Composition II & Non-Fiction Texts

English 1030 CRN 43950

Fully Online
Department of English
CT State Norwalk
2025 Spring Semester
This handout is nine pages in length.

Contact Information for the

Professor
Instructor: Susan Gebhardt-Burns
Availability: TBA and by appointment
Office: West 204C
Office Phone: 203-857-7231
E-mail: [email protected]
(This is the best way to reach me.)

I encourage each of you to email me as often as necessary. I'll be happy to talk over with you any questions
raised by the course, the problems/joys of writing in general, or my comments on a particular paper. We can
even plan virtual or phone conferences if that works with your schedule. In fact, I would like to try and talk to
each of you at least once during the semester.

Course Description
This course continues the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills developed in ENG 1010 through a study
primarily of essays and other non-fiction texts reflecting multiple and diverse perspectives. Students will
receive further instruction in writing text-based, analytical essays that incorporate research.

Prerequisite: ENG 101/1010 with a grade of C or better (numbering changed in August 2023)

Required Materials & Texts

1. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook. 6th edition. Eds. Richard Bullock,
Maureen Daly Goggin, Francine Weinberg. 2022. Vital we all have this same edition. Need the one
with READINGS and HANDBOOK.
2. Daily access to Blackboard and CTState email account

Goals & Objectives

1. To learn to use logical patterns of reasoning to organize ideas
2. To learn to shape writing to audience’s values, attitudes, goals, and needs
3. To become aware of and practice the rhetorical strategies used by experienced writers
4. To learn to use a vocabulary appropriate to subject, audience, and purpose
5. To learn to analyze writing critically and objectively
6. To learn to revise writing by addressing content, development, organization, focus, style, and tone
 7. To learn to edit writing by correcting grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and spelling according
to Standard Written English

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Analyze non-fiction texts with multiple and diverse perspectives with a focus on purpose, audience,
evidence, and structure.
2. Write thesis-based essays that integrate academic research.
3. Successfully locate, evaluate, and integrate valid secondary sources.
4. Use appropriate documentation, conventions, and standards in their written work.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of writing as a recursive process.

Students’ and Instructor’s Roles in

Online Courses
This is a fully online course, and you can expect your role as a student to be different from a traditional face-
to-face course. Your success in this course will depend on your ability to do the following: be able to
communicate through writing in online spaces; be self-motivated and self-disciplined when it comes to
completing reading and writing assignments; be willing to ask questions if problems occur; be able to commit
to many hours of work each week; to accept that critical thinking and decision making are central to the
learning process; use problem solving skills when asked to use new technology; have reliable access to a
computer and the internet; and be able to think through ideas before responding.

You will quickly realize that an instructor’s role also changes in online courses. Because we meet online, you
will never see the professor stand before the class and lecture. Instead, I am responsible for facilitating
conversation between students, answering your questions, and guiding you through course materials with both
short assignments and longer papers. I will also provide feedback on your written work. In addition, the
textbook readings will teach you and help you understand the course concepts. Since online courses are not
typical lecture courses, you will need to take more responsibility than usual for managing and completing
work. To help you do this, I will provide instructions, steps, and advice (often in BB Announcements) that
will guide you through your learning activities. Please know, though, that online courses are just as time-
intensive (if not more time-intensive) as face-to-face courses. Please take this information into
consideration before remaining enrolled in this class because I want you to be able to do your best work.
(Much of wording here is from Dr. Rachel Jasiczek. Thank you!)

Grading Policies & Procedures

1. The essays will not receive formal grades at the time you turn them in, but you will receive credit for
completing them when they are due. Final overall grading occurs at the final assessment at the end of the
session. However, you will receive feedback for your writing throughout the semester.

2. Without your enthusiastic participation, the class will be dull. Please give rich feedback to peers on their
small assignments and on major ones. Additionally, please take responsibility and ownership of your
writing. Spend appropriate amounts of time creating, shaping, and completing each essay. Good writing
takes lots of thought, energy, and time. Based on my online teaching experience, experience with this
particular course, and my lifetime as an English professor, I can estimate that will have to spend at least
twelve hours a week in order to be successful—this includes reading and studying the textbook,
participating in online activities, and carefully taking the time to write meaningful papers.
 This is a fully online class. Again, this means our course is very different from the typical face-to-face
classroom. Your success will depend on your active reactions and postings, your thoughtful response to
your peers’ writings, your ability to read assignments and the text independently, and your ability to stay
extremely organized. 😊 This course will include lots of reading, lots of writing, lots of revising, and lots
of participation. Specifically, expect to do the following:
 Write, revise, and carefully proofread all work;
 Check-in with the course at least five days a week;
 Read many chapters from the course textbook;
 Upload short writing assignments and major papers, as well as reply to peers (when required).

3. If you have a question about your course progress, please email me through your NCC student email
accounts. Otherwise, post questions about assignments in the Course Questions Discussion Forum if your
query could help other students. I will send constant course announcements through Blackboard, so please
check regularly throughout the week. Note: It is college policy that I should communicate with students
only through their CT State email accounts and Blackboard. I will generally not return emails sent from a
personal account. Make sense? Those more and more often are landing in Junk email folder! I don’t want
to miss anything.

4. Assignment Submission Guidelines: To submit your major assignments, please send in a Word
document. Please send in one of the following formats:
.doc
.docx
.pdf

Additionally, save all your work by naming each major assignment in the following way:
YourName_AssignmentName. Here’s an example: JerrySeinfeld_DocumentaryAnalysis

Note: If you submit a document in the wrong format (something other than a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file), you
will lose a letter grade for each day the assignment is late until I receive the document in one of the proper
formats listed above. Please be sure to save each document in the correct format before submitting it for
grading.

5. Academic Integrity:
Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism and all forms of cheating. Students are
expected to do their own work on assignments, laboratory exercises, quizzes, examinations, and any other
academic work.

 Plagiarism is defined as the submission of work by a student for academic credit as one’s own work of
authorship which contains work of another author (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise
obtained, from any source, including the Internet) without appropriate attribution, either intentionally
or unintentionally.
 Cheating includes, but is not limited to: (i) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests
or examinations; (ii) use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers,
preparing reports, solving problems or carrying out other assignments; (iii) the acquisition, without
permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the College faculty or staff
or any other individual or entity; (iv) falsifying laboratory results or other data; (v) submitting, if
contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course; (vi) knowingly and
intentionally assisting another student in any of the above, including assistance in an arrangement
whereby any work, classroom performance, examination, or other activity is submitted or performed
by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or performed; and (vii)
engaging in any other behavior specifically prohibited by a faculty member in the course syllabus.
  Unauthorized recording or transmissions includes, but is not limited to, the use of any electronic media
or device for the transmission and/or recording of class material, unless authorized by the instructor.
 Faculty can assign a grade of “F” to any student found guilty of academic misconduct. Such an “F”
cannot be overridden by a student-initiated “W” (withdrawal from the specific class or withdrawal
from all classes). If a student is found to have multiple infractions, a stronger penalty may be
observed. Academic dishonesty can also result in other disciplinary sanctions as defined in the CSCU
Student Code of Conduct.
NEW! In addition, lifting material created by a generation system as one’s own—such as copying an
essay prompt into an artificial intelligence tool and using the response as the paper itself—is
plagiarism, as well.* A fuller statement on my AI policies can be found on the last page of this syllabus.

6. You will write and submit papers of various lengths. The final grade is a cumulative assessment of your
performance. Essays exercises, participation, and successful completion of other shorter assignments are
all factors considered into the final grade. Also, failure to complete any major assignment will result in an
F for the course. Evaluation of writing will be based on content, effectiveness, organization, and correct
mechanics.

7. Late Work Policy: Assignments are due on the due dates assigned. I generally cannot accept late work
(unless prior arrangements were made); this includes short assignments, peer reviews, major papers,
Blackboard responses, and so forth. If you are having trouble completing an assignment, please do not
hesitate to contact me ahead of time for help. I am always willing to provide assistance.

8. At the end of the semester, you must upload all your major assignments on BB; these will contain a
minimum of fifteen revised, edited pages of writing. The work must utilize MLA format. This course (in
fact, all the writing courses at CT State Norwalk) are taught with the philosophy that writing is a process;
it occurs over time and in various stages. The most important stage in this process is revision. Revision
means “re-seeing” your work and involves developing and changing its content. Some revision may occur
in response to my feedback or the feedback of classmates and colleagues, but you, the writer, should also
initiate changes on your own. The extent and quality of your revision activities (as evidenced in your final
pages) will affect your final grade in the course.
The focus on revision is why you will not receive a grade on any of your writing until final papers are
submitted and reviewed. You have the entire semester to improve your writing. Recall that correcting a
few minor errors is editing, not revising.

Discussion Etiquette
CSCU professors are committed to open, frank, and insightful dialogue in all courses. Diversity has many
manifestations, including diversity of thought, opinion, and values. We encourage all learners to be respectful
of that diversity and to refrain from inappropriate commentary. If such inappropriate communication occurs,
instructors will intervene as they monitor the dialogue in the course. The instructor will request that
inappropriate content be removed and will recommend institutional disciplinary action. Learners as well as
faculty should be guided by common sense and basic etiquette. Please treat others as you want to be treated.
Here are some practical guidelines for you!

Be Respectful: Come prepared to engage in discussions and activities. Use appropriate and professional
language. Honor diverse opinions and perspectives. Submit assignments on time. In other words, respect,
integrity, understanding, and open mindedness are always expected. WAIT to submit it before publicly
writing something that perhaps shouldn’t be posted at all. My husband (math professor) says he uses the ten-
second rule—count to ten first before hitting SUBMIT. Think first. I have erased entire emails by simply
breathing and waiting. Reading out loud helps me; hearing what I write and pausing before sending
something does the trick. Avoid using all caps. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the
person. Respectfulness and politeness go a long way. 😊 Posts should be clear, proofread, well written; free
of slang, typos, or off-color language.

Be Responsible: Read and/or view expected context before class sessions. Contact me if you are having
troubles. Actively participate. Maintain confidentiality. Submit assignments on time. Submit original work.
Maintain academic integrity. Submit all work via Blackboard. Very carefully proofread responses prior to
posting and treat them as if they are permanent.

Be Informed: Follow syllabus and Blackboard regarding content to be read and/or viewed. Check Blackboard
and school email regularly. Identify assignment due dates via weekly assignments and Blackboard. Ask
questions about assignments in class through the question feature in BB or to my email when of a personal
nature.

DON’Ts:
✓ Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal.
✓ Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments.
✓Never post content that is harmful, abusive; racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive.
✓ Never post content that is vulgar; sexually explicit; or otherwise potentially offensive.
The National Association of Communication says it best: “We strive to understand and respect other
communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages.”

I will use a 1000-point scale to tabulate

your final grade:
Formal papers, which include the following: 500 points
 Literacy narrative
 Profile based on an interview
 Evaluation
 Annotated bibliography
 Research paper

Discussion board posts, peer review, short writing assignments/exercises 500 points

More Help

Writing Center: Provides tutoring in writing, specifically. Located in West 110A. Please
use this great resource! Appointments are highly recommended but walk-ins are welcomed if tutor is not
busy). For more information, contact the Tutoring Center at 203-857-7205. Our Writing Center is a part of
our Tutoring Center. I will give extra credit if you use this resource.

Student Support Services: Provides tutoring, advising, counseling, and writing

workshops.
West 209.

myPATH: NCC has many resources that can help you get on and stay on your
path to success; please visit https://norwalk.edu/current-students/ for a full listing.
Disability and Accessibility Services—Students in
Need of Accommodations:
Students who require accommodations, based on a documented disability (short‐term, temporary, recurring,
and/or permanent), are encouraged to contact the Office for Disability and Accessibility Services (ODAS) on
their campus at the beginning of each semester. Students needing accommodations may begin the
accommodation request process at any time by following instructions outlined at this link:
https://www.ctstate.edu/ODAS. After completing the intake process (which includes, but is not limited to,
providing documentation of disability and engaging in an intake appointment), accommodation letters will be
disseminated to the instructor(s) at the student's request. Students are encouraged to speak directly with their
instructor(s) to discuss approved accommodations and how each will be provided in their respective courses.
Accommodations are never retroactive. Students are encouraged to engage in the accommodation request and
intake processes and communicate their accommodations to instructors as soon as possible. Instructors, in
conjunction with appropriate college personnel, will provide approved accommodations to students upon
receipt of the accommodation letter. Accommodation letters are student initiated each semester through a
Semester Request.

If you have a Letter of Academic Adjustment from ODAS, I am available to talk with you about a plan. Let
me know immediately so we can work together for your success.

NORWALK CAMPUS: Fran Apfel, Ph.D. (she/her) Email: [email protected] Phone: 203-857-7192
Office Location: E101

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO FROM CT STATE

 CT State gives free access to web applications and downloads of Microsoft Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and OneNote. For more information, go to: Accessing Office 365. Click “Log In” on the
upper right of the page. Log in using your Net ID and password.
 Attendance Guidelines from CT State to supplement my own guidelines:
 The Faculty expect that each student will exercise personal responsibility regarding class
attendance.
 All students are expected to attend every class session of each course for which they are registered.
 Students are responsible for all that transpires in class whether or not they are in attendance, even
if absences are the result of late registration or add/drop activity at the beginning of a term as
permitted by college policy.
 The Faculty defines excessive absence or lateness as more than the equivalent of one week of class
meetings during the semester. Distance Learning courses will use criteria established by the
Instructor.
 When presence counts towards a class participation grade, excessive absence or lateness may, at
the discretion of the instructor, lower a student’s course grade.
 Instructors will maintain class participation records.

CT State Grading System:

To compute numerical credit point averages, grades are evaluated as follows for each semester hour of credit.
Grades on exams, papers, and quizzes will be based on this grading system.

Grading Standards and Equivalency Table

A 93-100 4.0 Distinguished achievement in all phases of the course or assignment
A- 90-92 3.7
B+ 87-89 3.3
B 83-86 3.0 High level of achievement in some phases of the course or assignment
B- 80-82 2.7
 C+ 77-79 2.3
C 73-76 2.0 Basic understanding of the subject of the course or assignment
C- 70-72 1.7
D+ 67-69 1.3
D 63-66 1.0 Minimal performance in the course or on the assignment
D- 60-62 0.7
F 0-59 0.0 Failure

Final course grades are computed to a whole number. A grade at or above .50 truncated will be rounded up to
the next whole number; any grade at or below .49 truncated will be rounded down to the whole number.

Examples:
Final Course Grade = 72.49 = 72 = C-
Final Course Grade = 72.50 = 73 = C

Final grades and academic standing can be obtained from https://my.ctstate.edu/. Grades listed in a course’s
electronic gradebook (such as Blackboard Learn) are not necessarily the final, weighted grade assigned in the
course.

Important Dates to Remember:

 January 24—Classes begin Spring 2025!
 January 30— Last day to register and last day to drop with 100% tuition refund
 January 31—Last Day to Drop with 100% of Fees and 90% of Tuition Refunded Begins
 February 7—Academic Engagement Deadline. Last day for students to demonstrate academic
involvement in a course (Administratively dropped from courses if not participating! Don’t let this
happen to you!)
 February 13—Last Day to Change/Declare Major Program for the Current Semester
 February 14—Last date to request audit status
 February 15— Last Day to Drop with 100% of Fees and 90% of Tuition Refunded Ends
 February 17—President’s Day. NO CLASS
 March 17-23—Spring Recess. NO CLASSES
 April 17—Withdrawal from Class Period Ends. Cannot drop class after this date.
 April 18-20—Good Friday/Day of Reflection. College Closed. NO CLASSES
 May 12—Last day of classes before finals
 May 13-19—Final Exam Week
 May 20—Finals Makeup Day
 May 22—Faculty Deadline to Submit Final Grades Before Noon

Syllabus subject to change with notice.

A final note:
I hope to encourage you to have pride in your work and an enthusiasm about
writing.

Welcome to English 1030. I sincerely look forward to

working with you!
***********************************************************************************
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really
good. — William Faulkner

Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret.
— Matthew Arnold

My task...is, by the power of the written word to make you hear, to make you feel - it is,
before all, to make you see. That - and no more - and it is everything. —Joseph Conrad

Half my life is an act of revision. —John Irving

* I DO NOT ACCEPT AI-GENERATED WORK.

The use of AI technologies is prohibited in my class, since this is a course where you are learning to read,
write, and think. Students are expected to demonstrate their critical thinking and analysis skills without the
assistance of AI, which is not a replacement for these important course outcomes. It is the student’s
responsibility to ensure the originality, authenticity, and accuracy of their work. Any work found to be
generated by AI will be considered cheating, and students will be subject to academic penalties as
outlined in the college’s academic dishonesty policy. If it happens more than once, you will fail the
course. Please note that different classes may implement different AI policies, and it is the student’s
responsibility to be aware of expectations for each course. My expectations are strict due to the nature of the
subject matter.

WHY NO to AI?
Such statistical tools combine algorithmic techniques and vast data sets to facilitate pattern identification in
language. Students may engage with these tools as a form of brainstorming, but students may never
substitute the output of such tools for their own thinking, creativity, reflection, and critique. Substituting
includes any form of copying or imitation. Students are advised to turn off Grammarly, Copilot, and other
similar AI assistive tools. Standard word-processing spell- and grammar-check tools are acceptable. Students
must also recognize the perils of such tools if they should decide to use them:
 The tools do not know or understand the outputs they provide; rather, they apply statistics to predict
the next word to print given the prompt.
 Outputs are not always accurate and not current (current data sets end at 2021).
 Outputs reflect the bias and prejudice embedded in the data sets upon which they are built, namely,
privilege for white, male, heteronormative, cisgendered, wealthy, and so forth.
 Outputs may contain confabulated or hallucinated evidence; the tools cannot and do not factcheck
themselves; they print whatever the statistics predict including what look like real evidence but are in
fact counterfeit. Many of the resources you may be provided don’t even exist!

Example of Acceptable Use:

  Generating a list of essay topics to explore
 Using standard word-processing spelling- or grammar-check tools

Examples of Inappropriate Use:

 Creating a thesis statement
 Creating a bibliography
 Creating part of an essay, such an introduction, or an entire essay, even if you intend to revise it later
 Using AI assistive tools such as Grammarly or Copilot

I need to know you are doing all your own work, especially since this is an online writing class. Thus, I will
not accept any work done by AI. It will be considered cheating if you do. If I suspect you are not doing
your own work, I will need to investigate. In a rare case, you may have to come in person to campus and
write something in front of a proctor so I know the work is yours. A second incidence of cheating means
failure for the course. Please don’t let it come to that! In other words, do your own reading, thinking, and
writing. Please trust your own voice!