ENGL 1302 283: English Composition II

This course is delivered fully online. Method of delivery: asynchronous online instruction with weekly deadlines.

The tentative course schedule is subject to change at any time with notice.

Course Policies

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Unless students are otherwise directed by the instructor, all coursework submitted should be students’ original work (i.e., written by the individual whose name is placed at the top of the submission), produced without the aid of artificial intelligence. This includes Grammarly, ChatGPT, and other online resources that either produce text or make substantial changes to text that students have written. Use of such technologies will be treated as cheating, and penalties will be applied in accordance with the TAMIU policies listed below.

Email Policy

It is best to contact the instructor through email at oralia.ramos@tamiu.edu. The instructor typically responds within 48 hours (not at all on weekends).

When emailing the instructor, please make sure to use proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Use a formal form of address. Start the email with “Dear Ms. Last Name,” and finish the email with, “Sincerely, Student Name” or “Best, Student Name.” Write in full sentences with clear and correct grammar. Please include the course number in all emails.

Overall Course Grade

Students must pass this course with a "C" (70%) or higher to receive credit for the course. Anyone receiving a D or an F must retake the course until at least a "C" is earned.

Class Attendance

Students are expected to participate consistently and engage actively in all online discussions, activities, and assignments. Students who miss or fail to complete required coursework for the equivalent of 2.5 or more weeks of the course (such as not participating in discussion, missing multiple assignments, or failing to log consistent engagement) typically fail the course, unless they have engaged in anticipatory communication with the instructor regarding disability accommodations or official TAMIU-related events and have been proactive about arranging adjusted deadlines for assignments and activities.

TurnItIn & Similarity Scores

Students will submit all drafts of the unit essays and reflection essays via TurnItIn on Blackboard. Only essays with a similarity index of less than 20% (i.e., SI ≤ 20%) on a TurnItIn drop box will be accepted and graded.

TurnItIn and Assistive Technologies

In keeping with the TAMIU Honor Code, the instructor will be using TurnItIn (available via Blackboard) to evaluate the originality of all written student work. This is to ensure the integrity of student work and to forestall any attempts at plagiarism or cheating. If a student paper has been submitted successfully, that student should be able to return to the assignment drop box and view the submission. Be sure to double-check that files have uploaded; failure to ensure that work has been successfully submitted is not an acceptable excuse for late or missed assignments.

Furthermore, all essays and assignments submitted should be students’ original work (i.e., written by the individual whose name is placed at the top of the submission), produced without the aid of assistive technologies. This includes Grammarly and other online resources that either produce text or make substantial, substantive changes to text that students have written. Use of such technologies will be treated as cheating and penalties will be applied in accordance with the TAMIU policies listed below

Formatting Style

This course will use MLA format for all essays, writing assignments, and Blackboard posts.

Technical Issues/Difficulties

The instructor understands that, at times, students may have difficulties with Blackboard, TurnItIn, Dusty email, or Microsoft Word, which are required throughout the course. However, it is a student's responsibility to visit, call, or otherwise contact OIT if that student is having difficulties with technology. Please note that the instructor is not tech support, so asking the instructor about troubleshooting will simply get a student referred to OIT. OIT can be contacted by phone at (956) 326-2310, in person at Dr. Billy F. Cowart Hall, room 105, or via email at helpdesk@tamiu.edu. If technical difficulties arise close to a due date or assignment deadline, it is the student’s responsibility to let the instructor know before the deadline passes and, more importantly, to document everything (screenshots of error messages, time stamps of submission, etc.). Students are made aware of all deadlines at the beginning of the semester, so make sure to complete and submit work with enough time to address any such difficulties. Leaving work until the last minute is a choice that students make, and, unless there are extenuating circumstances, students should not expect the instructor to accommodate student decisions not to work ahead.

Course Description

The theme of this course is “Portrait of a Community,” the objective of which is to engage students in the humanistic study of communities and the people and issues that define them.

This course also serves as the gateway to the Humanities certificate. To learn more about the certificate and the ways in which it can enhance students’ intellectual and professional skill sets, please visit https://catalog.tamiu.edu/undergraduate-information/undergraduate-certificates/ humanities-certificate/.

Writing Projects (65% of course grade): The major writing projects for this course will require students to work in certain genres, but they also allow students to choose their own topics and positions. The major projects include:

• Close Reading of a Primary Text (15% of course grade)—Students will examine a primary text (one of the course’s transformative texts) and analyze the community portrayed in it.
• Annotated Bibliography (15% of course grade)—Students will gather, select, organize, and summarize multiple peer-reviewed journal articles that contribute to their research for the Transformative Project. The annotated bibliography should demonstrate careful source selection, summary, and critical analysis of how each source informs the student's argument.
• Transformative Project (15% of course grade)—Students will engage in primary and secondary research about a community that interests them, present an argument about that community and its representation (self and otherwise), and link relevant insights to their own communities (professional, academic, and personal). They will then develop and polish a sustained, research-driven essay that integrates the skills learned throughout the course. The paper should demonstrate critical engagement with sources, thoughtful argumentation, and reflection on the student's chosen community or theme.
• Final Reflection (20% of course grade)– Students will reflect on their learning in the course, covering such aspects as the stages of the writing process, transformative study, and community-building.

Activities and Short Writing Assignment (35% of course grade): On a weekly basis, students will have complete online activities and assignments submitted through Blackboard. For each writing project, the production of rough drafts and active participation in application activities, discussion board posts, peer review, short writing assignments, and reflection essays are essential to student success and to the development of final drafts that earn passing grades. All instructions, materials, and deadlines will be provided through Blackboard.

As one class in the First-Year Writing Program, students’ successful completion of this course will contribute to their overall ability to:

• Critically analyze and evaluate the audience, purpose, and genre of a writing situation or written piece.
• Recognize and apply the writing elements of format, structure, and grammar in a written piece.
• Demonstrate an effective writing process that includes drafting, revising, editing, and respectful and ethical collaboration.
• Apply reflective writing practices across different writing tasks and genres.
• Develop writing-related technological skills that allow them to locate, engage, and evaluate writing activities and artifacts in various genres and across media formats.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following relative to the First-Year Writing Program’s Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

• Respond appropriately to the needs of various audiences and writing situations through the use of various genres, contexts, and content. (PLO 1)
• Recognize, critique, and defend the rhetorical choices in writing situations. (PLO 1)
• Apply conventions of Standard American Academic English, including word choice, formality, grammar and mechanics, MLA formatting, and essay format. (PLO 2)
• Effectively apply a process of writing from invention, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. (PLO 3)
• Ethically collaborate in the writing process with peers through peer review, constructive self-critique, and teamwork. (PLO 3)
• Compose written work that reflects on the writing process, articulates how writing skills transfer across contexts, and identifies the writer’s strengths and weaknesses. (PLO 4)
• Engage a variety of technologies in order to locate sources and write across various media for specific audiences and purposes. (PLO 5)

To go to the bookstore, click here. Additional materials and readings will be available on Blackboard.

Grading

The instructor does NOT round grades. For instance, if a student receives a 69.9999 total grade at the end of the semester, that student will receive a D grade for the course. The instructor does not give additional extra credit to individual students. The instructor is aware that students in this course have GPA goals in mind. Anticipate these goals early in the semester and strive to improve rather than ask for a grade at the end of the course. The instructor will happily discuss any assignment grade during office hours after a 24-hour “cool down” period.

Extra Credit

No extra credit is given in this course. The only way to get more points in this course is to complete the assigned work and submit it on time. However, if you are reading this carefully, you may earn up to 5 hidden extra credit points by emailing me a short 1-2 sentence response on what you like most about TAMIU and why it feels like a community to you. This is the only exception, and the points may only be applied to a regular assignment or quiz of your choosing.

Late Work Policy

Late work is not accepted in this course. However, students have one opportunity to submit a single late assignment: see the One-Exception Rule below.

One-Exception Rule

Students are allowed one request to have one, and only one, late assignment accepted after the deadline. A request for acceptance of a late assignment must occur via email and within seven (7) days of the missed deadline. This one-exception rule does not apply to the Final Reflection Essay due at the end of the semester. A late Final Reflection Essay will receive a 0 grade in all circumstances.

Extensions and Flexible Deadlines

Students may request extensions on coursework (but not the Final Reflection Essay due at the end of the semester) when they anticipate they will not be able to meet a deadline. Requests for extensions should be rare, limited to one or two assignments per semester, and prioritize major assignments (like final drafts). Requests should also be made via email at least 24 hours in advance of a deadline.

Requests for extensions cannot be made after an assignment deadline—in such an instance the work is already considered late, and it is therefore appropriate only to request use of the one-exception rule, if applicable. For students with documented accommodations, flexible deadline requests are allowed, but they are not applicable to all coursework, nor are they comprehensively retroactive or proactive. Flexible deadline requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and are the first step in a conversation with the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility in each instance to reach out to the instructor with a request and proposal for the length of extension needed.

Core-Curriculum Learning Outcomes:

1. Critical Thinking Skills (CT)—creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
2. Communication Skills (COM)—effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication
3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS)—manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
4. Teamwork (TW)—ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
5. Social Responsibility (SR)—intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities
6. Personal Responsibility (PR)—ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

• Online Courses and On-Campus Meetings

Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 2, Subchapter J, Section 2.202, defines distance education as the formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50%) of instruction. Distance education includes hybrid and 100% online courses and programs as defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB):

• Hybrid Course—A distance education course in which more than 50 percent but less than 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations.
• 100-Percent Online Course—A distance education course in which 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. Requirements for on-campus or in-person orientation, testing, academic support services, internships/fieldwork, or other non-instructional activities do not exclude a course from this category.

Assignment Submission Policy

This is a 100% online course, and you are expected to participate each week (see COAS policies in the next section), complete all assignments, engage in class discussions, and post or submit materials by the published deadlines. Late submission of a course assignment or discussion post is not accepted for grading purposes in ENGL 1302 unless there is a documented emergency or an approved reason and prior arrangements for a late submission have been made with the course instructor before the published deadline.

All major assignments in this course are reviewed through TurnItIn, an internet-based service that analyzes originality in written submissions, as well as by the course instructor. This process ensures that students submit original work for all assignments during the term and that all submissions comply with TAMIU’s academic integrity expectations.

In addition, students may not use, reuse, or recycle a paper or project that was submitted in another class for any assignment in this course. This policy also applies to students who are retaking the same course for a different grade, as students may not resubmit work from a previous enrollment. Students who wish to work on a similar topic from another course in a substantially different way must consult with the instructor before moving forward with the topic or project. Please review TAMIU’s Academic Integrity Policy at the end of this syllabus and visit the University’s website for additional information.

Once an assignment has been graded, you will be able to view both the grade and instructor feedback on your course Blackboard site.

Participation/Discussion Board

Specific requirements for each Discussion Board forum and class activity will be provided on the course Blackboard site. When participating in course Discussion Board forums, you are expected to review online postings on a regular basis, even after you have completed the minimum required posts. Please treat your classmates and the instructor with the utmost respect. Inappropriate posts will be removed immediately. The instructor reserves the right to penalize students for repeated violations of the participation policy and or the Academic Integrity Policy within the course. In both the Discussion Board and class activities, high quality contributions should advance the discussion rather than simply summarize assigned materials. Effective contributions engage with the instructor’s questions, offer thoughtful insights on assigned readings, and respond meaningfully to classmates’ posts. Please be mindful that the Discussion Board is a space for academic exchange. As such, students are accountable for using clear and accurate punctuation, spelling, and grammar. In addition, students may be required to reference all outside sources using the appropriate citation format.

Attendance

You are expected to attend all weeks of this online course and to actively participate in all lectures, class discussions, and group activities. Each course week begins on Monday, and multiple deadlines may be scheduled throughout the week. Attendance is recorded weekly based on Blackboard participation reports and the successful submission of required assignments by their deadlines. If you are unable to attend class during a given week, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor. The instructor will determine whether the absence is considered excused.

According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, whether physical or virtual, that may not negatively affect a student’s grade include the following:

• Participation in an authorized University activity.
• Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
• Illness of a dependent family member.
• Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require the student’s presence.
• Observance of a religious holy day.
• Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
• Required participation in military duties.
• Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school that cannot be rescheduled.

Students are responsible for providing satisfactory documentation to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. The reason for the absence must be properly substantiated. If an absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with an opportunity to make up the missed exam or assignment or offer a reasonable alternative for completing the required work within thirty calendar days of the date of the absence.

Students who miss class due to participation in a University-sponsored activity are responsible for notifying their instructors of the absence with as much advance notice as possible. Access to recorded class meetings, when available, is contingent upon receiving an excused absence from the instructor of record.

Communication

Please direct all course-related questions and correspondence to the designated Blackboard Discussion Board forums. All matters of a private or personal nature should be communicated through the instructor’s TAMIU email.

Course Communication Guidelines (Netiquette)

There are course expectations concerning etiquette or how we should treat each other online. We must consider these values as we communicate with one another. Visit Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ web page on Netiquette for further instruction.

Accommodations/Accessibility Policy

Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodation for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Director of Student Counseling and to contact the faculty member in a timely fashion to arrange for suitable accommodation. For more information, contact the online at Office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), via phone at 956.326.3086 or by visiting the staff at the Student Center, room 118. A link to the Disabilities Services for Students site has also been included under the "Resources" tab inside the course.

Student Support Resources

The University wishes to have all students succeed in their courses. To provide support to our students, an array of services in the areas of technology support, academic support, student support, and accessibility support may be found at the University. For more information, visit the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services page on University Resources and Support Services.

Computer/Technology Requirements

When participating in distance education courses, it is vital to consider the technology involved in order to have a successful course. Online students will need regular access to a personal computer that runs on a broadband Internet connection.

It is recommended that you meet the technical requirements listed on the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ webpage when using the learning management system (LMS) of the University.

Note: Students, if you do not own the required hardware or software or do not have access to the Internet, it will be highly challenging for you to make any progress in this class. However, my goal is to assist you in finding solutions and guide you appropriately most of the required materials can either be found free of charge at TAMIU’s library, classrooms, and available computer labs. Visit Media Services’ web page on the availability of on-campus computer labs. In addition, you may also purchase any of these items at any electronic store.

Learning Management System (Blackboard)

Students are provided with an orientation (*eLearning (Blackboard) Student Orientation*) and access to guides on how to use the Blackboard LMS. Guides may be available at Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services' Student eLearning Tutorial Videos page or by contacting the eLearning team at elearning@tamiu.edu.

Minimum Technical Skills Expected

When participating in distance education courses, it is vital to consider the technology involved in order to have a successful course. Students in distance education should have knowledge of basic computer and Internet skills, as mentioned on the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ webpage.

Technical Support Services

Because of the nature of distance education courses, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) computing and information services are vital to the success of online students. This webpage covers contact information for Distance Education Services (Blackboard Support), the OIT Help Desk, and E-mail support: Technical Support Services.

Grading Scale/Schema (after Grade Breakdown section)

In determining the final course grade, the following scale is used in percentage or point value.

• 90-100 = A
• 80-89.99 = B
• 70-79.99 = C
• 60-69.99 = D
• Below 60 = F

Course Evaluation

At the end of this course, students are encouraged to complete a course evaluation that will be distributed to them via email and through a course link.

Accessibility and Privacy Statements on Course Technologies

At Texas A&M International University, we believe that all students should have equal technology opportunities in the classroom. These technologies/sites may also require user data, such as the creation of a username and password. You may find the accessibility and privacy policies of the technologies used in this class on the following pages: Accessibility Statements and Privacy Statements.

Syllabus Subject to Change

While information and assurances are provided in this course syllabus, it should be understood that course content may change in response to new research, emerging scholarship, or circumstances beyond the instructor’s control. Students will be notified of any substantive changes that affect the syllabus.