Composition I Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

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 Enrollment Center, Suite 700. 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:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

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-1301-DC005 Composition I

Prerequisites

Corequisite: INRW 0303 Prerequisite: 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

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

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

All course materials are provided free of charge in the Blackboard course shell.

Supplies

• Computer
• Reliable internet access
• Amarillo College Google account
• Google Docs (through your Amarillo College Google account)

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes. 
2. Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution. 
3. Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose. 
4. Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts. 
5. Use Edited American English in academic essays. 

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

• Communicate!: This is a remote class and I cannot see you when you are frustrated or having problems. I cannot help you if I don’t know what is happening.  Life happens and unexpected circumstances arise. PLEASE, please communicate with me. If needed, we can make an appointment to meet via Zoom. I want to see you succeed in this course! 

• Use your resources: If you encounter questions, always check the assignment details, the weekly video, and the syllabus first. These will usually give you the answers to your questions and save your waiting on a response. 

• Be proactive: If you are experiencing an issue, please contact me as soon as you safely can. All students in this course are remote, and it's impossible for me to be aware of what is happening in every location. Examples: evacuations in your area, emergency surgery, wildfires, storm damage that has interrupted your access to the internet, etc. You will have to inform me.

• Stay in the loop: Check your email, announcements, and Remind every weekday. 

• Learn from feedback: Look for teacher feedback on your assignments in the documents themselves and in the rubric. At any time, you may contact me to see about your grades. If you disagree with an evaluation or would like to have it explained to you, please contact me so we can discuss at a time that is convenient for us both.

• Submit on time: Due to the short, intense nature of this course, students are expected to complete assignments by the due date. If you have a truly exceptional circumstance that is not related to procrastination or poor planning, please contact me as soon as you safely can. Otherwise, late work is generally not accepted and will receive an automatic zero. 

• Do your own independent work: Use of AI tools or plagiarism will most likely result in a zero on an assignment, which may fail the student for the course. This includes any use of AI tools on the Final Exam. 

Expected Teacher Behavior:

• Respond to quick questions: Message me through the Remind app or website (course code @zinck-dc).  I aim to respond within 4 hours between the hours of 8:00am - 4:30pm on weekdays. I am away from Remind on weekends and on holidays. Remind is the only method that will reach me when I am away from my desk. 

• Respond to more complex questions: Email me at clzinck@actx.edu or use the messaging system in Blackboard/Anthology. Make sure that your name and section number are clearly indicated. I will get back to you within 24 hours on weekdays. If I have a schedule disruption, I will post an Out of Office message. I am away from these systems after before 8:00am, after 4:30pm, on the weekends, and on holidays. 

• Communicate proactively: Most weeks, I will post an introduction video to discuss the upcoming assignments and topics. This will include tips about common pitfalls. As needed, I will post messages in Blackboard/Anthology to notify you of issues, clarify any repeated questions about assignments, or alert you of changes. When I post major grades, I will post an announcement to make you aware and will provide any follow-up tips/tricks as well. Always watch these videos and read these posts. 

• Maintain boundaries: I am not available via personal email, social media, or cell phone. 

• Grade and provide feedback: I generally grade everything within 7 days of the due date, and often sooner. Exceptions may happen, but I always aim to communicate with you about those. I prioritize grading any assignments that are part of the edit cycle for your next assignment so that you are not stuck waiting on my feedback. 

Academic Integrity

Please be respectful of the Amarillo College students and instructors. 

The English and Cultural Studies Department takes academic integrity seriously.  Scholastic dishonesty, punishable as prescribed by Board policies, shall include, but not be limited to plagiarism, collusion, and cheating on a test or written assignment.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as “using exact words from any outside source without using quotation marks or properly citing them; paraphrasing words from any outside source without citing them; or using research from any outside source without citing it.” 

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is defined as turning in your own previous work to meet a current assignment.  This policy will be amended at the discretion of each individual instructor.  

Collusion

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.* 

*In this course, I require that all documents be completely written in Google Docs (through your Amarillo College Google account) and be shared using the specified instructions. Google Docs automatically logs edit history, which preserves a trail that shows evidence of human authorship. 

Because technology policies are different at each high school, you are required to use your Amarillo College Google account for these Google Doc files.This will ensure that you are able to share these files when and as instructed. 

For assignments that build over several milestones (outline > rough draft > peer review > possibly a review from Writer's Corner > final copy), you must use the exact same Google Doc in your AC Google account for the entire lifecycle of the document. Failure to maintain this chain of Version History will result in a 30-point penalty on the assignment. Failure to use the AC Google account will result in a 30-point penalty on the assignment. 

While Microsoft Word is a wonderful product, it is not permitted for assignments in this course.

I encourage you to use the spell and grammar check tool that is built into Google Docs.

Google Chrome extensions, Google Doc extensions, Grammarly, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Siri, Grok, Cortana, Apple Notes, Alexa, and other AI tools are NOT permitted on ANY assignments in this course, no matter how minor. Use of these tools will generally result in a zero grade. 

I strongly encourage you to seek feedback and advice from the Amarillo College library staff and from AC's Writer's Corner tutoring service, but the incorporation of that feedback into your compositions should be your own independent work. 

Cheating

“Cheating on a test” shall include:

1. Copying from another student’s test paper.

2. Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.

3. Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator.

4. Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of a pending test.

5. The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the pending test.

6. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test.

7. Bribing another person to obtain a pending test or information about a pending test.

Statement of Consequences

If you plagiarize, cheat, or collude, you will face consequences. Ignorance of the policy is not an excuse. Any work produced in part or in whole through plagiarism, collusion, or cheating may receive a penalty up to and including a zero for the assignment.  After assigning a zero, a subsequent infraction will result in a meeting the head of the Department and possible expulsion from the class. Another incident will result in a referral to the Vice President of Enrollment Management. 

Our class environment is based upon a simple principle: I commit to treat you with respect, and you commit to treat each other and me with respect. We are all equally responsible for maintaining a respectful dialogue and attitude. Disrespectful behavior towards anyone will not be tolerated in this class.

Grading Criteria

Grade Weighting

•   5% - Final Copy: Brag Sheet
•   5% - Rough Draft: Essay 1 (timed) - Personal Essay
• 15% - Final Copy: Essay 1 - Personal Essay
• 15% - Final Copy: Essay 2 - Intro to Academic Writing
•   5% - Final Copy: Annotated Bibliography
• 20% - Final Copy: Essay 3 - Researched Argument Essay 
• 15% - Final Exam Essay (timed)
• 20% - Minor Assignments (discussions, journals, peer reviews, outlines, quizzes)

Final Grade Ranges: 

• A: 89.5 - 100 = high achievement
• B: 79.5 - 89.4 = above average achievement
• C: 69.5 - 79.4 = satisfactory achievement
• D: 59.5 - 69.4 = unsatisfactory
• F:   0    - 59.4 = unacceptable

Attendance

• Attendance: Attendance in an online class is measured by completing assignments. 
   
• Administrative Drop Policy: Students who do not complete an assignment on or prior to the Census Date will be administratively dropped (effective Fall 2016).  The Census Date for this semester is September 10, 2025.
   
• Student Withdrawal Procedures: Students who wish to withdraw from a class must initiate the request with me before the withdrawal deadline, November 25, 2025. This process has several steps, so it's best to begin a day or two in advance at minimum. 

Calendar

Additional Information

• Please be advised that Amarillo College policy prohibits access to AC coursework (and AC Google drives) from outside the United States. If you have planned any international travel, you will not be able to access the course or work on your papers while you are away.
   
• Please be advised that this is a college-level course and may include heavy topics and/or adult subject matter.
   
• Any opportunities for extra credit, bonus points, or dropping a particular grade will be given to the entire class at my discretion, not upon request. Any such opportunities will be posted in the Blackboard/Anthology content in the section titled "Extra Credit, Bonus Points, and Grade Drops."
   
• In particular, I award 5 bonus points to the relevant assignment each time that a student seeks help from Writer's Corner. This is permitted at each level of a major paper--outline, rough draft, and final copy. Writer's Corner sends me a receipt each time. When I add bonus points to your assignment grade, I will note that they are due to seeking help from Writer's Corner. It is your responsibility to ensure that I have applied those points as you expected. Email me if I have missed them.
   
• Syllabus Easter Egg: Reading the syllabus in detail matters! Email me before the end of Week 1 (Sunday at 11:59pm) and include a photo or drawing of a badger. Using one that you find online is fine as long as you include the link where you found it. Make sure that your name is clearly indicated. If you complete this task by the deadline, I will add TWO points to your final grade average at the end of the semester. 
   
• Minor adjustments to dates may take place at my discretion. These changes will always be announced via Blackboard/Anthology Announcements.
   
• I strongly recommend that you print this syllabus on paper and also print it to PDF for safekeeping. That way, if AC experiences some sort of interruption, you will still have the ability to get in contact and to view due dates and class policies.