• Course Name, Number, and Pre-requisite
• Instructor
• Course Description
• Learning Objectives
• Academic Integrity
• Sequence of Topics

• Methods of Instruction
• Course Practices Required
• Instructional Materials
• Methods of Evaluation
• Other Course Information

 English 102-0C1  - Composition II      3.0 semester hours credit

Pre-requisite:  English 101

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Michael McNett mmcnett@oakton.edu (847) 635-1435 (V) (847) 635-1496 (F)

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The student will be able to:

• Locate and evaluate sources in a library, in full-text electronic databases, and on the World Wide Web using appropriate references and technology
• Analyze and evaluate various forms and styles of argument
• Compare, analyze, and synthesize sources, as well as use them effectively for rhetorical purposes
• Summarize, paraphrase, quote, and document sources
• Communicate effectively with specific audiences through style, content, form, and organization
• Write advanced expository and argumentative essays and research papers as assigned

For more detailed information, please also see About English 102 Online.

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Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

• cheating,
• plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
• falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
• helping others to cheat,
• unauthorized changes on official documents,
• pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
• making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
• any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you.  If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.

It is the student's responsibility to be aware of behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty.

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Please also see Day by Day Calendar & Weekly Readings for more detailed information.

Week	Topics
08/24/09--08/30/09	Orientation   How English 102 Online is Organized   Getting Started with WebCT   What's Involved in a Research Paper?
08/31/09--09/06/09	Wondering & Exploring   Exploring Subjects   Library Cataloging Systems   Subject Directories   The Two Types of Research Paper
09/07/09--09/13/09	From Subject to Topic   Converting Subjects into Topic       Statements   Basic Techniques for Generating Topic        Statements   Keyword Searching Library Databases       and the Internet
09/14/09--09/20/09	Refining a Topic   Focusing a Topic Statement   Advanced  Techniques for Generating        Topic Statements   Evaluating Traditional Information Sources
09/21/09--09/27/09	Evaluating Sources   Developing Thesis Statements and       Research Questions   Evaluating Internet Information Sources   Introduction to Peer Reviewing
09/28/09--10/04/09	Understanding Sources   Analytical Reading Tactics   Summarizing and Paraphrasing    Working topic & preliminary source    list for research paper due
10/05/09--10/11/09	Using a Single Source   Responding to a Source   Interpreting a Source   Using a Source as a Springboard
10/12/09--10/18/09	Structuring your Proof   Using Argumentation   Plagiarism and How to Avoid It   First Draft of Single Source Essay Due
10/19/09--10/25/09	Using Multiple Sources   More about Argumentation   Comparing or Contrasting Multiple         Sources    Final Draft of Single Source Essay          Due
10/26/09--11/01/09	Using Sources with Style   Basic Principles of Documenting Sources   When to Paraphrase, When to Quote?   Incorporating Quotes into Sentences   First Draft of  Multiple Source Essay       Due
11/02/09--11/08/09	Documenting Sources, Part 1   Introducing Style Systems: The Big 4   Modern Language Association (MLA)       Style   Internet Extensions to MLA Style   American Psychological Association        (APA) Style   Internet Extensions to APA Style   Final Draft of  Multiple Source Essay         Due
11/09/09--11/15/09	Documenting Sources, Part 2   The Chicago/Turabian Style of          Documentation   Internet Extensions to Chicago Style   The CBE Style of Documentation   Internet Extensions to CBE Style   Writing an Annotated Bibliography   Annotated Bibliography for Research       Paper Due
11/16/09--11/22/09	Deep Revising   The Three Levels of Revising   Strategies for Revising   First Draft of  Research Paper Due
11/23/09--11/29/09	Editing   Editing for Meaning   Editing for Form   Web-based Resources for Revising and        Editing
11/30/09--12/06/09	Polishing   The Mechanics of Quoting   Proofreading Techniques
12/07/09--12/13/09	Real-World Research   Guest Symposium on Everyday Uses of               Research Skills Final Draft of Research Paper Due

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Brief, written "lectures" delivered online, independent student reading of web-based materials, collaborative group work to develop personally tailored research tools and resources, one-on-one communications between instructor and students, asynchronous group discussions, and possibly synchronous small-group discussions (as appropriate). Analysis of student and professional writing (primarily prose non-fiction), and practice  in conducting research using the library and the internet.

Students will compose multiple drafts of papers and assist each other in the revising process by providing each other--with the instructor's guidance and assistance--with positive and non-judgmental feedback designed to help develop, focus, and refine works in progress.

Grammar, mechanics, and style will be treated as appropriate to the particular forms of writing taught in the course--thesis writing, incorporating sources, and revision techniques.  Written responses to questions or quizzes may be included to encourage student participation.

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A brief, written "lecture" covering the week's topics will be made available online each Monday.  Students will then pursue the week's readings and the activities based on those readings.  Generally, students will be required to submit materials (of various sorts) to the class discussion area by Thursday or Friday.  They will then read and comment on each other's contributions through the remainder of the week.  In addition, there will generally be a personal/private assignment to be submitted directly to the instructor at the end of the week.  All communication of information and discussions, and all submission of assignments, will be conducted through the course website.

Each student will write a minimum of 4500 words. The major writing assignments will be divided into one paper of 2 to 3 pages drawing upon a single research source, one paper of 3 to 5 pages drawing upon three research sources, an annotated bibliography of 5 to 7 sources for the final research paper, and a 10 to 15 page research paper drawing upon multiple sources and documented according to standard academic conventions and format. ( Or alternatively, an annotated bibliography of 14 items on a topic of interest which presents opposing viewpoints. Consent of instructor required.) The two shorter papers can--and in fact should--draw upon research sources which will be used in the final paper. The expectation is that, except in unusual circumstances, the student will maintain the same topic focus for the two shorter papers, the annotated bibliography, and the final research paper. Any change in topic must be approved in advance by the instructor. In addition, students will have numerous small exercises and discussion questions which will be submitted in writing. 

All work submitted must be original and newly written for this course. Submitting a research paper written for another course will not satisfy the requirments for this course.

As part of the writing process involved in the major assignments, students will read and comment upon each other's first drafts in a process of mutual assistance.  Students will do this within a framework of guiding questions provided by the instructor for the purpose of assisting writers in focusing and refining their prose.  Students will not grade, score, or otherwise evaluate each other's work to directly affect each other's course grades.  Students will not "correct" each other's grammar, spelling, or mechanics in any but the most general and nonjudgmental ways, nor will they be asked or allowed to "play English teacher."

Failure to complete reading and writing assignments may result in a substantial reduction in your final course grade. For the single-source  essay, a draft of at least 500 words will be due at the time of the peer reviews (and 750 words for the multiple-source essay) . If a student does not have a draft of the required length posted by the due date, one letter grade will be deducted from the final draft of the paper. The same policy applies to the draft of the research paper, with a longer minimum length (1500 words) required at the time of peer review.

Weekly assignments, both the individual and collaborative exercises, are due at or before 11:59 PM (Central Time Zone) of the stated due date. Late submissions will not receive credit.

A private, electronic researcher's notebook has been created for each student on the course website which will serve as a place for the student to organize and reflect upon their research and to confer with the instructor about their projects.  The instructor will assign regular brief exercises which are to be recorded in this notebook, and use of the notebook for these exercises is required.

This course makes use of active learning, including collaborative exercises and group discussions.  Students are expected to participate by logging into the course frequently (a minimum of four times per week) and reading and responding to each other's contributions.  Merely logging on and reading messages will not  constitute satisfactory course participation. In addition to completing course assignments in a timely fashion, students are expected to ask questions, offer comments and suggestions, share their thoughts and make meaningful contributions to the exchange of ideas in the course. 

If you do not log in to the course, participate, and submit assignments for a period of one week, I may contact you to discuss the situation. 

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The course does not use a traditional textbook.  All materials and readings are in electronic format, and most will be found on Internet. 

Internet access and a web browser--Firefox 1.5 or higher; or Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, or AOL 7.0 or higher are currently "offically" supported. 

I use Fiefox 3.0.13 myself, and have experienced no problems

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The components of your course grade and their relative weights are as follows:
 

Single-source essay	10%
Multiple-source essay	10%
Annotated bibliography	10%
Individual exercises (quizzes, researcher's notebook, etc)	20%
Collaborative activities (group projects, discussions, peer                                    reviewing, etc)	20%
Final research paper (see detailed discussion below)	30%
TOTAL	100%

Course grades will be based upon both the quality of written work and participation in class activities.

The quality of essays will be assessed with regard to:

A. Precision in identifying and analyzing audience, and use of style, diction, and detail appropriate to that audience;

B. Clarity of thesis or purpose and the degree to which structure, selection of detail, and mechanical elements (i.e., grammar, syntax) serve to clarify and advance that purpose.

C. Research papers will be assessed for quality of synthesis of ideas, effective use and integration of sources, appropriate citation of sources, and correctness of documentation (notes and bibliography).

In addition to the criteria used to assess all essays, the following additional factors (shown with the corresponding percentages of the final course grade) will be considered in evaluating the research paper: 
 

Evaluation Factor	% of Course Grade
Use of Sources Is there an appropriate balance between the author's own ideas and those drawn from sources? Is there a balance between the use of summary, paraphrase, and quotation? Are quotations used for appropriate purposes? Are summaries, paraphrases, and quotations smoothly integrated into the prose of the research paper?	15%
Use of Documentation Are all the uses of source material documented? Is the number of source citations appropriate - neither too few nor too many? Is the author consistent in the format used for notes and bibliography? Is all the necessary information present in the notes and bibliography, and correctly sequenced and punctuated?	7.5%
Overall Quality of Essay Is the argument or line of reasoning fully and coherently developed? Are paragraphs well developed and sequential? Are there problems with spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation?	7.5%
TOTAL	30%

The quality of participation in class activities will be assessed with regard to:

A. Frequency--You are required to log in to the course at least 4 times per week;

B. Regularity--Your log-ins should occur over the space of several days, not all on one day;

C. Quality--You should ask questions, offer comments and suggestions, share your thoughts, and try to make meaningful contributions to class discussions.  Short responses, such as "Yes, me too" or "I disagree," which do not explain, expand, or clarify their thinking do not constitute quality participation, and neither does logging in and only reading course materials.
 

For more details about the grading system, please also see About English 102 Online.

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"Attendance"--While there isn't an attendance policy in the convention sense here, the timely completion of assignments and the level of your interaction in class discussions and other activities are the primary measures of your degree of involvement in this course. If you are prevented from completing assignments by emergency, illness, or other pressing circumstances please contact me as soon as possible.

Problems with Technology--We may run into some--rare--problems with access to the Oakton course server (not to mention area-wide power, phone, or cable outages) during the semester, and I  will make accommodations if these problems arise. But please do not use personal computer problems (real or imagined) as excuses for not completing assignments. In other words, please have a backup plan for accessing the course through your local public library or a friend's computer, etc.

If you have computer problems which would prevent you from submitting assignments on time, please contact me as soon as possible. Also, remember that you have access to Oakton's computer labs and can use them to complete and submit assignments.  You may also quite likely be able to access the course via internet terminals at your local public library.

Unacceptable Conduct--Students are expected to help maintain a constructive and positive learning environment for the class. Your instructor reserves the right to deny participants course access based on unacceptable behavior or conduct including (but not limited to) racist or derogatory remarks, foul language, inflammatory comments, condescending or rude remarks, or flaming. (For a more complete discussion, see Netiquette in the "Course Procedures" section of the Student Guides.)

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