Composition II Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Instructor Information

Office Location

<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif">Ordway Hall 0100B</span></span></p>

Office Hours

Monday and Wednesday 11:30am-12:30pm; Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am-9:00am

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 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-1302-024 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

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

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.

Student Performance

Course Evaluation   

Minor Grades, including Reading Quizzes 15%

Journals 15%

2x2x2 (Online Socratic Seminars) 15%

Research Literary Analysis 15%

Comparative Synthesis 15%

Zenith Project 10%

Final Exam 15%

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

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.  
  • 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.
  • Students should take note of when work is due.
  • Plagiarism may 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 4 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 Assessments This includes anything else you may need to take an assessment on.

I will drop the lowest Minor Grade.

These assignments are due on the day it is expected.  Itis 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. 

 

Journals  Each week, (not including paper weeks, so not during weeks 3 and 6) you will need to write a journal entry. Sometimes, it will be a response to readings or viewings we have in class.  Sometimes it will be an activity reinforcing things you should already know. Other times it will ask you to learn something new. 

 

2x2x2 (Online Socratic Seminars)  You will be required to discuss stories and/or viewings in on online discussion forum called a 2X2X2 on week 3 and week 6 of the semester. This will be different from other weeks because on these weeks, you will have three different due dates while concurrently working on a paper. 

 

Essays  You will write two essays this semester.

Literary Analysis You will write an analysis on two short stories by finding a common theme.  This essay will use a combination of primary and secondary sources to present an argument of your choosing.  

Comparative Synthesis You will write a comparison on the topic of civil disobedience.  The “What Would You Do?” unit is filled with personal ethics and situations and how you would choose your outcome in them. Major essays will be penalized 15 points for each day it is late; a day is a 24 hour period.    These essays are worth 30% of your overall grade.

 

Zenith Project By using specific elements, you will visually analyze topics presented in the pieces we read.  This is worth 10% of your overall grade.

 

Re-write Policy  Any of these 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

No attendance information available

Calendar

Calendar

Subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.  Other tasks WILL be assigned.  Not all homework is posted here.  

 

 

 

Activities to Complete

Week 1

All work due midnight Sunday, March 24

This week students will: 

  • _____ Watch the video about the course. (Activity #1)
  • _____ Go through the syllabus. (Activity #1)
  • _____ Take a quiz on it. (Activity #1)
  • _____ Go through terms associated with short stories. (Activity #2)
  • _____ Complete a quiz on the terms. (Activity #2)
  • _____ Read the first short story. (Activity #3)
  • _____ Complete the weekly journal. (Activity #4)

 

Week 2

All work due midnight Sunday, March 31

 

This week students will: 

  • _____ Read “Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen (Activity #1)
  • _____ Read “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker (Activity #1)
  • _____ Take a quiz over this week's readings (Activity #2)
  • _____ Journal #2 (Activity #3)
  • _____ Look over the Literary Research Paper Assignment that is due next week (Activity #4)
  • _____ Look over 2x2x2 this is due next week (Activity #4)

 

Week 3:

2x2x2 due this week: 2 questions due midnight Tuesday, April 2, 

2 responses due midnight Thursday, April 4, 2 peer responses due midnight Sunday, April.7;

Paper due midnight Sunday, April 7

  • ____ Two questions that combines elements in all stories due Tuesday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Two responses due Thursday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Two peer responses due Sunday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Complete and Submit Literary Research Paper (Activity #2)

No journal or weekly reading quiz this week

Week 4:

All work due Midnight, Sunday, April 14

 

  • ____ What Would You Do Introduction to Civil Disobedience (Activity #1)
  • ____ Zimbardo “Stanford Prison Experiment” viewing (Activity #2)
  • ____ Stanley Miligram “Perils of Disobedience” experiment (Activity #3)
  • ____ Read ‘The Flying Machine” by Ray Bradbury (Activity #4)
  • ____ Take Quiz over this week’s readings (Activity #5)
  • ____ Journal #3 (Activity #6)

 

 

Week 5:  

All work due midnight, Sunday, April 21

 

 

  • ____ Read “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut (Activity #1)
  • ____ Read “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” by Erich Fromm (Activity #2)
  • ____ Take Quiz over this week’s readings (Activity #3)
  • Journal #4 (Activity #4)
  • ____ Look over the Obedience Synthesis Paper Assignment that is due next week (Activity #5)

 

 

Week 6:  

2x2x2 due this week: 2 questions due midnight Tuesday, April 23, 

2 responses due midnight Thursday, April, 25 peer responses due midnight Sunday, April 28;

Paper due midnight Sunday, April 28

  • ____ Two questions that combines elements in all stories due Tuesday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Two responses due Thursday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Two peer responses due Sunday (Activity #1)
  • ____ Complete and Submit Obedience Synthesis Paper (Activity #2)
  • No journal or weekly reading quiz this week

Week 7

All work due midnight, Sunday, May 5

 

  • ____ Zenith Project (Activity #1)
  • ____ Journal #5 (Activity #2)

Week 8

NOTE CHANGE IN DUE DATE, due Wednesday midnight, May 8

 

  • ____ Review
  • ____  Final (allow 2 hours) 

Additional Information

No additional information available

Syllabus Created on:

03/17/24 6:14 PM

Last Edited on:

03/17/24 6:17 PM