English Composition II is a three-credit college research writing course to prepare students to use the conventions of academic research writing. Writing-as-process and practice strategies will be employed to culminate in the production of an academic research essay supported by well-synthesized, diverse, credible, and reliable secondary sources. Students will demonstrate use of technology to ensure appropriate paraphrase and summary of sources, originality, use of citation style, grammar and mechanics, and scholarly voice.
UNE Online’s science prerequisite courses provide students with a convenient and flexible approach to completing prerequisite requirements. Courses are specifically designed to meet prerequisite requirements for many graduate programs and other professional needs.
On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.
Three types of assignments are used within this course and include Discussion Forums, Assignments, and Major Assignments that culminate into the course comprehensive assignment, the Research Essay. Assignment types are weighted in the Grade Breakdown below. See the Course Schedule for an itemized list of the specific course assignments and learning materials.
Assignments involve various writing activities and reflection to strengthen your scholarly writing foundation, conduct library research, explore and apply the conventions of persuasive writing, logic, and rhetorical argument structure.
Discussion Forums allow you to define and examine the various concepts related to academic and research writing. You will also reflect on peer posts as you view how others respond to the discussion prompts. Major Assignments in the course are scaffolded assignments that allow you to construct the comprehensive course assignment, the Research Essay. In the Major Assignments, you will craft and refine sections, drafts, and a final Research Essay.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment Category | Grade |
---|---|
Discussion and Assessments | 20% |
Assignments | 30% |
Major Assignments | 50% |
Total | 100% |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Week |
Topic |
Readings/Resources |
Assignment Type |
1 |
Your Writing Foundation |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence
Writing Commons UNC Writing Center The Guide to Grammar and Writing Videos |
Discussions and Assessments |
Research Purpose and Context |
Assignments |
||
The Research Essay Template |
Assignments |
||
2 |
Opinion Activity |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence UNC Writing Center
Writing Commons Videos |
Assignments |
Claims and Counterclaims |
Assignments |
||
Academic Arguments |
Discussions and Assessments |
||
3 |
The Rhetorical Argument |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Writing Commons Purdue OWL Videos |
Assignments |
A Tweet as Rhetorical Appeal |
Assignments |
||
4 |
Deductive Argument Structure |
Writing Commons Purdue OWL UNC Writing Center Videos |
Assignments |
Deductive Argument Analysis |
Assignments |
||
5 |
Inductive Argument Structure |
Writing Commons Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Purdue OWL Videos |
Assignments |
Inductive Argument Analysis |
Assignments |
||
6 |
Logical Fallacies in Social Media |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Purdue OWL UNC Writing Center Videos |
Assignments |
Audience Analysis: Pro, Con, or Neutral |
Assignments |
||
Sources as Evidence |
Discussions and Assessments |
||
7 |
Scholarly vs. Popular Source Types |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Writing Commons UNE Library Services Videos Website
|
Assignments |
Locating Sources of Evidence |
Assignments |
||
8 |
Research Essay Level Headings |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Writing Commons Videos |
Assignments |
Research Essay Coherence |
Assignments |
||
9 |
Thesis Working Statement Prewriting |
Writing Commons UNC Writing Center Videos |
Assignments |
Thesis Working Statement Draft |
Assignments |
||
10 |
Argument Approach Refinement |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Writing Commons UNC Writing Center Videos |
Assignments |
Draft Thesis Paragraph |
Assignments |
||
The Working Thesis Statement |
Discussions and Assessments |
||
11 |
Sources as Argument Evidence |
Writing Commons Purdue OWL Videos |
Assignments |
The Logical Argument Map |
Assignments |
||
Scholarly Source Summary and Paraphrase |
Assignments |
||
12 |
Persuasive Proposals |
UNC Writing Center Purdue OWL Video |
Discussions and Assessments |
The Abstract as Research Paper Proposal |
Assignments |
||
13 |
The Topical Outline with Source Annotation |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Writing Commons Video |
Major Assignments |
APA Mastery for Source Citations |
Assignments |
||
14 |
Research Essay Partial Draft |
Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence Videos |
Major Assignments |
Originality and Similarity Evaluation |
Assignments |
||
15 |
Research Essay Full Draft |
Writing Commons Video |
Major Assignments |
16 |
Final Research Essay |
Writing Commons UNC Writing Center Video |
Major Assignments |
Research and Academic Writing Skills Reflection |
Discussions and Assessments |
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you - they will monitor course progression and provide assistance or guidance when needed. Please don’t hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, course materials, billing, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Submit your student support request.
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
The Student Lounge Discussion Forum is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.
Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.
Your course may have proctored exams. Please see your course for full details, access, testing requirements, and guidelines.
Students must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Students will receive two attempts at all proctored examinations. The higher score of the two attempts will be calculated into the final grade.
All students are encouraged to use a second attempt on their exams in order to improve their overall performance in the course.
Discussion topics cover events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each discussion topic may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials, visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video before writing a response following the specific guidelines in the discussion topic prompt.
To earn full credit you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You may need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.
Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each discussion topic. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.
Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion is worth.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
Generative AI (GenAI) applications (like ChatGPT) have proven to be powerful and effective tools, and students are encouraged to become familiar with and use them. However, as with any tool, students must use GenAI in ways that support learning, not replace it. Learning to use AI responsibly and ethically is an important skill in today’s society.
In their courses, students are not allowed to use advanced automated tools, such as generative AI tools, on assignments unless explicitly directed to do so. Each student is expected to complete each assignment, including labs and quizzes as applicable, without substantive assistance from others, including automated tools.
Using AI-content generators to complete assignments without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in UNE courses, you pledge to affirm that they are your own work and you attribute use of any and all tools and sources.
Unauthorized use of AI is treated as a violation of academic integrity.
If permitted, students should indicate and cite any use of AI tools.
Instructors should clearly reiterate, using UNE Online’s Policy, how students can use AI tools in their courses, and communicate this policy to students at the beginning of the semester.
Students must follow the academic integrity policy of the University of New England.