Fall 2011

Course: ENG 1213  Principles of English Composition II                                                  3-0-3

Instructor:  KELLI MCBRIDE                                      E-mail:  k.mcbride@sscok.edu

Office Phone:  405-382-9274                   Office Location:  Tanner Hall LA&HUM Division, #612

Office Hours and Class Schedule: 

Additional office time is available by arrangement.

Other classes:

Catalog Description: Principles of English Composition II is a continuation of Principles of English Composition I ENG 1113.  Study focuses on writing essays in various modes of exposition.  A research paper is a criterion for completion of the course.  Prerequisite: ENG 1113 with a grade of “C” or higher.  (Fall, Spring) OSRHE Matrix: E002

Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring

Rationale:  This class stresses the components of scholarship: thinking, research, communicating, editing.  Students will write a minimum of four essays, demonstrating college level thinking and communications skills.

                This course is required for all associate degrees.

Mission Statement: Seminole State College empowers people for academic success, personal development, and lifelong learning.

General Education Outcomes:  SSC students are expected to achieve the following outcomes.  This course addresses the outcome bolded below:

Outcome 1: Demonstrate college level communication skills.

Outcome 2: Demonstrate an understanding and application of scientific principles.

Outcome 3: Demonstrate knowledge related to functioning in society.

Outcome 4: Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of history, culture and the arts within civilization.

Degree Program Outcomes: Program Outcomes for each SSC degree are available in the document, Degree Program Outcomes, available in the Assessment Office.

Course Outcomes:  Students in this course are expected to achieve the following Course Outcomes:

Gen. Ed. Outcome           Course Outcomes

Outcome 1                          A:  Demonstrate an understanding of writing process -- original and analytical thinking, counter-arguments, thesis support and audience awareness

                                                B:  Demonstrate an understanding of essay structure – thesis development, argument proportion and emphasis, logical order, smooth flow and synthesis of ideas, coherent and developed paragraphs, introduction and conclusion, persuasive argument strategy

C:  Demonstrate sentence skill – clarity, consistency and coherence through proper use of subordination, coordination, effective use of repetition and parallelism

D:  Demonstrate appreciation of language, word choice and tone – appropriately formal language, clear and concise meaning, strong verbs, precise nouns, euphony, word form mastery, appropriate tone, third-person

                                                E:  Demonstrate basic grammar mechanics – standard punctuation and spelling, correct use of Modern Language Association Style

                                                F:  Demonstrate, through testing and performance, an understanding of the requirements for academic honesty – ability to use formal research documentation, direct and indirect quotation, giving original sources proper credit in all cases

Objectives:

Course Outcomes            Objectives

A through E                        Draft and write papers to demonstrate a thorough understanding of analytical thinking, use of arguments, thesis development, audience, support, paragraphing, sentence skill, word choice, tone, euphony, diction, grammar and style.

F                                              Test on key components of attribution until successful.  Demonstrate a high regard for academic, scholarly respect for sources throughout all written assignments.

Course-embedded Assessment: The General Education Outcomes, Degree Program Outcomes, Course Outcomes, and Learning Objectives have been provided to inform students of the expectations for this course.  To determine if those expectations have been met, the College assesses each these outcomes.  Courses are evaluated through the course-embedded assessment process by using one or more of the following options*:  A: Pre- and Post-Tests; B:  Pre- and Post-Writing; C:  Performance; D:  Observations; E:  Rubrics; F:  Projects and Portfolios; G:  Classroom Response System; H:  Creative Assessment; I:  Any combination of A-H.  (*Updated May 2007)

This class uses option I of the Seminole State College Assessment Program, a combination of Options A and B.

Instructional Outline: The following is a TENTATIVE weekly outline of this course. CCD=Campus Cruiser Day (instead of coming to class, you will find activities to do in the class’s CampusCruiser site)

Campus Cruiser Days (CCDs): Some days will require you login to the class site and complete some assignments online. If the school or I cancel class, for reasons such as weather or a personal emergency, I will usually create an assignment on Campus Cruiser, and I will definitely leave instructions on what you should do. For days when I must cancel class for personal reasons, you will usually see a sign posted on the class door instructing you to go to Cruiser during the regular class period for assignments. If you do not see this sign, you should check the class site and your Cruiser email for instructions, especially for early morning classes when it may be impossible for me to find someone to post a note on our door. 

You should get in the habit of checking your Cruiser Student email regularly. Even if we do not meet as a regular class, you must complete your Cruiser assignments by the deadline for that activity as specified in the instructions for that assignment. If you do not complete the Cruiser assignments by the set deadline, you will earn an absence for that day, losing participation/attendance and assignment points.  Cruiser days are not “free” days; they are an integral part of the semester’s coursework.

Teaching Methodology: The instructor uses lecture, discussion, group work, and one-on-one conferencing in class.

Grading Scale:  This class uses the standard 10-point scale.

A=90+     B=80+     C=70+     D=60+     F=1+     N/A: 0 (plagiarism or does not follow the assignment)

Grading Rubric: All essays use a rubric that breaks the essay grade into 10 categories. This rubric is available on the Campus Cruiser site, and student essays will have a completed one filled out and attached to their graded papers.

Attendance: Students earn attendance and some participation points via a 5-point grade for each day we meet. Students who are absent or tardy lose all points. Students who come to class unprepared can lose some or all points. Students who disrupt class or do not consistently participate in class activities can lose some or all points. Class participation and attendance count as 10% of a student’s overall grade. Those who only have an occasional absence or tardy, or lose points for a few days because of preparation or participation issues, will not see a significant impact on their grade, and I will offer some opportunities to make up absence/tardy points. These include scheduling conferences (up to 5) with me in my office, or attending a non-mandatory class workshop day. See strategies in the next section for handling absences and keeping up with class.

Late Work Policy: All work will have a set due date, and if completed on CampusCruiser a specific due time. Students are responsible for completing work by these deadlines. Do not show up to class without your work and expect me to accept it. However, I understand that emergencies happen and am willing to work with students. I offer the following strategies for handling absences and turning in work:

1. Students who miss class may email their work to me. If the time stamp on the email is on or before the class start time, or whenever the assignment is due, then I will accept the work. Students will still earn an absence but not a zero for the assignment. Students, though, who make a habit of turning in work this way will lose this option.
2. Students can drop work off in the box attached to my office door. If it is there before class starts, then it will not be late.
3. Students who miss any important group discussion over readings can schedule time in my office to discuss readings with me and earn some or all of the participation points back.
4. Contact me before the absence so we can work out an alternative method to submitting work, especially if this will involve multiple absences for illness or emergency.
5. If contacting me before an absence is not possible, contact me as soon as possible to learn about upcoming assignments and work out a plan to handle multiple absences. I regularly post in Cruiser Announcements a summary of class activities within 24 hours of class meeting. If you miss class, you should check here for a list of what students turned in, what we did in class, and what may be due the next class meeting.
6. Students missing for planned school activities, such as field trips and athletics, should always use options 1, 2 or 3: send work to me before the absence, drop it off in my office box before class, or schedule a conference immediately before or after the absence to handle class discussions.

Evaluation Procedures

Grading Policy: The grade for each assignment will depend on coherent and organized use of grammar, mechanics, essay structure, rhetorical appeals, argument strategies, and other aspects of good writing as covered in each unit. Students who turn in all assignments on time will usually find enough practice and enough instruction that both their grades and their abilities will prove satisfactory.  Students earn points toward a final grade as follows:

A.      First Draft Essays (10%): Students will write four essays. The first draft of these they submit for a grade. Work not resubmitted for revision will retain the original grade as both the first draft and revised grades. Each essay will be worth 100 points. Every essay unit will have an accompanying handout that details each assignment.

B.      Revised Essays (60%):  If wishing to improve their first draft grade, students may revise any or all of their first drafts for a revision grade. Plagiarized or unsubmitted first drafts are not eligible for a replacement grade. These zero grades will stand. Revisions are due the week of finals.

C.      Class participation (10%): Participation is a combination of attendance, attentiveness and contributions to classroom discussion. Students lose points for lateness, absence, lack of participation, and lack of preparation. See the attendance policy above for a detailed description of the point system.

D.      Homework (10%): This includes in-class, take home and CampusCruiser assignments.

E.       Exams (10%): This class has a required MLA/Plagiarism exam component. The open book pre-test is worth 35 points. The open book post-test is a 100-point exam. Students will also take a pre-/post-writing exam. The pre-writing counts as 10 points, and the post-writing (during the final exam period) is a chance to revise the pre-writing for a 100-point grade.  There may be other quizzes and exams as needed.

F.       Proper use of MLA style: Essays and other formal assignments must follow MLA style. The guidelines for your essays come from the handbook’s MLA section. I have also created an MLA template you can download from my website at http://kellimcbride.com/docs/mla09_essay_template.doc. Any essay that fails to fully document all outside uses of resources will receive a zero. Technical plagiarism will still be eligible for revision. Intentional plagiarism will not be eligible for revision.

G.     Each assignment handout will designate a minimum page length requirement for the final essay.  Essays may be longer with no penalty, but essays that fall short of the minimum length will not receive a passing grade.

Texts:

Aaron, Jane E. LB Brief. 4th ed. The Power of Language / The Language of Power. Ed. Christian Morgan, et al. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson Custom, 2010. Print.

Morgan, Christian, et al., eds. The Power of Language / The Language of Power. 3rd ed. NY: Learning Solutions, 2010. Print.

Note: Some readings are available online at the Pearson MyCompLab web site. The address is http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ok/ssc_mycomplab/.

ADA Statement:  Under SSC policy and federal and state laws regarding Americans with Disabilities Act, students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations to ensure the student has an equal opportunity to perform in class.  Students who are in need of assistance in dealing with any special needs that affect their ability to deal with the physical and/or learning environment required in this course, or in the classroom setting, need to advise the instructor immediately after the first class.  It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor on the first day of class.

Tobacco and Food Policy:  In order to protect the health of students, faculty, and staff of SSC, and to comply with HB 2529, the use of any tobacco product is prohibited in all campus buildings and on the grounds.  The policy does allow for tobacco use only in parking areas and on campus roads.  Students may have food and drink in the classroom during class time as long as neither is distracting. You must also clean up after yourself.

Academic Honesty:  The instructor and the instructor’s academic superiors have final authority over the grades given to students or the lowering of grades because of cheating or plagiarism.

Plagiarism:  As defined by Seminole State College, plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of a person’s ideas and/or materials, either in whole or in part, to fulfill course assignments. This includes taking work from the Internet or having another student complete the work. Even getting too much assistance with revision can count as plagiarism if the tutor rewrites work for the student rather than offer suggestions that the student incorporates personally. If you simply do your own work, you will not have a problem with this issue. Consequences of plagiarism will comply with those listed in the Seminole State College Handbook.

Special Warning: This class is designed for a college-level, mature audience, which means some reading and discussion materials will be challenging to understand. Be prepared to read with a dictionary handy and a pen or pencil to take notes or jot down questions for class discussions. Please ask questions about materials you do not understand. Learning is a collaborative endeavor, and we need outside input to understand fully what we encounter. Also, be aware that some readings and discussion topics may include material that some people consider offensive, such as racism, sexism, and offensive language. Part of college is learning how to handle challenging topics, and students should see these as learning opportunities. The class does not include materials purely for shock value, and all will have an educative purpose the class will explore through lecture and discussion.

Electronic Devices / Cell Phones: Do not text or accept texts or phone calls during class.  You may be withdrawn from class if your texting or phone usage or other electronic device usage (iPods, laptops, etc.) causes a disturbance to me or to others.  Turn your cell phone off during class.  In case of emergencies, you should notify your friends and families of your class schedule and SSC’s main telephone number: (405) 382-9950. If you must be on call for special circumstances, please inform me beforehand. In these limited cases, if a call comes, simply leave the room and take it.

Changes to the Syllabus: If necessary, I can make changes to this syllabus. I will inform students of any changes and provide a revised copy of the syllabus online if that happens.