Austin Community College
Department of Composition and Literary Studies
English 2328: American Literature II
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This document applies only to the specific course section(s) indicated below. It supplements the Departmental Syllabus, which applies to all sections of this course at ACC, and which covers information including the course catalog description, learning goals, and department-wide policies. All Departmental Syllabi can be viewed on the Composition and Literary Studies Department website.
SECTION INFORMATION
Section Number: 001
Synonym: 80258
Modality/Section Type: Online (10-week)
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Associate Adjunct Professor Becky Villarreal
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 5-6 p.m. (virtual)
ACC Email: bvillarr@austincc.edu
Updated: Summer 2024
REQUIRED TEXTS & MATERIALS
This is a ZTC (Zero Textbook Costs) section. In place of required textbooks, all textbook materials needed for the class will be available online to students free of charge. Students may print copies of the resources but will be responsible for printing costs.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY
During this course, you will complete online activities and quizzes; participate in bulletin board discussions, Zoom meetings, and peer editing; write journals; read and watch online lectures; write two major papers (or an optional project); take a midterm exam, and read lectures, short stories, and poetry from online texts and materials.
DISTANCE EDUCATION INFORMATION
This is an asynchronous course and all materials are housed in Blackboard. You can access this course via Blackboard. Although this course is asynchronous, I hold office hours weekly via Zoom.
The Zoom office-hour meetings in this course are held Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Please note that it is highly recommended that you attend Zoom meetings, so that you can learn pertinent information about the assignments, terminology, and lectures, and take the opportunity to ask questions. If you don't attend, you need to watch the recorded session(s) for that week. Information about the Zoom meetings (codes and links) and the recorded sessions are located in the Zoom folder in the course menu in Blackboard.
During our Zoom sessions, I encourage all students to unmute and engage with me and the other students, reveal your faces (or upload a profile image that captures your essence), and provide your gender pronoun preferences if you wish-- all this will help me and the other students get to know you. If I provide an opportunity to review one of your papers during a Zoom session, by all means, take advantage.
If there is time after our meeting, I can Zoom with students privately by appointment (either at 5:45 p.m. or after 7 p.m.). You must request such a meeting beforehand, not during the Zoom class session.
If you have any problems with Blackboard, Zoom, or ACC email, call the Help Desk at: 512-223-4636.
ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION
Readings and Lectures: Each student will be required to study the assigned lectures, materials, and readings for the course. The quizzes, discussions, exams, journals, terminology, and papers are all focused on the readings and lectures.
Papers: There are two major papers assigned for this class (or a project in lieu of Paper Two if you choose that option in Week One).
Outlines: Before beginning each paper, you will need to submit an outline, which is graded.
Discussion Board: All discussion board activities involve peer editing or a discussion of the course material, and they are graded.
Quizzes and Exam: The quizzes and Midterm Exam will review content and assess what you have learned (the works, lectures, terms, grammar, punctuation, MLA).
Journals: Students will be required to submit a journal entry at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester to reflect on the readings, assignments, experiences, lectures, and interactions with classmates.
Zoom Meetings: Zoom meetings are required. If you cannot attend the weekly meeting(s), you must watch the recorded session(s) in the Zoom folder.
Project: The project is not required for short sessions or online students. However, students can opt out of Paper Two and give a 10-15 minute presentation based on one of the works or authors on our Reading List. This decision must be made the first week of class. See the Final Project tab in the course menu for details.
Grades and Feedback: Go to the Gradesheet and Feedback tab in the Course Menu to keep up with your Grades and read the detailed feedback for Journals, Quizzes and Midterm, Outlines, and Papers. For most written assignments, you are allowed to make corrections and receive extra points.
The course is divided into several learning units:
Orientation/Review of College-Level Writing
Late 19th/Turn of the Century Readings
"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
Modern Period Readings (1910-1945)
Harlem Renaissance Readings (1910-1945)
Paper One: Research Paper
Midterm
Post-Modern and Present-Day Readings (1945-present)
Paper Two: Creative/Analysis Paper (OR OPTIONAL PROJECT)
Reflection
GRADING SYSTEM
All assignments, except for the quizzes, have a written component, which constitutes at least 2/3 of your final grade. The percentages below are based on a 1000-point system:
Two Papers & Optional Project-- 40% (200 points max each)
Midterm Exam-- 20% (200 points maximum)
Four Quizzes -- 12% (30 points maximum each)
Five Discussion Boards-- 14.5% (29 points max each)
Three Journals-- 7.5% (25 points max each)
Two Outlines -- 6% (30 points max each)
Grading Scale
A-- 90-100%
B-- 80-89%
C-- 70-79%
D-- 60-69%
F- 59% or Below
ATTENDANCE / PARTICIPATION
For online classes, you must complete the orientation quiz and the intro thread by the deadline in the course schedule in order to be counted present that first week.
Attendance is mandatory. In my online courses, you are required to either attend or watch the recordings of all Zoom meetings.
WITHDRAWALS
If you do not attend or participate in the first week of class (or the first few days in short semesters), you will be withdrawn for non-attendance.
Please do not withdraw from the course without first talking to me. We can discuss a plan of action to ensure your success in the class. If you are thinking about withdrawing, I will insist that you first visit with an academic advisor, the financial aid office, and/or an academic coach to discuss your options.
If you are failing the course and there is no pathway to success, I reserve the right to withdraw you from the class. If you do not want to be withdrawn for whatever reason (such as financial aid, veterans benefits, or graduation), it is your responsibility to let me know early in the semester. Check the Academic Calendar to view the final withdrawal date for this course.
MISSED EXAMS & LATE WORK
Refer to the soft due dates in the schedule to stay on track. In this class, I give students a FIVE-DAY grace period to complete all assignments, except for the first and last week of class.
Papers (and the Project): After the hard due date has passed (five days after the soft due date-- provided in the schedule), you will lose ten points for each day after that date, not to exceed more than a 40 percent deduction of the total points possible. However, if the assignment is not completed until the last week of class, you cannot earn more than 50 percent of its original value.
Outlines: You will receive full credit for an outline as long as you give me at least 24 hours to provide feedback before you submit your paper to the discussion board or to be graded, and your outline is not submitted during the final week of the course.
Discussion Boards: After the hard due date, you are ineligible to receive credit (because you were not part of the discussion). Please note that in most instances, I extend the grace period for discussion boards (and papers) through the weekend.
Quizzes, Exams, and Journals: I will record a zero after the grace period is up, and then update your grade once the assignment is completed by manually entering the grade. If the midterm is not completed until the last week of class, you cannot earn more than 50 percent of its original value.
All work must be completed by the last day of the course-- no exceptions!
INCOMPLETES
Except in very rare situations, I do not give incompletes. You must be passing the class at the time of your request. I will review each case to determine whether I feel an incomplete is warranted or not. In general, however, barring extraordinary circumstances, and unless you have completed 75% of the coursework on time (and the drop date has passed), I will not grant you an incomplete. Refer to the soft due dates in the syllabus to stay on track.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT & PLAGIARISM
All acts of plagiarism and scholastic dishonesty, including having someone complete assignments for you, are violations of academic integrity subjected to disciplinary action.
Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own.
Self-Plagiarism, which is submitting a paper you completed in another class (K-12 or college), is also forbidden.
If you plagiarize and it is unintentional, you will be given a warning. You may be asked to choose another topic. After the second incident, you will either be asked to withdraw from the course or face disciplinary action. However, if you commit an act of plagiarism or scholastic dishonesty and it is intentional, you will receive an F in the course and face disciplinary action. Click here to read my paper guidelines and policies.
USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be used to write papers, create presentations, or complete graded coursework. Any improper use of AI-programs, including but not limited to ChatGPT or DALL-E, is subject to due process and disciplinary action. However, the use of programs that assist in translating, formatting your papers, improving word choices, and utilizing proper grammar and spelling, such as Grammarly, Quillboth, and Packback, is encouraged.