`English 1102: Composition II

Spring 2015

CRN: 575Section B 114 Academic Building MWF 8:00-8:50 Blue

CRN: 578 SectionC 114 Academic Building MWF 9:00-9:50 Green

Dr. LaRonda Sanders-Senu
Office: 103G Academic Building
Office Hours: MW 10:00-12:00, TR 8:45-10:45
Phone: 678-359-5444
Email:
Website:

Welcome

Greetings and welcome to Composition II. If you take full advantage of this course, it can be of infinite value to you. No matter what your major or ultimate career plans, you will never be able to escape writing. Learning to present organized, well-reasoned arguments is a skill that will be of great benefit to you throughout your life. The ability to support arguments with thoughtful and thorough scholarship will also be beneficial in both your academic and professional careers. This course will involve a great deal of discussion, presentation of different perspectives, peer activities, reading, and research. Ultimately, it can be as enjoyable and beneficial as you make it. This is an environment where we will all learn from each other, and I am very excited about this semester.

Course Description

A composition course emphasizing interpretation and evaluation that incorporates a variety of advanced research methods

Course Objectives:

1.Students will be able to conduct independent research in a variety of disciplines and evaluate that research to produce informed, thoughtful contributions to scholarly and professional issues.

2.Students will be able to craft their writing to suit a variety of audiences and rhetorical purposes in both electronic and traditional formats.

3.Students will be able to apply critical thinking concepts such as inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, and moral reasoning to their own texts and to the texts of others.

4.Students will be able to analyze and evaluate their own texts and the texts of others for tone, style, purpose, audience, and errors of logic.

5.Students will be able to evaluate and synthesize a variety of primary and secondary resources with their own thinking to create structured, persuasive, and sustained arguments.

Prerequisite

In order to be eligible to enroll in English 1102, students must have been exempted from or earned at least a C in English 1101

Required Texts

Selected Texts on my website ( and Desire2Learnwill serve as texts. Students will be responsible for reading, printing out, and bringing to class material from either my website or Desire2Learn as indicated on the syllabus or by the instructor. I have not assigned a reading textbook for this class. This means that the material that is online is your textbook. If you will not be able to print out materials and bring them to class, this is not the course for you. I reserve the right to ask students to leave who do not have their reading material with them in class.

You will also need to purchase a folder with pockets that will be used to submit final papers and supplemental material.

Prentice Hall Reference Guide 9th Edition, Muriel Harris, Jennifer L. Kunka( Boston: Prentice Hall 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0-321-92131-4

Grading

General Scale

A = 100—90 B =89.9— 80 C = 79.9—70 D= 69.9—60 F = 59 and below*

Paper Scale

A = 95A- = 92 B+ = 88 B = 85 B- = 82 C+ = 78 C = 75 C- = 72 D+ = 68 D= 65 D- = 62

F = 58 and so on.

Homework and Class Work Grading Scale

√+ = A (100-90) √ = B (85) √- = C (75) √- - = D (65) NC= No Credit

Assignments

Paper One: In-Class Rhetorical Analysis / 10%
Paper Two: Historical Research Paper / 15%
Paper Three: In-Class Analysis of a Scholarly Text and Argument / 15%
Group Annotated Bibliography and Presentation / 15%
Paper Four: Argumentative Research Paper / 20%
Proposal and Annotated Bibliography / 10%
Participation, Homework, Class work, and Quizzes / 15%

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, I will only discuss grade information with students in person. Grades are calculated on a percentage basis. Therefore, it would be inaccurate for me to speculate about a student’s overall grade until the end of the semester. There is a worksheet on the website designed to help students to estimate their own grades. Also, I will not discuss specific absence information over email.

Be aware that this course is back loaded. Most of your assignments will be due after midterm. This means that you may not have an accurate picture of where you stand until after midterm. It also means that you will have ample opportunity to do well after midterm.

***Be advised that students who fail to submit one or more major assignments usually exit the class with a grade of D or F.***

Outside of Class Paper Guidelines

  • Papers should be formatted as noted and illustrated on pages 434-440 of the Prentice Hall Guide.Paper should also be stapled when submitted.
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  • Make sure that you print your papers in advance to avoid tardiness and late papers due to printing problems or other technological issues.

  • Papers are due at the beginning of class; all papers that are not handed in at the beginning of class are considered one day late.
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  • Six points will be deducted for each calendar day the paper is late.After one full week, I will not accept late papers.

  • Peer Review is a required activity that is beneficial to both you and your classmates. Absence on peer review day, incomplete drafts, and inadequate peer reviews will result in a six-point deduction from your paper grade.
  • I do not accept papers via email.
  • Late Peer Review, class work, and homework will not be accepted.
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  • Turn in all preliminary work inside a folder with final drafts (Including First Drafts, Peer Review Drafts, outlines, and any other supplemental materials that have been assigned.) It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with supplemental assignments and to include them in your folder. I will not list, for each assignment, what needs to be in the folder; students should know that everything, with the exception of sources, should be in the folder.

In-Class Paper Guidelines

The department requires a portion of your grade to be based on in-class writing. To fulfill that requirement, students will be required to write two in-class papers. The topics of those papers will be announced in advance. Only authorized material is allowed during the writing process. Students are not allowed to draft the paper or write any portion of the paper outside of class. I will treat all drafts of the paper that are written outside of class, in whole or in part, as violations of academic integrity. Students who violate this rule will receive a zero on the paper.

I will grade these papers with the same rigor as papers written outside of the classroom. They should reflect students’ skills as writers. They should be fully developed. They should include an introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion. They should adhere to MLA guidelines and contain sufficient analysis. These papers should be written in print, skipping lines between each line of text. Illegible portions will negatively impact your grade. Use blue or black ink. Students should bring sufficient paper or a bluebook to class. Students will have approximately fifty minutes to write both papers. Students who are late on in-class writing days will not get additional time to complete the assignment. Students who miss the in-class writing assignment will only be able to make it up if they have a legitimate excuse. I reserve the right to decide if an excuse is legitimate or not. A ten-point deduction will be assessed if a student is allowed to makeup the in-class paper. Approved students must make up the paper within a two week period. If the paper is not made up within a two week period, the student, even with a legitimate excuse, will not be allowed to makeup the assignment.

Revisions

Students will have the option to revise one of the first three papers this semester. This opportunity will be extended only to students who submit the assignment within one week of the due date. Students who fail to complete an assignment within one week of its due date will not have the opportunity to then submit the assignment for revision.All revisions will be due at the beginning of class two weeks after the paper is returned to students who submitted their material on time, no exceptions no excuses. (The two week deadline is only applicable when possible. For paper three, you may have less than two weeks.) I will not accept revisions that are not submitted by the start of class two weeks after the paper is returned. All revised papers should be typed, printed out and submitted in person. These papers should be substantial revisions of the previous assignment, not just topical revisions that reflect surface level changes. Because this is a revision opportunity, my comments on the revised paper will not be as extensive as my comments on the initial assignment. Students who make a grade below a C- on any paper are strongly urged to make an appointment with me to discuss strategies to improve papers.

Group Annotated Bibliography and Presentation

The Analysis of a Scholarly Text and Argument will be preceded by a group annotated bibliography and presentation that will be based on the same text that you will use to write your individual paper. More information about this assignment will be forthcoming.

Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

The Argumentative Research Paper will be preceded by a Proposal and Annotated Bibliography, which states your intended focus, discusses the debate, and reflects your preliminary research.

Participation

In order to earn an average participation grade (in the C range), you must fulfill five basic requirements:

  1. Arrive on time
  2. Be ready to discuss readings when called on
  3. Be prepared with the book or readings in class
  4. Complete class work and have homework completed
  5. Listen respectfully

To earn a B, you must consistently fulfill requirements 1-5, and:

  1. Volunteer questions or points of interest from readings to generate discussion
  2. Willingly offer ideas in class; make sure your contributions are topical and thoughtful

To earn an A, you must consistently fulfill the above criteria and:

  1. Show leadership in class discussions (break uncomfortable silences; respond to open-ended questions; challenge received opinions; ask difficult questions)
  2. Respond to other students’ ideas (not just mine) by asking questions or building on their points

You will receive a failing participation grade if you are excessively and/or frequently: (1) tardy; (2) unprepared for class; (3) disruptive during class; or (4) occupied with activities other than those related to English. Please remember to turn off all cell phones and to be respectful of other students and the instructor during discussions or lectures.

At the end of the session, you will receive a grade for all of the homework and class work that you have submitted. (All class work, homework, and quizzes will be averaged together to form that grade.) You will also receive a grade that is based on my perception of your participation in the course. These two grades will be averaged and reflect your final participation grade.

Attendance

Students may have up to six absences without penalty. All absences are considered the same, whether the absence is due to a legitimate illness, a family emergency, or a desire to have an early weekend. No excuse is necessary for absences one through six. Each subsequent absence (after six) will result in a five-point deduction from the student’s final grade. NO EXCEPTIONS. Use your absences wisely. You are responsible for all material missed. If you are absent, you are welcome to visit me during my next scheduled office hours. I am happy to discuss material, but I will not re-teach all of the material that was covered during your absence.

Please Do NOT come late to class. I understand that sometimes late arrival is unavoidable; however, chronic tardiness will adversely impact your grade. Attendance will be called at the beginning of each class. Students who arrive after I have called roll must sign in after class. If a student fails to sign in immediately after class, he or she will not be afforded that opportunity later. If chronic tardiness occurs, I will begin to close the classroom door after I take roll. Students who are not inside the classroom when I close the door should not enter the classroom. He or she will be marked absent for that class period. Three tardies will result in one absence. Students who miss fifteen or more minutes of class will be counted absent for that class period.

You will have two out of class face-to-face conferences this semester. Conferences are required, and you will be informed in advance. I expect you to be on time and prepared. Face-to-face conferences are held in my office. Failure to attend an individual conference will count as three absences.

Academic Integrity

The 2014-2015 Gordon State College Academic Catalog states that

Plagiarism is prohibited. It is assumed that the written work submitted for evaluation and credit is the student's own unless appropriately acknowledged. Such acknowledgment should occur whenever one directly quotes another person's actual words, appropriates another's ideas, opinions, or theories even when they are paraphrased, and whenever one borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials unless the information is common knowledge. (321)

Be mindful of this in your academic work. Academic integrity is a serious matter.

Types of Plagiarism:

Lack of Citation- Quotations that do not have proper citation or quotations that do not have accurate citation information.

Inadequate Paraphrase- A paraphrase that shares the same sentence structure and word choice with the original text (Quotation), a paraphrase that changes the meaning of the original text, or a paraphrase that is not properly cited.

Patchwork Plagiarism- A text that is comprised, either entirely or in part, of improperly cited material from multiple sources.

Wholesale Plagiarism- A text that is submitted by a student that is comprised of work that was written by someone other than the student. This includes papers or sections of papers that are taken from the internet, purchased, retrieved from reference books ,or written by an acquaintance, friend, or family member.

Self-Plagiarism-A text, either in its entirety or in part, that was written by the student and submitted for another course (or the same course).

Using Unauthorized Material for In-Class Papers- Any drafts of papers, portions of papers, or other unauthorized material that is used during in-class paper assignments is considered plagiarism.

Collusion- A text with which a student receives so much help from others that the assignment can no longer be considered a valid representation of the student’s work. This includes excessive help from friends, family members, tutors, or other classmates. All work should be an indication of the student’s ability. I reserve the right to refuse to accept an assignment that reflects collusion between a student and any other person.

At my discretion, the penalty for plagiarism of any type may range from a lower grade, to a zero on the assignment, to a failure of the course. I will inform the Vice President of Student Affairs of cases of plagiarism. Egregious instances of plagiarism or repeated instances of plagiarism will result in referral to the Academic Judicial Committee. Please review the Student Code of Conduct.

ADA Services:

To qualify for ADA Services, you must see Counseling Services. Contact Counseling Services at 678-359-5585 if you have any questions.

Friendly Notes

Please ask if there is ever anything that you do not understand. Please come during my office hours or make an appointment with me. I am here to help, and I want to help! I would also encourage you to utilize the Students Success Center, which is located in room 235 of the Student Center. The tutoring staff there can help you in most of your courses. ( )

Students are responsible for all written and verbal material that I introduce in class, post on the website, send through email, and place on Desire2Learn.

Make sure that you check your Gordon email frequently. I will use your gordonstate.edu address to communicate with you. Make sure that emails are professional and that you include either your CRN# or your class time on the email.

Students are expected to always follow the schedule without being prompted by the professor, unless notified of specific changes.

I do not respond to emails after 5:00 pm or on weekends. If I do respond via email during those times, you should consider it a courtesy. I will try to respond to all emails in a timely manner.

I will try to return paper grades within two weeks of submission. Please do not ask when papers will be returned prior to this two week period.

Students are required to wait at least twenty-four hours to ask questions about their paper grades. During that twenty-four-hour period, students should review both my comments and their paper to make sure that they fully understand their grade. Those questions should be asked during my office hours.

I expect you to read the syllabus, your assignments, and any supplemental documents that I supply thoroughly. I am happy to answer any questions that you have, but please make sure that your questions do not reflect your failure to read the materials that I supply.