English 1302.2250
Composition II
Department of English
Fall 2010
Communications Division Office – L367
Instructor: Dr. David Sutton
Welcome to English 1302 at Brookhaven College
You are here because you want to write better, argue with greater conviction, and successfully navigate through the introductory writing courses at this college. I am here to help you with each of these goals. All I ask is that you be present, ask questions when you have them, and have faith in your own abilities. I in turn will treat each of your writing assignments with the respect and dignity they deserve, and I will give you access to every trick I know.
If you find yourself lost, behind, confused, or in need of a few words of encouragement, please let me know. At Brookhaven, we’re here to provide you with a solid, quality education with a heart.
Website: www.animesutton.com
Email: . I can occasionally respond to emails between 8:15am and 3:30pm M-Th. Weekend and Evening emails will have to wait until the next available weekday. is a backup email address that is also available to students. Directly connected to my various computers and my iPhone, this email address is a great way to contact me should an emergency (outside of the times mentioned above) arise. In fact, I suggest copying your emails to my work address to this one, too.
Voicemail: 972-860-7444 ext.1348
Office Hours/ Location: I will be on-campus near the classroom approximately thirty minutes before class. If you need any major assistance, please email me to set a longer meeting.
ENGL 1302 Composition II (3) This is a Texas Common Course Number.Prerequisite: One of the following must be met: (1) Developmental Reading 0093 AND Developmental Writing 0093; (2) English as a Second Language (ESOL) 0044 AND 0054; or (3) have met Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Reading and Writing standards AND DCCCD Writing score prerequisite requirement. Students should also have completed English 1301.This course focuses on student writing. It emphasizes reading and analytical thinking and introduces research skills. Students practice writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. (3 Lec.) Coordinating Board Academic Approval Number 2304015112
Core Curriculum Guidelines:
CORE CURRICULUM GUIDELINES:
A. Intellectual Competencies:
1. Reading: the ability to analyze and interpret a variety of printed materials- books, documents, and articles—above 12th grade level
2. Writing: the ability to produce clear, correct and coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion and audience—above 12th grade level
3. Critical thinking: think and analyze at a critical level.
4. Computer Literacy: understand our technological society, use computer based technology in communication, solving problems, acquiring information
B. Exemplary Educational Objectives:
1. To understand and demonstrate writing processes through invention,
organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation
2. To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to
select appropriate communication choices.
3. To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i. e.
descriptive, expositive, narrative, scientific, and self-expressive, in
written communication
4. To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding
5. To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving and technical proficiency in the
development of exposition and argument
\
ENGL 1302/Composition II Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of English Composition 1302 students will be able to-
· Apply the writing process to produce multi-paragraph writing assignments for a variety of purposes and audiences.
· Employ the rules for Standard English in writing assignments.
· Demonstrate basic principles of critical thinking in reading and through verbal and written responses.
· Synthesize information in at least one research project using technology and basic research skills.
· Propose, organize, research, and compose a documented paper.
Texts
1) Writing in the Works2nd Edition; by Susan Blau and Kathryn Burak
2) Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Justice and Redemption
3) The American Heritage Dictionary or access to a reputable online dictionary (these are free)
Materials and Supplies
1 USB Jump Drive for Essays
Notebook Paper (non-spiral)
5 Regular-sized manila folders (for submitting formal essays)
1 working email address (Throughout the term, I will be contacting you via email, and you are responsible for all materials sent; therefore, you must have a working email address.)
Access to and working knowledge of ecampus.
Attendance policy
To not attend a class is to waste an opportunity to expand your knowledge and writing skills. Moreover, it is quite difficult to teach someone who simply in not present. As such, students in my class are granted a total of two (2) absences without penalty. Following the second absence, students will lose five participation points for each additional absence. The reason for this policy is simple; one cannot expect to earn credit for those things they do not complete. The absences granted are more than sufficient to handle any situation; one who needs more absences may wish to consider withdrawing from the class.
Note: I check class attendance approximately ten minutes into class time. Students who are late fifteen or more minutes more than once are considered absent, so be in class on time.
Makeup Work policy
Students who miss class for excused reasons (death, illness, family crisis, religious reasons) must contact me as soon as possible via email to ensure that appropriate accommodations can be made. When students return to class, they are responsible for all work that is due or became due during their absence. Moreover, students are responsible for scheduling a meeting with me before class to reschedule any missed quizzes or in-class writings. Aside from these reasons (and documentation from student life is required to prove the situation), I will not offer makeup work on any assignment.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism consists of submitting someone else’s words or ideas as your own without giving proper credit to their author. Plagiarism is literary theft; it is both unethical and illegal. You are required to submit your own work and to properly credit your sources. Any violation of this policy will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment and may result in disciplinary action from the University. Furthermore, repeat offenders will receive a performance grade of an “F” for this course, and they will be reported to the University. Refer to “Academic Dishonesty” in the Student Handbook for further information.
Mr. Sutton’s Course Requirements
1. Attend and participate in every class. Be on time. Not being present in class can and will be detrimental to your academic performance.
2. Complete all reading and writing assignments on time.
3. Read all the assigned materials at least twice and be prepared to discuss the content of each assignment during the next class meeting.
4. Ask questions when you need assistance with anything. I am here to help you succeed in your collegiate endeavors, but I can only assist you if I know that there is a problem.
5. Continue to work on your drafts. DCCCD’s English Department stresses the fact that writing is a continuous process in which there is always room for improvement.
6. Follow the grading criterion for each assignment. You will receive the assignments and the evaluation chart on the day assigned in the course calendar. These criteria will be the determining factor in your grades in the course.
7. Improve. Improve! Improve!!! Students who wish to pass this course only need to strive to better themselves. I believe that the purpose of my course is to help each student reach a new level of writing skill.
Evaluation/ Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following:
In-Class Participation: In-class participation consists of attendance and participation in all activities that take place during the course meeting. This does not mean that you must speak during every class, for I realize that there is not always something to say, but you must be present, and you must complete the tasks assigned during class, whether they be daily essays or group work.
Students who are not in class cannot complete the requirements for in-class participation; therefore, after the second absence is earned, the student will lose fifteen additional points for each additional absence, until the points are gone.
Timed Writings: To prepare you properly for any rhetorical situation that you may face, two-timed writings, mimicking the writing assessments in other classes, will be administered. These essays will be given during a limited amount of time and will be expected to be close in content and clarity as those essays written outside of class. The topic will mimic one of the writing styles addressed prior to the exam.
Annotated Bibliography: Annotated bibliographies serve two general purposes in higher education: 1) They are a great way to gather, organize, and process research materials in a way that demonstrates competent research skills. 2) They are an easy to grade assignment that can be failed or passed in a matter of a few seconds. For those students interested in four-year institutions, option two is the likely option to be faced in the future. Students in 1302 will learn how to correctly create an annotated bibliography for a research topic and how to organize the data for efficiency. Moreover, students will be trained to use the bibliography to fulfill the first purpose: they will learn to turn the bibliography into a complete research paper. The first bibliography will be its own assignment, future papers will require their own bibliography as a component of the assignment.
Editorial Argument Essay: Students will learn to write an editorial argument that is founded on solid research that is carefully manipulated to rhetorically slant the argument in the favor of the student’s own ideologies. Extra credit will be given to students who submit and have their editorial’s published by the Dallas Morning News.
Film Review: Everyone is a critic; students will learn how to prove that they are a fact-based critic. Through an analysis of a new media work, students will carefully craft a research supported critique of the film.
Research Project: Students will conclude their time in English 1302 with an in-depth literature study that will culminate with a student designed analysis of the literary piece: Picking Cotton. Students will draft a proposal for the paper, craft an annotated bibliography for their topic, and write a complete research paper.
Point Values:
Annotated Bibliography – 15 points
Editorial Research Paper – 10 points
Film Review – 10 points
Research Project – 25 points
Timed Writings – 20 points (10 points each)
In-Class Participation – 20 points
Total = 100 points
Grading Scale:
100-90 = A | 89-80 = B | 79-70 = C | 69-60 = D |59 or less = F
I DO NOT ROUND GRADES. YOU EARN WHAT YOU EARN IN THIS COURSE; I DO NOT “GIVE” POINTS. FURTHERMORE, FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS THE DISCUSSION OF GRADES VIA ANY METHOD OTHER THAN FACE TO FACE. IF YOU WISH TO DISCUSS YOUR PERFORMANCE, MEET WITH ME DURING MY OFFICE HOURS.
NOTE – The criteria for each assignment will be handed out and discussed in class at the appropriate time. In addition, the evaluation method will also be distributed with each assignment time. Furthermore, as the instructor, I reserve the right to alter any assignments and/or deadlines provided in the syllabus.
TWO IMPORTANT NOTICES
I. Late Assignments
I will make this policy as simple as possible: I do not accept late work. Many people look at college like a business, fine. In the business world, if you fail to complete a task or project on time, you are penalized, usually through the loss of income or more likely the loss of your job. I ask for the essays on specific days to ensure that I will have time to properly respond to each paper. Lateness will, invariably, put me behind at one point or another, so I will not accept a late paper. If you are going to miss a submission date, get the essay to me in some fashion. Moreover, if you KNOW that you will miss, get the essay to me early!
II. Returned Papers
I grant each essay the same amount of care and concern that the student dedicated to writing it. Those individuals who repeatedly hound me for their evaluation run the risk of receiving a zero on the assignment. On average, I will have essays returned the week after they are collected; however, 1302 essays have been known to take a few days extra due to their lengths.
August 23 / Classes beginNovember 11 / Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W”
November 25 / Thanksgiving Holiday
December 6-9 / Finals
Tentative Schedule of Readings/ Activities
Week 1 (8/28)
Students will review the course syllabus.
Students will review rhetorical arguments and Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, pathos.
Week 2 (9/4)
Students will study MLA-Citations and Research Writing: Chapter 15 p. 561
Students will continue to discuss Research Writing.
Week 3 (9/11)
Students will be assigned their first assignment, the Annotated Bibliography. Students will learn how to create a successful bibliography.
Students will begin crafting their annotations.
Week 4 (9/18)
Students will peer revise their Annotated Bibliography.
Students will submit their Annotated Bibliographies during 1-on-1 appointments with the professor.
Week 5 (9/25)
Students will be introduced to Editorial Writing styles: Chapter 8 p. 260
Students will be presented with an Editorial sample and asked to evaluate it.
Week 6 (10/2)
Students will be assigned their second assignment, the Editorial Argument. Students will learn how to create their assignment.
Students will draft their Editorial Argument.
Week 7 (10/9)
Students will continue drafting their Editorial Argument. Students will post their draft to the Discussion Board on eCampus.
Students will peer revise their Editorial Arguments online through eCampus. Students will complete their first In-Class Writing Assignment.
Week 8 (10/16)
Students will submit their Editorial Argument essay. Students will begin discussing Film Reviews: Chapter 12 p.416.