Composition II Syllabus for 2019-2020
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Instructor Information

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

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:

The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

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 course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are 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. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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-1302-021 Composition II

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: ENGL 1301

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.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

STUDENT PRINTING PROCEDURES

For students to put money on their account, they must go to this website https://acprinthub.actx.edu/myprintcenter/ and either use PayPal account or their credit/debit card to add money, or they can go to the Student Services building to add money with credit/debit or with cash. Neither Writers’ Corner or the Writing Lab can add money to the account.

However, if the students need help adding money to their account, we can help them do that here in the lab. All students are responsible for adding money to their own account. But students need to have money on their own account in order to print anywhere on campus.

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

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301, 1302, and 2311 to be purchased in the AC Bookstore

Supplies

Computer with regular Internet service and full word processing program.

Student Performance

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.)

 

Departmental expectations:

Demonstrate an understanding of literary genres and the basic vocabulary of literary analysis.

 

Tutoring Policy: If a student scores below 70% on an exam or writing assignment, he or she will be required to attend tutoring per the instructor’s directions before being allowed to complete the next assigned work.

 

Grade Weights

Major Writing Assignments - 60%

Minor Assignments - 15%

Discussion Forums and Peer Review - 10%

Quizzes - 5%

Final Exam - 10%

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student 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

Timely submission of assignments is key to success in this course. Avoiding plagiarism of any kind is also extremely important. Perhaps most of all, the student is always encouraged to contact the instructor for help.

Grading Criteria

89.5-100 = A

79.5-89.4 = B

69.5-79.4 = C

59.5-69.4 = D

0-59.4 = F

Attendance

Regular attendance in an online class means keeping up with the work as it’s due. And this is extremely important, as assignments are not accepted late. Pay careful attention to the calendar in the course; most deadlines are Fridays; however, some very important deadlines are Tuesdays later in the semester.

My advice to you is to make time to “attend” this class regularly each week. Do not wait until the last minute to start an assignment. You will find the course extremely busy, especially early on, but you can do it!

If you ever run into a problem with attendance, let me know as soon as possible. I may be able to help you early on, but if you delay, we may be out of options.

Calendar

Additional Information

*Be advised that this is a college class with material that some may find intellectually and psychologically challenging. 

Policies Concerning Late Work:

All assignments must be submitted according to the deadline schedule posted in the calendar section of our AC Online class. Late assigments are not accepted. In an accelerated course there is simly no time to allow for this.

AC Online quizzes may be taken more than once before the due date. Only the last score will count for credit. If the quiz is not completed before the due date, it does not earn credit.

The final exam must be completed on the day or days indicated on the course calendar.

 

Discussion Scoring:

 Be sure to contribute to the discussion in a timely manner. If you make a relevant and satisfactory comment before the due date of each lesson, you will earn two points. If you post a second contribution that responds to another student's posting, you will earn up to three more points. Postings that merely state "I agree" or "I disagree" without supporting reasons and those that do not add thoughtful material to the discussion do not earn points. To earn all the points possible, be sure to show evidence of original critical thinking instead of paraphrasing an idea that someone else has already posted. Also, late contributions to the discussions will be read, but they do not earn points. You may contribute to the discussions as often as you wish, but you can earn no more than five points per unit for the discussion.

Link to the Web page Required for this Course:

AC Connect: https://acconnect.actx.edu

Accessibility Statement: This course’s online content has been checked for accessibility; however, if you encounter any difficulty using the information in this class, please contact Catherine A. Frazer, c0187674@actx.edu

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 806-371-5191.  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 www.actx.edu/arc