Moberly Area Community College

Common Syllabus

LAL 102 Composition II

Fall 2 2017

Instructor:      Dr. Rebecca Coleman            

Office hours:  Monday 5-6 p.m. CST; Wednesday 5-6 p.m. CST; Friday 9-10 a.m. CST   

Contact information: 210-630-5574 or via email: rebeccac@macc.edu    

I encourage you to post all queries in the Discussion Board so your classmates will benefit from the responses you elicit. I will be in the classroom site at least five days a week.  If you send a question to my email account, you should expect my response within 24-48 hours. I am here to guide and encourage you. Please feel free to ask for my assistance or advice at any time.                    

 

Catalog Description:  LAL102 Composition II                                                                (3-0-3)

Students are introduced to research writing through originality, organization, and persuasion.  Focus is on critical thinking when conducting research, considering sources, and synthesizing information.  (FA, SP, SU) 

Prerequisite:  LAL101 or instructor approval.

 

Text: 

Title:                Writing Arguments:  A Rhetoric with Readings, MLA Update

Author:            Ramage

Edition:           10^th Edition

Publisher:        Pearson

ISBN:              978-0-13-458651-9

 

Additional Resource:           

Title:                Reading, Thinking, Writing*

Authors:          MACC Faculty/LOGOS/ Dr. Mike Barrett, ed. 

*This resource is located in Canvas as part of the course.  There is no additional charge. 

Purpose of Course:  This course teaches research writing as a creative endeavor that requires originality, organization, critical thinking, and persuasive ability.  Students need a skeptical approach when conducting research, considering sources, and synthesizing information.

 

Course Objectives:  Upon successful completion of this course, students will

• Demonstrate academic research techniques,
• Incorporate secondary research into original writings,
• Use argument for effective evaluation and persuasion.
• Write more than 16 pages of prose that reflects writing as a process and Standard English. 

Course Content: (a topical, not chronological listing)

1. Overview of Argument
2. Principles of Argument
3. Research Techniques
4. Writing Techniques
5. Argument Techniques
6. Audience Awareness
7. Revision Awareness

III. Arguments in Depth

1. Types of Claims
2. Fallacies
3. Writing From Sources
4. Academic Responsibility
5. Selecting Sources 

Course Units:

1. What is an argument?
2. Argument as inquiry
3. Classical argument
4. Logos – Appeals to logic
5. Ethos, pathos, and other claim types
6. Definitional and evaluation argument
7. Proposal argument
8. Final paper/Wrapping up 

Assessment of Student Learning: 

40%	Essays (3 essays total/130 points each): 390 points
35%	Discussion Board Posts (12 total/30 points each): 360 points
25%	Final Draft of Research Paper: 250 points
100%	Total Points: 1,000 points

Grading Scale:  

100%-90% = A

 89%-80% = B

 79%-70% = C

 69%-60% = D

59% or below = F 

 

Statement to Connect Course with General Education Outcomes or Technical Program Outcome Statement:  In compliance with MACC’s General Education outcomes, the student who successfully completes this course will be able to: 

• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
  • The student will demonstrate effective written and oral communication considering audience and situation through invention, arrangement, drafting, revision, and delivery.
  • The student will construct logical and ethical arguments with evidence to support the conclusions.
  • The student will conform to the rules of Standard English.
  • The student will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of course material and points of view.
  • The student will accept academic responsibility for written/oral language regarding issues of copyright, plagiarism, and fairness issues.

Composition II is a course that teaches research and writing needed across disciplines.  This is a practical course that enables students to research and write in their chosen field.

Instructor Policies: 

Discussion Board Tips: Every week, you will be required to respond to a question or questions posed by the instructor. Your responses on the discussion board should represent your own thoughts, supported by references to our course materials and outside sources found through research. 

Your initial post to the discussion thread is due by 11:59 p.m. CST each Wednesday before the designated due date. All other responses to the discussion thread are due by the following Sunday, which is the due date for the entire discussion. There will be a penalty for not meeting the Wednesday deadline for posting your initial response to the discussion question. This deadline is important for ensuring that everyone has time to discuss the topic and post additional responses throughout the week.  

You are required to respond to at least 2 (TWO) of your classmates during each discussion. Please note that if there is more than one discussion in a unit, you must respond to ALL discussions and respond to at least 2 classmates in EACH discussion. 

Your response should not be "I agree" or "I disagree," but should instead provide thoughts and ideas to challenge or agree with your classmates. Your responses to your classmates should be thorough and well supported, connecting your ideas with our course materials and outside sources. 

Academic Dishonesty:  MACC board policy is as follows:  “Academic dishonesty by students damages institutional credibility and unfairly jeopardizes honest students; therefore, it will not be tolerated in any form.”  Forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to the following:  violations of copyright law, plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, collusion, and other academic misconduct.  Incidents of dishonesty regarding assignments, examinations, classroom/laboratory activities, and/or the submission of misleading or false information to the College will be treated seriously.  The procedure for handling academic dishonesty is outlined in the Student Handbook (Policy Handbook M.010).  In cases of alleged academic dishonesty, the burden of proof is on the student, not on the instructor. 

Attendance Policy:  Any student who misses two consecutive weeks of class during a regular sixteen-week semester or the equivalent proportion of class time during a shorter session will be dropped from the class by the instructor unless acceptable justification is supplied. Additionally, any student who misses more than one-fourth of the entire number of in-seat class meetings in a regular 16-week semester or the equivalent proportion of class time during a shorter session, may be dropped from that class by the instructor if, in the opinion of the instructor, the student does not have reasonable opportunity to succeed in the class. A student’s attendance rate will be calculated based upon the first day of the semester (not the student’s date of enrollment in the course). 

Student attendance must be defined in a different manner for online, hybrid, and virtual courses. Student attendance in these courses is defined as active participation in the course. Online, hybrid, and virtual courses will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for student participation, such as any or all of the following methods: 

1. Completion of quizzes or exams
2. Submission of assignments
3. Participation in threaded discussions
4. Communication with the instructor 

A student who does not participate in an online, hybrid, or virtual course for two consecutive weeks will be dropped by the instructor unless acceptable justification is supplied. As with ground courses, a student’s attendance rate in online courses will also be calculated based upon the first day of the semester. If a student does not demonstrate active participation in the online course within the first two weeks (or the equivalent proportion of class time during a short session), the student will be dropped as “never attended.” Simply logging into an online class does not constitute active participation. 

Students should be aware that their dropping a course and their last date of attendance in the course may impact their financial aid.  (Policy Handbook I.090 and M.095)

 

Make-up and late work:  Because timeliness is a requisite for excellence, it is important that you submit all assignments on time. Assignments that are submitted late will receive a 10% deduction for each day they are late up to 4 days. After 4 days beyond the due date, late assignments will NOT be accepted. Discussion board postings will NOT be accepted late. Discussions must be completed during the week in which they are held. 

Extra-credit work:  I do not offer extra credit. Course assignments are provided throughout the course to ensure that students have adequate opportunities to earn grades. 

Student Email:  MACC Mail is the official student email system at MACC.  Official college communication is sent via this email system. Students are responsible for checking their MACC Mail account regularly. Students may also receive notifications and reminders from MACC through the online learning platform.  However, students should remain aware that the online learning platform messaging system and MACC Mail (student email) system are two separate systems. 

Schedule of Student Assignments/Activities:

Unit 1 – Discussions (2 total): 10/22 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 2 – Exploratory Essay, Discussion (1 total): 10/29 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 3 – Discussion (1 total), Classical Argument Essay: 11/5 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 4 – Discussion Threads (2 total): 11/12 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 5 – Popular Culture Argument Essay, Discussion Thread (1 total): 11/19 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 6 – Discussion Threads (2 total): 11/26 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 7 – Discussion Threads (2 total): 12/3 by 11:59 p.m.

Unit 8 – Final Essay, Discussion Thread (1 total): 12/10 by 11:59 p.m.

 

ADA Statement:  Students who have disabilities that qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act may register for assistance through the Office of Access and ADA Services.  Students are invited to contact the Access Office to confidentially discuss disability information, academic accommodations, appropriate documentation and procedures.  For more information, please call either the Moberly office at (660) 263-4100 x 11240 or the Columbia office at (573) 234-1067 x 12120, or visit our web page at http://www.macc.edu/index.php/services/access-office. 

 

Title IX Statement:  MACC maintains a strict policy prohibiting sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and sexual violence. All MACC employees, including faculty members, are considered mandated reporters of sexual misconduct and as such are expected to contact the Title IX Coordinator when they become aware, in conversation or in writing, of an incident of sexual misconduct. For more information on this policy or to learn about support resources, please see http://www.macc.edu/sexual-misconduct-policy or contact Dr. Jackie Fischer, MACC’s Title IX Coordinator, at 660-263-4110, ext. 11236 or jackief@macc.edu.