
3. Copying words, ideas, or images from someone without giving credit; Failing to put a quotation in quotations marks;
4. Giving incorrect information about the source of information, quotations, or images;
5. Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit;
6. 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.

Please be aware that I take plagiarism very seriously.  You may not have another person write, type, edit, or revise any parts of your Writing Assignments.  You may not use someone else’s Writing Assignment or buy one from a “professional” source.  You may not use the material on the internet or in print sources without documenting it.  Failure to follow the proper guidelines for documentation constitutes plagiarism. 

Considering the severity of the issue, if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding plagiarism, please consider this an open invitation to visit with me about the issue. If I discover that a student has committed intentional plagiarism, the Writing Assignment that has plagiarized materials will receive a zero, and I will recommend to the English Department Head that the student fails the course.

Student Rights & Responsibilities: NCTC Board policy FLB (Local) Student Rights and Responsibilities states that each student shall be charged with notice and knowledge of the contents and provisions of the rules and regulations concerning student conduct.  These rules and regulations are published in the Student Handbook published in conjunction with the College Catalog.  All students shall obey the law, show respect for properly constituted authority, and observe correct standards of conduct.

Student Success: The Student Success Center is designed to help all students at NCTC develop tools to achieve their academic goals.  This program also links students to FREE tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, and free 24/7 online tutoring and helps new students acclimate to college by providing computer lab services for prospective students.  All students are invited to visit the Student Success Center on the Corinth Campus, rooms 170, 182, or 188; on the Gainesville Campus, rooms 114 or 111; on the Flower Mound Campus, room 111; and on the Bowie Campus, room 124.

Tobacco-Free Campus. NCTC restricts the use of all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarettes, 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 of 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 or concerns, please contact the Office of Vice President of Student Services at 940-668-4240.