new window - Blackboard - Tulsa Community College

TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAMPUS
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENGLISH 1213/Composition II
CRN 26229 Section 245
Will Rogers High School/Annex Building
Wednesday and Friday 8:15 a.m.-9:35 a.m.
Spring 2014
TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Ms. A.J. Tierney, Adjunct English Instructor
Mail Box: Academic and Campus Support (ACS), Room SE2202
Phone: 595-7673 (leave message)
Email: adrianne.tierney@tulsacc.edu *Preferred method of contact. Please allow a 24hour response time.
TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:
Communications Division, Room SE1202, 918-595-7694. Associate Dean of
Communications: TBA. The college is in the process of hiring an associate dean for my
division. In the mean time, if you have concerns about this class, contact the division
office.
TO GET HELP WITH BLACKBOARD, MYTCC: Call 918-595-2000 for help with
Blackboard, TCC email, 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.” In Composition I, you studied argumentative writing strategies and
analyzed others’ arguments. In this course, you will analyze more challenging texts,
develop your own argument, supported with research, and continue to improve your
college-level reading and writing skills.
Course work will include class discussion, three short-answer exams, two 4-5 page
essays, one of which may be revised for a better grade, an 8-10 page research essay, and
several research-related assignments. Although it is not a graded assignment, students are
expected to keep a reading journal and bring it to each class.
1
EXAMS: Exams will test your understanding of key concepts presented in readings and
lectures and will provide you the opportunity to earn extra credit (see “extra credit”
statement below). Each exam will consist of 2-3 essay questions related to all previous
readings and class discussions. You will choose one question to answer, and you will be
able to use notes from your reading journal to answer the question. The reading journal
should consist of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from readings and notes from
class discussions and lectures. If you take good notes over the assigned readings and
during class, you should be able to earn good grades on the exams. Your reading journal
may be handwritten or typed; however, during the exam, only print copies of the journal
will be allowed.
NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE: None
TEXTS:
The Little, Brown Handbook, TCC Custom edition, Fowler & Aaron
The Craft of Research, 3rd edition, Booth, Colomb and Williams
Selected readings from TCC’s online databases and from the Web
Selected novel or memoir.*
*You will choose a book from a list of approved books to read and analyze for essay 1.
All books on the list are available in the Tulsa City-County library system or can be
purchased inexpensively.
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; participate earnestly in
class discussions and activities; read my feedback on graded work; study specific writing
2
strategies; review your reading journal periodically; and spend sufficient time reading,
researching, writing and revising.
GRADING: Grades will be determined according to the following scale:
Exams (three @ 50 points each)
150 points
Book Review
200 points
Documented Essay
200 points
Research Proposal
50 points
Annotated Bibliography
100 points
Research Outline
50 points
Research Essay
250 points
TOTAL
1000 points
A=1000-900; B=899-800; C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-0
Note: because I offer extra credit and an opportunity to revise, I do not round grades up.
Essays will be graded using the criteria described in your Little, Brown, p. xxvi-xxii.
Specific grading criteria for all other assignments are on the assignment sheets.
Grades will be updated after I grade a major assignment. If you submit late work, I may
not grade it until the end of the semester, which could make you ineligible for
extracurricular activities. Students who wish to remain eligible should check grades
regularly and turn work in on time.
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.
EXTRA CREDIT: Each exam will include several short answer extra credit questions
over the assigned readings and/or class discussions. Students may earn up to 15 points
extra credit on each exam.
LATE WORK: You have a 24-hour grace period on all deadlines, meaning if you
submit the assignment within 24-hours of the due date, you will not be penalized. After
24-hours, late work will not be accepted; you will simply receive a 0 on the assignment.
Remember that you have the option to revise essay 1 or 2, so submitting even an
incomplete and poorly written draft is better than not submitting anything and ending up
with a 0 for 20% of your grade.
Students who have to miss an exam must contact me within 24 hours of the exam date
and arrange to take a make-up exam. Questions on make-up exams will differ from the
in-class exam.
I do NOT accept emailed assignments unless the college notifies me that Blackboard is
not functioning. All work must be submitted to the appropriate area in Blackboard.
3
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION: Missing more than six hours of class, for
whatever reason (illness, family emergency, extracurricular activities, etc.), is considered
excessive and may affect your final grade. Attending class without being prepared and
attending class without participating earnestly in the class can also affect your grade. I
will take attendance each class and will note any late arrivals or early departures.
Students who frequently use their cell phones during class, who talk excessively,
and/or who arrive to class without required materials may be counted absent. In
other words, if you’re here but not engaged in the class, you will be counted absent.
If you have to miss class, it’s your responsibility to find out what was missed by
contacting a classmate and checking Blackboard. I strongly recommend borrowing notes
from a student who takes good notes.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: The last day to drop this course and receive a refund is
Friday, January 24, 2014.
Students who miss nine or more hours of class; who consistently fail to participate in
class activities; who violate the class etiquette policy; and/or who fail to turn in a
significant number of assignments may be dropped from the class, which will result in an
“AW” on the transcript.
A “W” and an “AW” are grade-point neutral, but non-completion of a class may affect
financial aid for the current and future semesters. I will let the appropriate high school
administrators know when students drop or are dropped from class. Talk to your high
school counselor to initiate withdrawal from a course (“W” grade) or to change from
Credit to Audit.
FORMAT FOR COURSE WORK: Formal writing assignments should follow MLA
format as described in Little, Brown. All major assignments in this class must be saved as
a Word document and submitted to SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection tool. I will not
grade work that has not been submitted to SafeAssign or that does not follow MLA
format. Please save your work as your last name and the assignment, abbreviated (e.g.,
SmithE1 for Essay 1).
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.
PLAGIARISM POLICY: Please see pp. xxvi-xxvii in Little, Brown. I will report any
student who plagiarizes 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. 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.
4
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.
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.
Emails to professors (especially to English professors!) should be clearly written, with
correct grammar and punctuation. You should use a salutation (e.g., Dear Professor
Tierney) and maintain a civil tone. Professors are not obligated to respond to email sent
from a personal email account, so you must use your TCC email.
I will respond to emails (even those sent from a personal account) within 24 hours. If you
do not receive a reply from me within that time, you can assume I didn’t receive your
email and resend your message.
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 or the high school closes
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, 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, your progress in the class,
or any materials you submit in their courses with any one other than you.
A student may sign a waiver of their FERPA rights through the Admissions/Enrollment
Services or the Dean of Student Services offices. This waiver authorizes the release of
academic records to the individuals identified by the student (e.g., parents) but does not
compel faculty to discuss grades or other academic issues with anyone other than the
5
student, including parents. Please make sure you and your parents are aware that I will
not be discussing or sharing information about your progress in this class.
I will, however, report failing students to the appropriate administrator at Rogers High
School. I will also notify Rogers High School administration when a student drops or is
dropped from this class.
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
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
1-15
In-Class
Review syllabus, course
expectations
Homework/Reading
---
1-17
Composition I review
LB Ch. 6a-c, “Who’s
Cheating Whom?” (print
from TCC library database)
LB Ch. 7a-e and 8a-f
1-22
Composition I review, con’t
Read sample essay responses
to “Who’s Cheating Whom?”
1-24
Preview reading, review paraphrase,
summary, quotation
Read LB Ch. 43c-44c
1-29
Literary Analysis Lecture, begin
essay 1
Read LB Chapter 49 and
“Reading Literature Makes
Us Smarter and Nicer”
1-31
Watch Why Reading Matters
Read excerpt from On Moral
Fiction
Read “For Esme—With Love
Discuss story, practice analysis,
6
watch crash course in literature
and Squalor,” begin reading
selected book
2-5
Discuss reading, share passage from
novel
Read “Your Brain On
Fiction,” read selected book
2-7
Discuss reading, practice analysis
Read “Heirlooms” and
“Brain Function Boosted”
2-12
Discuss reading, practice analysis
Read “People Like That Are
The Only People Here”
2-12
Discuss reading, practice analysis
Read “The Rich Brother”
2-12
MLA format review
Finish novel, review LB
Chapter 46a-b (bring LB to
Class)
2-14
Online workshop for essay 1
Essay 1 Rough Draft
2-19
Exam 1
ESSAY 1, study for exam
2-21
Watch Intelligence Squared Debate:
Freedom of Expression Must Include
The Right to Offend (online class)
Read “Freedom of Speech,”
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy
2-21
Lecture: argument, discuss debate
Review LB Chapter 8e, 9,
explore free speech issues
on The First Amendment
Center Web site
2-26*
Discuss debate, reading, watch
“What Happened to Academic Freedom?”
Read “Freedom in the
Classroom,” AAUP
2-28*
Watch Big Sky, Big Money
(online class)
Read “Citizens United and
Its Critics,” by Floyd Abrams
2-28*
Discuss documentary, readings
Read John Stuart Mill,
Chapter 2 of On Liberty
3-5
Watch Jon Stewart defense of Duck
Dynasty, discuss readings
Read “The Greater Part
of the Stories Current
Today We Will Have To
Reject”
3-7
LRC Review, look for sources
Read Free Speech Overview
7
3-12
Workshop for essay 2
Essay 2 draft
3-14
Exam 2
ESSAY 2, study for exam
3-14
Share topic ideas, go over research
proposal
Read CoR p. 3-27
3-17 thru 3-20 Spring Break
3-26
Share research topics, discuss readings
Read CoR p. 31-66,
REVISION
3-28
Workshop for Research Proposal
Research Proposal
draft, read LB 41c-d;
bring LB to class
3-28
Lecture: Evaluating sources
Read CoR p. 68-84
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
4-2
Note-taking exercise, sign up for
conferences
Read CoR p. 84-101
4-4 thru 4-11 No Class: Conferences
Work on Annotated
Bibliography and read
CoR p. 105-70
4-16
Review argument, discuss readings
ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
4-18
Assembling evidence exercise
Bring sources to class
4-18
Outlining exercise
Read CoR 173-87
4-23
Draft research essay
OUTLINE, CoR p.
187-212
4-23
Draft research essay
Read CoR p. 232-48
4-25
Workshop for research essay
Read CoR p. 249-69, rough
draft research essay
4-30
Prepare for final exam
RESEARCH ESSAY
5-2
No Class: Study for final
8
http://www.ted.com/talks/andreas_schleicher_use_data_to_build_better_schools.html
http://www.upworthy.com/5-myths-about-our-schools-that-fall-apart-when-you-lookcloser-6?g=3&c=ufb1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf9UVg-TdH0
http://theokieblaze.com/stories/2013/12/24/oklahoma-teachers-common-core-is-ruiningeducation-part-1/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/brain-function-boosted-for-days-afterreading-a-novel-9028302.html
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/157419/more-praise-of-censorship-at-hillel
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/opinion/fired-speak-no-evil.html?_r=0
9