Dr. Gavin Schulz
English 1302, HCCS--Southwest
Spring 2011
Course Syllabus
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
The purpose of Composition II is to foster the understanding that all aspects of a written
text must be viewed as “craft,” that, like fiction, drama, or poetry, essays must be crafted with
care. To further this end, this course provides instruction and practice that will help students
master a variety of writing situations. This will enable students to build upon the writing
process, upon critical reading skills, upon computer skills, and upon the research process—
generating essays that demonstrate thesis-driven, analytical thinking.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: gavin.schulz@hccs.edu
I am available to meet with you M/W/F from 6:30-7:00 a.m. and T/Th 11:00-11:30 a.m.
on an appointment basis.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Janice Okoomian, eds. The Little, Brown Handbook.
11th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009.
GRADING
1] Two short essays
2] Mini-Research Paper
3] Handbook/Policy Quizzes
4] Peer Evaluation Responses
5] Final In-Class Essay
20% (#1)
20% (#2)
35% (#3)
5%
10%
10%
GRADING SCALE
Grades will be assigned in accordance with the “Evaluation Rubric.” Grades will be
assigned on a +/- scale (point equivalents are 88/85/82 for a B+/B/B-, for example).
Note, however, that final grades are on an A/B/C scale. For the purposes of grade
calculation, an average of 90-100 will earn an A for the course; 80-89 will earn a B; 70-79 will
earn a C; 60-69 will earn a D, and 59 or below will earn F’s.
PAPERS
** Draft Check Day: All three semester essays must be submitted on the draft check
days—no exceptions. Failure to include a legitimate draft on these days will result in a zero (0)
for the assignment. To be safe, show me your draft in advance, as soon as you have it. **
Rough Drafts: I am willing to read complete or partial drafts of essays at any time before
the draft check dates. You must give me a typed, double-spaced copy in such situations.
Electronic Copy: Papers will not be graded without the electronic copies. You must
give me both the hard copy you want me to grade and an electronic copy in class, on the due
date, or it will be considered late.
Essay #3 and the In-Class Final Essay: These must be completed on the date
assigned—no exceptions except for documented emergencies. Failure to submit the Research
Paper on the due date will result in a 10 point penalty, with a further 10 points deducted for each
day it is late; failure to write the In-Class Final Essay on the final exam day will result in a 0 for
the assignment.
It takes roughly two weeks to grade a stack of essays. However, all essays turned in
(both hard and electronic copies) after class on the due dates, for whatever reason, will be placed
in a separate pile and will be graded only after all of the on-time essays have been completed.
Please keep a copy of your papers for your own file; should a paper be lost, it is your
responsibility to give me another.
ESSAY REQUIREMENTS
Essays that have failed to fulfill the assignment’s requirements will be penalized; these
essays will be marked down 10 points for each requirement that has not been satisfactorily
fulfilled. Essays #1 and 2, however, will be returned unread, and you will be given one chance
(7 days) to revise them in order to bring the material up to college level; essays turned in after
the original due date will have the same resubmission date. Note that these essays will be
considered late and will be graded after all the other papers have been completed.
GRAMMAR
Essays that do not meet the minimum grammatical requirements for college level writing
in this class will be penalized; these essays will earn an average of two grades: the grade for the
essay and an F (50 points) for grammar. Essays #1 and 2, however, will be returned, and you
will be given one chance (7 days from the return date) to revise them in order to bring the
material up to college level. (Late papers will have the same resubmission date.)
ATTENDANCE AND WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Absences: Attendance is required by HCCS at all class meetings. I am instructed to
withdraw students who have missed six hours or more of class by the last day to drop.
Tardiness: Note, however, that showing up twenty minutes late to class each day does
not mean that you have perfect attendance; it means that you have missed one-quarter of the
semester (almost a month)! Therefore, tardiness of 1/4 of the class period or more (20 minutes)
will be considered an absence.
Withdrawal: While I am instructed to withdraw students with excessive absences, it is
ultimately the student’s responsibility to withdraw; so, should you decide to drop the class, do
not merely stop coming. Note that we no longer have the option to assign "W"'s at the end of the
semester, so all students still on my roll at the end of the semester will receive grades.
You are, in any event, responsible for any material assigned or collected on those days
that you are absent or tardy. If a paper is due on a day that you are going to be absent, it is your
responsibility to find a way to turn it in. Missed exercises/quizzes may not be made up.
* TEXAS ATTENDANCE RULE *
Students who repeat a course three or more times, or who accumulate 6 or more “W”’s
during their college career, face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas public
colleges and universities. If you are considering course withdrawal, confer with your
instructor/counselor as early as possible about your study habits, reading and writing homework,
attendance, course participation, and opportunities for tutoring that might be available.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in
classrooms and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Inappropriate use
of a recording device will be reported to the police and may be a felony offense.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS/CIRCUMSTANCES
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychological, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability
Services Office at the beginning of each semester.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Scholastic Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
1] “Plagiarism”--the appropriation of previously written work and the unacknowledged
incorporation of that work in one’s own written work for credit.
2] “Collusion”--the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written
work for credit.
3] ‘Cheating’—obtaining or providing answers from/to another person during a quiz.
A student guilty of a first offense will earn a grade of 0 on the assignment involved. For
a second offense, the student will earn an F for the course.
Class Assignments/Reading Schedule
(* Assignments are to be completed for the class they are listed under *)
Week 1:
Jan. 18] Course Introduction
20] Diagnostic Essay
Week 2:
25] Sample Diagnostic Essay
27] Introduction to Essay #1 / Citing Anthologies in APA /
Quiz #1 (bring Handbook!)
Read before class: Online articles listed on my Learning Web page
Due at start of class: A three-sentence summary for each article
Week 3:
Feb
1] Analysis of Articles / Thesis Statements
3] Introductions / Plagiarism / Quiz #2 (bring Handbook!)
Week 4:
8] Analysis Paragraph Structure / Quiz #3 (bring Handbook!)
10] Opposition/Response Paragraphs
Week 5:
15] Conference/Workshop Day / Quiz #4 (bring Handbook!)
17] ** Draft Check Day **
Peer Evaluation of Rough Draft Essay #1
Bring: 2 copies of rough draft (as specified in the Essay #1
assignment sheet)
Week 6:
22] ** Final Draft of Essay #1 Due / Quiz #5 (bring Handbook!)
Turn in to me: Final draft, any research xeroxes, any peer
evaluation responses, and an electronic copy of your essay
24] Introduction to Essay #2 / Citing web pages in Chicago format
Week 7:
Mar. 1] Defining Character Traits / Brainstorming Ideas / Quiz #6 (bring Handbook!)
Read before class: stories listed on my Learning Web site
3] Cause & Effect Argumentation / Transitions / Conclusions /
Week 8:
8] Conference Day / Quiz #7 (bring Handbook!)
Bring: working draft of your essay
10] ** Draft Check Day **
Peer Evaluation of Rough Draft Essay #2
Bring: 2 copies of rough draft (as specified in the Essay #2
assignment sheet)
Week 9:
15] SPRING BREAK
17] HOLIDAY !!!
Week 10:
22] ** Final Draft of Essay #2 Due
Turn in to me: Final draft, all research xeroxes, any peer evaluation responses,
and an electronic copy of your essay
24] Introduction to Research Project / Titles / Quiz #8 (bring Handbook!)
Read before class: The International Herald Tribune (Mar. 24 edition) found at
www.iht.com
Week 11:
29] Argumentation / Quiz #9 (bring Handbook!)
31] Opposition & Response Paragraphs
Week 12:
5] Library & Research Introduction / Legitimate Sources
** Class Meets In: Library Computer Lab
7] Database Research / Quiz #10 (bring Handbook!)
Week 13:
12] Incorporating Sources
Bring: One book or one magazine/journal article or one
Internet source or one database article
(preferably one you might use as research,
though it can be any book/magazine/journal)
14] In-Text Citations / Quiz #11 (bring Handbook!)
Bring: One book, one magazine/journal, one database article,
& one Internet article
** Thurs. Apr. 14: Last day to drop with a "W" **
Week 14:
19] Works Cited Citations (Part I)
Bring: One book and one Internet article
21] Works Cited Citations (Part II)
Bring: One magazine/journal article & database article
Week 15:
26] ** Draft Check Day **
Conference/Research Day / Quiz #12 (bring Handbook!)
28] Conference/Research Day
Week 16:
May
3] ** Final Draft of Research Paper Due ** / Introduction to In-Class Final Essay
Turn in to me: Final draft, all xeroxes of source material, and
An electronic copy of your essay
5] Final Preparation Day
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Final Exam Date (In-Class Essay): Tuesday, May 10 from 9:00 a.m.-10:50 p.m.
in our regular classrooms.
(** Note: changes can and may be made at the Instructor’s discretion **)