This document provides an overview of the Composition II class. It outlines that the class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30-1:50pm in Evans 351. The instructor's contact information is provided, along with expectations for attendance, preparation, and participation. Resources for academic support like the Academic Success Center are mentioned. The major assignments include readings, reading responses, presentations, essays, and a research paper. Critical thinking, argumentation, and oral communication skills will be emphasized.

1. Welcome!
Composition II
1302

2. Section 15: Our Class
• Meet on Tuesdays & Thursdays
• 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm
• Evans 351
• Absence Policy (see syllabus)
• Policies on cell phones & sleeping in class

3. About Me
• V. Reina Shay Broussard
• 10+ years experience teaching
• Middle-school age to adults
• MFA student in Creative Writing

4. Contact Me
• Office: Evans 307
• Office Phone: 936-294-1428
• E-mail: vrb006@shsu.edu
• Office Hours: Tues/ Thurs 11:30 am – 12:30 pm,
2 pm – 2:30 pm & by appointment
• *Virtual Office on Blackboard

5. Expectations
• Attend class.
• Be on time.
• Be prepared.
• Complete all assignments on time.
• Participate actively.

6. SHSU
• Known for students & graduates who are the first in
their families to go to college
SHSU core values:
Help-seeking behaviors & Peer-based support programs
• Use the Academic Support Center
• Use the Supplemental Instruction program
• Use Student Services – attend informational sessions
• Connect with Resident Advisors
• Find study partners & peer reviewers
• Meet with professors

7. Expectations
• Your attitude, participation, & effort matter.
• Communicate:
• Make an appt. to see me during office hours.
• Talk to me if you’re considering dropping class
• Check email & Blackboard daily.
• Essays must be submitted to turnitin.com & in
manila folder with all drafts - on time.

8. Academic Success Center
• Location: 111 Farrington
• Phone: 936-294-3680
• Hours:
• Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Sunday, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Free/ No charge/ Gratis
• Make an appointment at least three days ahead of
time.
• See website for handouts.

9. Academic Success Center
• Treat tutors with the utmost respect.
• You will get stressed; do not take it out on them.
• The ASC has the right to refuse service.
• They are peers who are there to help.
• They are not experts; don’t expect them to be.
• ASC website

10. Emphases in Comp II
• Research skills & Writing (Essays & research paper)
• Critical thinking & reading (Readings & reading responses)
• Argumentation (Essays, research paper, oral presentations)
• Connecting Literature to Life & other disciplines
(Awakening the Dreamer symposium)
• Oral communication & presentations
• Language usage & Bedford Handbook as a resource

11. Weekly Assignments
• Readings (see syllabus calendar)
• Reading Responses
• Online videos, activities & quizzes: Blackboard,
MyLiteratureLab, & Launchpad
• Group Presentations
• Peer Review Responses
• Quizzes on readings & citation rules

12. Readings
Required Textbooks
• Both books are essential to your success in this class.
• Schilb, John, and John Clifford. Arguing about Literature: A
Guide and Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.
• Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. The Bedford
Handbook. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.
• SHSU cares about writing – common handbook = BH
• BH will travel w/ you throughout years & disciplines.
• BH will save you from wasted time & mistakes
• BH is your key to successful college writing.

13. Reading Responses
Required for all readings & videos
• Use a double-entry notebook (see BH pgs 112-115).
• Have clear labels: date, book & pg #’s, titles.
• Include comments/ notes on content & personal
responses/ questions.
• Be prepared to discuss in class!

14. Reading Responses
Some things to include:
• Note similarities & differences between sources (AL, BH, MLL, LP)
• Note most helpful & least helpful items of information &/or
sections
• If you have heard or read it before, consider if it presents
information in a new way.
• If you think it’s boring or redundant, ask yourself if & how you
apply the concepts in your own reading or writing. If not, why?
• Always have at least 1 question per source.

15. Daily Warm-up
• When you come to class, find a partner & discuss
readings.
• Ask your questions. See if you can answer your
partner’s questions.
• Discuss comments & questions you may have about the
course material.
• Be prepared to discuss with the whole class & ask
questions.
• Connect with different partners. Get to know your
classmates.

16. MyLiteratureLab
• Sign up right away following instructions.
• Take the Comprehensive Grammar Diagnostic.
• See the calendar for assignments & complete
them on time.
• Reading response notes apply to MLL videos
as well.
• Come to class prepared with comments and
questions.

17. Student Binder
• Syllabus
• Reading Response Notes
• Class Notes & Handouts
• Works in Progress (group projects & essays)
• Major Essays (including prewriting & drafts)

18. Course Themes
• SHSU motto:
“The measure of a life is its service.”
• Pachamama Alliance symposium:
Awakening the Dreamer – Changing the Dream
• Connecting literature to life:
Values – Emotions – Motivation – Action