Composition I Syllabus for 2025-2026
Return to Syllabus List

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-1301-005 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

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

No books are required for this class, but the English 1301/2 Handbook by Amarillo College English department is recommended.

If you have questions regarding your textbooks call the AC Bookstore at (806) 371-5307.     

Supplies

• Regular computer access with Internet.  I highly recommend the use of googledocs.  It is free and it will save all your information for you so you will never lose it.
• If you do not have a laptop, the AC Bookstore rents laptops for $65 per sixteen-week semester.
• If you do not have access to wifi, you can go to the library and check out a device that will allow you free access to the Internet as long as you  are a student at Amarillo College.

Student Performance

AI Reflection 10%

Essay 1: Rhetorical Analysis 15%

Essay 2: Researched Argument 15%

Grammar Quizzes 15%

Minor Assignments/Journals 15%

Processing Assignments 15%

Final Exam 15%

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

Expected Teacher Behavior:

• At anytime you may contact me to see about your grades.
• The best way to get ahold of me is to text me through my Remind app.  I will get try to back with you within 2 hours between the hours of 7am-10pm on weekdays and 10am-7pm on weekends. 

(Note: Joining the Remind App
You can join by texting the class code @HyWelsh005 to 81010. This will confirm your membership in our Remind class. However, because this is for college, messages will only arrive through the Remind app or email, not via regular text. Please download the app or be sure to check your email so you don’t miss announcements.)

• Messages on Blackboard go to my email; if you email/Blackboard message me, I will get back to you within 24 hours, unless I note otherwise.
• I will grade everything generally within five academic days of the due date, (not when you turn it in), though I usually get to them before that. (Unless I am out which I will notify you.)
• If you disagree with an evaluation or would like to have it explained to you, please contact me so we can discuss during tutoring hours or some other time that is convenient for us both.

Expected Student Behavior

• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  I cannot help you if I don’t know what is going on.  I can’t allow you grace on something if I do not know what is happening.  I really can’t help you if I do not know what the problem is.  PLEASE, please communicate with me…email me…text me…give me a call, come see me during my office hours: those don’t work for you?  Make an appointment and we can have a zoom meeting at a suitable time for you.
• Due to the short, intense nature of this course, students are expected not to miss class if they can help it.
• Please be courteous about using Air/earpods while we are trying to have a conversation or someone else is talking.  
• If you are sick or have a sick child, text me and let me know; we will work to figure out what you missed. No reason to come to class yourself or bring a sick child to class and get us all sick too.
• Plagiarism will most likely result in a zero on an assignment, which may fail the student for the course. 

Grading Criteria

Grammar Quizzes There will be one grammar quiz on blackboard each week that each student needs to take. You can take them on your own time before the due date of each week.  You will have three attempts to take each quiz and the highest grade will be recorded.  There will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer. You can take it up to three times but may have to wait for me to grade it before you retake due to the short answer questions. These will count for 15% of your overall grade.

Minor Assignments There will be a few minor assessments (some may be entitled quizzes that you will be able to take two times) that you will take throughout the course. You will also have journals in the weeks we don’t have major papers due that will include some kind of response to what you are learning that week. These will be averaged along with the Common Assessment at the end of the semester to account for 15% of your grade.

Processing Assignments. This includes peer reviews and rough drafts for two major papers, and an Outline for the Research Paper. Processing Days are required workdays where students bring a rough draft to class and participate in peer review. These days are designed to support the writing process, and two separate grades are earned on each Processing Day: one for the rough draft and one for the peer review.

Rough Draft Grade To receive full credit, a rough draft must be: complete and meet the full word count, include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, include a Works Cited page with the required number of sources for the assignment. If a draft is missing one essential component (for example, no introduction, no conclusion, or no Works Cited page), the highest possible grade is 75. If approximately half of the draft is missing, the grade will be 50. If a student does not bring a meaningful draft to class, the grade will be 0.

Peer Review Grade To receive full credit for peer review, students must complete the peer review in class on the scheduled Processing Day. If a student is absent, the only way to earn credit for the peer review is to visit the Writing Center and work with a tutor on their draft. I must receive official documentation of this visit, and the tutoring session must occur before the final draft is submitted. If documentation is not provided or the visit occurs after the final draft is turned in, the peer review grade will be 0.

These policies are in place to emphasize the importance of preparation, participation, and revision as part of the writing process. These will account for 15% of your overall grade.

These assignments are due on the day it is expected. Each week all work will be due at midnight of a specific day. It is traditionally my policy that no credit given for late assignments. Of course, it is up to my discretion whether or not I excuse a late assignment.

Essays

AI Comparison Reflection You will compare different AI Writing Assistants and provide a reflection of your experience using them. An alternate assignment will be available. This is worth 10% of your grade. 

Rhetorical-Analysis You will read pick out a Youtube video, Reddit or TickTok and provide a precis of it according to the rules set forth in class.  You will then determine uses of rhetorical appeals and how the use of these appeals determine the effectiveness of purpose in the text.  This is worth 15% of your overall grade.

Researched Argument You will research a topic of choice and write a unique argument for or against it using specific sources outlined in class.  This is worth 15% of your overall grade.  

Major essays will be penalized 15 points for each day it is late; a day is a 24 hour period.  

Re-write Policy  Any of the major papers turned in on time that score a 69 or below can be resubmitted for a better grade.  The student must first meet with the instructor and discuss the paper, and then the work can be revised and resubmitted within a week of receiving the grade. The highest grade achievable for resubmission is a 70. 

Attendance

AI Use

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used in this course as limited support during the writing process. In Comp I, the focus is on developing ideas, practicing structure, and learning how to revise thoughtfully.

AI may be used for brainstorming, organizing ideas, generating practice outlines, or reviewing drafts for clarity and grammar. However, AI should not be used to write full paragraphs or essays for you, and it should not replace your own thinking or decision-making.

You are responsible for understanding everything you submit. This means you should not turn in language, sentence structures, or punctuation that you do not understand or could not reasonably explain. If AI helps you revise wording, you should be able to explain why those changes improve clarity or effectiveness.

Because this course emphasizes learning how writing works, using AI in ways that replace your thinking or misrepresent authorship may be considered inappropriate. The goal is not to prohibit AI, but to help you learn when tools support learning and when they interfere with it.

AI use exists on a spectrum, and appropriate use depends on the assignment and purpose. Any concerns about AI use will be addressed at the instructor’s discretion, based on the nature of the assignment and the student’s understanding of course expectations.

Possible outcomes may include:

• required revision
• a reduced score or a zero on the assignment
• referral to the institution’s academic integrity process for more serious concerns

Students are encouraged to ask questions about AI use before submitting work. Transparency, effort, and a willingness to learn will always be viewed more favorably than copying or concealment.

Calendar

Additional Information

No additional information available