Course Syllabus

ENC 1102: Composition II

Fall 2020

 

Instructor Contact

Instructor	Ileia Mooney
Office	Virtual
Office Hours	Online by Appointment
Email	Webcourses OR ileia.mooney@ucf.edu

Course Information

Course Name	Composition II
Course ID & Section	ENC1102-20Fall 0W61
Credit Hours	3.0
Prerequisites:	ENC 1101 or equivalent
Semester/Year	Fall 2020
Meeting Time and Location	Online

Course Description

Building on the key concepts of writing and rhetoric emphasized in ENC 1101, ENC 1102 further strengthens students’ understanding of the work that writing and research do in the world. The primary and secondary research at the heart of ENC 1102’s semester-long inquiry projects invites students to identify, analyze, and contribute effectively to the complex, real-world rhetorical situations that animate their academic, professional, civic, and personal lives. Through a sequence of writing and research tasks, students learn to continually revisit earlier ideas, refine emergent findings and questions, and trace the development of ideas and arguments across multiple sources and genres. In addition to generating new knowledge, the research process also occasions opportunities for students to interrogate and revise their own conceptions of writing and research.

Course Objectives

Through the work in this course, students will...

• be able to analyze and synthesize complex texts in ways that demonstrate an understanding of the situated and intertextual nature of writing and research.

• engage in a recursive, inquiry-based writing and research process that is meaningful for a specific community.produce purposeful arguments in appropriate genres that matter to specific communities.

• be able to interpret their research findings in order to produce arguments that matter to specific communities by addressing real-world exigencies.

• examine their own conceptions of writing and research in response to their inquiry, reading, and writing throughout the course.

I highly encourage you to check out the Department of Writing and Rhetoric's ENC 1102 webpage for more information on these outcomes and how you can demonstrate that you have met them. You should also look at the Holistic Rubric by which I am required to grade you for the final portfolio assignment. 

ENC 1102: Composition II General Education Program Objectives

This course sits alongside students’ other general education courses by preparing students to…

• be successful writers, speakers, and producers of digital materials in academic, civic, and professional worlds.
• assess and decipher information in a world full of conflicting sources.
• be well-informed citizens who can reason and can apply analytical, statistical, and computational methods to the challenges of a globally-diverse and technologically rich environment.

Required Texts

• Writing about Writing 3rd edition. Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. ISBN: 9781319150105 (pictured below: Top)
• EasyWriter 7th edition/UCF edition. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford. ISBN: 9781319388911 (pictured below: Bottom)
• Additional handouts and readings available via Webcourses

Alt Tex: Image of Writing About Writing Textbook

Alt Text:  Image of Easy Writer textbook

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

There are no required face-to-face nor synchronous online meeting times for this course. I do, however, expect you to check in daily. Besides submitting assignments in a timely manner, "real-time" is important in keeping up in discussions and the collaborative work with your fellow classmates. Promptly posting your responses, replies, documents for review, and peer reviews allows all of you to keep up with your deadlines. 

Missed/Late Assignments

Assignment deadlines will typically be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11:59 pm EST. Plan your own schedule accordingly. If you know you’re not going to be available on a certain day or have other work you need to focus on, feel free to work ahead as much as you like. Late Online Engagement and Peer Review assignments, however, will not receive credit. Major Assignments will earn a one letter grade deduction per 24-hour period that they are late, but they will not be eligible for Shadow Grading (see Accessing Feedback & Shadow Grading for more information). 

Keeping this policy in mind, prepare for technological catastrophe by saving frequently, backing up files on flash drives, and/or emailing files to yourself.  You may also use cloud storage accounts if that is easier for you, but you will need to turn in Word documents (files ending in ".doc" or ".docx"). You all are tech-savvy enough to know how to avoid disaster; “the computer/Webcourses ate my homework” is not a valid excuse. Also, get into the habit of saving assignments before hitting "reply" or submit and double-checking to make sure all of your assignments went through. This is your responsibility. 

Special Considerations

If for any reason you have a family emergency or any unforeseen happenings during this course, contact me immediately. Notifying me of a situation or problem several days after the fact prevents me from making alternative arrangements.

I also know that a "W" course might not be your preferred modality and that we are all doing our best to function normally in very unprecedented times. If you have any questions or concerns about the class, specific assignments, upcoming due dates, or anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Office Hours/Contacting Me

The best and quickest way to get in touch with me is via Webcourses messenger or email. Appointments (via Zoom) are also available upon request and easy enough to accommodate. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to set one up.

Knights Email

In this class, our official mode of communication is through email. All communication between student and instructor and between student and student should be respectful and professional. Knightsmail is the only official student email at UCF. Class rosters list Knightsmail addresses rather than external email addresses, and all official class communications will be sent only to your Knightsmail address or through Webcourses. You are responsible for checking your Knightsmail account and your Webcourses messenger regularly. 

I will primarily communicate with you through Webcourse messenger (which you can access in the left-hand navigation bar in Webcourses under "Inbox." )

When sending me a Webcourses messages or an e-mail, please include the course number in the subject line and make the message pertinent to the topic. I will do my best to respond to you in as timely a fashion as possible. However, if you don't receive an immediate response, don't send duplicate e-mails.  I will respond to emails within 24 hours. 

I will give you feedback on your assignments in Webcourses through the comment feature. However, I cannot go back through each and every assignment to see if each and every student comments back to me. As such, please do not respond to my feedback to you in the comments features of assignments. If you have a question about my feedback or want to respond to my feedback, please email me or use the Webcourses messenger. 

Please see more about how to use Webcourses Messenger here.

Please see www.knightsemail.ucf.edu for further information.

Please Note: Email to and from this address is subject to public record request.

Gordon Rule

This is a Gordon Rule course, which requires you to write four major assignments and receive a C- or higher to pass. You must turn in all major writing assignments to pass. For this course, this includes all of the ePortfolio tasks. Assignments that fulfill this requirement are marked with an asterisk in the Important Dates section below. 

Academic Honesty

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric (DWR) has adopted the definition of plagiarism from the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA):

“In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. This definition applies to texts published in print or on-line, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers.”

 The WPA and the DWR distinguish plagiarism from the misuse of sources: “A student who attempts (even if clumsily) to identify and credit his or her source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material taken from other sources, has not plagiarized.  Instead, such a student should be considered to have failed to cite and document sources appropriately.”

Please familiarize yourself with UCF’s Rules of Conduct at <http://osc.sdes.ucf.edu/process/roc>

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

DWR takes plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty seriously and responds in accordance with UCF policy.  Plagiarizing or cheating—or assisting another student who plagiarizes or cheats—may result in a failing grade on an assignment or for the entire course; a report to the Office of Student Conduct; and/or a “Z” designation, which denotes academic dishonesty on your transcript. 

Title IX

The University of Central Florida considers the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff to be a strength and critical to its educational mission. UCF expects every member of the university community to contribute to an inclusive and respectful culture for all in its classrooms, work environments, and at campus events. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, political beliefs, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and retaliation. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find resources available to support the victim, including confidential resources and information concerning reporting options at www.shield.ucf.edu

 

Further Guidelines

While I encourage you to explore your different communicative practices, these language practices will not be offensive. All communication will be courteous. In compliance with UCF’s Prohibition of Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence, under no circumstance will you discriminate against your peers on the basis “race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or non-religion, age, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy and parental status), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability (including learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and past or present history of mental illness), political affiliations, veteran’s status (as protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistant Act), or membership in any other protected classes as set forth in state or federal law.”

Please click the link above or reach out and ask me if you feel unclear about what is discriminatory language.

If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find resources available to support the victim, including confidential resources and information concerning reporting options at www.shield.ucf.edu and http://cares.sdes.ucf.edu/.

For more information on diversity and inclusion, Title IX, accessibility, or UCF’s complaint processes contact:

Title IX – EO/AA - http://www.eeo.ucf.edu/ & askanadvocate@ucf.edu

Diversity and Inclusion Training and Events – www.diversity.ucf.edu

Student Bias Grievances – Just Knights response team - http://jkrt.sdes.ucf.edu/

UCF Compliance and Ethics Office - http://compliance.ucf.edu/ & complianceandethics@ucf.edu

Ombuds Office - http://www.ombuds.ucf.edu

Access and Accommodation Statement and Policy

I am committed to providing access and inclusion for all students. I encourage students with access concerns to talk to me about their concerns so that we I can make my classroom as accessible as possible. Since access and inclusion are very important to me please come talk to me about your concerns during office hours or send me an email and I will do my best to accommodate you in any way that I can. 

If there are aspects of the design, instruction, and/or experiences within this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or accurate assessment of achievement, please notify the instructor as soon as possible and/or contact Student Accessibility Services.

Though I know that not all students will feel comfortable doing so, you should also feel free to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) <http://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/> (Ferrell Commons 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone 407-823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable. Determining reasonable access and accommodations requires consideration of the course design, course learning objectives and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student. 

However, I want to reiterate that you do not have to have a “documented” disability or letter from SAS to come and talk to me /email me about any access concerns that you may have. 

Accommodation – Student Accessibility Services - http://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/ sas@ucf.edu

Technology/Software Requirements and Internet Usage

You will need to have access to a computer and the Internet frequently in this course, as all writing assignments used will be typed out and not handwritten. I will be asking you to turn in your documents as Word files (not Google docs). This means the files will end with ".doc" or ".docx". I recommend having access to a computer daily.  You will need to have daily access to the internet and email, since I will be emailing you about assignment updates, additions, and changes. All students at UCF are required to obtain a Knight's Email account and check it regularly for official university communications. If you can only access a computer or Internet in public spaces off of UCF's campus (computer lab, public library, etc.), please practice safe social distancing. 

Financial Aid Accountability Requirement

All faculty are required to document students’ academic activity at the beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the Course Navigation Quiz *Financial Aid Verification Activity* by 5:00 pm on August 28, 2020, or as soon as possible after adding the course. Failure to do so may result in a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid. 

Deployed Active Duty Military Students

A deployed active duty military student who feels the need for a special accommodation due to that unique status should contact their instructor to discuss the circumstances.

Campus Safety

Emergencies on campus are rare, but if one should arise during class, everyone needs to work together. Students should be aware of their surroundings and familiar with some basic safety and security concepts.

• In case of an emergency, dial 911 for assistance.
• Every UCF classroom contains an emergency procedure guide posted on a wall near the door. Students should make a note of the guide’s physical location and review the online version at <http://emergency.ucf.edu/emergency_guide.html>.
• Students should know the evacuation routes from each of their classrooms and have a plan for finding safety in case of an emergency.
• If there is a medical emergency during class, students may need to access a first-aid kit or AED (Automated External Defibrillator). To learn where those are located, see <http://www.ehs.ucf.edu/AEDlocations-UCF (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.> (click on the link from the menu on left).
• To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to <my.ucf.edu> and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
• Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.
• TRIGGER WARNING: To learn about how to manage an active-shooter situation on campus or elsewhere, consider viewing this video. https://youtu.be/NIKYajEx4pkLinks to an external site.

Required Statement Regarding COVID-19

University-Wide Face Covering Policy for Common Spaces and Face-to-Face Classes

To protect members of our community, everyone is required to wear a facial covering inside all common spaces including classrooms (https://policies.ucf.edu/documents/PolicyEmergencyCOVIDReturnPolicy.pdf. Students who choose not to wear facial coverings will be asked to leave the classroom by the instructor. If they refuse to leave the classroom or put on a facial covering, they may be considered disruptive (please see the Golden Rule for student behavior expectations). Faculty have the right to cancel class if the safety and well-being of class members are in jeopardy. Students will be responsible for the material that would have been covered in class as provided by the instructor.

Notifications in Case of Changes to Course Modality

Depending on the course of the pandemic during the semester, the university may make changes to the way classes are offered. If that happens, please look for announcements or messages in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email about changes specific to this course.

COVID-19 and Illness Notification

Students who believe they may have a COVID-19 diagnosis should contact UCF Student Health Services (407-823-2509) so proper contact tracing procedures can take place.

Students should not come to campus if they are ill, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID, or if anyone living in their residence has tested positive or is sick with COVID-19 symptoms. CDC guidance for COVID-19 symptoms is located here: (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)

Students should contact their instructor(s) as soon as possible if they miss class for any illness reason to discuss reasonable adjustments that might need to be made. When possible, students should contact their instructor(s) before missing class.

In Case of Faculty Illness

If the instructor falls ill during the semester, there may be changes to this course, including having a backup instructor take over the course. Please look for announcements or mail in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email for any alterations to this course.

Course Accessibility and Disability COVID-19 Supplemental Statement

Accommodations may need to be added or adjusted should this course shift from an on-campus to a remote format. Students with disabilities should speak with their instructor and should contact sas@ucf.edu to discuss specific accommodations for this or other courses.

University Writing Center

You can schedule an online Writing Center appointment on the UWC's website here -> https://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/

Physical Locations (for later semesters):

• Trevor Colbourn Hall 109
• Hitt Library
• Rosen College Library

Phone: 407-823-2197

The University Writing Center (UWC) offers writing support to UCF students from first-year to graduate in every discipline. Trained peer consultants provide help at every stage of the writing process, including understanding assignments, researching, drafting, revising, incorporating sources, and learning to proofread and edit. The UWC’s purpose is not merely to fix papers or to make better writers, but to teach writers strategies to navigate complex situations for writing, both in and outside the University. Consultations are available for individuals and small groups. To make the best use of the UWC, visit far enough before your due date to allow yourself time to revise after your consultation, browse the writing resources on our website, and arrange a regular weekly appointment if you’d like long-term help. You may schedule a 45-minute appointment by phone or by using the TutorTrac scheduler on our website; walk-in consultations are also available. In addition, the UWC seeks graduate and undergraduate tutors from all majors; contact the UWC to learn more about becoming a peer writing consultant by enrolling in ENC 4275/5276: Theory & Practice of Tutoring Writing, our three-credit tutor-education course.

Stylus

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric publishes a journal for outstanding writing produced by First-Year Composition students called Stylus. You may find the student work published in this journal helpful during our exploration of writing this semester. Also, you should consider submitting your own work for publication. Students published in Stylus become eligible for the President John C. Hitt Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing, a $500 scholarship awarded annually. To submit your work, simply email your essay to me as a Microsoft Word-friendly attachment and I’ll send it to the editors. To see previous issues and learn more information, visit the Stylus website at http://writingandrhetoric.cah.ucf.edu/stylus/.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright-protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download, or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course, you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor. 

*Please note that all of these policies are subject to change at my discretion.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email, or drop by my virtual office hours!

Evaluation and Grading

How You’re Graded

Revision is an integral part of the writing process. We learn best by doing, so no one ever produces their best work in the first draft of any assignment. Therefore, we use an ePortfolio at the conclusion of the semester as a way to demonstrate how you have grown as a writer and as a researcher throughout this course. Additionally, we also have the opportunity to Shadow Grade the major assignments in this class for an improved grade. In order to make both Shadow Grading and the submission of your final ePortfolio as easy as possible, I recommend that you save multiple versions of anything that you submit to this class and that you read Accessing Feedback & Shadow Grading for more information.

Letter Grade	Points
A	94 – 100%
A-	90 – 93.9%
B+	87 – 89.9%
B	84 – 86.9%
B-	80 – 83.9%
C+	77 – 79.9%
C	74 – 76.9%
C-	70 – 73.9%
F	69.9% and below

Grading will utilize a plus-minus system, and the overall grade will be calculated from the percentages below. I will provide you my specific grading criteria for each assignment, but generally, I will grade based on how well the assignment fulfills its requirements (as specified on the assignment sheet), how well it achieves its purposes, and how well it accommodates its audiences. 

Note: No incompletes are given in ENC 1101 or 1102 courses. The grade of NC (no credit) can be assigned at the teacher’s discretion only if the student completes all work in the course, but does not meet university standards to pass the course. 

Assignment	Percentage of Grade
Process and Engagement	40%
Research Assignments	40%
ePortfolio	20%

Important Dates

Drop/Swap Deadline - Friday, August 28, 2020 by 11:59 pm

Add Deadline - Friday, August 28, 2020 by 11:59 pm

Payment Deadline - Friday, September 4, 2020

Labor Day (observed) - Monday, September 7, 2020 (no classes)

Final Draft of Research Proposal due - Friday, September 18, 2020 by 11:59 pm*

Final Draft of Annotated Bibliography due - Monday, October 12, 2020 by 11:59 pm*

Withdrawal Deadline - Friday, October 30, 2020 by 11:59 pm

Veteran's Day (observed) - Wednesday, November 11, 2020 (no classes)

Final Draft of Final Research Paper due - Friday, November 13, 2020 by 11:59 pm*

Thanksgiving Wednesday (observed) - Wednesday, November 25, 2020 (no classes)

Thanksgiving (observed) - Thursday, November 26, 2020 to Saturday, November 28, 2020 (no classes)

Final ePortfolio Submission due - Monday, December 7, 2020 by 11:59 pm*

Please check out other important academic deadlines on the online academic calendar for Fall 2020.