ENG 1213 Composition II Syllabus
Summer 2011 - ONLINE
Course: ENG 1213 Principles of English Composition II 3-0-3
Instructor: Kelli McBride Office Information: Tanner LAHUM Division; PH: 405-382-9274
E-mail: k.mcbride@sscok.edu Teacher’s website: http://kellimcbride.com/1213_introduction.htm
Office Hours: Online Only
Catalog Description: Principles of English Composition II is a continuation of Principles of English Composition I ENG 1113. Study focuses on writing essays in various modes of exposition. A research paper is a criterion for completion of the course. Prerequisite: ENG 1113 with a grade of “C” or higher. (Fall, Spring) OSRHE Matrix: E002
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Rationale: This class stresses the components of scholarship: thinking, research, communicating, editing. Students will write a minimum of four essays, demonstrating college level thinking and communications skills.
This course is required for all associate degrees.
Mission Statement: Seminole State College empowers people for academic success, personal development, and lifelong learning.
General Education Outcomes: SSC students are expected to achieve the following outcomes. This course addresses the outcome bolded below:
Degree Program Outcomes: Program Outcomes for each SSC degree are available in the document, Degree Program Outcomes, available in the Assessment Office.
Course Outcomes: Students in this course are expected to achieve the following Course Outcomes:
Gen. Ed. Outcome Course Outcomes
Outcome 1
• A: Demonstrate an understanding of writing process -- original and analytical thinking, counter-arguments, thesis support and audience awareness
• B: Demonstrate an understanding of essay structure – thesis development, argument proportion and emphasis, logical order, smooth flow and synthesis of ideas, coherent and developed paragraphs, introduction and conclusion, persuasive argument strategy
• C: Demonstrate sentence skill – clarity, consistency and coherence through proper use of subordination, coordination, effective use of repetition and parallelism
• D: Demonstrate appreciation of language, word choice and tone – appropriately formal language, clear and concise meaning, strong verbs, precise nouns, euphony, word form mastery, appropriate tone, third-person
• E: Demonstrate basic grammar mechanics – standard punctuation and spelling, correct use of Modern Language Association Style
• F: Demonstrate, through testing and performance, an understanding of the requirements for academic honesty – ability to use formal research documentation, direct and indirect quotation, giving original sources proper credit in all cases
Objectives:
Course Outcomes Objectives
A through E Draft and write papers to demonstrate a thorough understanding of analytical thinking, use of arguments, thesis development, audience, support, paragraphing, sentence skill, word choice, tone, euphony, diction, grammar and style.
F Test on key components of attribution until successful. Demonstrate a high regard for academic, scholarly respect for sources throughout all written assignments.
Course-embedded Assessment: The General Education Outcomes, Degree Program Outcomes, Course Outcomes, and Learning Objectives have been provided to inform students of the expectations for this course. To determine if those expectations have been met, the College assesses each these outcomes. Courses are evaluated through the course-embedded assessment process by using one or more of the following options*: A: Pre- and Post-Tests; B: Pre- and Post-Writing; C: Performance; D: Observations; E: Rubrics; F: Projects and Portfolios; G: Classroom Response System; H: Creative Assessment; I: Any combination of A-H. (*Updated May 2007)
This class uses I: a combination of A and B. The Pre- and Post-Tests will focus on MLA documentation and plagiarism. The post-test on MLA will count as your final exam in the class. The Pre- and Post-Writing will be student essays 1 and 4.
Teaching Methodology: In English 1213, the instructor will make various reading and writing assignments from textbooks, handouts, or other sources for class discussion. Furthermore, the instructor will present various video lectures. These presentations will focus on the knowledge and competencies that students will need to develop their writing skills. The instructor will conduct and the students will participate in all formal class discussions, which are an integral part of this course, via the class discussion board.
The teacher will provide a detailed outline in advance that covers the requirements and topics for each essay. The instructor will grade and return the draft. At the end of the semester, students will submit any revisions of these four essays.
Correspondence: All class correspondence from students must be through Cruiser, the classroom management system for this course.
Cruiser: This class uses a class management system. This is where you will post on the discussion board, submit all homework, and receive email messages from me. You will find assignment handouts and directions and links to various aids. Should Cruiser go down because of technical difficulties, you should visit http://kellimcbride.com/1213_introduction.htm for instructions and backup handouts.
Late Assignments and Make-up Work:
This is in many ways a self-paced course. You have due dates that you must meet. The time-stamp on your submissions must be before the deadline date/time. Making sure you have your work done several hours before the deadline should give you time to work around technology problems that might arise. If you wait until the last minute to submit an assignment, then you run the risk of missing the deadline. If the technology problem is a campus issue, then that would give you a reasonable excuse. Students should contact me to discuss why the assignment is late.
Students must log into the course (Cruiser) and make contact with the instructor within 48 hours after the last day to enroll for that particular course, or they will be reported as a no-show. In the first week of class, I will assign various short homework assignments that will count as absences if not turned in on the due date. These absences will be reported to the VPAA’s office as a new effort in improving student retention. detail all of these assignments and their due dates.
If you do not understand an assignment or if you are having personal conflicts that result in not having an assignment finished on time, please contact me before the due date in plenty of time for us to resolve the problem. I am happy to work with students. If you fall behind and miss assignments, do not think that you have ruined your chances of passing this class. Again, I am more than willing to work with you if you truly want to get back into class. The sooner you contact me, the better your chances are of being able to get back to work.
Teaching Methodology: The instructor uses lecture, discussion, group work, and one-on-one conferencing in class.
Grading Scale: This class uses the standard 10-point scale.
A=90+ B=80+ C=70+ D=60+ F=1+ N/A: 0 (plagiarism or does not follow the assignment)
Grading Rubric: All essays use a rubric that breaks the essay grade into 10 categories. This rubric is available on the Campus Cruiser site, and student essays will have a completed one filled out and pasted at the end of their essays. A copy of the rubric is available in the Shared Files section of Cruiser or on the teacher’s ENG 1213 web page (http://kellimcbride.com/1213_introduction.htm).
Late Work Policy: All work will have a set due date, and in completed on CampusCruiser a specific due time. Students are responsible for completing work by these deadlines. However, I understand that emergencies happen and am willing to work with students. Though this is an asynchronous class, meaning we do not meet at a set time or day, students will have participation and assignment deadlines that, if missed, count as absences. I offer the following strategies for handling “absences” and turning in work:
Grading Policy: The grade for each assignment will depend on coherent and organized use of grammar, mechanics, essay structure, rhetorical appeals, argument strategies, and other aspects of good writing as covered in each unit. Students who turn in all assignments on time will usually find enough practice and enough instruction that both their grades and their abilities will prove satisfactory. Students earn points toward a final grade as follows:
A. Essays (70%): Students will write 4 essays, each worth 100 points. Every essay unit will have an accompanying handout that details each assignment. Students can take the grade for the first draft, or, they can revise any of their four essays and resubmit for a replacement grade at the end of the semester. Plagiarized or unsubmitted first drafts are not eligible for a replacement grade. These zero grades will stand.
B. Class participation (5%): Participation is a combination of attendance (completing assignments on time), attentiveness and contributions to classroom discussion. Students lose points for lateness, absence, lack of participation, and lack of preparation.
C. Homework (15%): This includes in-class, take home and Cruiser assignments.
D. Exams (10%): This class has a required MLA/Plagiarism exam component. The open-book pre-test counts as a 35 point grade. The open-book post-test is a 100 point exam that counts as your final exam. There may be other quizzes and exams as needed.
E. Proper use of MLA style: Essays and other formal assignments must follow MLA style. The guidelines for your essays come from the handbook’s MLA section. I have also created an MLA template you can download from my website at http://kellimcbride.com/docs/mla09_essay_template.doc. Any essay that fails to fully document all outside uses of resources will receive a zero. Technical plagiarism will still be eligible for revision. Intentional plagiarism will not be eligible for revision.
F. Each assignment handout will designate a minimum page length requirement for the final essay. Essays may be longer with no penalty, but essays that fall short of the minimum length will not receive a passing grade.
Texts:
Aaron, Jane. LB Brief. 4th ed. The Power of Language / The Language of Power. Ed. Christian Morgan, et al. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson Custom, 2010. Print.
Morgan, Christian, et al., eds. The Power of Language / The Language of Power. 3rd ed. NY: Learning Solutions, 2010. Print.
Note: Some readings are available online at the Pearson MyCompLab web site. The address is http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ok/ssc_mycomplab/.
ADA Statement: Under SSC policy and federal and state laws regarding Americans with Disabilities Act, students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations to ensure the student has an equal opportunity to perform in class. Students who are in need of assistance in dealing with any special needs that affect their ability to deal with the physical and/or learning environment required in this course, or in the classroom setting, need to advise the instructor immediately after the first class. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor on the first day of class.
Academic Honesty: The instructor and the instructor’s academic superiors have final authority over the grades given to students or the lowering of grades because of cheating or plagiarism.
Plagiarism: As defined by Seminole State College, plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of a person’s ideas and/or materials, either in whole or in part, to fulfill course assignments. This includes pasting work from the Internet into assignments, using papers written for other classes, or having another student complete the work. Even getting too much assistance with revision can count as plagiarism if the tutor rewrites work for the student rather than offer suggestions that the student incorporates personally. Simply do your own work, and you will not have a problem with this issue. Consequences of plagiarism will comply with those listed in the Seminole State College Handbook.
Special Warning: This class is designed for a college-level, mature audience, which means some reading and discussion materials will be challenging to understand. Be prepared to read with a dictionary handy and a pen or pencil to take notes or jot down questions for class discussions. Please ask questions about materials you do not understand. Learning is a collaborative endeavor, and we need outside input to fully understand what we encounter. Also, be aware that some readings and discussion topics may include material that some people consider offensive, such as racism, sexism, and offensive language. Part of college is learning how to handle challenging topics, and students should see these as learning opportunities. No materials are included for shock value, and all will have an educative purpose that is explored in class lecture and discussion.
Changes to the Syllabus: If necessary, I can make changes to this syllabus. I will inform students of any changes and provide a revised copy of the syllabus online if that happens.
Syllabus Contract: To show you have understood the policies and information contained in this syllabus and agree to abide by those policies, you must post on the message board in Campus Cruiser an acceptance with the following information, substituting your information in the appropriate places. In place of YOUR NAME, simply type your name.
Paste the following into the message board post, filling in your specific personal information:
Student name: ____________ Student ID: _______________
I have read the syllabus and agree to abide by the class policies listed within it. I understand that this syllabus is a contract between myself and the instructor, and that I should refer to this syllabus for information about class policies and procedures. Failing to do so may negatively impact my grade. I also understand that the instructor is available to provide help and guidance in the class if I seek out assistance.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
(My typed name indicates my acceptance of course policies)