Syllabus for ENC-102-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English Composition II is essentially a course about three aspects of one process: writing an effective research paper. To successfully write such a paper, a student must know how to gather the needed information, organize the information and write in clear prose, and formally document sources in an appropriate format.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of English Composition II is to improve your ability to conceive and carry out plans for writing essays and research papers. The course presents many strategies that you will find useful. Through studying English Composition II, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to use appropriate library and Internet resources when researching a topic.
  
  
• Effectively compose a short research proposal.
  
  
• Compile an annotated working bibliography and a complete bibliography in correct MLA or APA format.
  
  
• Demonstrate the ability to write a formal topic or sentence outline.
  
  
• Formulate a thesis for an essay or research paper.
  
  
• Compose effective introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs.
  
  
• Use quotations and paraphrases to strengthen your own thesis in essays and research papers.
  
  
• Correctly document sources in either MLA or APA style.
  
  
• Analyze and revise essays for greater effectiveness.
  
  
• Spot common grammar, punctuation, and mechanics errors and explain how to correct them.
  
  

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COURSE MATERIALS

Textbook

Research for Writers: Advanced English Composition, by Joe Davis, Margo Martin, and Charles Smires (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2002).

ISBN-10: 0-7575-0987-8

Reference Handbook

Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide, 13th ed., by James D. Lester and James D. Lester, Jr. (New York: Pearson/Longman, 2010).

ISBN-10: 0-205-65191-7

Online Sources

In addition to the Lester and Lester handbook (in hard copy), you will be directed in this course to several online sites that provide reference information. Bookmark the following sites in your browser so that you can easily return to them:

• General Writing Reference Site. The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison
  
  
• General Writing Reference Site. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue
  
  
• Research and Documentation Site. Research and Documentation Online (Diana Hacker)

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COURSE STRUCTURE

English Composition II is a 3-credit online course. The course consists of six modules of study. Each module includes study assignments, written assignments, and an online discussion. Course requirements include six (6) online class discussions, nine (9) written assignments, and one (1) research paper due by the last day of the semester.

For the course's assignments, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

You will be invited to post a discussion thread in the Introductions Forum, introducing yourself to the class. In addition, you are required to participate in six additional graded online discussions. These class discussions, like the written assignments, are an opportunity to share your insights and understanding of writing.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND RESEARCH PAPER

English Composition II has nine (9) written assignments, divided among the six modules. Your final assessment is a research paper, worth half of your grade. Many of the interim assignments help you gain mastery of the intermediate steps in writing a research paper such as choosing a topic, doing research, preparing an annotated bibliography, writing an outline, and revising paragraphs. The assignments are cumulative, particularly the drafts, and you can incorporate your mentor's suggestions in later drafts and assignments.

If you are interested in knowing how your assignments will be graded, take a look at the document called English Composition Grading Standards in Course Documents. It shows the standards for grading, telling you what would constitute an "A" assignment, a "B" assignment, and so on.

Note: If English is your second language, be sure to read the document titled "English as a Second Language Students" in Course Documents before beginning any written assignments.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the final paper are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., research paper, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and turning in your research paper. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. As you read the first lesson, pay particular attention to its organization, since this is the general format for all the lessons.
   
   
3. Prepare your research paper according to instructions. Information about the length of your research paper and the minimum acceptable number of references is included in the Assignment Modules section of this syllabus. Be sure to follow these guidelines unless you are specifically directed otherwise by your mentor .
   
   
4. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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