Syllabus
Note: You can go at your own pace in this course. Starting on September 5, 2023, you may finish the course as soon as you are able. This means there are no weekly due dates within the course. However, there is a final completion date requirement. You must finish this course no later than 11:58 PM on December 20, 2023 — and you must finish the first seven units a week before (no later than 11:59 PM on December 13, 2023), leaving one final week to complete the last unit. You cannot submit anything after Dec. 20. Your grade for this course will be submitted at the end of the semester.
Course Description
Students will build on the skills learned in English Composition I in this intermediate writing course designed to improve students’ reading, writing, research, and critical thinking skills. The course will include expository, persuasive, and argumentative writing emphases. The course will require several research-oriented writing assignments. Students must achieve a C- or higher in this course to receive GE credit.
Justification
English Composition II meets a General Education requirement for graduation and will readily transfer to other colleges and universities. This course provides students with the opportunity to develop research and written communication skills necessary for a successful college experience and beyond.
Critical thinking skills, which may apply to all areas of study, are developed through challenging reading and writing assignments.
Prerequisites
Completion of English Composition I (also known as ENGL 1010 or equivalent) with a grade of C- or better.
Content
With the support of texts and electronic media, students will study the following:
- Traditional and electronic research methods and source quality.
- How to avoid plagiarism through the use of proper summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, and documentation techniques.
- How to synthesize personal ideas with those of a source in a clear and informative writing style.
- How to apply critical thinking skills in writing about a specific topic.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Be able to write clearly, informatively, and persuasively in a variety of settings. They will demonstrate this skill through formal and informal writing assignments.
- Be able to examine a topic from multiple perspectives and/or defend a position. They will demonstrate these skills through class discussions and writing assignments.
- Understand that plagiarism is a breach of academic honesty. They will show this understanding by correctly using source material in research papers.
- Know how to assimilate information from a source in a way that maximizes clarity without violating academic integrity: paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation. Students will show this understanding by correctly using source material in research papers.
- Be able to cite sources according to a documentation system that meets the expectations of the intended reader. They will show this ability by correctly using source material in research papers.
- Be able to locate resources in libraries and in other traditional and electronic media. They will demonstrate this skill by using appropriate sources in their research assignments.
- Know how to evaluate the quality of a source and information from that source. They will demonstrate this skill by using appropriate sources in their research assignments.
General Education Outcomes:
- A student has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world, with particular emphasis on American institutions, the social and behavioral sciences, the physical and life sciences, the Humanities, the fine arts, and personal wellness.
- A student can read, retrieve, evaluate, interpret, and deliver information using a variety of traditional and electronic media.
- A student can speak and write effectively and respectfully as a member of the global community, and work effectively as a member of a team.
- A student can reason analytically, critically, and creatively about nature, culture, facts, values, ethics, and civic policy.
Online Technologies:
This course takes place online. We do not meet face-to-face, so it is your responsibility to have the necessary technology and technical know-how in order to function efficiently and effectively in this online learning environment. This online course will use Spark as the learning management system. If you have trouble logging in or viewing any of the documents and links posted, please contact technical support.
Word Processors
All documents should be uploaded in .pdf format. Also, .doc and .docx formats are allowed.
Southeastern University students have free access to Microsoft Word (and all of Office 365) here.
You may use another downloadable or online word-processing program, like Google Docs or LibreOffice, if you prefer. However, please save and submit your work in PDF format.
This course requires using MLA formatting throughout. Please follow those conventions, including writing your name, instructor’s name (Professor Smith or James Smith), course name, and the date in the top left corner of your assignments.
Also, please give your submitted assignments descriptive filenames, including your name, the name of the assignment, and whether it is the draft or final version of the assignment (e.g., “yourname – assignment – draftORfinal.pdf”). Please note that some punctuation in the filenames — such as quotation marks, apostrophes, or other special characters — may block your assignments from uploading properly.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
Students commit plagiarism when they submit another’s work as their own, whether purposely or unintentionally. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
- Having someone else write your essay;
- Taking credit for a sibling’s or classmate’s work;
- Copying or purchasing printed or online text;
- Using artificial intelligence to write your assignments for you;
- Re-using your old writing, even if you are retaking this same course; and,
- Failing to attribute unique phrases, passages, or ideas to their original source.
Submissions in this class will be checked with an originality program that identifies similarities with billions of internet documents, a repository of previously-submitted papers, and a variety of other publications — so any attempt to plagiarize is very likely to get caught. This system also checks for patterns in writing by artificial intelligence.
Students who plagiarize will fail the assignment, and/or fail the course, and be reported to the college for academic dishonesty (which can lead to suspension or expulsion), along with notations of academic dishonesty on their official college transcripts, which could lead to difficulties in gaining admission to other colleges or universities, and when seeking future employment, all depending on the severity of plagiarism.
Southeastern University’s Academic Integrity policy states the following:
Southeastern University seeks to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity in students. The University expects graduate students at SEU to embody the same spirit of commitment to high ethical standards and academic integrity in all aspects of their participation within the program.
Therefore, any work submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student. Any source used by a student must be documented using program appropriate scholarly references and citations…
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense at Southeastern University. Plagiarism undermines the educational process, and when done intentionally, violates the integrity of the community.
Plagiarism occurs when a writer (regardless of intent) uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original material without acknowledging its source.
Plagiarism includes unattributed use of any source, in any medium, published or unpublished.
The policy also applies to incidents of self-plagiarism, resubmission, or multiple submissions (the use of a single project in two or more academic settings either at Southeastern University or another academic institution). Work submitted in another course may not be resubmitted unless both professors specifically state otherwise.
Some examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
- Quoting or paraphrasing material without attributing it to its source
- Copying segments from the work of others without giving proper credit
- Submitting work written by someone else
- Allowing another student to submit their work to use as his or her own when that individual had not done the work.
Widely known facts do not require citation and do not count as plagiarism if the facts are communicated in the writer’s own words. Ideas and observations original to the writer also do not require citation.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Professors at Southeastern University work diligently to help students understand and avoid plagiarism. However, the responsibility ultimately rests on students to make sure that their work does not contain plagiarism. Students can avoid plagiarism by properly citing and quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing all material they use from sources.
Common forms of citation include parenthetical citations, footnotes/endnotes, and attributive statements such as ‘According to Smith and Rodriguez…’
Quotations include entire sentence(s), key phrase(s), or specific term(s) that match a source word for word. All quotations must be cited using the appropriate quotation format.
Paraphrases and summaries include material (usually information or ideas) taken from a source and put into a writer’s own words. All paraphrased and summarized materials must completely rephrase the original source and be properly cited.
The bottom line in avoiding plagiarism is that students must clearly indicate the material in their writing that is original to them and the material taken from sources.”
The consequences of violating Southeastern University’s Academic Integrity policy are spelled out in further detail here.
So, to be clear, if you intentionally cheat by claiming another’s work as your own, failing to cite any referenced material (either from the internet or other sources), having someone else write your essay — including artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, — or reuse old work without instructor permission, YOU WILL FAIL THE COURSE.
If you plagiarize, there will be little that anyone can do to stop the consequences that follow.
Regardless, please remember that citing and using sources properly — which is not difficult and is taught during this course — is more impressive and deserving of favorable grading during the scoring process.
Grading Scale
Important Note on Resubmitting Work
All assignments may be resubmitted up to a total of three attempts, with the latest attempt being saved as the final score. (If an emergency arises which is deserving of further attempts, please share those with the instructor, although options may be limited for a variety of factors.)
Work must be completed in order, unit by unit. Once work is submitted in a later unit, the previous scores are permanent; thus, if work is left undone, once work in a later unit is submitted, the scores will be automatically assigned a zero (0) score.
All assignment scores, within a specific unit, may be resubmitted up to three times for a new grade — as long as they are submitted before moving on to the next unit. Once students submit work to a subsequent unit, the previous units’ grades are final.
To request another attempt at an assignment, please ask that it be sent back, in the feedback area for the assignment. Once returned, the scoring will be reset to zero, and the assignment will re-open for another attempt to be submitted. (Note: If the later attempt is not actually submitted, the score will remain at zero points.)
Scoring Breakdown:
The total points available in the course is 1,025 points.
– Major Essays: [55% of course grade]
Essay #1: Rhetorical Text Analysis Essay (3-5 pages) — 150 points
Essay #2: Synthesis Essay (3-5 pages) — 150 points
Essay #3: Researched Argument Essay (8-12 pages) — 250 points
– Other Major Assignments: [25% of course grade]
Annotated Bibliography- 50 points
Proposal- 50 points
Outline- 50 points
Self-Reflective Paper- 50 points
Final ePortfolio- 50 points
– Small Assignments: [20% of course grade]
There are 18 smaller assignments, including quizzes, draft essays, peer responses, and revision plans. Points range between 1-15 points, depending on the assignments’ complexity.
Controversial Content Warning:
Please note that this college course is intended for college-level students with the maturity to read, discuss, and write about controversial topics (possibly including violence, sexual conduct, profane language, and other issues of privilege and oppression such as racism, classism, sexism, etc.) in a mature and academic way. Furthermore, please note that every student taking this course should understand that some college courses deal with human relations or social issues that contain material that, while not appropriate for many high school students, is generally considered to be appropriate for college students. To proceed in this course, you are declaring that you have read and understand this policy and that you feel mature enough to take the course at this time.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA):
It is a federal violation for a faculty member to discuss your academic record with anyone except an appropriate college official. If your parents or any other person wishes to discuss your academic performance, you must provide that information to them yourself, because your professor is unable to discuss academic records with anyone but the student and appropriate college officials.
Instructor Expectations:
You will work with your instructor throughout the semester, and your instructor should respond to student contact through the message inbox within 1 business day. Additionally, your instructor will typically grade submissions within three business days; however, if you don’t follow the pacing guide and you procrastinate submissions until the end of the semester, your feedback could take longer and/or be less detailed.
Semester Deadline:
The Fall 2023 semester runs from September 5, 2023, through December 20, 2023.
UNITS 1-7 HAVE A FINAL DUE DATE OF DECEMBER 13, 2023, AT 11:58 PM.
UNIT 8 HAS A FINAL DUE DATE OF DECEMBER 20, 2023, AT 11:58 PM.
Due Dates
The assignments in the final unit are due on the final day of the semester, with no exceptions. All assignments in previous units are due one week before the final day of the semester. No late submissions will be accepted for credit so please plan ahead and avoid waiting until the last minute (when a technical issue, power outage, emergency, etc. can occur).
Pacing Guide
Because your instructor will typically take several days to closely review and grade your assignments, it is strongly recommended to submit assignments following the pacing guide (below) and avoid waiting to submit multiple assignments on either of the two semester deadlines (units 1-7 ending December 13; unit 8 ending December 20).
A typical semester is 15-16 weeks in length (4 months). Note, this is a sample pacing guide. You are not required to follow it. Importantly, you may choose to go at a faster pace.
Note that the following pacing guide assumes the calendar range for the semester will begin on September 5 and end on December 20, 2023. Your time range may vary!
Each assignment or quiz also shows the maximum point totals for those assignments, at the end of each line. I hope this pacing guide will be a helpful reference to gauge what’s ahead and what you’ve accomplished so far. Please refer to it often!
- Unit One: Introduction
September 5 – September 18, 2023- Lesson: Welcome!
- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit One
- Lesson: Syllabus and Pacing Guide
- Quiz: Syllabus Quiz (15)
- Assignment: Unit One Quiz (5)
- Assignment: Introduce Your Uniqueness (10)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit One
- Unit Two: ePortfolio, Resume, and Cover Letter
September 19 – October 2, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Two
- Assignment: Instructions for the ePortfolio Welcome Page
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Two
- Assignment: Job Ad (2)
- Assignment: Resume (10)
- Assignment: Cover Letter (10)
- Assignment: ePortfolio Welcome Page (10)
- Assignment: Topic Selection (10)
- Quiz: Unit Two Quiz (10)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Two
- Unit Three: Rhetorical Analysis
October 3 – October 16, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Three
- Lesson: Rhetorical Text Analysis Essay Description
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Three
- Assignment: Summary for Logos, Ethos, and Pathos (10)
- Assignment: Verbal Argument Analysis (10)
- Quiz: Unit Three Quiz (6)
- Assignment: Peer Response (Rhetorical Text Analysis) (10)
- Assignment: Draft Rhetorical Text Analysis (2)
- Assignment: Revision Plan (Rhetorical Text Analysis) (5)
- Assignment: Rhetorical Text Analysis (150)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Three
- Unit Four: Research
October 17 – October 30, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Four
- Lesson: Synthesis Essay Instructions
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Four
- Assignment: Debatable Topic Evaluation (10)
- Assignment: Media Bias (10)
- Quiz: Unit Four Quiz (10)
- Assignment: Evaluating Sources (10)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Four
- Unit Five: Synthesis
October 31 – November 13, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Five
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Five
- Assignment: Source Integration Assignment (10)
- Quiz: Unit Five Quiz (6)
- Assignment: Peer Response (Synthesis Essay) (10)
- Assignment: Draft Synthesis Essay (2)
- Assignment: Revision Plan (Synthesis Essay) (5)
- Assignment: Synthesis Essay (150)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Five
- Unit Six: Annotated Bibliography, Proposal, and Outline
November 14 – November 27, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Six
- Lesson: Researched Argument Essay Description
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Six
- Assignment: Annotated Bibliography (50)
- Assignment: Proposal (50)
- Assignment: Outline (50)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Six
- Unit Seven: Revision
November 28 – December 11, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Seven
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Seven
- Assignment: Counterargument (10)
- Assignment: Peer Response (Researched Argument Essay) (10)
- Assignment: Draft Researched Argument Essay (1)
- Assignment: Revision Plan (Researched Argument Essay) (5)
- Lesson: Completion of Unit Seven
- Unit Eight: Reflection
December 12 – December 20, 2023- Lesson: Video Briefing for Unit Eight
- Lesson: Readings for Unit Eight
- Assignment: Researched Argument Essay (250)
- Assignment: Self-Reflective Essay (50)
- Assignment: Final ePortfolio (50)
- Assignment: Closing Remarks
- Assignment: Ready to Submit (1)
- Lesson: Congratulations!
Scheduling Your Studies
What may also work best for you is to set a daily schedule that is based on your normal daily events, with studying for this course set after a specific daily event. For instance, you might work on this course every day after breakfast or after a morning shower. Or, you might set a schedule where you work on the course on weekdays after getting home from school or work. Or it could be after an afternoon nap, after watching Jeopardy!, or anything else.
The key, for me, has been to do it after I finish something else, which I do every day. After a few days, my mind is automatically preparing for that work at that time — whether it’s after a meal, some daily ritual, or whatever else I’m in the habit of doing.
If you can get on a daily schedule, and work as quickly as you can, without skimping on learning what you’d like/need to, I suspect you’ll be done with the coursework well before the end of the semester. That would generally mean more individualized feedback and, thus, a higher grade, too. Plus, you have the rest of the semester to yourself!
Writing well, fortunately, is a skill, so anyone could do it. However, it takes preparation/study, and practice/hard work, to improve and do well.
That’s how this course works.
That’s how writing works.
That’s how life works.
So, please get to work without delay. The coursework is unforgiving for those who delay beginning.
If you have any questions, about any of this, please ask! I am happy to help you!
