TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAMPUS
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENGLISH 0933
Writing II
Fall 2013
Professor: Amie Vetscher
CRN 16954, Section 313
Room: SE Bldg 1, Communications 1222
Meeting day and time: Thursdays, 5:30 P.M.-8:20 P.M.
To contact your professor:
Mailbox: Academic and Campus Support (ACS), SE 2202
Email: amie.vetscher@tulsacc.edu
Phone: 918.595.7673
To contact the division office:
Communications Division, SE 1202
Phone: 918.595.7694
To get help with technology issues (Blackboard, email, TED, etc.):
Phone: 918.595.2000.
Course Prerequisites
Appropriate Compass score, or completion of ENG 0923 with a grade of “C” or better, or
permission of the Associate Dean. For more information about prerequisites, see Little, Brown, page xi-xiii.
You should be comfortable with the following:
 using a word processor (changing font, spell check)
 using email for communication
 sending an email attachment
 navigating the Internet
 downloading appropriate plugins
 using an Internet search engine
Course Description
Writing II provides students with approaches to paragraph and essay writing. Special emphasis is
placed on skills for basic academic writing: sentence structure, English language usage, punctuation, and
editing and revising. Prerequisite: ENGL 0923 with a grade of “C” or better or appropriate placement score.
Next Course in Sequence
English 1113: Freshman Composition: the first in a sequence of two courses. Introduces students to
academic writing, basic research, and documentation.
1
Course Objectives/Outcomes
Goal 1—Apply writing skills to basic academic writing exercises.
Student will be able to
 Respond to writing assignments using a formal writing process.
 Think critically and write clearly about course readings.
 Write with specific, concrete, descriptive language, adjusting style to various audiences.
 Conform to discipline standards for documentation, citation, and academic integrity; recognize
and avoid plagiarism.
Goal 2—Compose sentences that are accurate, concise and varied in structure.
Student will be able to
 Use standard, mid-formal English in formal assignments.
 Write with clarity using the four basic sentence types
 Employ Standard English language usage, grammar, punctuation.
Goal 3—Write a well-developed paragraph composed of clear, grammatical sentences.
Student will be able to
 Make a clear point in the form of a structured thesis statement.
 Develop a topic and arrange a critical written response according to one of the several rhetorical
modes/strategies/patterns.
Goal 4—Write a short, but well-organized, essay.
Student will be able to
 Make a clear point in the form of a structured thesis statement.
 Develop a topic and arrange a critical written response according to one of the several rhetorical
modes/strategies/patterns.
Textbooks and Supplemental Materials
The required books for the class are as follows:
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Back Bay Books, 2011. 978-0-316-01793-0.
Ramsey, H. and Jane E. Aaron, eds. The Little, Brown Handbook: Custom Edition for Tulsa Community College.
New York: Pearson/Longman Custom Publishing, 2012. The ISBN is 978-1-256-70702-8.
The SEC Writing Center and library have reserve copies of The Little, Brown Handbook. I did not have
the campus bookstore order Outliers, which means that you will need to purchase this on your own. You
should be able to find copies of this book at Barnes and Noble. You can also find inexpensive used copies at
Amazon.com. You will also read other essays and articles that you will access off our course Blackboard site
or through the library’s databases.
Additional required materials include loose-leaf notebook paper for quizzes and notes. You are also
required to use Microsoft Word 97 or later. If you do not have Office, you can download it from Blackboard
free: go to the “Organization” tab; search for “software”; enroll in the “Organization” and follow the onscreen instructions
2
Email
All communications to you about TCC and course assignments will be sent to your TCC email
address. You must use TCC email to send email to, and receive email from, the instructor regarding this
course. Go to http://www.tulsacc.edu/about-tcc/information-technology-services/office-365-e-mailstudents for information. The Instructor will not respond to emails that come from personal email
accounts.
Teaching Methods
Each class period will involve a variety of activities including lecture, discussion, group work, and
writing. I grade essays and summaries manually and provide feedback to help you improve your writing. For
more information, see pages xxiii-xxv in Little, Brown.
Teaching methods are not nearly as important as the strategies you implement to learn. You are
expected to take reading notes, and to take notes during lectures and discussions. I expect you to participate
earnestly in class discussions and activities; to read my feedback on graded work; to study specific writing
strategies; and to spend sufficient time (6-8 hours a week) reading, writing and revising.
Final Grade Determination
Final course grades will be determined as follows:
Exercises (9 opportunities)
Quizzes (11 opportunities)
Précis/Direct Quotation Response (10 opportunities)
Literary Paragraph
Essays
Final Exam Essay
Total
7@10 pts. each
10@10 pts. each
8@10pts. each
1@50 pts.
2@100 pts. each
70
100
80
50
200
100
600
A=600-537; B=536-477; C=476-417; D=416-357; F=356-0
Essays, including the final exam essay, will be graded using the criteria described on pages xvii-xxii in
Little, Brown. Exercises will likely receive full credit if they are completed according to directions, submitted on
time, and indicate a good amount of effort. Quizzes consist of several short answer questions over assigned
readings and lectures. Students may refer to their notes (NOT their textbooks) during quizzes. English
Professors assign "I" grades only when genuine emergencies prevent a student from completing the class
and/or from withdrawing before the deadline and only when the student is earning a satisfactory ("C" or
better) grade.
Students who wish to earn high grades should attend all classes, complete all assignments, and take
reading notes so they do well on quizzes. Although extra credit is not offered, I have built in 2 added
opportunities to perform on the exercises and Précis/Direct Quotation Response, as well as 1 added
opportunity to improve performance on a quiz. I will record all scores but use the highest scores in each
category to compute your grade. So, the 2 lowest exercise and 2 lowest précis scores will be dropped; the
lowest quiz score will also be dropped.
Assignment Format
All paragraphs and essays should follow MLA format as described in the Handbook and must be
submitted to SafeAssign, a program that checks for plagiarism. Save your work as a Microsoft Word
document and name it yourlastname and the assignment (e.g., SmithEssay1.docx for Essay 1). Students who
do not have a version of Word on their computers should download it free from the TCC Web site. If you
submit your assignments in a format other than Microsoft Word, I may not be able to open it, which means
you will receive a “0” for that assignment, with no opportunity to resubmit.
3
Revision Policy
You may revise and re-submit Essay 1 at the end of the semester. The essay revisions should be
accompanied by a 250-300 word letter explaining the specific improvements you’ve made, based on my
feedback and on the readings from the course texts. If the letter convinces me that you have made significant
and informed changes, I will grade the revision and replace the original grade. If the letter does not convince
me that you have studied appropriate materials to revise effectively, or if you submit a revision without the
letter, I will not grade your revision. Note: plagiarized assignments may not be accepted for revision.
Late Work
The literary paragraph and essays only may be submitted late but are not eligible for revision, will not
be graded until the end of the semester, and will be penalized one letter grade, regardless of the reason for
being late. Late paragraph/essays are due to the appropriate area of Blackboard by the last day of class. (I do
NOT accept emailed assignments unless Blackboard is not functioning. All work must be submitted to the
appropriate area in Blackboard.) Please note: If you submit a late essay, I will not grade it until the end of the
semester, which means you will be failing the class.
Exercises and précis/direct quotation responses are due at the beginning of class and will not be
accepted once class begins. Quizzes cannot be made up. However, I have built one extra reading quizzes into
the schedule, so if you must miss class during the semester, you will have the opportunity to make up the lost
points. Students who do not miss any work may complete the additional quizzes as extra credit.
Attendance/Withdrawal Policy
To succeed in this class, you must attend regularly, be on time, and come prepared (i.e., read and
annotate textbooks and assignments and bring them to class). I will take attendance each class period.
Students who are clearly not prepared for class will be dismissed and counted absent. I will also count you
absent if you have your cell phone out. Per institutional policy, instructors withdraw (WN) students who
miss the first two weeks of a 16-week semester course and/or who miss the first week of an 8-week semester
course.
Missing more than nine hours of any college class is considered excessive even when students have a
good reason to miss class. I will, therefore, withdraw (i.e. “drop”) any student who misses ten classes. (Note:
absences because of cell phone use will count.) In addition, students who are making unsatisfactory progress
may be dropped from this class.
Dropping or being dropped from a class will not affect a student’s college grade point average, but it
can affect your financial aid. Students who miss class should contact another classmate to find out
what they missed. In-class work cannot be completed outside of class, but students can submit summaries
and essays and collect missed handouts through Blackboard. If you must miss class, you do not need to
contact me to explain why; I will assume it is for a good reason, but the class attendance policy applies in all
but extreme cases.
Plagiarism
Please see definitions of plagiarism in your Little, Brown. All work must be submitted to SafeAssign, a
program that checks for plagiarism. If you submit any assignment containing plagiarism, and it is your first
offense, you will receive a 0 for that assignment and will need to send me an email explaining why you
received the 0, what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it. If I’m convinced that the plagiarism occurred
accidentally and that you understand plagiarism, I may allow you to rewrite the assignment, but I am not
obligated to do so. A rewrite will not be permitted for cases in which the plagiarism appears to be deliberate
and/or extensive. A second offense will result in a grade of F for the course, and I will report you to the
Dean of Student Services and the Associate Dean of the Communications Division for violation of TCC’s
policies on academic integrity.
4
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy
See p. xxvii in Little, Brown.
Classroom Etiquette:
See p. xxix in Little, Brown. Violation of the etiquette policy may be grounds for dismissal from class.
Cell phone use during class—e.g., talking, texting, surfing—violates the etiquette policy. Students doing any
of this will be told to leave and they will be counted as absent.
Writing Center:
See p. xxiv in Little, Brown.
Disability Resources
It is the policy and practice of Tulsa Community College to create inclusive learning environments.
Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available. To request accommodations, contact the Education
Access Center (EAC) at eac@tulsacc.edu or call (918) 595-7115 (Voice). Deaf and hard of hearing students
may text (918) 809-1864.
Inclement Weather
If extreme weather conditions or emergency situations arise, TCC always gives cancellation notices to
radio and television stations. This information is also posted on the TCC website (www.tulsacc.edu).
General Education Goals
General Education courses at TCC ensure that our graduates gain skills, knowledge, and abilities that
comprise a common foundation for their higher education and a backdrop for their work and personal lives.
TCC’s General Education goals are: Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and
Technological Proficiency.
Institutional Statement
Each student is responsible for being aware of the information contained in the TCC Catalog, the
TCC Student Policies & Resources Handbook, and semester information listed in the class schedule. All
information may be viewed on the TCC website: www.tulsacc.edu
Syllabus Changes
Occasionally, changes to the syllabus and/or the Course Calendar may be necessary. If I make any
changes to the Syllabus or our Calendar, I will notify you in writing.
Course Calendar
Work should be completed in the order listed. Exercises should be turned in at the beginning of class
and will not be accepted once class begins. Essays should be submitted to the appropriate area in Blackboard.
Date
8-22
In class
Due*
*Exercises due at the beginning of class; summaries and essays due to Blackboard by beginning of class unless
specified otherwise
Introductions, review syllabus, first day
questions, discuss expectations and
technology
Form and Function of College
Writing—Plain and Simple
Lab Work: Bb login, download and
print readings
Introduce Exercise 1, Exploring
5
Communication Experiences Using
Modes
8-29
Reading Quiz 1; Communication
Experiences Roundtable; diagnostic
essay; Model close-reading/text
annotation, “Allegory of the Cave” (on
Blackboard); Model the rhetorical
précis (RP) and direct quotation
response (DQR). Model Cornell notes
(CN), “the Basic Sentence”; Read and
take CNs LBH Ch. 12, pp. 252-261;
Complete Exercise 2 in class- LBH
exercises 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, and
12.5.
Read LBH, pages vii-xxxvii; Read LBH 4D, pp. 98-108; review
syllabus; Exercise 1 due
9-5
Reading Quiz 2; View Truman Show;
Submit written response to video and
“Cave”
Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 12, pp. 262-267, 272-286; for
Exercise 3, you should complete LBH exercises 12.10, 12.15,
12.17. Read and take CNs, Ch. 6, pp. 144-154.
Reread Plato, “Allegory of the Cave;” Review RP and DQR.
9-12
Reading Quiz 3; Discuss reading.
Review: “The Basic Sentence” cont.;
Grammar Gallery 1
Read and annotate Malcolm X,
“Learning to Read” (in class)
Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 14, pp. 294-299, 311-323; for
Exercise 4, you should complete LBH exercises 14.1 and 14.11.
Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 17 and 18; for Exercise 5, you
should complete LBH exercises 17.1, 17.2, 18.1-18.3;
Read and annotate From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave (on Bb). RP and DQR 1 due.
9-19
Reading Quiz 4; discuss readings and
Literary Paragraph; Read Ray Bradbury,
“There Will Come Soft Rains” in class;
Grammar Gallery 2
Review LBH Ch. 6b (pp. 152-154) AND 43d; Read and take CNs,
LBH Ch. 1-2;
Read and annotate Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
(on Bb). RP and DQR 2 due.
9-26
Peer edit; revision
Conferences
Punctuation Gallery
Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 4; Draft of Literary Paragraph due
(email one to yourself so that you can work on in class)
Literary Paragraph due to Bb by 11:59 p.m.
10-3
Meet in Computer-equipped
classroom; begin revisions of Literary
Paragraph
Discuss Outliers
Reread LBH Ch. 4. For Exercise 6, you should complete LBH
exercises 4.1, 4.3, 4.4., 4.5 and 4.12 (use your Literary Paragraph for
4.5 and 4.12); Reread LBH, Ch. 6a-c; Read and take CNs Ch. 8a-f.
Read and annotate Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, “Introduction;” RP
and DQR 3 due.
10-10
Reading Quiz 5; discussion
Read and annotate Outliers, Ch. 1-2; RP and DQR 4 due.
6
10-17
Reading Quiz 6; discussion
10-24
Reading Quiz 7; discussion; discuss
Essay 1
10-31
Reading Quiz 8; discussion
Peer Edit
11-7
Reading Quiz 9; discussion
Grammar Gallery
11-14
Reading Quiz 10; discussion; discuss
Essay 2
Read and annotate Outliers, Ch. 9 and Epilogue; RP and DQR 7
due.
Exercise 8 (Draft of Essay 1) at beginning of class.
Essay 1 due Sunday, 11/3, by 11:59 p.m.
Read and take CNs, LBH, Ch. 24; for Exercise 9, complete LBH
exercises 24.3, 24.4, and 24.5; Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 26
Read and annotate George Orwell, “On Shooting an Elephant” (on
Bb); RP and DQR 8 due.
Read and annotate Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” (on Bb);
RP and DQR 9 due.
11-21
Reading Quiz 11; Discussion; work
on Essay 2
Read and annotate Stephen King, “Now You Take Bambi and Snow
White, That’s Scary” (on Bb); RP and DQR 10 due.
11-28
12-5
No class: conferences
Writing lab-work on Essay 2;
conferences; final exam review
Final Exam
Essay 2 draft and revisions of Essay 1.
Essay 2 due Sunday, 12/8, by 11:59 p.m.
12-12
Read and take CNs, LBH Ch. 23; for Exercise 7, complete LBH
exercises 23.1, 23.2, 23.3 and 23.5.
Read and annotate Outliers, Ch. 3-5; RP and DQR 5 due.
Read and annotate Outliers, Ch. 6-8; RP and DQR 6 due.
Revised Essay 1 (along with letter explaining revisions) due at final
exam period
7