English Composition II - Distance Education - Spring 2019 (ENGL 1302 21977)

Instructor: Julie Garza-Horne

HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Department of English

 

English 1302
Composition II
Distance Education

Instructor Garza-Horne
12-Week Term

Spring 2019

 


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 )

English Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Write in appropriate genres using varied rhetorical strategies.
  2. Write in appropriate genres to explain and evaluate rhetorical and/or literary strategies employed in argument, persuasion, and various genres.
  3. Analyze various genres of writing for form, method, meaning, and interpretation.
  4. Employ research in academic writing styles and use appropriate documentation style.

5.       Communicate ideas effectively through discussion.

Core Objectives

 

Given the rapid evolution of necessary knowledge and skills and the need to take into account global, national, state, and local cultures, the core curriculum must ensure that students will develop the essential knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college, in a career, in their communities, and in life. Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.

Students enrolled in this core curriculum course will complete assignments designed to cultivate the following core objectives:

  • Critical Thinking Skills—to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.
  • Communication Skills—to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
  • Personal Responsibility—to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.
  • Teamwork—to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

 

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.

Repeating Courses: Students who repeat a course for three or more times will face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor or counselor/advisor about opportunities for tutoring and/or other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal or if you are not receiving passing grades.

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.

Attendance (con.): Attendance, preparedness, and participation are essential for your success in this course. HCC does not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. If you are not in class, you are absent. HCC Policy states that you can miss up to but not exceeding 12.5% of class hours, which is equivalent to 6 hours. When you miss class, you are still responsible for what happens in class. Keep in mind that whatever the reason for your absence, you will still miss important course work. If you know you must be absent or if you have an emergency, let me know before class and make plans to meet with me in office hours. If you have more than four (4) absences before the official date of record, you may be automatically withdrawn from the course.

Late Work Policy

Late work is not accepted. Due to the high volume of course work produced this semester, late work does not apply to Weekly Assignments, Discussion Assignments, or Journals. Once the deadline has passed for these assignments, students will not be able to submit the work through Canvas 2.0.

The Late Work Policy applies to Essays Only: Due to the high volume of papers produced this semester, late work for essays will be accepted, but will suffer harsher grading procedures. All late work for essays will start at a 75. A grade above a 75 for any late essay assignment is not possible. Essay late work will be accepted one week after the original due date. Please do not turn in any essay assignment more than one week late. Essay assignments submitted more than one week late will not be accepted. No makeups for the Final Exam and Research Essay.

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:

Arguing about Literature (Schlib and Clifford) ISBN number: 978-1-4576-6209-6 [AaL]

The Little Seagull Handbook, by Richard Bullock and Francine Weinberg [LS], OR The McGraw-Hill Handbook, 2016 MLA Update ed. [MHH] OR Online MLA handbook

(Note: Students may refer to the “Purdue Owl” website for MLA guidance.) https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

•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 ed. (New York: Longman, 2000).
• Veit, Richard. Research: The Student’s Guide to Writing Research Papers. 4th ed. (New York: Longman, 2004).

 

** Arguing about Literature (Schlib and Clifford) ISBN number: 978-1-4576-6209-6, is the primary textbook used this semester.

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

A

80-89

B

70-79

C

60-69

D

0-59

F

Grading Policy

Essay 1

 10%

Essay 2

 10%

Essay 3

 15%

Essay 4 - Research Essay

 20%

Discussion Assignments

Journals/Blogs

Weekly Assignments (Short Writing Assignments)

Participation/Attendance

Final Examination (Essay)

Total

 10%

 10%

 10%

   5%

 10%

 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 Canvas using dropbox.

 

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    

Professor 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, 3, and 4. Four 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 Canvas using Dropbox.

 

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 5-10 paragraph-length writing assignments based on independent research, analysis of textbook articles, and specific questions related to the textbook material. 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. 

Weekly Assignments typically pertain to the following:

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 : a short essay section and a possible 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 5-10 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, February 11, 2019. It is due Monday, February 18, 2019 by 11:59 p.m.

Journals/Blogs.  - There are 5-10 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.


Withdrawal Policy (con.): Before withdrawing from the course, it is important to communicate with your professor and counselors to discuss your options for succeeding in the course. If all other options have been exhausted, you may withdraw yourself, but the last date to withdraw this semester is stated on the college website. Please remember that it is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course. If you stop attending the class and don’t withdraw by this date, you are subject to the FX grading policy.

 

International Students: Receiving a W in a course may affect the status of your student Visa. Once a W is given for the course, it will not be changed to an F because of the visa consideration. Since January 1, 2003, International Students are restricted in the number of distance education courses that they may take during each semester. International students must have full-time enrollment status of 12 or more semester credit hours, and of these at least 9 semester credit hours must be face-to-face on-campus courses. Please contact the International Student Office at 713-718-8521 or email [email protected], if you have any questions about your visa status and other transfer issues.

 

Final Grade of FX: Students who stop attending class or stop actively participating in class and do not withdraw themselves prior to the withdrawal deadline may either be dropped by their professor for excessive absences or be assigned the final grade of FX at the end of the semester. Students who stop attending classes or who stop actively participating in classes will receive a grade of FX, as compared to an earned grade of F, which is due to poor performance. Logging into a DE course without active participation is considered non-attending.

 

Please note that HCC will not disperse financial aid funding for students who have never attended class. Students who receive financial aid but fail to attend class will be reported to the Department of Education and may have to pay back their aid. A grade of FX is treated exactly the same as a grade of F in terms of GPA, probation, suspension, and satisfactory academic progress.

 

Academic Honesty

 

A student who is academically dishonest is, by definition, not showing that the coursework has been learned, and that student is claiming an advantage not available to other students.  The instructor is responsible for measuring each student’s individual achievements and also for ensuring that all students compete on a level playing field.  Thus, in our system, the instructor has teaching, grading, and enforcing roles.  You are expected to be familiar with the HCC’s policy on Academic Honesty found in the catalogue.  What that means is that if you are charged with an offense, pleading ignorance of the rules will not help you. 

 

Just so there is no misunderstanding, plagiarism (using another's ideas or words without giving credit), collusion (unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit), and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. To be accepted, all papers require proof of their development. Students who plagiarize, collude, or cheat may face disciplinary action including the grade of 0 for the assignment, an F for the course, and/or dismissal from the college. Do not submit previous coursework. All coursework will be newly composed each semester.  (See Student Handbook)

Students with Disabilities

Houston Community College is dedicated to providing an inclusive learning environment by removing barriers and opening access for qualified students with documented disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Ability Services is the designated office responsible for approving and coordinating reasonable accommodations and services in order to assist students with disabilities in reaching their full academic potential. In order to receive reasonable accommodations or evacuation assistance in an emergency, the student must be registered with Ability Services.

If you have a documented disability (e.g. learning, hearing, vision, physical, mental health, or a chronic health condition), that may require accommodations, please contact the appropriate Ability Services Office below. Please note that classroom accommodations cannot be provided prior to your Instructor’s receipt of an accommodation letter and accommodations are not retroactive. Accommodations can be requested at any time during the semester, however if an accommodation letter is provided to the Instructor after the first day of class, sufficient time (1 week) must be allotted for the Instructor to implement the accommodations. To facilitate any necessary accommodations, students must contact their appropriate Distance Education counselors.

Ability Service Contact Information: 

Central College

713.718.6164

Coleman College 

713-718-7376

Northeast College

713-718-8322

Northwest College

713-718-5422

713-718-5408

Southeast College

713-718-7144

Southwest College

713-718-5910

Adaptive Equipment/Assistive Technology

713-718-6629 

713-718-5604 

Interpreting and CART services

713-718-6333

 

 

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 near the end of the term, 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. Go to www.hccs.edu/egls3 for directions.

Title IX Discrimination: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires that institutions have policies and procedures that protect students’ rights with regard to sex/gender discrimination. Information regarding these rights are on the HCC website under Students-Anti-discrimination.  Students who are pregnant and require accommodations should contact any of the ADA Counselors for assistance.

It is important that every student understands and conforms to respectful behavior while at HCC. Sexual misconduct is not condoned and will be addressed promptly. Know your rights and how to avoid these difficult situations by logging in from your HCC student email account, go to www.edurisksolutions.org Go to the button at the top right that says Login and click. Enter your student number.

Open/Campus Handgun Policies

 

Open/Campus Carry of Handguns: No Firearms Are Allowed on Campus. If you see anyone carrying a firearm on campus call the HCC Police Department at 8-8888 immediately.

 

Texas House Bill 910—known as the “Open Carry” law—provides holders of a handgun license may now carry their handgun visibly in a waist belt holster or a shoulder holster, but they may not openly carry on or in a college campus or building and they may not openly carry on any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage or other parking area of the college. Open Carry is effective as of January 1, 2016.

 

Campus carry and open carry are two (2) separate laws. Texas Senate Bill 11—known as the “Campus Carry” law—will allow individuals who have a valid Texas handgun license to carry a concealed handgun in certain areas on college campuses. The Campus Carry law becomes effective at 4-year institutions on August 1, 2016 and at 2-year institutions on August 1, 2017.

 

All information regarding both Open Carry and Campus Carry will be posted at http://www.hccs.edu/campuscarry.

 

Campus Safety: If you are on campus and need emergency assistance, call 713-718-8888 or, from any campus phone, 8-8888. Use this emergency number instead of 911, which gets routed back to the HCC Police Department dispatch thus lengthening response time to your emergency situation.

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 the FAC building, room 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 [email protected] , or

(through the Canvas Online course e-mail, only if necessary though).

 

[email protected] is the best way to get in touch with the professor. Please contact the

professor through this contact option first. Students must use the hccs.edu email. Do not use

personal emails – Yahoo, hotmail, Gmail, etc.

 

 

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, May 6th 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. Late Final Exams are not accepted.

 

 

Course Information

A syllabus hasn't been posted for this course yet.