Overview of College Composition II
CCII fulfills the Gen-Ed requirement for the second-semester composition course. While (I)CCI students work with persuasive writing, CCII focuses on formal argumentation, research, and information literacy. Students do not write a traditional research paper; rather, they produce a variety of argumentative essays either following a course theme or independent topics, all of which are researched. Visual argumentation is also a component and emphasis of the course. Student research and writing is more self-directed than in (I)CCI, and students should be given some space to determine their exact topics and purposes, even in themed courses.
Approach to Argumentation
The approach to argumentation here is not one of formal debate or win/lose situations. Rather, students come to see argumentation as part of civic and academic discourse and a way to converse, listen, and exchange ideas. The focus on formal argumentation is based upon stasis theory: in situations of disagreement in both public and academic contexts, there are impasses or points of stasis that must be addressed or resolved in order to, hopefully, persuade others and move forward. These points of stasis raise questions that can be categorized by their nature and that determine the types of arguments that are appropriate to resolve them. Take, for example, the phenomenon of teens texting nude photos of themselves and others, aka “sexting,” which has been socially and legally controversial. Sexting raises questions of
Note that these questions intersect: for example, doesn’t a fair punishment need to take consent into account, and how do we define consent? Each of the questions above requires a different set of argumentative strategies to reach and support an answer. For example, for a causal question, we may need to proceed through inductive reasoning and finding evidence to support causation rather than correlation, features specific to a causal argument.
The approved texts for CCII have chapters devoted to various types of arguments (rebuttal, causal, proposal, etc.), and students’ argumentative essays each focus primarily on one of those claim types. But it is important to explain to students that these various types of arguments are usually not performed in isolation from one another, particularly in longer pieces of argumentative writing, where, for example, a writer might need to make a substantial causal and then ethical argument in order to develop the basis for a proposal argument. In CCII, the length of student papers (1,000 to 1,300 words) makes it more appropriate and effective to focus on one part of a larger, complex issue and to focus on a primary purpose (i.e. one type of argument, even if the student gestures toward others).
Information Literacy
This course also focuses on information literacy. Students gain more experience with finding, evaluating, selecting, and incorporating sources than in (I)CCI, particularly by using the library databases and other digital resources. While students do use both popular and academic texts, including digital and multimedia texts, they should get a strong understanding of the distinctions between the two and learn that the appropriateness of a source depends on their writing purpose and their audience. Students also should gain an understanding of how the web can be useful in research and how to evaluate web spaces for credibility depending on the rhetorical situation. Along with being able to find and evaluate sources, students gain a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of evidence, particularly evaluating it for sufficiency, typicality, accuracy, and relevance for supporting specific claims.
Student Research
Students use this growing knowledge of formal argumentation and information literacy to participate in ongoing conversations about controversial issues. This knowledge is used to both analyze the existing arguments of others in public and academic spheres, and to construct their own written arguments so as to join an ongoing conversation. Through their extensive research, students identify different stakeholders in the conversation and their points of view, attempting to listen to different voices and to understand the complexity of the issue, an important aspect of Core Value 5 (the ethical dimensions of writing). Thus, CCII continues the intellectual projects of CCI by confronting different ways of seeing the world and recognizing that the world is shaped by values and beliefs rather than absolute truths. In this way, students should realize that the only thing that can be proven is the validity of an argument itself.
One other important intellectual threshold that students are crossing in FYW, and CCII especially, is to begin to practice inquiry-based research. That is, rather than having a predetermined thesis and finding/using sources to support that thesis, students use their research to seek a thesis, to reach their own conclusions by listening to different points of view and different arguments, and by interpreting relevant information. Likewise, students need to see the value in incorporating different positions and points of view into their argumentative writing, and assignments (both the annotated bibliography and the argumentative essays) should ask students to acknowledge and address different positions and/or points of view.
For resources related to student research, visit the Library Resources portion of the Instructor Support Site.
For assignments related to student research, visit the CCII Default Syllabi and Sample Assignments Page.
Self-Direction in Student Work
Course Structure: Two Methods
We have a default syllabus that you can use or adapt for each of these two structures; the themed default syllabus is on media literacy. Note that both structures are meant to encourage a sustained research agenda on a specific topic or theme for the whole semester. In other words, the essays should not jump between unrelated topics (such as from factory farming to the gender wage-gap).
The Portfolio
The final portfolio in CCII contains the following items (a more elaborate checklist can be found under the Portfolio Info tab in the CCII section of this site).
The portfolio should be worth 60-75% of final course grade.
Essay Guidelines
Visual Rhetoric Assignment
For resources related to the visual rhetoric assignment, visit the CCII Default Syllabi and Sample Assignments Page.
Reflective Statements
Note: Students should engage in mini-reflections throughout the semester; this works well on days papers are due, and what they generate can serve as “drafting” for the final portfolio reflection.
Portfolio reflective statement guidelines:
Other cautionary info:
Approach to Argumentation
The approach to argumentation here is not one of formal debate or win/lose situations. Rather, students come to see argumentation as part of civic and academic discourse and a way to converse, listen, and exchange ideas. The focus on formal argumentation is based upon stasis theory: in situations of disagreement in both public and academic contexts, there are impasses or points of stasis that must be addressed or resolved in order to, hopefully, persuade others and move forward. These points of stasis raise questions that can be categorized by their nature and that determine the types of arguments that are appropriate to resolve them. Take, for example, the phenomenon of teens texting nude photos of themselves and others, aka “sexting,” which has been socially and legally controversial. Sexting raises questions of
- Definition: Is sexting “child pornography”? Is this behavior “abnormal”?
- Causes and Effects: Why do teens do this? How does sexting affect teens? How do specific legal repercussions affect teens?
- Ethics: Is it wrong to punish a teen for sexual exploration? Should consensual self-sexting be treated differently than sexting photos of others without consent?
- Evaluation: What are fair or effective legal repercussions depending on the circumstances?
- Proposals: Do we need to change child pornography laws to account for sexting?
Note that these questions intersect: for example, doesn’t a fair punishment need to take consent into account, and how do we define consent? Each of the questions above requires a different set of argumentative strategies to reach and support an answer. For example, for a causal question, we may need to proceed through inductive reasoning and finding evidence to support causation rather than correlation, features specific to a causal argument.
The approved texts for CCII have chapters devoted to various types of arguments (rebuttal, causal, proposal, etc.), and students’ argumentative essays each focus primarily on one of those claim types. But it is important to explain to students that these various types of arguments are usually not performed in isolation from one another, particularly in longer pieces of argumentative writing, where, for example, a writer might need to make a substantial causal and then ethical argument in order to develop the basis for a proposal argument. In CCII, the length of student papers (1,000 to 1,300 words) makes it more appropriate and effective to focus on one part of a larger, complex issue and to focus on a primary purpose (i.e. one type of argument, even if the student gestures toward others).
Information Literacy
This course also focuses on information literacy. Students gain more experience with finding, evaluating, selecting, and incorporating sources than in (I)CCI, particularly by using the library databases and other digital resources. While students do use both popular and academic texts, including digital and multimedia texts, they should get a strong understanding of the distinctions between the two and learn that the appropriateness of a source depends on their writing purpose and their audience. Students also should gain an understanding of how the web can be useful in research and how to evaluate web spaces for credibility depending on the rhetorical situation. Along with being able to find and evaluate sources, students gain a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of evidence, particularly evaluating it for sufficiency, typicality, accuracy, and relevance for supporting specific claims.
Student Research
Students use this growing knowledge of formal argumentation and information literacy to participate in ongoing conversations about controversial issues. This knowledge is used to both analyze the existing arguments of others in public and academic spheres, and to construct their own written arguments so as to join an ongoing conversation. Through their extensive research, students identify different stakeholders in the conversation and their points of view, attempting to listen to different voices and to understand the complexity of the issue, an important aspect of Core Value 5 (the ethical dimensions of writing). Thus, CCII continues the intellectual projects of CCI by confronting different ways of seeing the world and recognizing that the world is shaped by values and beliefs rather than absolute truths. In this way, students should realize that the only thing that can be proven is the validity of an argument itself.
One other important intellectual threshold that students are crossing in FYW, and CCII especially, is to begin to practice inquiry-based research. That is, rather than having a predetermined thesis and finding/using sources to support that thesis, students use their research to seek a thesis, to reach their own conclusions by listening to different points of view and different arguments, and by interpreting relevant information. Likewise, students need to see the value in incorporating different positions and points of view into their argumentative writing, and assignments (both the annotated bibliography and the argumentative essays) should ask students to acknowledge and address different positions and/or points of view.
For resources related to student research, visit the Library Resources portion of the Instructor Support Site.
For assignments related to student research, visit the CCII Default Syllabi and Sample Assignments Page.
Self-Direction in Student Work
- Students need space, even in theme-based courses, to develop own research question or agenda.
- Students have worked on revision practices in CCI. Therefore, in CCII the instructor reads fewer drafts; only one draft is required prior to the portfolio, though you can encourage students to resubmit as they see fit (i.e., they need to make their own decision about resubmitting).
- Students should see you as one resource for getting feedback during the writing process, and you should encourage them to seek out and get to know others, such as the Writing Center and the library’s reference desk.
Course Structure: Two Methods
We have a default syllabus that you can use or adapt for each of these two structures; the themed default syllabus is on media literacy. Note that both structures are meant to encourage a sustained research agenda on a specific topic or theme for the whole semester. In other words, the essays should not jump between unrelated topics (such as from factory farming to the gender wage-gap).
- Topic-Based Course: Students choose their own individual topics to research for the semester. The topic should be an issue; that is, there should be debates to participate in. Students spend early weeks building an annotated bibliography and doing in-depth research; the essays are written subsequently, though students may add news sources to the bib as they have new purposes in writing in their essays.
- Theme-Based Course: Instructor can choose a course theme. It should be broad enough to encompass a variety of issues that students can explore across their three essays. Examples: media literacy, technology, the environment, prisons, identity, the food industries. Students do research for individual papers as they go, instead of doing most of it upfront in early weeks. The annotated bibliography in the portfolio may contain sources on different topics/issues tied to the theme.
The Portfolio
The final portfolio in CCII contains the following items (a more elaborate checklist can be found under the Portfolio Info tab in the CCII section of this site).
- Two out of the three argumentative essays written during the semester.
- An instructor-commented draft for each of those two essays.
- A visual rhetoric assignment.
- An annotated bibliography of at least 8 sources.
- A reflective statement that addresses the five Core Values.
The portfolio should be worth 60-75% of final course grade.
Essay Guidelines
- 1,000-1,300 words
- 2-4 sources (though maximum # isn’t strict; a specific writing purpose may justify more)
- use formal APA citation style for in-text citations and works cited page (students may not have previous experience with this, though most do)
- all essays should have a works cited page, even though they are also doing a full annotated bibliography
- drafts are not given official grades (as in grades that are computed into their course grade), but you should give them sense of where they stand (and this may include a ballpark grade the paper would get if it appeared in the portfolio as-is)
Visual Rhetoric Assignment
- Can analyze or create one on their topic.
- Even ones they create should be accompanied by a written statement that provides a rationale for the design.
- Either type should use rhetorical terms to discuss and evaluate effectiveness.
- Consider having them add images or infographics to their argumentative essays or to present some aspect of their research.
For resources related to the visual rhetoric assignment, visit the CCII Default Syllabi and Sample Assignments Page.
Reflective Statements
Note: Students should engage in mini-reflections throughout the semester; this works well on days papers are due, and what they generate can serve as “drafting” for the final portfolio reflection.
Portfolio reflective statement guidelines:
- 4-6 pages
- Discusses all five Core Values
- Should demonstrate conceptual understanding of each value and offer examples from his/her own work of where s/he engaged with it in course
Other cautionary info:
- Not all CCII students will have taken iCCI/CCI, so you can’t take much for granted.
- Some CCII students are transfer students who had an “equivalent” course that could be quite different than our CCI.
- Some fall CCII students are freshmen that placed out of CCI based on their A.P. exam score.
- In the fall, especially, you can get wide variations in ability in CCII students. In addition to students who placed out of CCI or transferred, some students began in Foundations for College Writing the previous fall or failed/retook (I)CCI.