TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAMPUS
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENGLISH 1213/Composition II
Spring 2013
Instructor Spring Houghton
CRN and Sec. #: CRN 21400 sec 337, CRN 25166 sec 363, CRN 25167 sec 364
Room/Meeting Times: TR 9:30-10:50, MTR 1:30-2:25/2:30-3:25
TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Email: spring.houghton@tulsacc.edu (best way to contact me)
Mail Box: Communications Division, Southeast Campus, room 1202
TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:
Communications Division, Room SE1202
Communications Interim Associate Dean: Dr. Kara Ryan-Johnson, 595-7694
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment.
TO GET HELP WITH BLACKBOARD, MYTCC: Call 918-595-2000 for help with
Blackboard, MyTCC, or TED. Technology issues are not an excuse for failing to
complete an assignment on time.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Completion of ENG 1113, Composition I, with a grade
of “C” or better. See “Prerequisites for Composition II” pages xvii-xxii in Little, Brown.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The TCC Catalog states “The second in a sequence of two
courses. Furthers analytical reading skills, academic writing, and techniques of research
and documentation.” This course deals specifically with critical reading, argumentation,
and research-based writing and is designed to improve your college-level reading and
writing skills.
Course work will include class discussion, short (1-2 pages) critical responses, two 4-5
page essays (both of which may be revised for a better grade), a research proposal, an
annotated bibliography and outline, a 7-10 page research essay, and a final exam essay.
Quizzes will be given periodically. You will be reading on average 50 pages a week for
this class.
NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE: None.
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TEXTS:
The Little, Brown Handbook, TCC Custom edition, Fowler & Aaron*
The Craft of Research, 3rd edition, Booth, Colomb and Williams
Select readings and viewings TBA
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The main objective of Composition II is to teach students
how to produce a focused, well-developed college research paper. To that end, students
will need to apply the skills learned in Composition I to longer and more challenging
writing assignments and to demonstrate more depth and complexity of thought in their
essays. Specifically, Composition II students should demonstrate that they can
 analyze a variety of scholarly and popular texts to show how content,
organization, style, and tone are related to the author’s purpose, audience, and
subject matter
 use logical, emotional, and ethical appeals and rebuttals to construct formal,
academic arguments
 evaluate and select authoritative sources for college-level research
 identify appropriate evidence from primary and secondary sources
 distill, synthesize and document evidence from primary and secondary sources
 understand and apply the general conventions of MLA documentation
TEACHING METHODS: Teaching methods include lecture, discussion, readings
from the textbooks, and feedback on written work.
Teaching methods are not nearly as important as the strategies you implement to learn.
You should take notes over assigned texts and during lectures and discussions; participate
earnestly in class discussions and activities; read my feedback on graded work; study
specific writing strategies; and spend sufficient time reading, researching, writing and
revising.
GRADING: Grades will be determined according to the following scale:
Critical Responses
150 points (5@30 points)
Essay 1
150 points
Essay 2
150 points
Research Proposal
50 points
Annotated Bibliography and outline
100 points
Research Essay
250 points
Final Exam
150 points
TOTAL
1000 points
A=1000-900; B=899-800; C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-0
Written work will be graded using the criteria described in your Little, Brown, p. xxvixxii. Additional, more specific grading criteria for all assignments are on the assignment
sheets.
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I will occasionally give pop quizzes over assigned readings and class discussions.
Questions on the quizzes will be short answer. The points you earn on these quizzes will
be added to your overall grade and can make up for missed points.
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.
FORMAT FOR COURSE WORK: All essays and critical responses 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., SmithE1.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.
REVISION POLICY: You may revise essays 1 and/or 2 and re-submit them by the date
indicated on the course agenda. 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 essays will not be accepted for revision.
LATE WORK: No late work will be accepted late under any circumstances.
WITHDRAW 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 or who are using cell phones excessively will be dismissed and counted absent.
I will withdraw (i.e. “drop”) any student who is absent more than 8 times. In addition,
students who are making unsatisfactory progress may be dropped from this class.
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.
WRITING CENTER: Students should be aware of the many services offered in the
Writing Center, room 1102. For more information, see p. xxiv in Little, Brown.
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PLAGIARISM POLICY: Please see pp. xxvi-xxvii in Little, Brown. I will report any
student who plagiarizes to the Associate Dean of the Communications Division and to the
Dean of Student Services, who keeps records of students who violate TCC’s policies on
academic integrity. If you submit any assignment containing plagiarism of any kind, and
it is your first offense, you will receive a score of 0 for that assignment and will not have
a chance to revise, which, in some cases, will result in a failing grade in this class. If you
submit an assignment containing plagiarism and it is your second offense (in my class or
according to the Dean of Student Services), you will receive a grade of F for the course,
regardless of how well you do on other assignments.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OR MISCONDUCT: Academic dishonesty or
misconduct is not condoned nor tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community
College system. See the college’s Academic Integrity Statement:
http://www.tulsacc.edu/page.asp?durki=2984&site=16&return=126.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: See Little, Brown, page xxix. Students who do not
follow the etiquette policy may be dismissed from class and required to meet with the
dean of student services. Excessive cell phone use is grounds for dismissal.
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS POLICY: The Education Access Center (formerly “disABLED
Student Services”) manages academic support services for qualifying students in compliance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act. See p. xxvi-xxvii in Little, Brown.
EMAIL: Every student enrolled at Tulsa Community College is issued a TCC email
account. Students are expected to check their College email account on a regular basis in
order to stay current with College-related communications, particularly those that may be
time sensitive in nature. Students will be held responsible for the information transmitted
to the College email account.
I check email frequently and will respond to emails in less than 48 hours. If you do not
receive a reply from me within that time, you can assume I didn’t receive your email.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: If extreme weather conditions or emergency
situations arise, TCC sends alerts to all students (http://www.tulsacc.edu/about-tcc/tccalerts), gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations, and posts notifications
on the TCC website. If you lose power, call the TCC main number (918-595-7000) for an
updated, recorded message regarding closure. If the college has to close because of
weather, students will be expected to complete any homework assigned and may have to
complete assignments online, using Blackboard.
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law
designated to protect the privacy of a student’s education records and academic work,
applies to all schools, colleges, and universities, including TCC, that receive funds under
an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. This law protects your right
as a student by stipulating that instructors will not share information about your grades,
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your progress in the class, or any materials you submit in their courses with any one other
than you.
Many college students sign a waiver of their FERPA rights. This waiver authorizes the
release of academic records to the individuals identified by the student, but it does not
compel the release of information.
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: The General Education Goals are designed to
ensure that graduates of Tulsa Community College have the skills, knowledge, and
attitudes to carry them successfully through their work and their personal lives. General
Education Goals relevant to this course include Critical Thinking, Effective
Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.
ENGLISH DISCIPLINE GOALS: All English courses are designed to help students
meet the English discipline goals, which are Effective Writing, Critical Reading,
Informed Discussion, and Scholarly Research.
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.
OTHER: Occasionally, when genuine emergencies or problem situations occur, the
course policies outlined here can be modified to help a student complete the course if the
student has been attending regularly, has completed most assigned work, and is earning at
least a "C." It is always in your best interest, therefore, to contact me immediately if a
crisis situation prevents you from attending class or completing assignments.
The specific needs of the class may require minor changes in the policies in this syllabus.
Students will be given written notification of any policy changes.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: Please follow the scheduled below. Any schedule changes
will be based on the needs of the class and will be provided in writing.
Date
In-class
Readings/Homework
1-15
Introductions, Review syllabus,
expectations
Composition I Review
LB xv-xxxviii, syllabus
1-22
1-24
Critical reading review
Watch The Story of Stuff, discuss visual
argument
Read LB Ch. 7, Ch. 9
Read LB CH. 11
1-29
Discuss reading
TBA
1-17
Sample Essays, thesis
statements
5
1-31
Quiz \ Free Writing
TBA
2-5
Discuss reading
2-7
Writing an Argument
TBA, Critical Response 1
DUE
Read LB Ch. 8, Ch. 10
(skim sample essays)
2-12
Discuss reading
2-14
Workshop Essay 1
2-19
View and Discuss Adbusters Spoof Ads;
Review summary, paraphrase, quotations
Discuss reading
ESSAY 1 DUE, Read LB
Ch. 43
Read Kellner and Share’s
“Toward Critical Media
Literacy” Critical Response
3 DUE
Read LB Ch. 42 and 46a
2-28
Watch Killing Us Softly 4, discuss film
Generating, synthesizing and documenting
evidence
Review how to write an argument
3-5
Watch Wrestling with Manhood
Critical Response 4 DUE,
Read “The Social
Construction of Gender” by
Judith Lorber
3-7
Discuss Wrestling with Manhood, reading
3-12
Discuss images, Watch Target Women:
“Cleaning,” “Number 2” and
“Ladyfriends”, discuss satire
Begin planning essay 2
2-21
2-26
3-14
3-18/3-19/3-21 Spring Break: No Class
3-25
3-26
Lecture: Introductions and Conclusions
3-28
4-2
Workshop for essay 2
Begin Research Paper Discuss topic ideas,
research proposal
Discuss topic ideas, research proposal
Critical Response 2 DUE,
Read Ayn Rand’s
“Introduction” to The Virtue
of Selfishness, Read
“Thoughts of Peace: The
Great Law”
Essay 1 Rough Draft
Read CR Chapters 3 and 4
Gather 3 media images,
Critical Response 5 DUE
Critical Response 6 DUE
(optional)
--Read CR Chapter 16, work
on essay 2
Rough Draft Essay 2
ESSAY 2 DUE Read CR
Chapter 1
Read CR Chapters 3 and 4
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4-4
Lecture: Evaluating Sources MLA Format
Workshop
CR Chapter 5, Review LB
46b
4-9
Developing a claim
4-11
Conferences
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
DUE, Read CR Chapters 7
and 8
ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE AT
CONFERENCES, Work on
research essay, read LB 43a
4-16
Conferences
4-18
Conferences
4-23
Workshop for research essay
4-25
Debriefing
Rough draft of research
essay, read CR Chapter 12 13; REVISIONS DUE
(optional)
RESEARCH ESSAY DUE
4-30
5-2
Discuss reading, Prepare for final
Study for final exam
Read LB Chapter 53
---
Draft Research Essay, read
CR Chapter 9
Draft Research Essay
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