Composition I Syllabus for 2016-2017
Return to Syllabus List

Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a class must:

• consult with their instructor to obtain a signed academic withdrawal request form to submit to the AskAC department for processing
• consult with the financial aid office if receiving financial aid
• consult with the Veterans Benefit Coordinator if receiving veteran benefits
• consult with their academic advisor to determine how withdrawing may affect their enrollment in future semesters
  • NOTE:  The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education for the first time fall 2007 and later may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. (Senate Bill 1231) Rule 4.10.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

ENGL-1301-AH07 Composition I

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: RDNG 0331 and ENGL 0302-minimum grade of C or scores on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading and writing skills

Course Description

Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising and editing, both individually and collaboratively. Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement and style. Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating and critical analysis.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

English Department Plagiarism Policy (Revised Spring, 2013):

The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.

Plagiarism is defined as the following:  the use of someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or using someone else’s research without citing it.

Student plagiarism in the Amarillo College English Department is internally tracked.  To clarify, records will be kept in the Department of those students who have plagiarized.  At the beginning of each new semester, the names of students who plagiarized the previous semester will be sent to all English Department faculty. 

Plagiarism may receive a penalty of a zero.  A subsequent infraction will be deemed a reason for expulsion from the class. At this point, the case will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Note: Self-plagiarism will be discussed with the class by each instructor and infractions for such are left up to the individual instructor’s discretion.

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Amarillo College English Department. A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302. 1st ed., Hayden McNeil, 2013.*

Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody, and Francine Wineberg. The Little Seagull Handbook with Exercises. 2^nd ed., W. W. Norton, 2014.

MLA Handbook. 8^th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

*This book is available for purchase only at the AC Bookstore.

Supplies

A computer with reliable access to the internet and a word processing program, such as Word. Notepad, and Wordpad are not acceptable word processing programs for this course because their formatting features do not work with other programs used in the course. The word processing program used must have the capability of saving documents to .doc, .docx, or .pdf.

Students may use the computers in the English Writing Lab in Ordway 101, which are equipped with Word, during its regular hours of operation. See https://www.actx.edu/english/pagesmith/10 .

This course will use material in AC Connect, otherwise known to AC students as Blackboard. To find this program, log in to http://www.actx.edu and click on the "AC Connect" link at the top of the page.

Student Performance

1.  Understand basic rhetorical concepts:  subject, audience, purpose, and appeals.

2.  Apply rhetorical concepts in analyzing and evaluating text.

3.  Use standard American English to write essays that are rhetorically effective:  clear, organized, detailed, grammatically correct, and audience specific.

4.  Use the library's online databases and other computer resources for research and word processing.

5.  Write a third person, argumentative research paper following the MLA format for citing sources.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Follow the Plagiarism policy

Logon to class daily

Do work on time.

Grading Criteria

Tentative and Subject to Change

55% Essay Works

10% Journal

5% Grammar Test

20% Homework Assignments Including Rough Drafts, Critiques, and Discussions.

10% Final Essay

90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, Below 60 = F

No late work will be accepted after one week unless there is a valid reason.  After the due date, there will be a penalty of  10 points per day subtracted from the grade given for the paper when graded.

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Online, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class (sign into the class) and to complete all assignments.

No late work will be accepted after one week. After the due date, there will be a penalty of 10 points per day subtracted from the grade that would have been given if the paper were not late. Since this is an online class, there are no excuses for a late paper. If you are going to be away from a computer, do your work early. There are computers at libraries and at the college. If you computer or Internet goes down, find another way to access your class.

 If during the semester you consider dropping, please check with me first for an alternate plan, one that protects your investment in the course and gives you an opportunity to complete it. Remember that the deadline for drops this semester is October 4, 2016.

Calendar

Additional Information

Tutoring through SmartThinking or through Writers’ Corner are highly recommended.

Most homework assignments will be submitted to Blackboard.