HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Department of English
English 1302
Composition II
Distance Education
Instructor Garza-Horne
16-Week Term
Composition II:
Social Issues in Literature II
Prerequisites
• Successful completion of Composition I
Course Content and Objectives
English 1302 is a course devoted to providing writing instruction and practice that will help
students master critical analysis of reading selections (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), feature
fiction films, and documentaries. The course will also better acquaint the student with the
research process and the implementation of analysis and research into persuasive/argumentative
writings. The course will culminate in a significant and original research paper. English 1302
requires students to apply the critical thinking and writing skills introduced in English 1301.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes.
2. Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic
arguments, including one or more research-based essays.
3. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence.
4. Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief or
action.
5. Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (e.g. MLA )
EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: ENGLISH 1302
By the time they have completed English 1302, students will
• demonstrate the ability to use consistently and effectively the writing process for both in-class
and out-of-class essays (thus reinforcing English 1301 instruction);
• understand and apply the basic principles of critical thinking—evaluation, analysis, and
synthesis— as they write essays that persuade or argue;
• be able to analyze, in writing, readings by professional and student writers (for such elements
as purpose, audience tone, style, writing strategy, and for much deeper meanings);
• be able to develop a critical and creative essay in response to an issue related to reading(s) or
other class projects;
• demonstrate the ability to resist simplistic formulations, whether in their or others’ texts;
• understand the characteristics of imaginative texts and write effective analyses of various
genres;
• be able to acknowledge, as appropriate, their own history, interests, and biases as they discuss a
topic, thus placing them credibly in the discussion;
• develop the ability to research and write a documented paper;
• make effective stylistic choices (diction, tone, sentence structure) in all writing assignments,
depending upon the audience and purpose of a piece of writing;
• apply suggestions, as appropriate, from evaluated compositions to other writing tasks; and
• fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 6000 words during the semester.
Students must be able to write satisfactory in-class essays to pass this course.
STUDENTS: Please keep all parts of the writing process for each assignment; failure to produce
them may result in a failing grade for the assignment.
Attendance & Active Participation
While there are no set “classroom” hours as with on campus courses, this online course requires
many hours a week of online participation doing any number of different tasks, such as reading
and listening to lectures, participating in discussion forums, taking quizzes and exams, and
performing other class activities. So, while there is no daily or weekly “attendance” per se, all
students are expected to attend class regularly; thus, students must login to the course on a
regular basis. DE students who do not login and actively participate before the Official Day of
Record will be automatically and irrevocably dropped for non-attendance.
In order to be counted as actively participating in the course by the date of record, students must
do at least the following: complete the syllabus quiz and post at least once in any discussion
forum. Failure to do so by the date of record will cause student to be dropped. No exceptions can
or will be made to this rule.
However, while students have until the day before the date of record to prove their “active
participation,” the professor implores students to log in and begin coursework as early as
possible.
Scholarly Standards
Scholarly standards are those established in the course but universally followed in college-level
scholarship. One purpose of course lectures, presentations, and discussions is to demonstrate
college-level academics. These standards are better learned in class than from any manual. The
college writing standard ought to be well known and specifically employs Research: The
Student’s Guide to Writing Research Papers for correct English expository style. The English
department further authorizes students to use the MLA parenthetical citation method for
scholarly form. Any work that falls beneath the college, departmental, and course standards is
unacceptable.
The college has a code that regulates academic ethics. While the code is self-evident, there is one
ethical question that needs be addressed here. Plagiarism is epidemic in higher education. It is a
serious academic offense to plagiarize, i.e., to commit academic theft by presenting the ideas or
words of another as though they were one’s own, and therefore pains must be taken to indicate
borrowed ideas by endnotes, and borrowed phraseology by endnotes and quotation marks.
Again, it is the student’s responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism.
If the code and the guidance here are insufficient, Research: The Student’s Guide to Writing
Research Papers (chapter 8) has an excellent description with helpful examples. If questions
about plagiarism remain, it would be best to consult the instructor before submitting any
assignment for evaluation. Any work deemed plagiarized will result in a zero on the assignment
and the assignment may not be redone or made up in any way. The instructor stresses her belief
that plagiarism not only violates the rules of the university and injures the integrity of higher
education at large but is also immoral.
Required Texts
• Required Texts: Read, Reason, Write: An Argument Text and Reader,10th ed., by Dorothy U.
Seyler [RRW]
The Little Seagull Handbook, by Richard Bullock and Francine Weinberg [LS], OR The
McGraw-Hill Handbook, 2nd ed. [MHH]
A good print dictionary (Oxford recommended)
Texts may be rented from bookstore and are also on Reserve in the Library.
Recommended Texts
• Adler, Mortimer J. and Charles Van Doren. How to Read a Book. (New York: Touchstone,
1972).
• Strunk Jr., William and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Fourth edn. (New York: Longman,
2000).
• Veit, Richard. Research: The Student’s Guide to Writing Research Papers. 4th edn. (New
York: Longman, 2004).
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
Grading Policy
Essay 1
10%
Essay 2
10%
Essay 3
15%
Research Essay
20%
Discussion Assignments
10%
Journals
10%
Writing Assignments
10%
Participation/Attendance
5%
Final Examination
10%
Total
100%
Requirements
Research Essay – Argumentative Analytical Project – A research based
argumentative/persuasive literary analysis (with sources) essay project.
The project is worth 20%. The Research Project requires the final draft (15%) and the works
cited page (5%). Submit the Argumentative Analytical Project in one single word document
submission. You will submit the project through Eagle using turnitin.
All written work must be formatted according to MLA requirements, which are found in both
handbooks mentioned above and on the MLA and Purdue OWL websites as well.
Header/Heading: Number your pages and include the following heading (mandatory) for each
paper. For the formal essay project a proper header is mandatory in addition to the heading.
Student’s Last Name and page #
Student’s full name
Instructor Garza-Horne
ENGL 1302
Month/Day/Year
STUDENTS: Please keep all parts of the writing process for each assignment; failure to produce
them may result in a failing grade for the assignment.
Essays 1, 2, and 3. Three essays will be written based on different genres. Check the Reading
List for due dates. Submit each essay in one single word document submission. You will
submit the essays through Eagle using turnitin.
All written work must be formatted according to MLA requirements, which are found in both
handbooks mentioned above and on the MLA and Purdue OWL websites as well.
Writing Assignments. Students will write 8-10 paragraph-length writing assignments based on
independent research. Weekly Assignments are submitted through the “Weekly Assignments”
tab. There is a new Weekly Assignment due each week. Each Monday a new Weekly
Assignment will open. The Weekly Assignment is due by the following Monday at 11:59 p.m.
1.
Textbook Assignments:
Textbook Assignments each week. These assignments focus on essay questions from the
textbook. Check the Reading List for due dates.
2.
Class Assignments:
Class assignments each week. These assignments focus on rhetoric and critical thinking skills.
They pertain to chapter readings, essay sub-genres, and grammar/comprehension skills. Check
the Reading List for due dates.
Final Examination. The final exam consists of two parts : 1. a short essay section 2. a multiple choice
section. A Final Exam Review will be posted the week before finals.
Participation/Attendance. The success of online learning experience is largely dependent on
student participation in the discussion forums and journals section. Frequent and collegial
participation in the discussion forums will be an essential part of the course grade. Half of the
participation grade is based on participation within discussion forums and the other half of the
participation grade is based on completing and submitting journals.
Discussion Assignments. – There are 8-10 discussion based assignments total written through the
“Discussion Forum” tab. There is a new Discussion Assignment due each week. Each
Wednesday a new Discussion Assignment will open. The Discussion Assignment is due by the
following Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Each discussion assignment will have instructions on how
much to write for that particular discussion assignment.
The Introduction Discussion Assignment is the only Discussion Assignment assigned on a
Monday, August 26, 2013. It is due Monday, September 2, 2013 by 11:59 p.m.
Journals/Blogs. - There are 8-10 blogs total written through the “Journals” tab. There is a new
blog each week. Each Friday a new blog will open. The blog is due by the following Friday at
11:59 p.m. All blogs will have instructions on how much to write for that particular blog.
(Note: Sometimes Journals are called Blogs.)
Scholastic Honesty: Students are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.
Plagiarism (attempting to pass off another’s work as your own) will result in a ZERO for the
assignment (no recourse). Consult the HCCS website for all policies and procedures pertaining to
course work and conduct.
Withdrawal Policy
As of Fall 2007, the Texas legislature has instituted a new policy governing all community
colleges in Texas. The new regulations require that all student-initiated or administrative
“withdrawals” must be recorded on or before the official college “Withdrawal Date.” After that
date, students dropping out of the course or not fulfilling course requirements may only be given
an “F.” Individual professors have no discretion in this matter any more.
Additionally, freshman entering college Fall 2007 onward are only allowed to have six
“Withdrawals” total over the course of their academic careers. This rule does not apply to
students enrolled previous to Fall 2007. Thus, if students are thinking about withdrawing from a
course, it is important to discuss the implications of this choice with an academic adviser, as they
now carry serious academic consequences.
It is the student’s obligation to withdraw from the course. The professor will not do it for
him/her.
Students with Disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all places of business and employment, all
government agencies, and all educational institutions to make reasonable accommodations for
persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities—whether those disabilities be physical
handicaps or learning disabilities—are encouraged to discuss immediately any and all difficulties
or potential difficulties in the course with this instructor (who is herself disabled) and with all
their instructors more generally. To facilitate any necessary accommodations, students must
contact their appropriate Distance Education counselors.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: Any student with a documented disability (e.g.,
physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, or other) who needs to arrange reasonable
accommodation must contact the Disability Support Services Office at the beginning of each
semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability
Support Services Office—Room 106 on the first floor of the Learning Hub—or call the
counselors at 713-718-6164. To visit the ADA website, log onto www.hccs.edu, click Future
Students, scroll down the page and click on the words Disability Information.
EGLS3: Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey
System
At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary
to improve teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short
online survey of research-based questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the
survey will be made available to your professors and division chairs for continual improvement
of instruction. Look for the survey as part of the Houston Community College Student System
online near the end of the term.
Tutoring and Other Learning Assistance
All students are strongly encouraged to seek out and use the assistance of writing tutors working
throughout the HCC system, at every college and online as well. Each college (Central, NW, NE,
SW, SE) has a writing center staffed with helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly tutors that can
help you with any writing assignment in this course, anywhere in the writing process, from
generating ideas to revision and editing. Their help is free for students enrolled in any course at
HCC, either on campus or online. Just make sure to have a copy of your assignment instructions.
To find these on campus writing centers, contact the English Department at a given campus that
you wish to visit.
In addition to the on campus writing centers, HCC has an online tutoring service Ask Online
(http://hccs.askonline.net/), which can also help students with any assignment in the course.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
Tutoring: Free tutoring is available in 321b. Check door for schedule.
Library: The library is on the third floor of the Learning Hub. The librarians are dedicated to
helping you find whatever you need. GET YOUR FREE HCCS STUDENT I.D. for Library
privileges.
Open Computer Lab: Computers are available for word processing in the Computer Writing
Lab in FAC 302 and in the Library. Check for open hours.
Course Communication
Professor Garza will be available for general consultation by email. If possible, I will also offer
“Virtual Office Hours” using iChat. If time permits, each week, I will post different “Virtual
Office Hours,” during which students may conference with me by internet chat or by email.
If a student should encounter problems with the course, he or she should immediately
inform the instructor by e-mail at julie.garza@hccs.edu , or
(through the Eagle Online course e-mail, only if necessary though).
julie.garza@hccs.edu is the best way to get in touch with the professor. Please contact the
professor through this contact option first.
The instructor encourages students to communicate with her about this course and any other
important matters. Also, any student who encounters difficulties in the class, in his or her studies
in general, or with the larger academic institution, should immediately inform me so that we may
try together to overcome them.
The instructor’s objective in teaching is to educate students at a high academic standard, that is,
to equip students intellectually and empower them to think critically and to read and write
correctly and well both in English courses and in college more generally. What students learn in
this course ought to be relevant to other courses and to their lives. The instructor’s objective is,
in sum, Socratic. Consequently, the instructor implores students to engage in dialogue with her.
Teaching is not the instructor’s occupation but her vocation.
FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Monday, December 9th from 12:00am TO 11:59pm
Students may take final examinations online any time between 12:00 a.m. on Monday to 11:59
p.m. on Monday. Exam takes two hours.