Course Syllabus

Fall 2025 | ENG-1062-VO01 - English Composition II

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Christine Brooks
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Heath Fuller

General Education Requirements

Research and Writing Intensive

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to interdisciplinary writing and an opportunity to refine critical reading and writing skills. Students construct complex essays, enhance their writing skills, and experiment with a greater variety of strategies to interest, inform, and persuade. Students must complete a final research paper with a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Prerequisite: English Composition.

Essential Objectives

1. Explore through reading, writing, and critical discussion a broad range of texts from a variety of genres such as memoir, travel, argument, satire, humor, and reflection.
2. Write and revise essays that demonstrate a variety of rhetorical strategies designed to meet the needs of specific audiences.
3. Develop complex positions or arguments through writing, synthesizing personal ideas with other information, arguments, and perspectives in order to support a claim and create new meaning, insight, and understanding.
4. Analyze and evaluate underlying strategies in selected works to define specific rhetorical components and evaluate their purpose and power.
5. Distinguish among opinions, facts, inferences, and persuasive approaches in primary and secondary sources.
6. Demonstrate the ability and willingness to approach a particular idea, problem, task, or writing goal from multiple perspectives.
7. Develop a process for getting started, developing, and structuring drafts, as well as revising toward a final product.
8. Examine and practice variations in style with an aim of developing a distinctive writing style of one's own.
9. Demonstrate information literacy skills: distinguish between and utilize both primary and secondary sources; perform library and web-based literature searches; and evaluate data and resources for credibility, reliability, and validity.
10. Demonstrate the ability to apply either APA or MLA citation styles in academic writing by parenthetically citing sources in the text and correctly compiling them in the relevant end sources page.
11. Compose, revise, and edit a final paper that includes a thesis, integrates five or more scholarly and professional sources, including primary and secondary evidence as needed, to address an academic research question and demonstrate writing proficiency by achieving a grade of C- or better.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Fall 2025 textbook details will be available on 2025-05-19. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

ENG-1062-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

As an instructor, I would like to assist you in improving your ability to actively read, accurately write, effectively speak, and critically listen. This course will help students develop skills necessary for successful college level writing and in their chosen careers. Use the Syllabus and always check Canvas Announcements and Modules. We will use Discussions, Assignments, and the Files. You can access your Grades in Canvas too.

Please Do Not use AI for Reading Responses, Discussions, or Video Responses. Do your own critical thinking. Often, there is no right or wrong answer, but you will get a lot more out of the class by thinking for yourself.

Evaluation Criteria

Introduce Yourself to Class 25 pts.

AI Assignment 25 pts.

Topic & Thesis for Essay #1 15 pts.

Rough Draft for Essay #1 50 pts.

Final Copy for Essay #1 100 pts.

Topic & Thesis for Essay #2 15 pts.

Rough Draft for Essay #2 50 pts.

Final Copy for Essay #2 100 pts.

Topic & Thesis for Research Essay #3 15 pts.

Works Cited page for Research Essay #3 40 pts.

Rough Draft for Research Essay #3 50 pts.

Final Copy for Research Essay #3 150 pts.

Topic & Thesis for Essay #4 15 pts.

Rough Draft for Essay #4 50 pts.

Final Copy for Essay # 4 100 pts.

Video Responses 50 pts.

Discussions 150 pts.

Be sure to always look at Canvas and the Calendar on Canvas for assignment details and due dates. Please feel free to email me if you have questions: Christine.Brooks@vsc.ccv.edu

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Tuesdays through Mondays beginning September 2 through December 15, 2025

Always check Canvas for Announcements.

Instructor: Chris Brooks

Email: cxb08210@ccv.vsc.edu - I will always answer your emails. Please give me at least 24 hours. Most often I will answer much sooner. Email hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday - Friday. I am very willing to help you. Please do not wait until the last minute to get help.

3 Credits

Wednesdays – Video Responses 11:59 pm

Wednesdays – Discussion due by 11:59 pm

Thursdays – Thesis Statements due by 11:59 pm (The Research Essay dates are a little different so be sure to click on the Calendar on the left-hand side of Canvas.)

Mondays – Rough Drafts and Final Essays due by 11:59 pm. The dates on the Rhetorical Analysis/Research Essay are a little different, so be sure to check the Calendar on the left hand side of Canvas, often.

AI -Everyone is probably now aware of the capabilities of AI to write papers as it has been in the news frequently since the free version of ChatGPT was unveiled in December of 2022. I want to be clear about the expectations for this new technology in our class. You may use AI for help with the STEPS in writing, such as brainstorming ideas. You may NOT use it to write any part the Introductions, Explanations on the Thesis or how your ideas will be developed, Discussions, Comments on other students’ posts, Video responses, or Essays. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. Submitting AI work as your own would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Keep in mind it is completely possible to use AI as a tool to help clean up and polish your essay or help create a thesis statement, but please do not use AI for the Discussions or Comments on other students’ posts.

Textbook and Resources

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument, 11 ^th ed. Sylvan Barnet, Hugo Bedau, and John O’Hara. Bedford/St. Martin’s: NY 2020. ISBN 978-1-319-33205-1.

Grammarly - online

VSCS Library and online or in person Tutors through CCV:

• Grammar resources at Purdue OWL can be helpful: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/

• CCV Online Writing Center: https://libraries.vsc.edu/CCV-writing

Note - – If using Google Docs to turn in assignments, please DO NOT continue to edit past the due date. This will result in the Late Paper Policy. If you use Google Docs change your work to Word or a PDF. Most of you will be amazing and turn your work in and on time. A few students will take advantage of Google Docs and keep editing or deny me access to their document. This cannot happen. Please review the Late Paper Policy.

Mental Health – Please take care of your mental health. Keep in mind that anything you share with me, I am required, by law, to report. Contact your academic advisor to check in for help and for instructions on how to receive an Academic Accommodation. I cannot diagnose mental health, but I do have to report it.

Course Description - An introduction to interdisciplinary writing and an opportunity to refine critical reading and writing skills. Students construct complex essays, enhance their writing skills, and experiment with a greater variety of strategies to interest, inform, and persuade. Students must complete a final research paper with a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Prerequisite: English Composition.

In Canvas, always use the Syllabus and check Modules and Announcements first. Then check Discussions and Assignments. Check the Files for an article not in our book. Look at the Calendar in Canvas often. It’s on the left-hand side.

Guidelines for Essays - All essays are to be submitted typed and double spaced. Your name, the instructor’s name, the class, and the date should be in the upper left-hand corner of page one. The title will be centered. Do not Bold, italicize, or underline your own titles. Use 12 font and Times New Roman for the entire paper. Please use MLA style. Note that your writing in this class is public and could be used for peer review, as well as faculty outside of class.

Thesis Statements – All essays need to be guided by a thesis statement where the topic will be clear.

Rough Drafts for Essays – All rough drafts are graded, so please turn in quality work. I’ve never thought it good practice to fix all the errors and then have the student fix everything I already fixed. There are so many tools available to help do quality work. Use them. CCV has online or in person tutors and Purdue Owl has grammar guidelines. Please use them.

Doing quality work the first time will benefit you. I will read the essays and give you feedback.

Discussions - Please be willing to share your ideas with the class in the Discussions. Critical Thinking is highly encouraged. Sometimes there will be a brief YouTube video for you to watch and comment on. You will also be commenting, in a positive way, about other students' work.

Video Responses – There will be five “How To” videos to watch and respond to.

Makeup Policy - There are no makeup Discussions or Video Responses. It defeats the purpose of the assigned work. If you miss Discussions and class work all the time it will hurt your grade.

Attendance Policy - You will be graded for regular, prepared attendance and for active participation. Attendance will be taken from the Discussions and Video Responses. Please do the Discussions and Video Responses on time so you are not marked absent. Discussions and Video Responses have deadlines. You cannot make them up once they have closed. If you are having difficulty, it’s always a good idea to let your professor know before Assignments are due.

Academic Dishonesty - Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of information or words from someone else’s writing. This can happen intentionally when you use someone else’s

words as your own, or unintentionally, when you fail to properly cite your sources. It you have questions about how to cite a source, please ask or consult Purdue Owl. If you plagiarize, you are liable to penalties, including failing the course.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late Papers - You will need to plan accordingly to get your paper or other work in on time. Late work can receive an “F” grade. On occasion, true emergencies do arise. Please email me at a minimum of 48 hours before the paper is due if you need an extension. True emergencies cannot happen every time a paper is due. I will decide whether you have a true emergency. Each paper is to be submitted on time in the Assignments in Canvas. A 10 point drop will be taken for the first day late. If by chance you do turn in a late paper (which I strongly discourage) and the Assignment has closed, please email with your paper as an attachment as soon as possible. Each day that you do not email your paper to me is an additional 5 point drop. Please Note: A late paper is allowed one time only. Continuous late papers are a problem and will earn an automatic 0.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.