NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
PONDER HIGH SCHOOL
ENGL-1302-0866 | COMPOSITION II | CHRISTOPHER HAROLD, M.A.
Course Title: Composition II
Course prefix, number: ENGL-1302-0866
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2025
Semester start and end dates: 21 January - 17 May 2025
Modality: Face to Face
Class meeting location, days, and times: Ponder H.S. | Room 219 | M-F
Semester credit hours: 3
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.
Course prerequisites: ENGL-1301
Required course materials: All texts will be provided online.
Name of instructor: Christopher Harold, M.A. Office location: Room 219
Telephone number: (940) 479-8210
E-mail address: charold@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: T-Th 4:00-4:30 P.M.
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER:
I reserve the right to change this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and in writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
List of graded assignments:
MLA Compositions: 60% | Canvas Discussions | 25% Quizzes 15% = 100%
Final grade scale: A (90-100) | B (80-89) | C (70-79) | D (60-69) | F (0-59)
Late work policy: I will deduct 10% for each additional day late after the due date.
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
COURSE POLICIES:
Academic Integrity Policy:
Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and falsifying academic records. The Department of English expects its students to adhere to the college’s code of student conduct, as outlined in the Student Handbook. Plagiarism includes the following:
(1) Cheating: In English classes, cheating is defined as the appropriation, borrowing, theft, purchase, or obtaining by any means work composed by someone else and submitting it under one’s name;
(2) Insufficient Citation: Writing one’s paper but including passages copied exactly from the work of another (un/published, printed, electronic) without providing footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical notes that cite the source and quotation marks or block indentation to indicate precisely what has been copied
from the source.
(3) Patch Writing: This form of plagiarism entails the writing of passages that are not copied exactly but that have been borrowed from another source, with some changes. When following the language of a source text, students are expected to use fresh words and sentence structures. In short, if you have any questions about or problems with your writing or source material, please consult me BEFORE you submit the assignment for credit.
Attendance Policy: Ponder ISD Attendance Policy
Withdrawal Policy:
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official record date. The student’s responsible for initiating and completing a Withdrawal Request Form.
The last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is 4 April 2022.
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion, students will be able to:
- 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 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.)
COLLEGE POLICIES:
ADA Statement
North Central Texas College does not discriminate based on disability for admission or program access. The College is committed to providing equal access to its students with disabilities by providing appropriate accommodations; various services and resources are 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/or psychological disorders, are eligible for services.
Disability Accommodations
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) accommodates students with a documented disability. A disability can interfere with learning, such as a disability, psychological challenge, physical illness, or injury. Accommodations may include extra time on tests, tests in a distraction-reduced environment, volunteer note-taking in class, etc.
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/DisabilitiesFacultyResources.aspx
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, #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:
Turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own, including AI writing:
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 quotation 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 makes up most of the student's work, whether or not the student gives credit.
Please do not cheat on an assignment. Ever. If you are struggling, contact me, and we can work through any issue together. You've gained nothing even if you get away with it and fool me. Email me if you’re feeling the urge to cheat on any assignment, big or small.
EEOC Statement
North Central Texas College does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability in the employment or the provision of services.
Etiquette/Professionalism Policy
We will read material from a diverse group of thinkers and writers. There will be a constant sharing of ideas and values, many with which you may not agree. A polite debate is welcome and will be required from time to time. Insults and denigration of the ideas shared is not welcome and will not be tolerated. Any student who mocks, scoffs, or is aggressive in any way towards another student or I will be promptly dismissed, counted absent, and may not return to class until said student has experienced a conference with the chair of the Department of English, Speech, and Foreign Language and me. Please conduct yourself as a professional in our classroom. Consider your academic audience, purpose, and occasion at all times. Listen and be kind to one another.
Gender Identity
This course affirms people of all gender expressions and identities. Please let me know if you prefer to be called a different name than what is on the class roster. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records and so I may call you by your correct name and pronoun(s).
Support Services
Counseling and Testing staff offer a variety of services to current and prospective students, such as College 101, placement testing, academic advising, 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 and tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, and free 24/7 online tutoring through Grade Results. It also assists new students in acclimating to college by providing computer lab services for prospective students. First-generation students can also participate in TRIO, which offers specialized support services. http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices.aspx
Financial Aid offers financial resources for qualified students; visit the financial aid offices for more information. http://www.nctc.edu/FInancialAidHome.aspx
Early Alert/CARES
The NCTC Early Alert program has been established to assist students at risk of failing or withdrawing from a course. Your instructor may refer you to this program if you need to complete assignments, fail tests, are excessively absent, or have personal circumstances impacting your academic performance. If submitted as an Early Alert, you will be notified via your NCTC e-mail address and then contacted by a Counseling and Testing advisor or counselor to discuss possible strategies for completing your course successfully. The NCTC CARES (Campus Assessment Response Evaluation Services) Team addresses behavior that may be disruptive, harmful, or pose a threat to the health and safety of the NCTC community-such as stalking, harassment, physical or emotional abuse, violent or threatening behavior, or self-harm. As a student, you can report concerning behavior that could impact your safety or the safety of another NCTC student. Click the NCTC CARES Team logo posted on MyNCTC, or e-mail CARESTeam@nctc.edu. As always, if you feel an immediate threat to your safety or welfare (or to another student), please call 911 immediately.
Student Life!
At NCTC, we are working hard to provide fun opportunities for students to come together in a social setting with their classmates and other college community members. These opportunities include student organizations, student activities, leadership retreats, service-learning trips, intramural sports, outdoor pursuits, and everything else. It’s all aimed at providing a place for students at NCTC to learn and grow outside of the classroom. Contact Brisa Chavez in Room 173 (bchavez@nctc.edu) for more information. Get connected with Student Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram “lifeatnctc” or Snap Chat “lifeatnctc5.”
For Service-Learning Trip information, you can visit:
http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/StudentLifeHousing/ServiceLearning1.aspx
I reserve the right to change dates, assignments, and topics. Please note that I will only move things to benefit your hard work and needed extension of time, should that need arise.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations in the Student Handbook.
ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines concerning providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.
STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
Students should contact the instructor for any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty cannot resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the instructional dean.
