North Arkansas College
English 1023: Composition II
3 Credit Hours
Instructor: Dr. Phillip Howerton. Office: M154G.
Office Hours: MW 8:00-10:00, 11:00-2:00, TR 8:00-9:00, 3;00-4:00, F 8:00-10:00, 11:00-2:00.
Office Phone: 870-391-3107. E-mail Address: phowerton@northark.edu
Catalog Course Description
Instruction continues [from ENGL 1013] to emphasize developing students’ writing skills but
also introduces the literary genres: prose fiction, drama, and poetry. Students prepare and write a
research paper dealing with a literary work. Student-instructor conferences individualize
instruction each semester.
Prerequisites
A student must receive a “C” or better in English 1013 in order to enroll in English 1023.
Next Course in Sequence
None
Audience, Rationale, and Anticipated Outcomes
English 1023 is designed to prepare students with the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills
necessary for success in other college courses and in their personal and professional life beyond
college. This course requires critical thinking and problem solving skills applicable across
disciplines; life skills such as teamwork, interpersonal relationships, ethics, and study habits;
clear oral and written communication; use of technology; and discussion of issues relevant to a
diverse global society. Therefore, it specifically addresses five of the six General Education
Learning Objectives listed in the North Arkansas College Catalog as being part of North
Arkansas College’s Philosophy of General Education.
Course Objectives
ENGL 1023 builds upon the mechanical and organizational skills students have developed in
ENGL 1013. In addition, students will read a variety of literary texts; relate the requirements of
the literary genres to the contents of a particular short story, novel, play, or poem; articulate a
response to literature in class discussion and writing; and incorporate the views and perceptions
of others as they create and support their own views and perceptions. Students’ performances on
quizzes, exams, short written responses, and essays will assess their achievement of these
objectives.
Required Texts
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 5th ed.
Kirszner and Mandell. Portable Literature. 7th ed.
Course Requirements
The minimum amount of writing required in all sections of Composition II at Northark is six
essays and a research paper.
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Grades
Assignment One: Summary and Outline. 50 points.
Assignment Two: Comparison and Contrast (Fiction). 100 points.
Assignment Three: Paraphrase and Outline. 50 points.
Assignment Four: Poetry Explication. 100 points.
Assignment Five: Annotated Bibliography. 100 points.
Assignment Six: Outline. 50 points.
Assignment Seven: Research paper, 100 points.
Assignment Eight: Comparison and Contrast Paragraph (Drama). 50 points.
Assignment Nine: Cover Letter and Cave Region Review Submission. 100 points.
Assignment Ten: Ozark Project. 100 points.
Assignment Eleven: Revision of Research Paper. 200 points.
In-Class Activities: 100 points.
Mid-Term Exam: 100 points.
Final Exam: 100 points.
Total: 1300 points
Letter Grades
•90-100% A •80-89% B •70-79% C •60-69% D
Papers
Papers must be word processed, doubled spaced in 12 font, and documented according to MLA
guidelines. In order to be awarded college-level grades, these papers must exhibit all the qualities
of fine academic writing, such as unity, organization, development, critical and original thought,
and correctness—in other words, you must demonstrate all of the basics that were covered in
Composition I. Prompts will be provided.
Late Work
Unless the student has made special arrangements with the instructor well in advance of the due
date, late work will not be accepted and will be given a grade of zero.
Emergencies happen, so do not plan to complete your assignments the day or night before they
are due. Do not approach me with trite and retroactive excuses. Make your education a priority
and you will not need excuses.
Attendance
When you have achieved your fourth absence, you will be dropped from this course. The
attendance policy is generous—you can miss 15% of the class sections before you are dropped. I
do not need to know why you were absent, so please do not tell me. If you miss class—
regardless of the reason—you are not fulfilling your commitment to this course. I cannot give
students points in a writing class for having hectic lives. Do not miss class for trivial reasons and
then expect to be given extra days when you have valid reasons for missing.
There are several educational opportunities that do not require attendance, but this is not one of
them. If you do not have time to attend this class, you should not enroll in this course.
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The North Arkansas College Catalog and Student Handbook both state:
It is the responsibility of faculty members to advise their classes, in writing, of their
attendance and makeup policies. It is the student’s responsibility to discuss any absences
and the possibility of makeup with the instructor as soon as possible.
Students are expected to attend all class meetings and officially withdraw from courses
they are no longer attending. However, if students fail to withdraw, their instructors will
not allow them to remain on class rolls when it becomes clear that excessive absences
prevent successful completion of the course. Once an instructor has determined that a
student has missed too many classes to pass the course, the instructor will officially
withdraw the student rather than allowing the student to remain on the class roll and
receive an “F” at the end of the semester.
As a general rule, missing more than 15% of scheduled class meetings (six class hours in
a traditional three credit lecture course, proportionately more in classes with laboratory,
studio, or clinical components) constitutes excessive absence. In online classes, a
student’s failure to participate for a period greater than two weeks constitutes excessive
absence. Instructors in online courses will monitor attendance based on participation in
the class as evidenced by turning in assignments, participation in discussion boards,
email, or other formal contact. Students must consult the course syllabus for attendance
policy set by individual instructors.
If there are factors in your life—such as family concerns, a demanding work schedule, lack of
transportation, medical complications—that will interfere with your regular attendance, do not
enroll in this course and expect to be exempt from the rules.
Tardiness
Three late arrivals equal an absence. Arriving fifteen minutes or more after the scheduled class
time equals an absence.
Extracurricular Activities
Students involved in extra-curricular activities are not exempt from the policies stated above.
Absences accrued due to required attendance of college-sanctioned events will not be
automatically counted toward the total of classes missed. However, these students are required to
schedule a conference with the instructor within a maximum of one week following the class
period missed to discuss the material that was delivered on the date they were absent. Any
student who does not attend these required conferences will be counted absent and will not be
allowed to make up the work missed. Participation in these activities temporarily excuses the
student from attending class, but it never excuses the student from responsibility.
Athletics
How well a student performs on the field or court will have no impact upon how writing is
assessed in this course.
Syllabus Change
The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus during the semester and will announce
any changes during class.
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Electronic Toy Policy
Turn off and put away all electronic toys before class or be counted absent. I will not interrupt
class to tell you to put your toy away—I will simply mark you absent and then drop you when
you have used your four absences.
Incomplete Grades
I will not assign a grade of Incomplete (“I”) unless the student has completed approximately
80% of the course but has not been able, because of illness or other reasons beyond his or her
control, to finish the work assigned in the course. The student must contact the instructor to
request an Incomplete (“I”) and make arrangements for completing the course. The instructor
determines the requirements for making the “I.” An incomplete grade not made up within one
semester automatically becomes an “F” unless the instructor notifies the Registrar’s Office in
writing of a later date.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined in the North Arkansas College Student Handbook.
Any instructor who suspects that cheating or plagiarism has occurred will act in accordance with
the guidelines contained in the Student Handbook. My standard policy is to award a zero to any
paper containing plagiarism and not to allow the student to revise the work for a grade.
ADA Statement
North Arkansas College complies with Section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special
accommodations should make their requests in the following way: (1) talk to the instructor after
class or during office hours about their disability or special need related to classroom work,
and/or (2) contact Student Support Services.
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Grading System and General Rubric
The rules governing the each low order concern (LOC), such as errors in mechanics, grammar, and
punctuation, are objective; therefore, the grading of such errors is objective: in paper one, each such
sentence-level error will cost one point; in subsequent papers these errors will cost two points.
Though more complex than LOCs, high order concerns (HOCs), such as purpose, organization, clarity,
coherence, unity, tone, and development, can also be evaluated objectively by a critical reader. Such
errors destroy the effectiveness of a paper, so these errors have a great impact upon the grade assigned.
If you believe that I am grading your work unfairly, please schedule a conference with me and explain,
using argument, evidence, and analysis, how your writing fulfills the guidelines of a higher letter grade.
Attributes of an A paper:
1. Impressive, specific, engaging, and challenging introduction and thesis.
2. Impressive, specific, engaging, and challenging topic sentences that support the thesis.
3. Thesis statement and topic sentences directly, deliberately, and critically answer prompt.
4. Substantial, original, thoughtful, surprising, and challenging support.
5. Sophisticated transitions.
6. Complex synthesis of source material and student’s critical viewpoints.
7. Well-crafted body paragraphs that demonstrate unity, coherence, and development.
8. Masterful sentence structure and sentence variety.
9. Precise word choice.
10. Correct documentation.
11. Virtually no errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Attributes of a B paper:
1. Strong and focused introduction and thesis.
2. Strong and focused topic sentences that support the thesis.
3. Concrete support that moves beyond the obvious.
4. Thesis and topic sentences directly and deliberately answer prompt.
5. Effective transitions.
6. Clear synthesis of source material and student’s viewpoints.
7. Solid body paragraphs that demonstrate unity, coherence, and development.
8. Solid sentence structure and some sentence variety.
9. Good word choice.
10. Near mastery of documentation.
11. Very few errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Attributes of a C paper:
1. Functional introduction and thesis.
2. Functional topic sentences that support the thesis.
3. Basic and obvious support.
4. Thesis and topic sentence indirectly answer prompt.
5. Mechanical transitions.
6. Simple synthesis of source material and student’s viewpoint.
7. Serviceable body paragraphs that are somewhat unified, generally coherent, and offer some
development.
8. Basic sentence structure with little sentence variety.
9. Little attention to word choice.
10. Inaccurate or incomplete documentation.
11. A distracting number of errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
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Tentative Schedule
T/1/10: Introduce course and assignments one and two.
R/1/12: Review writing process, thesis statements, five-paragraph essay, and stories.
T/1/17: Discuss stories. Discuss comparison and contrast.
R/1/19: One due. Discuss stories.
T/1/24: Discuss stories.
R/1/26: Two due. Introduce assignments three and four. Discuss explication.
T/1/31: Discuss poems.
R/2/2: Discuss poems.
T/2/7: Three due. Discuss poems.
R/2/9: Discuss poems.
T/2/14: Four due. Introduce research project.
R/2/16: Discuss research.
T/2/21: Discuss research.
R/2/23: Discuss novels.
T/2/28: Five due. Discuss outline.
R/3/1: Discuss outline.
T/3/6: Six due. Mid-term exam.
R/3/8: Workshop.
T/3/13: Workshop.
R/3/15: Seven due.
S/3/17-Su/3/25: Spring Break.
T/3/27: Read Hamlet.
R/3/29: Read Hamlet.
T/4/3: Watch Hamlet.
R/4/5: Watch Hamlet.
T/4/10: Eight due. Introduce nine.
R/4/12: Discuss nine.
T/4/17: Discuss revision.
R/4/19: Workshop.
T/4/24: Workshop.
R/4/26: Workshop.
M/4/30-F/5/4: Finals Week!
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