Syllabus Checklist Snapshot
Composition II (ENGL 1302 SEC 3) CREDIT 3 SCH Semester Credit Hours (3 Lec hours lecture, 0 Lab hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Face to Face PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: ENGL 1301 with a D or higher 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. COURSE OBJECTIVES 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.) CORE OBJECTIVES 1. Critical Thinking: To include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes. 2. Communication: To include the effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written and visual communication. 3. Personal Responsibility: To include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. 4. Empirical and Quantitative: To include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Amy Collins-Russell Email: amy.collins@silsbeeisd.org (preferred) aacollins@lit.edu Office Phone: 409-980-7877 Office Location: Silsbee High School Room 162 Office Hours: M-F 3:30pm-4:30pm REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS A reliable device with internet access is required. All required reading materials are provided by instructor in Blackboard. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students will follow the attendance policy as stated in the Silsbee High School Student Handbook. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified date as listed in the College Calendar on the Student Success web page. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR DATE TOPIC READINGS (Due on this Date) ASSIGNMENTS (Due on this Date) Feb. 10/11 Poetry “Seven Ages of Man” by Shakespeare, “The Bells” and “Alone” by Poe, “I Hear America Singing,” by Whitman, “I, Too, Sing America,” by Hughes, and “America” by McKay Fishbowl Discussion Feb. 11 Poetry See above Annotations Set #1 due Feb. 13 Common Assignment Topic Proposal due Feb. 19 Poetry See above Analysis Paragraph #1
Feb. 26/27 Peer Edits March 2 Essay #1 due March 5/6 Fiction “Cupid & Psyche” by Apuleius, “Beauty and the Beast” by Beaumont, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” & “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl Fishbowl Discussion March 6 Fiction See above Annotations Set #2 due March 6 Vocabulary Slides due March 6 Vocabulary Quiz March 10 Midterm Exam March 26 Analysis Paragraph #2 due April 2/3 Peer Edits April 6 Essay #2 due April 9 Drama Twelfth Night Quiz, Annotations due April 10 Common Assignment Rough Draft & Annotated Bibliography due April 28/29 Drama Trifles and Medea Fishbowl Discussion April 29 Drama Trifles and Medea Annotations Set #2 due April 30/May 1 Common Assignment Peer Edits May 4 Common Assignment Final Draft due May 6 Vocabulary Quiz; slides due May 7-13 Final Exams
COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: ● Participation 10% ● Daily Work Assignments 40% ● Mid-Term Exam 15% ● Research Paper- Common Core Assignment 20% ● Final Exam 15% ● Total 100% GRADE SCALE ● 90-100 A ● 80-89 B ● 70-79 C ● 60-69 D ● 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS For the latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc., review the Minimum Computer and Equipment Requirements on the LIT Online Experience page. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at
www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses. STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION (Policy subject to change at instructor’s discretion.) Students are expected to follow all policies and procedures as stated in the Silsbee High School Handbooks & Policies (located on the SISD Website: https://www.silsbeeisd.org/domain/961) Supplies: You will need your Chromebook and charger (in case your Chromebook dies), a reliable internet source (in and out of the classroom), a notebook (or a binder with loose-leaf notebook paper), pen (blue or black ink) or pencil, and a highlighter. Remember to bring these items every day. Your reading materials will be posted in Google Classroom, and I will try to have printed copies available in the classroom. You are also free to print them out on your own. If other supplies are needed, I will tell you in advance or provide them in the classroom. Student Expectations: Students are expected to practice self-advocacy and ownership of the learning process. If there are any issues, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor. Also, much of the learning we do in class is self-directed, includes collaboration, and requires intrinsic motivation on the part of the student. I do my best to offer hands-on, individualized instruction and feedback, and I utilize the workshop method frequently in my classroom. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. If you are disruptive or inattentive, you will be asked to leave class. To return, you MUST email me a letter of apology, including information
about your infraction and your promise to never do it again. I will not allow you to be back in class until I have this email. If I must remove you a second time, you will be barred for the remainder of the semester. You will drop or fail. Attendance & Participation: Be here and be aware. When you miss class, you miss something important that will help you with critical thinking, analysis, and essay writing. You are responsible for checking your emails (SHS & LIT accounts) and logging into Blackboard (for grades) and Google Classroom. I strongly suggest checking Google Classroom every day (even the workdays) because that is where you will find the latest information for the course. You are still responsible for any handouts, assignments, etc. given on the day you are absent. Feel free to visit me during my conference period (1st period), after school, or email me (most of my work is digital and posted on Google Classroom) if you have questions or concerns. Do NOT be tardy. If you are not in my classroom by the time the last tardy bell rings, you must go get a tardy slip from the Discipline Center. Showing up to class tardy may result in the student being counted absent or denied entrance to class. Class participation is just as important as attending class. The idea of the class is to help you develop your ideas and apply them to paper. If I don’t know your ideas, I won’t be able to help you develop them properly. Often, we will have class discussions over assignments or share our writing. I expect everyone to participate in the discussions. With that said, please note that cultural awareness is very important in this classroom. You may be required to read texts that challenge your beliefs or take you out of your comfort zone. You may share a classroom with people vastly different from yourself. These differences will be respected in my class. Challenging our thinking and participating in scholarly debates are how we grow as learners. Over the course of the semester, everyone should get a fair chance to voice their opinion, but that does not include name-calling, racist or sexist comments, or talking over another classmate. When someone has the floor, hold your comments until they are done speaking. Disagreements are understandable and expected but conversing in an adult manner can lead to a great learning experience. Also know that any questions over the reading, pop quizzes, and the like can be included in your grade. Communication: Outside of class, SISD email is the best way to communicate with me. I usually don’t check my SISD email past 5pm on weekdays (which is usually around the time I leave campus), so please allow 24-48 weekday hours for a response. Also, I don’t answer emails on the weekend; any emails sent between Friday evening and early Monday morning may be answered on Monday during school hours. I will also try to use Google Classroom or Remind to post updates and reminders about class and upcoming school events. Please remember that all communication must be professional and specific. Netiquette: Because we are operating in an online space, it is essential that you always practice proper netiquette. All correspondence should be professional and grammatically correct. Any collaboration online must be professional, respectful, and thoughtful. Inflammatory behavior and/or remarks will negatively impact student grade. Assignments: All designated assignments must be submitted through Google Classroom (some may be on paper in class; the due date will be posted on the page or the View Board in the
classroom). It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they understand how to operate the Google Classroom--claiming you didn’t know how will not excuse missed deadlines/missing assignments. Likewise, technology (i.e. internet) issues will not excuse late assignments, so please make sure you are not waiting until the last minute. As a backup, if there is an error with Google Classroom, the student may attach the assignment to an email and submit it prior to the deadline.* It is up to the student to make sure they have the appropriate technology and a strong internet connection. For further precaution, save your work as a Google Doc in case you need timestamps as proof. *This is for extenuating circumstances only. Regularly submitting assignments via email will result in said assignments being marked as missing. MLA Format: Unless stated otherwise, students must follow the rules of MLA 9th Edition formatting to succeed in this course. Formatting includes proper heading, page numbers, in-text citations, and works cited. All assignments must be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, and double spaced. Late Work Policy: Late assignments are not accepted; it is either on time or a zero. If there is a legitimate emergency, i.e., death in the family, medical emergencies, or natural disasters, please notify me PRIOR to the assignment’s due date, and I will do my best to work with you (at my discretion and on a case-by-case basis). Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor prior to the due date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero for late work. Peer Edit/Writer’s Workshop Days: There will be at least one peer edit/workshop session before an essay is due. I will hand out rubrics with a few questions you must answer about the essays you read. Do not play around with the questions on the rubrics; they are important to you (your grade), myself (seeing how you think), and your peers (they will use these when they revise). Workshop time is not a “freebie,” so please do not skip out on it. The time is meant to help you develop your skills as a reader and writer. It is also the first step in editing and revising your essay before turning in the final draft. When you turn in your final draft, you will also turn in the rubric sheets (at least two) from the workshop (in PDF form--they are part of your essay grade). Grading: It is rare for college freshmen to get an A on their first paper. I didn’t get an A on my first paper. More like a C+ (and yes, I freaked out at first, but it all worked out). College expectations are much higher than those of high school, and as a dual credit student, you are in a unique position. I do not “guarantee” or “give away” As; I expect good quality hard work. To give you a better definition: A: An A paper shows the student’s above average comprehension of the essay assignment and concepts discussed in class. They can properly apply these concepts to the assignment and make connections with other applicable concepts not necessarily discussed in class. An A paper displays the student’s well-developed thoughts in a clear,
organized manner. They will focus their paper around a highly developed thesis, using thoughts that are unique, but logical and explained in clear prose. The paper will also show that the student has mastered the language and sentence structure with few (if any) mechanical errors. B: A B paper shows the student’s strong comprehension of the essay assignment and concepts discussed in class. They can properly apply these concepts to the assignment and try to make connections with other applicable concepts not discussed in class. A B paper displays the student’s developed thoughts in a clear, organized manner. The thoughts might be unique, but the critical thinking may need to be stronger in logic or prose to make a firm connection to their thesis. The paper will show a strong grasp of the language and sentence structure with some mechanical errors, but nothing that will make the paper impossible to understand. C: A C paper shows the student’s average understanding of the concepts discussed in class. The paper will meet the general requirements for the assignment. There will be a basic application of the concepts to the assignment and a bare minimum of connections to their thesis. Many of the connections will be flawed, therefore affecting the general reading of the paper. Overall, the paper is underdeveloped and reads much like an experimental rough draft. There will be a medium number of mechanical errors, making parts of the reading hard to understand, but the paper will present an average usage of language and sentence structure. D: A D paper does not fulfill the general requirements of the assignment and displays a below average understanding of the concepts discussed in class. The paper will usually be shorter than required and not have a clear thesis; therefore, its support will be weak to non-existent. The paper will be short, with little (if any) connections to anything to do with the subject of the paper. In general, a D paper will, for the most part, read like a random, undeveloped journal or practice exercise with numerous errors in mechanics, sentence and argument structure. F: A paper that receives an F shows little or no effort to fulfill the general requirements of the assignment. The essay is much too short to adequately fulfill the assignment and there is no use of the resources and concepts discussed in class. The paper’s main function is to display the writer’s random, poorly developed thoughts. The essay will show an inability to work with the language, as well as an abundance of mechanical errors. Remember, your work ethic reflects yourself. Be responsible and studious and you will have nothing to worry about. Once again, I am available if you have any questions or concerns. Plagiarism: Just don’t do it; academic honesty is expected on all assignments. All work submitted must be your own work. According to the statement from the handbook, “Plagiarism is defined as appropriating the literary composition of another person, including the parts, passages, or language of that writing, and passing off the appropriated material as one’s own.
Plagiarism is the failure to give credit or citation to one’s sources of information. It includes the failure to use conventional methods of documentation for material quoted or paraphrased.” If you are not sure if you are plagiarizing, please contact me during my office hours or send an email to me and we can discuss the issue. I am always willing to help my students, but do not insult my intelligence (as well as your own) by turning in work that is not your own. Also, please know that simply putting something in your own words (paraphrasing) does not mean you can skip citing a source. Students who plagiarize on an assignment will receive a zero on said assignment but may be given the chance to redo for partial credit at instructor discretion. Continued acts of plagiarism will result in the student failing the course. Corrections/Bonus/Extra Credit: It is important that you do your best on the regular assignments, but there are some corrections/bonus/extra credit opportunities available this semester. If you are interested in these, please follow the instructions as they are posted on the ViewBoard and/or Google Classroom. Please note: some specific extra credit will not be added until the end of the course.