Composition II 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-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 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 Textbooks Required.  All information will be available in Blackboard. No books are required for this class, but the English 1301/2 Handbook by Amarillo College English department is recommended.

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

Course Evaluation   

Minor Grades, including Reading Quizzes and engagement with AI 15%

Response Journals 20%

Socratic Seminars 15%

Research Literary Analysis 20%

Graphic Organizer, Rough draft & Peer Reviews 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 @ hywelsh021to 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.  (Not applicable to online class)
• 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

Minor Grades  This includes reading quizzes, assessments and in-class assignments.

Reading Quizzes  There are 3 weekly reading quizzes following the short stories we read in class.  These quizzes follow application from the lectures to the stories.  These are generally are combination of multiple choice and short answer. You have three opportunities to take this quiz, but you may have to wait until the short answer is graded before you take it again!

Other quizzes and engagement with AI There will be other quizzes during the semester as well as conversations with an AI chatbox you can discuss the reading with. 

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. 

Response Journals  Each week, you will be required to write at least a 200-250 word response to readings or viewings we have in class.  Each response will require one quote—in correct MLA style—from the text.  Each student will write five response journals throughout the semester.

Socratic Seminars  After some of the readings, you will partake in two different Socratic Seminars during the semester. You will be guided on how to respond in class.  You will be graded on the responses you make and how well you integrate the text into class discussion and how you guide your peers in their responses as well.  If you are not present for Socratic Seminar days, you must have some kind of excusable reason, or you will not have the opportunity to complete an alternate assignment; however, please note that despite your excuse, you can only score up to a 75% for the alternate grade. If, however, you come to class and participate, the lowest grade you will receive will be a 75.

Literary Research Assignment You will write an analysis on a theme found in three of the pieces that we read this semester. You will need to incorporate outside sources and use MLA documentation correctly. 

Graphic Organizer, Rough Draft & Peer Reviews You will have to upload your rough draft of your Literary Research Analysis and complete two peer reviews.

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.

Re-write Policy  Any of these major papers or journal responses 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 tools may be used in this course as limited support during the writing process, but expectations are higher in Comp II because assignments involve argument, research, and source-based writing.

AI may be used for brainstorming, organizing ideas, or reviewing drafts for clarity. However, AI should not be used to generate thesis statements, arguments, or source-based paragraphs, and it should never be used to supply evidence or citations.

Because this course emphasizes ethical research and rhetorical decision-making, you are fully responsible for the accuracy of all claims, sources, and citations. AI tools frequently invent sources or misrepresent information, and using false or unverifiable sources constitutes academic dishonesty.

As in Comp I, you should not submit language, structures, or punctuation you do not understand. In Comp II, this also applies to claims and evidence: if you cannot explain where information came from or why it supports your argument, it does not belong in your paper.

The goal of this course is not to prohibit AI, but to help you develop judgment about when tools support learning and when they replace it. Responsible use of AI requires restraint, verification, and revision so that your work reflects your voice and your understanding.

Because appropriate AI use depends on context, purpose, and degree, any misuse of AI will be addressed at the instructor’s discretion. Responses will be based on the nature and extent of the issue, as well as the student’s understanding of the assignment expectations.

Possible outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

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

Using AI in ways that replace your thinking, misrepresent authorship, include false or fabricated sources, or demonstrate a lack of understanding of the submitted work may result in a zero for the assignment.

Students are encouraged to ask questions about AI use before submitting work. Transparency and responsible decision-making will always be viewed more favorably than copying or concealment.

Calendar

Additional Information

No additional information available