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Detailed Course Syllabus for English 200

Advanced Composition
William Seymour
Professor
• My home phone: 860-729-2039.
• I can also be available by WebEx, Skype or Facetime for video conversations and
assistance.
• My college e-mail address: wseymour@mcc.commnet.edu, but you will receive a
faster reply using billprofessorct@gmail.com since this is monitored hourly during the
day through my phone. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments,
concerns, etc. I will reply to all e-mails as soon as possible.
• All assignments must be turned in through Blackboard unless directed differently.
Any assignments turned in via e-mail will not be accepted unless authorized in
advance.
• Course web site will be Blackboard. A copy of the syllabus and the class schedule along
with any course materials I make available will be posted on Blackboard. I will not
distribute these materials in class. You are strongly encouraged to regularly visit
Blackboard, which will also have class notes posted. To access Blackboard Learn, you
need to login to myCommNet at http://my.commnet.edu. You can also link to
myCommNet from the MCC home page. You will need your NetID and your password.
Some course content as presented in Blackboard Learn is not fully supported on mobile
devices at this time. While mobile devices provide convenient access to check in and
read information about your courses, they should not be used to perform work such as
taking tests, quizzes, completing assignments, or submitting substantive discussion
posts..
• All class members are required to have e-mail.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course designed to develop and refine the advanced skills
in composition and research for both academic and professional writing. Emphasis will be on
writing from outside sources. The main areas covered will be expository writing, argumentation,
and the research paper. Many thanks to the professors who have contributed to helping create
this syllabus.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Respond to Rhetorical Situations: Use Sources; Craft Logical

Arguments; Apply Language Conventions; Formulate Effective Writing Strategies

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. To help students enhance their mastery of the specific requirements and standards of
academic writing, including essay format, voice, and organizational strategies.

2. To help students improve their ability to write essays that clearly define a problem or issue in
the context of existing scholarship in a discipline, that clearly state a position, and that
convincingly argue in support of that position, showing respect for opposing positions and
processes of logical thought.

3. To help students improve their ability to use the resources of the library for academic
research.
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4. To enable students to synthesize material from sources and incorporate research material
into their essays.

5. To help students master the conventions of documentation, using the New MLA
(parenthetical citation) Style.

6. To enable students to complete an academic research project leading to a formal,

documented essay of at least 2500 words, excluding cover page and "Works Cited" page(s).

PREREQUISITE: Enrollment is limited to those students who have earned a grade of C or

better in English*101. Students who do not meet the prerequisite will be asked to withdraw from
the course.

REQUIRED TEXT AND SUPPLIES:

• See Blackboard for the complete list.

HOMEWORK: The college has an expectation that homework taking three hours (the same as
the course period each week) is reasonable. Your writing assignments – homework – will be
required to be submitted to Blackboard before the next class session. This will give opportunity
for review and evaluation so that the discussion of the paper is meaningful. Please make the
arrangements in your schedule to do your homework on time.

OVERALL CLASS PARTICIPATION POLICY:

1. The class will be successful for everyone only if everyone participates. Attendance is
required for class participation as defined for this course. Therefore, this policy is based
on your participation in the class and punctuality (such as coming to class on time).
Participation is a critical part of learning. In college, active participation (such as meeting
deadlines, engaging in research, preparing for discussions and working with assigned
task groups) is critical to your success. The college wants to ensure that all students
who take this course demonstrate their understanding of the importance of participation
and punctuality. Students unable to meet this requirement of full participation and
punctuality will receive a lower than expected grade following one unexcused absence.
Class participation is required to receive a passing grade in the course. Much of this
course will involve in-class discussion and activities, so your attendance and
participation are essential. As an class member, you will evaluate your classmate’s work
from time to time. Another reason attendance is important: No make-up credit will be
offered for missed assignments or other work required for the class unless you provide
me with a written notification of your excuse in order to make up missed work.
2. Cell phones disrupt participation. All cell phones must be set to “silent” or “vibrate” when
entering the classroom and they cannot be displayed on the desk unless you receive
prior approval from me. The same applies to laptop computers.
3. Please remove any ear phones from around your neck while in class.
4. Unexcused absences could have an affect on your grade due to the lack of class
participation.
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WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: There will be two formal research papers due this semester and
periodic response papers. The response papers will be 3 pages ( about 750 words); research
paper 1 will be 6-7 pages (1,750 words); and Research Paper 2 will 10-12 pages (3,000 words).
These are based on an estimate of 250 words per page double-spaced typed with one-inch
margins and in 11 point Ariel typeface. Your essays need to have this word count. You will give
all writing work to me each week typed and submitted the Blackboard as instructed.
These papers must follow the guidelines assigned with each paper.

WRITING AND THINKING CRITIQUES: Clear thinking equals clear writing. You can expect
mark-ups of your work to be reviewed and critiqued for revision and grading in the following
order of importance:
1) Overall content (Is the paper written about the subject matter assigned?)
2) Organization (Are your paragraphs and sentences -- essentially your thoughts -- organized in
a logical manner that can be easily read and understood?)
3) Grammar (Does your paper follow the standard rules for grammar and usage of the English
language?).

WORK ASSIGNMENT PREPARATION: All work must be double-spaced typed on 8.5-by-11-

inch paper with 1-inch margins on the top, bottoms and sides. No written-in corrections will be
accepted. Misspellings will affect the grade of the paper.

LATE PAPER POLICY: No make-up credit will be offered for missed assignments or other work
required for the class unless we first discuss the situation and what can and cannot be done for
you. Papers e-mailed will not be accepted without discussion first. If there is an
emergency, you must contact me within 12 hours of the assignment’s due date.

GRADING: At the close of the semester, the following work will have been evaluated. The
standards of evaluation, the nature of the grades and the penalties for late, incomplete or
missing work have been indicated under the late paper policy in this syllabus. To receive a
minimum grade of "C" in this course, you must complete all the reading and writing assignments
as evidenced by quizzes, short response papers, major research papers and class participation.

• Essays and research projects will be graded on a scale of A to F.

• Short papers, discussion board assignments, etc. will be graded on a scale of A to F and
will be compiled into one major grade.
• Class participation will be graded on a scale of A to F.

For example:

• An "A" essay is flawless in format, has mastery over grammar and punctuation, relies on
exact thesis formation, smooth and complete sentence structures, proper grammar,
cohesiveness/coherency/unity in paragraph structure; compact sentence structure with
brevity and with no excess words; holds an acute awareness of the audience, and states
its purpose clearly, directly, accomplishing both immediate and long-term goals. It goes
beyond the call of duty, reflecting a student’s time-consuming efforts on all the steps of
the writing process.
• A "B" essay is nearly perfect in format, commits one or fewer mistakes in grammar or
punctuation per page, has sentence variety, shows awareness of reader, is unified, and
has a clear, if not overtly stated, purpose. It is a little wordy, but that does not get in the
way. It fulfills the assignment, having occasional moments of distinction and fewer
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moments of mediocrity. It shows a student’s completion of all the steps of the writing
process.
• A "C" essay is sound in format, but not necessarily consistent. It commits one or two
mistakes in grammar or punctuation per page, is often wordy, repetitive or unclear. It
also would have choppy sentence structure, is formulaic in organization with weak
transitions and lacks a general sense of purpose. It is adequate or average with its
content. It gets the job done, but not much more than that. Not all the steps of the writing
process are completed with great care.
• A "D" essay has distracting errors in format, commits frequent and varied errors in
grammar and punctuation throughout the document, consistently misuses words and is
often wordy and vague. It has basic and repetitive sentence structure, is logically flawed
in organization, has trouble with maintaining focus on the purpose and audience, and
does not follow all or part of the assignment instructions. Steps of the writing process
have been ignored. These documents generally will require a follow-up communication
with the professor.
• An "F" essay is in improper format, demonstrates carelessness in following basic
grammar and punctuation rules, uses inappropriate diction and is rudimentary in
sentence construction. It does not demonstrate audience awareness, uses arbitrary
organization, fails to meet its purpose, and does not follow the assignment instructions. It
reveals to the reader that the writer is unaware of basic steps of the writing process.

The following process will be used to compute the final grade:

- Grades assigned to the two major research papers and class participation as well as a single
compiled grade from the short essays and any other work assigned will be averaged to become
your final grade. All major papers must be completed to obtain a passing grade. This grade will
also be affected by your significant efforts to improve throughout the course. If any assignment
has been completed late without my permission or has not been handed in at all, your final
grade will be seriously affected.

- An incomplete is a temporary grade assigned when coursework is missing and the student
agrees to complete the requirements. Incompletes are assigned when there are extenuating
circumstances, such as illness, that prevent the student from completing the course. A student
may request an Incomplete but a faculty member is not required to honor the request. Refer to
the student handbook or college catalog.

- Class participation is required to be eligible to receive a passing grade in this course. If you
have any problems with participating, you should talk with me about those issues.

- Final grades and academic standing can be obtained from http://my.commnet.edu.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: Whenever you present other people's words and/or ideas as your own,
you are violating the laws of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and the college takes
appropriate action. Violation of academic honesty can result in failure of the assignment in
question, failure of the course or suspension from the college. Plagiarism might also be noted on
your permanent academic transcript, which often follows you as a record of your academic
performance. As with federal, state, and local law, if you violate the law in ignorance, you have
still violated the law. We will talk extensively about plagiarism and documentation in class. If you
have any questions about plagiarism, be safe and ask me. The student code of conduct
operates implicitly in everything you do in this course. Academic dishonesty is a violation of this
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code and will not be tolerated. If you cheat during an exam or plagiarize work (published or
unpublished), you will receive an “F” in the course and be referred to the Department
Chairpersons and Office of the Dean of Students with the recommendation that you receive
additional disciplinary action (e.g., expulsion, academic probation, etc.) as appropriate.
Information on the student code of conduct, including academic integrity and plagiarism, can be
found in the Student Handbook, College Policies, under the heading “Student Discipline,” 5.2.1
Policy of Student Conduct, Section 3 (2) – Academic Integrity and Section 4 – Sanctions.

Manchester Community College is committed to academic integrity. An academically honest

student submits for evaluation only such work, including tests, papers, reports, presentations or
ideas that have been written, performed or created solely by that student. On those occasions
when the stated rules of a course permit collaborative efforts, the contributions of other
individuals and sources should be appropriately acknowledged. It is, at all times, the
responsibility of the student to maintain conduct consistent with the concept and definition of
academic integrity, including not only the avoidance of plagiarism, but also other actions further
outlined under College Policies in the Student Handbook.

My colleague, Professor Frank Harris, states the issue clearly: Plagiarism is the act of taking
someone else’s idea, writing or work, and passing it off as one’s own. If you fail to give credit to
the source of the material, whether directly quoted or put in your own words, this lack of credit
constitutes plagiarism. Whether you take, buy or receive material from the Internet, from a book,
from another student or from any other source, and you fail to give credit, you are stealing
ideas; you are engaged in plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards
and has serious academic consequences for the student.

The following are examples:

• If you include a passage that is word-for-word from another published or broadcast

document (including from the internet) without attribution, that is plagiarism.
• If you include a passage that is word-for-word from another published or broadcast
document (including from the internet) with attribution that comprises the bulk of your
writing, you have the appearance of plagiarism. You have not done the original work in
the totality of the assignment.
• If you present information as being original, yet you did not obtain it yourself, it is
plagiarism.
• If you create characters who do not exist and use them as sources, it is fabrication and
academic dishonesty.
• If you produce work for one class, then use it in another class without both instructors'
approvals, it is double-dipping and considered academic dishonesty.
• If you produce work for one class that is corrected, edited or graded, then you hand in
that assignment to another class, it considered academic dishonesty.
• If you hand in work with your name, but that someone else wrote, it is academic
dishonesty.

WITHDRAWALS: Withdrawal from this course is a student initiated process. I will not
automatically assign a grade of “W” to students who simply stop attending class and/or
submitting work. If you choose to stop attending class or submitting course work but do not
formally withdraw from the course, then you will receive the grade earned for the course (with
zero’s assigned to all missing work).
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15-week Courses Add/Drop Schedule: During the first 14 calendar days of the semester,
courses that a student drops or for which a student receives a refund will be removed from the
student’s schedule and will not appear on his/her transcript. After 14 days, a student who
wishes to withdraw from any course must either withdraw online or submit the appropriate
withdrawal form to the Registrar’s office. The Course Withdrawal Form Prior to Two Thirds of
Semester is available at the Registrar’s office or online at http://www.manchestercc.edu/form-
depot/. During the first 14 days you do not need my permission or signature to withdraw from
this course.

Accelerated 12- and 8-week Add/Drop Schedule: Students have until the last business day
before the first class meeting to drop an extension credit course; only tuition is refunded. If a
student officially withdraws on the day of the first class meeting, there is no refund and the
student will receive a “W” on their transcript.

For all relevant dates, calendars, schedules and other information related to either 15-week or
shorter session courses, please see: https://www.manchestercc.edu/programs-
courses/catalogs/

A student must contact the Registrar’s office in the Student Services Center (SSC) to
drop or withdraw from a class.

INCOMPLETES: An incomplete is a temporary grade assigned when coursework is missing and

the student agrees to complete the requirements. Incompletes are assigned when there are
extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent the student from completing the course.
A student may request an Incomplete, but a faculty member is not required to honor the request.
Refer to the Student Handbook or College Catalog.

AUDITS : The MCC catalog states, “This status allows a student to participate in class activities
without being required to meet the examination requirements of the course. A student who
wishes to change from credit to audit status must immediately discuss this with the
Registrar’s office to determine deadlines, and any changes to tuition and fees. Financial
Aid does NOT COVER AUDITED CLASSES.”

HARRASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, ETC.: Manchester Community

College is committed to fostering a safe and productive learning environment. Title VII, Title IX,
Board of Regents, and MCC policies prohibit harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct.
Sexual harassment (including sexual violence) has the purpose or effect of interfering with an
individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or
academic environment. Sexual harassment in any form will not be tolerated at MCC. We
encourage anyone experiencing harassment, discrimination, or sexual misconduct to talk with
someone about what happened to them so they can get the support they need and MCC can
respond appropriately. There are confidential and non-confidential resources and reporting
options available to you. MCC faculty and staff are required to report incidents of sexual
misconduct to MCC’S Title IX Coordinator and thus cannot guarantee anyone confidentiality. A list
of resources is available at www.manchestercc.edu/title-9. If you wish to report sexual misconduct
or have questions about school policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct, please
contact MCC’s Title IX Coordinator Debi Freund – SSC L277, 860-512-3107,
dfreund@manchestercc.edu.

CLASS CANCELLATIONS - If class is cancelled by MCC due to inclement weather conditions

or other emergency, students will be notified via the school’s web page
(www.manchestercc.edu). Students may also call the MCC information line at 860-512-3004.
Although closing information may be broadcast on local news and radio stations, do not rely
solely on such outlets – check the website or information line. If class is cancelled by me,
students will be informed by notice on Blackboard, an email and college-authorized form posted
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to the door of the classroom and signed by the Division Director or MCC Police.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a disability (e.g., learning, physical, or

psychological) and require reasonable accommodations to enable you to participate in this
course, such as extended time on exams, please contact me during the first two weeks of class.
You must be registered with the Office of Disability Services. MCC has three disability services
providers who can provide you with additional information and review appropriate arrangements
for reasonable accommodations. To make an appointment with a disability services provider
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concerning a learning disability, Gail Stanton (Lowe Room 131, 860-512-3325,

gstanton@mcc.commnet.edu). To make an appointment with a services provider concerning
a physical or psychological disability, contact Joe Navarra (Lowe Room 131, 860-512-3332,
jnavarra@mcc.commnet.edu).

What Students Will Do In This Course

1. All learning comes from contradiction and "tension" (but not in the sense of hostility) in
multiple viewpoints that exist for most issues. No issue truly is just "black and white" or
absolutely one way or another. Instead they are defined by different perceptions about
elements that make up the issue and create someone's point of view about the issue.
2. This causes "tension" from these multiple perspectives - including historical, cultural,
intellectual and emotional aspects -- about the issue.
3. We will write two major research papers incorporating these concepts and other critical
research skills.
4. While this course will have you writing research papers, the kind of thinking required and
organization for your paper will apply to nearly any workplace and other real-world tasks
that require a diligent analysis by you.
5. During the first seven weeks we will explore one topic together with the first paper based
on that topic. During the next seven weeks you will explore a topic of your choosing and
build the paper step-by-step based on class discussions about your research as well as
individual exercises designed to improve your research and writing skills.
6. This may be the only time you take a course in which a professor guides you through
thinking about and writing in stages an acceptable college/university research paper,
which will often be required in upper level classes and in all graduate work on the
master's and doctoral level. Think about your future. Make good use of this unique
opportunity.

7. We Will Review:

• Multiple perspectives and other aspects of critical thinking through class discussions
(The book Crucial Conversations, required for the course, will assist with this
exploration).
• Marking texts - annotations.
• Describing, summarizing fairly and fully; interpreting, analyzing, criticizing; and
evaluating the quality of an argument.
• Handling sources properly and effectively; quotations, paraphrases, plagiarism and
taking notes from sources.

• Articulating your own perspective within the context of complex ideas, claims and
ideological perspectives.
• Exploring the need for a bibliography and discussion of the library as resource for
information compared to relying only on Internet-obtained source material.
• The need for a thesis and various formats the multiple source or research paper can
take. Also we will review the Idea Diagram to focus an approach to writing an extended
research project or report.
• Thesis statements, paper organization, etc.
• Presenting sources to others; evaluating the "voices"/conflicting multiple perspectives to
be presented in the research paper.
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• Locating and evaluating sources and using the MLA works cited format to record
potential sources.
• Finding information in the library, using both paper and electronic sources - tour of the
library and resources;
• Synthesizing research notes and drawing conclusions from research notes.
• Drafting and revising the paper and constructing an outline from research notes.
• MLA style, works cited and annotated works consulted pages.

Class Topic Schedule (which will be combined for short-term courses, such as those
offered in the summer) :

Weeks 1 and 2

Overview, discussion of the importance of research in college, its historical relevance to a

college education and discussion of the practical contemporary reasons for understanding
research for understanding information and the contexts in which the information is explained.
We will also discuss marking texts (annotations). See class notes for further readings assigned.

Responding to readings in an academic context – describing, summarizing fairly and fully;

interpreting, analyzing, criticizing; and evaluating the quality of an argument. See class notes for
other readings as assigned.

Weeks 3 and 4

Handling sources properly and effectively: quotations, paraphrases, plagiarism and taking notes
from sources. See class notes for further readings assigned.

Discussion of mid-term exam. Articulating your own perspective within the context of complex
ideas, claims and ideological perspectives. See class notes for further readings assigned.

Weeks 5 and 6

Exploring the need for a bibliography and discussion of library as resource for information
compared to relying only on Internet-obtained source material. See class notes for further
readings assigned.

Crucial Conversations book -- Report due tonight on Chapters 1-6. The focus of the five-
page report will be: After reading these chapters, write about what insight you gained and how
you see relevancy to your life through these examples. Be detailed with the examples. You must
produce a minimum five-page report (five full pages double-spaced typed, one-inch margins top,
bottom and sides, and no-written in corrections and all spelling checked.

A discussion about the need for a thesis and various formats the multiple source or research
paper can take. Also we will review the Idea Diagram to focus an approach to writing an
extended research project or report.
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Weeks 7 and 8

Mid-term exam assigned - First Research Paper. See class notes for further readings
assigned. See Final Paper assignment, due in Class 8, as well in these notes.

(Mid-term exam would be a paper essentially testing your understanding of the concepts
above)

Section II. Writing the Second Research Paper

Discussing topic for second or final paper. See class notes for further readings assigned.
Finding information in the library, using both paper and electronic sources - tour of the library
and resources; Mid-Term Exam due.

Weeks 9 and 10

Presenting sources to others; evaluating the "voices"/conflicting perspectives to be presented in

the research paper. See class notes for further readings assigned.

Locating and evaluating sources and using the MLA works cited format to record potential
sources. See class notes for further readings assigned.

Crucial Conversations book - Report due tonight on Chapters 6-12. The focus of the five-
page report will be: After reading these chapters, write about what insight you gained and how
you see relevancy to your life through these examples. Be detailed with the examples. You must
produce a minimum five-page report (five full pages double-spaced typed, one-inch margins top,
bottom and sides, and no-written in corrections and all spelling checked.

Weeks 11 and 12

Synthesizing research notes and drawing conclusions from research notes. See class notes for
further readings assigned.

Drafting and revising the paper and constructing an outline from research notes. See class
notes for further readings assigned.

Weeks 13 and 14

Individual discussions of draft papers, revisions of papers after workshop.

Weeks 15 and 16

Reviews of draft papers with professor and class, submission of final paper and end of class,
discussion on goals achieved.