ENGL 1302:
COURSE SYLLABUS:
ENGL 1302: Composition II
Instructor Contact & Course Information
Semester: Spring 2015
Instructor:
Crystal M. Johnson
Email Address(es): crystal.johnson1@hccs.edu
Office Hours:
By Appointment
Course Prerequisites: English 1301 or satisfactory score on the CLEP Exam
Course Description and Goals: This course is a more extensive study of the skills introduced in ENGL 1301 with an emphasis on persuasive techniques, style,
and research skills.
This course will provide you with the basic tools and skills essential in developing a clear, concise writing style. Upon completing the course, you will have
gained an understanding of rhetorical devices, how to use them effectively and writing as a process. You will also acquire research and documentation skills that
will help you in upper level courses.
To excel as a writer, however, you must excel as a reader, and perhaps more importantly, as a thinker. You will develop the critical and analytical skills that will
help you in both academic and professional environments. In short, the skills you develop in this course will enable you to express yourself clearly and
effectively. You should also be able to critically examine different kinds of information and arrive at an informed decision or opinion based on that analysis.
Further, you will learn how to articulate that opinion in writing and verbally so that it achieves the desired effect on your audience
Student Learning Outcomes:
In completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Apply basic principles of rhetorical analysis.
2. Write essays that classify, explain, and evaluate rhetorical and literary strategies employed in argument,
persuasion, and various forms of literature.
3. Identify, differentiate, integrate, and synthesize research materials into argumentative and/or
analytical essays.
4. Employ appropriate documentation style and format on assignments.
5. Demonstrate library literacy.
HCC Policy Statement – ADA
Special Conditions
If you have any special conditions, extenuating circumstances, or needs that may affect your progress in this course, please notify me. Discuss with me any
special accommodations that you have documented through the Ability Support Services counselors so that we may better meet your needs.
Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to be familiar with the HCC policy on academic honesty (as detailed in various HCC publications) and are responsible for conducting
themselves with honor and integrity in fulfilling course requirements. HCC officials may initiate penalties and/or disciplinary proceedings against any student
accused of scholastic dishonesty (which includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion). Should you have any questions about
proper handling of source material for your writing, consult the MLA guidelines, your professor and/or a tutor (FAC 321-B). Evidence of plagiarism results in a
grade of F.
Course withdrawal: If you elect to withdraw formally from any HCC class and thereby receive a “W” on your grade transcript, you must contact a HCC
counselor or your professor prior to the withdrawal deadline for the current semester to initiate the process. If you do not do so and simply cease to attend, you
will receive a final grade by default (quite likely “F”) based on your course average in relation to the full slate of required assignments.
The consequences for academic dishonesty are determined by the professor, or the professor and academic dean, or the professor and chief student services
officer and can include but are not limited to
1. Having additional class requirements imposed,
2. Receiving a grade of zero or "F" for an exam or assignment,
3. Receiving a grade of "F" for the course,
4. Being withdrawn from the course or program,
5. Being expelled from the college system.
Required Materials:
Read, Reason, Write (10th edition) by Dorothy Seyler
The Little Seagull Handbook (Bullock and Weinberg, Norton, 2011).
The following is a good online resource: Purdue Online Writing Lab
POLICIES
Classroom Respect:
As college students, you are expected to behave in a courteous and respectful manner toward your instructor and fellow students at all times. You should avoid
acting belligerently or in a belittling manner in e-mails or peer revisions, openly challenging the instructor’s authority, or otherwise displaying disruptive
behavior. Verbal harassment of instructors or fellow students through email will not be tolerated. Should any of these offenses occur, I will have a private email or Chat conference with the student(s) in question; if the behavior continues, however, I will refer that individual to the Dean of Students for further
disciplinary action.
Email Etiquette:
All correspondence with me as your professor should be respectful and professional at all times. Email should follow those guidelines. Therefore, every email
you send will have a subject line, salutation, and electronic signature. Lastly, do not use poor grammar or text language in your emails to me.
Feedback and Commentary:
All assignments, papers, quizzes, and blogs will be submitted via a drop box through Eagle Online. You will never email me your assignment. I will download
your assignments and papers through word; therefore, every assignment should be typed in Microsoft word and saved as a doc or docx file. I will only accept
those files. This rule does not apply to discussion question responses.
Tutoring:
Free academic tutoring and assistance with your assignments is available to all students at HCC: Central.
Communication:
All communication in this course, including email, discussion and chat posts should be conducted in a professional, collegial manner. Please respect the
following guidelines.
Netiquette:
Grammar
Use proper sentence structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Online lingo and abbreviations that are commonly used in texting or instant messaging should
not be used in your online communication.
Online versus Face-to-Face
Be aware that online communication is much different than face-to-face interaction. Since nonverbal cues cannot be read, be careful not to post a message that
could be misconstrued by others. Humor and satire can be problematic in online communication.
Avoid Caps
The use of all capitals in your writing means you are SHOUTING, and it is considered rude.
Emoticons
Keep them to a minimum.
Be Polite
Promote productive conversation by being polite and respectful when disagreeing with others.
Take Pride in what you Publish
Think before you hit Send or Post. Is your response meaningful, well-constructed and to the point? Are you sending an email with a subject title that is relevant?
Is your communication presented in a well-organized, respectful and professional manner? Take pride in what you publish to your online community.
If you decide you must withdraw for the course, you must initiate the formal action of withdrawal. Keep in mind that if you withdraw after the official
withdrawal date, you will receive a grade of “F” or “N.” Please see me before you decide to drop the course. There may be things that we can do to help
you stay in the course and to successfully complete it.
Make -Up Work:
You are responsible for all work assigned in this course and for posting those assignments on time. Past due work cannot be made up for full credit.
Late Policy:
Each day an assignment is late, the grade will be penalized by 10%. Participation points are always due by Sunday. You cannot earn participation credit after the
week has ended.
Attendance Policy:
Due to the workshop format of this course, attendance is mandatory. Attendance is taken every time you post to the discussion forum. To be marked present
for class, you must have completed the assignment for that particular date (a discussion forum posting or a response to another student's posting, for example)
Attendance affects your overall course performance because participation in discussion forums is expected. These assignments cannot be made up, regardless
of the reason for student’s absence.
* Because the first two weeks are critical to your success, if you miss two or more discussion forum posts during the first two weeks of class, you may be
dropped from the course.
It is highly recommended that you do not miss any class (discussion forum postings or participation entries) in the semester—missing class and not turning in
work are the two main reasons for students doing poorly in ENGL 1302.
Dropping Class:
• If you think that you cannot successfully complete this course, talk with me about how we can work more intensely together
to help you be successful. If you do decide to not finish the course and want to drop it, YOU must complete a drop form and turn it in to the registration office
yourself.
Turnitin.com
HCC subscribes to Turnitin.com which supports faculty in their quest to uphold academic integrity. Student coursework may be submitted to the scrutiny of the
Turnitin software. Please note that these submissions of assignments to Turnitin do not necessarily constitute an accusation or suspicion of plagiarism on the
student’s part.
NOTE: I offer no extra credit.
Changes to Assignment Schedule and Course Policies:
The instructor reserves the right to update the course policies, assignments, and schedule at any time. Changes may be made throughout the semester. It is the
student’s responsibility to keep up with changes as they are announced.
Discussion questions and participation requirement: Every week, you will respond to 2 discussion questions. Discussion question 1 will be due every
Tuesday; discussion question 2 is due every Thursday. Those discussion questions will be available under each module folder. In addition to discussion
questions, students are required to post 4 replies to fellow students, which will be due every Sunday.
*Students only need to make 4 replies in total by Sunday. You can choose to post your participation posts in discussion forum 1, discussion forum 2, or an
accumulation of both.
1.
In order to receive discussion question credit, your response must be around 150-300 words. (this word limit is for each question, unless noted
otherwise).
2.
Substantive participation has the desired effect of moving classroom discussion forward and/or contributing to the overall learning. For this class,
substantive means that your message has substance and helps to further the discussion of course content. Substantive messages often include
contributions of additional ideas and sources, insights or questions about classmates' comments, connections to the course readings, or ways of
applying the lessons from the course. As a rule of thumb, your substantive comments should be at least several sentences in length, about 50-75
words.
3.
Short comments, such as "Good idea" or "I agree," do not constitute substantive posts on their own. Neither do comments that are unrelated to the
topics at hand (for example, "I saw that movie, too!") If you say you agree about something, please explain why you agree, and add an additional
insight or question.
4.
Please do not tell another student, "you're wrong," "it's not true," "you don't know what you're talking about," or any similar comment. These
comments are insulting and do not encourage discussion.
5.
Lastly, please keep in mind that this is an English class; therefore, reasonable expectations of grammar and punctuation ;
Tutoring:
Tutoring: For free assistance on any of the writing requirements for this course, visit the English Department Writing Lab in FAC 321-B. Check the sign posted
on the door there to determine specific hours of operation during the current term. (It’s generally open mornings through early evenings, Monday through
Thursday, plus half a day on Friday.
Open Computer Labs: Computers are available for word processing in FAC 302, SJAC 204A, JDB 203-204, the library, and elsewhere on campus. Check those
sites for open hours.
Assignments with Point Distribution:
Assignment
% of Final Grade
Due Date
Writing Assignment 1: Rhetorical Analysis
Writing Assignment 2:Visual Rhetoric Analysis
Writing Assignment 3: Annotated Bibliography
15
15
15
2/15
3/29
5/3
Final Exam
Discussion blogs & Participation
Class work
Total
10
30
15
100
TBA
Due weekly
Due weekly
Grading Scale:
The evaluation of a student’s course progress and final grade is based upon the degree of mastery and of course outcomes. The grade breakdown for this class is
as follows:
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
A
B
C
D
F
Spring 2015 - Important Dates

Monday, January 21 – Classes Begin

Monday, February 2 – Official Day (Students may be dropped for non-attendance prior to official day)

Monday, March 16 – Sunday, March 22 – Mid-Semester Break – College Closed

Monday, March 24 – Last day to drop and receive a “W” (withdraw)

Friday, April 3 – Sunday, April 5 – Spring Holiday – College Closed

Monday, May 11 – Sunday, May 17 – Final Exams
Changes to Assignment Schedule and Course Policies:
The instructor reserves the right to update the course policies, assignments, and schedule at any time. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with changes as
they are announced.
*NOTE* All chapters below are in your textbook unless otherwise noted.
Calendar of Readings and Due Dates
*NOTE* LSH represents The Little Seagull Handbook
WEEK/
DATE
Week 1
Jan 19-25
IN-CLASS COURSE TOPICS AND
ACTIVITIES
The Reading and Writing Process
READING DUE
Ch. 1: “Writers and their Sources,” pp.1-29
Ch. 2: “Responding Critically to Sources,”
pp. 30-64
W-1: “Writing Contexts,” (2-5) LSH
W-2 “Writing Processes,” (6-13) LSH
“Writing Summaries” pp. 13-16
Assignments Due:
Introductions: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 2
Jan 26-Feb 1
The World of Argument & Introduction to
Rhetoric
Ch. 3: “Understanding the Basics of
Argument,” pp.66-88
W-5: “Arguments” 32 (LSH)
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Understand requirements for essay 1
Week 3
Feb 2-8
The World of Argument continued
Ch. 4: “Writing Effective Arguments,” pp.
92-113
W-3: Developing Paragraphs, (14) LSH
“Topic Sentences” 11, 15-16, (LSH)
“Thesis Statements” 7.8,10, (LSH)
Assignments Due :
Week 4
Feb 9-15
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Rough Draft for essay 1: Due
Peer Review 1 Due
Ch. 5: “Reading, Analyzing, And using
The World of Argument continued
Visual Rhetoric
Visuals and Statistics in Argument,”
pp.114-142
W-2: “Revising and Editing, 10-13, (LSH)
Assignments Due :
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Essay 1: Due by Sunday
Week 5
Feb 16-22
The World of Argument continued
Ch. 6: “Learning more About Argument,”
pp.144-166
“In Your Face….All over the Place!” (357)
“What’s Up Doc? A Bloody Outrage,
That’s What” (353)
Week 6
Feb 23-Mar 1
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Ch. 7: “Definition Arguments,” pp. 173Studying Arguments By Genre
186
Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us
Stupid?” 376
Week 7
Mar 2-8
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Ch. 8: “Evaluation Arguments,” pp. 188Studying Arguments By Genre
201
Peggy Orenstein, “I Tweet, Therefore I
Am” 396
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 8
Mar 9-15
Studying Arguments By Genre
Ch. 9: “The Position Paper,” pp. 205-226
Ch. 10: “Arguments About Cause,” pp.
228-242
Assignments Due
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Rough Draft for essay 1: Due
Peer Review 1 Due
Spring Break
Mar 16-22
Week 9
Mar 23-29
Annotated Bibliography
Evaluating Sources & Preparing a Working
Bibliography
R-1: “Doing Research” 68, (LSH)
R-2: “Evaluating Sources 77(LSH)
Ch. 12: “Locating Sources,” pp. 267-283
W-10: “Annotated Bibliographies 54,
(LSH)
Richard
Kahlenberg, “5 Myths about
Who gets into College” 494
Week 10
Mar 30-Apr 5
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Essay 2: Due by Sunday
MLA Documentation & Avoiding Plagiarism
Ch. 14: “Formal Documentation,” pp. 313344
MLA Style: 93-135 (LSH)
Readings: TBA
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 11
Apr 6-12
Classical Arguments
Ch. 11: “Presenting Proposals,” pp.244-265
Richard Kahlenberg, “5 Myths about Who
gets into College” 494
David Cole, “Laptops vs. Learning” 502
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 12
Apr 13-19
Argumentation Continued
Ch. 13: Writing the Researched Essay,”
pp.286-306
Readings TBA
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 13
Apr 20-26
Argumentation Continued
Readings TBA
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Rough Draft for essay 1: Due
Peer Review 1 Due
Week 14
Apr 27-May 3
Understanding Literature
Appendix: pp. 567-568, 574-577, 606-611
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” 569
Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk
Away from Omelas” 583
Susan Glaspell, “Trifles” 589
Assignments Due:
Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Final paper due Sunday
Week 15
May 4-10
Week 16
May 11-17
TBA
Final Exam