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:

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:


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. 

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.