Spring 2025 Course Syllabus Course: ENGL-1302 (Section: 71B, CRN: 11367) Composition II

Instructor Information
Instructor	Chelsey Galloway
Email	daigleca1@lamarpa.edu
Phone	(409) 984-6321
Office	Student Center - Room: 409
Office Hours	I am available to meet virtually or in-person with an appointment, but I am generally on campus Monday-Friday from 8am-2pm; please keep in mind that I do teach in-person classes throughout each day as well.  Ideal times to meet with me are Monday/Wednesday mornings and Tuesday/Thursday/Friday afternoons.
Additional Contact Information	Email is the BEST method to reach me, and I accept emails any time, nights and weekends included.
Course Information
Description	Intensive study of and practice in the strategies and techniques for developing research-based expository and persuasive texts. Emphasis on effective and ethical rhetorical inquiry, including primary and secondary research methods; critical reading of verbal, visual, and multimedia texts; systematic evaluation, synthesis, and documentation of information sources; and critical thinking about evidence and conclusions.
Required Textbooks	Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer. There is NO textbook for this course; all materials will be provided through Blackboard.
Additional Materials/Resources	Consistent access to a computer (not just a cellphone) with the internet. Sufficient familiarity with Blackboard-- everything we do will be through this platform! General understanding of Microsoft Office (through your MyLSCPA), especially Word and Outlook.
Corequisites/Prerequisites	ENGL-1301 Composition I
Learning Outcomes	Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes. 2. Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic arguments, including one or more research-based essays. 3. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence. 4. Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief or action. 5. Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (e.g., APA, CMS, MLA, etc.)
Core Objectives	* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication. * Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions. * Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view. * Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Lecture Topics Outline	Each week we will cover a selection of literature ranging from fictional short stories to poetry to drama. Each week students will be asked to read the assigned works, post in a Discussion Board every Wednesday (answering prompts and questions), and complete a 2-3 MLA formatted Response Paper based on the weekly readings and discussions; these Response Papers count for almost half of the entire grade for the semester, so they need to be taken seriously and submitted on time in order to succeed in this class. After Spring break, there will be a heavily weighted Research Paper, and we will spend 3 weeks working on this assignment together; you will have multiple parts to this large research paper, and you need to receive my approval on each step before moving on to the next. There will be a Midterm Exam before we break for Spring Break and a Final Exam the last week of the semester. I will also assign pop quizzes over the readings if at any point I feel that students are not engaged in the discussions or reading the assigned texts.
Major Assignments Schedule	Week 1: Welcome/Syllabus/Schedule/Discussion Board/ Writing Exercise Week 2: Fiction/ Discussion Board (DB)/Response Paper (RP) Week 3: Fiction/DB/RP Week 4: Fiction/DB/RP Week 5: Fiction/DB/RP Week 6: Poetry/DB/RP Week 7: Poetry/DB/RP Week 8: Midterm Exam Week 9: *Spring Break* Week 10: Research Paper: Topic/Preliminary Bibliography Week 11: Research Paper: Outline/Quotations Week 12: Research Paper Due Week 13: Drama/DB/Quiz Week 14: Drama/DB/Quiz Week 15: Drama/DB/RP Week 16: Final review/ Final Exam ***I will provide a more detailed assignment schedule with due dates on Blackboard, and this schedule is subject to change with notice.
Final Exam Date	May 14, 2025 - 12:00 AM   Through  May 14, 2025 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale	90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of Final Grade	50% - Assignments 20% - Research Paper 10% - Midterm Exam 10% - Final Exam 10% - Attendance/Participation
Course Policies
Instructor Policies	All assignments for this class will be available through Blackboard, and all grades will be displayed in the Bb Gradebook.  You must go through the course's Learning Modules/Units and Content Folders to access your assignments-- NOT through Gradebook or your Blackboard Activity pages. Assignments will vary in form: reading exercises, writing exercises, quizzes, and academic essays. You will be asked to demonstrate your reading and writing skills in various ways in this class, but I will do my best to provide specific instructions and examples for assignments, as needed.  Revise/Resubmit policy: for most assignments, you will be allowed to Revise (aka edit/fix) the first attempt and Resubmit it as a second attempt in order to earn a higher grade, and some assignments will require that you Revise and Resubmit the assignment before you can move on to the next assignment.  Grades for submitted assignments will be submitted in a timely manner; please understand that English is not a "simple" subject to grade, and it may take more time for grades to be returned to you due to the nature of our content.  Due Dates will be set in Blackboard as needed on assignments, and an automatic 0 grade will be issued for any work that is submitted after the due date.  Plagiarism can be defined as submitting another person’s or AI’s ideas, words, images, or data without giving that person credit or proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, is tantamount to stealing and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is a serious issue, especially in the academic environment, and now that you are in college you are responsible for yourself and knowing what plagiarism is. Ignorance is NOT a defense. Instructors MUST be able to rely on the integrity of a student’s work in order to maintain a climate for successful learning. Plagiarism reflects character; therefore, you should diligently avoid inadvertent plagiarism. When you are unsure if acknowledgment is needed, ask the teacher. The penalties for blatant plagiarism include loss of credit for the assignment (it will be a 0, zero) and NO opportunity to rewrite it. This may significantly lower your final grade. Furthermore, plagiarism, a form of cheating, can result in serious repercussions at the college level.
Attendance Policy	Your attendance counts for 10% of your overall grade in this class, and it will be determined by your Blackboard Access and Activity reports as well as through your active, timely participation in class discussions and assignments.
Additional Information	I highly encourage students to download and use the Blackboard app and Outlook app (logging in with your LSCPA account) in order to stay on top of all assignments and due dates. I will be posting Blackboard/Email announcements weekly to provide critical information for the class, and these apps help you ensure that you will always receive my messages in a timely manner.
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA	Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty	Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations	The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information	The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies	No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504	This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect	As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct	LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting	For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern	If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information	General Education and Developmental Studies Chair: Dr. Steven Zani Email: zanisj@lamarpa.edu Phone: (409) 984-6431