Course Syllabus

 Welcome

We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Mizzou Academy's global student body.

 Course Overview

In the second semester of AP English Language and Composition, students will continue to read and write critically about works of nonfiction and practice strategies for successful academic writing. The course emphasizes rhetorical analysis, persuasive argumentation and synthesizing information from a variety of sources. This Advanced Placement (AP) course is designed to reflect the kinds of study common to a freshman-level college English course and provides a survey of critical reading and writing skills that students are expected to demonstrate on the College Board’s AP English: Language and Composition Exam.

This is a 16 week online course composed of an orientation week and 15 weekly sessions. Expect to invest about 9-15 hours a week on course activities and assignments.

Most AP courses consist of 2 semesters and you should complete semester 1 before starting semester 2. AP exams are offered early in May.

NOTE: If you enroll after the start date in an AP course, it is important that you adjust to the pacing chart accordingly so you can complete your course before the scheduled AP exam datesLinks to an external site.or use this link to find more information about Advanced Placement and to see the AP Exam CalendarLinks to an external site..

 Course Description

In the second semester of Advanced Placement English: Language and Composition, you will examine compositional methods and strategies for both expository analysis and persuasive argumentation, and you will put those strategies into practice in your original compositions. Much of the second semester will involve self-directed assignments, which means that you will have many opportunities to read what you like and express what you think. I very much look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Your reading material will cover a wide range of nonfiction sources, including selected essays, full-length nonfiction books of your choosing, political cartoons, charts, graphs, and other kinds of visual communication. You will think critically about the information you receive from real-world sources, and you will continue to craft, shape, and color your ideas in ways that will help you join the world of academic conversation.

AP English: Language and Composition is designed for accomplished readers and writers at the eleventh- or twelfth-grade level. Students will read and write critically about works of nonfiction (such as essays, letters, editorials, historical narratives, political cartoons, photographs) and practice strategies to write successfully in the academic setting.

This is an Advanced Placement (AP) course, which means it is designed to reflect the kinds of study you would find in a freshman-level college course. One objective of this course is to prepare you to take the College Board's AP English: Language and Composition Exam in May, for which many universities grant college credit. This course provides a survey of the kinds of critical reading and writing skills you will be expected to know and demonstrate on the exam. You also will learn strategies for writing well, particularly in time-pressured situations such as the exam. If you choose to take the AP exam, you can find detailed information and sample questions at the College Board website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Please note that you are not required to take the AP exam and that--though the College Board has audited and approved this course--it was not designed or developed by the College Board, nor is the course solely tailored to the exam. No course can prepare you with the exact material that the exam might contain. Therefore, you should base your decision about whether to take the exam on your full academic experience and your own evaluation of your reading and writing skills.

As you progress through this course, keep in mind that your goal is to better understand all the layers of meaning within the texts you read and to write with purpose and precision. This is not a solely intellectual pursuit. The better you are at interpreting what you read and communicating what you know, the more meaningful and pleasurable reading and writing are.

Whether you plan to take college English courses in the near future or take the AP exam, this course will offer insights into the world around you, and you will explore some intriguing topics of thought and conversation.

This course is demanding; expect to devote time and effort to its completion to make it both personally and academically rewarding.

 Required Materials

No textbooks are required (all instructional material is embedded), but they will need to acquire a copy of one of the following books on their own (any edition or ebook is fine) for the semester project:

For your spring semester project, you will read ONE of the following memoirs:

1. Night (Elie Wiesel)
2. Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
4. A Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah)

Note: If you completed the fall semester of AP Language and Composition with Mizzou Academy, you have already read one of these books for your fall semester project. You will need to choose one of the other three books as your subject for the spring semester project.

 Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

•   Computer Requirements
•   Browser Requirements
•   Proctoring Requirements
• Microphone (external or internal)
• Webcam

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

• audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

 Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let   Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please   contact Mizzou Academy.

 AP - Discussions and Chats

Participation in online discussions (e.g., discussion forums, chats, community projects, and/or instructor conferences) is expected and will factor into your overall course grade.

All online discussions described in course lesson pages are required unless your instructor notes otherwise. Your instructor may also arrange additional required chats or instructor conferences. Be sure to regularly check the course calendar and announcements from your instructor regarding upcoming discussions and requirements.

Your participation in required online discussions will be evaluated on criteria such as frequency, timeliness, thoughtfulness and effort, and overall contribution to the knowledge base and learning experience of your classmates. You are also expected to monitor and respond to posts on discussion threads which you have started or have previously contributed to; you should not simply make a post and consider the discussion “done,” because it should be an ongoing conversation with your peers and/or instructor.

Postings that begin new discussion forum threads will be reviewed based on their relevance, demonstrated understanding of course concepts, examples cited, and overall quality. Postings that respond to other students’ posts will be evaluated based on relevance, degree to which they extend discussions, and tone.

In order to earn full credit for forum participation, you must (a) respond to the provided prompt and (b) if asked, post a relevant comment to at least two of your classmates’ posts. This may entail asking a question or comparing and/or contrasting your classmate’s post with your own.

In order to earn full credit for discussion forum participation, your posts and responses must be substantive. In other words, you will not earn credit for just replying "Good post" or "I agree" to a classmate.

 AP - Late Work and Absences

Work must be turned in on time for full credit. If you are unable to complete an assignment on time, contact your instructor immediately. Prior permission from the online course instructor must be obtained for special circumstances to receive credit for late work. These decisions will be made on an individual basis.

You must notify your instructor if you expect to be offline for more than 1 week.

 Quizzes & Assignments

You should submit all assigned work in sequence (Lesson 1, then Lesson 2, etc.) Assignments for the course are listed at the bottom of this syllabus.

Quizzes

Quizzes are taken online. After you submit them, you’ll quickly receive a report on how you did. Unlike exams, you may use any assigned readings, your notes, and other course-related materials to complete graded quizzes and assignments. 

Assignments

Assignments may require you to submit your completed work in the form of a file (such as a text document, image, audio or video recording, or multimedia presentation) or a hyperlink for grading. 

Reading and Using Feedback

After your work has been graded, you will receive a report that provides individualized feedback and comments on your work. Look carefully at what you missed and read any corresponding feedback. Then study the lesson materials to make certain that you can accomplish the associated learning objectives.

Each lesson provides step-by-step instructions on how to submit your work. Be sure to check submitted work carefully for errors (e.g. spelling, grammar, and punctuation) as they may result in points being deducted.

 Exams

You are required to take two proctored exams for this course.

 AP - Exam Prep Through LearningExpress Library

In the next section, you will find "Getting Started Resources." Within the Library Material is LearningExpress Library, which contains AP practice exams and study material, in addition to what is on the AP website. 

Below we are providing you with a direct link to the College Prep Center of the LearningExpress Library. You can only launch it through this link. When you arrive, you should see "Mizzou Academy" on the left-hand side, showing that you are with our institution. You will want to create an account in order to save any work or test prep you do.  

Once you click the link below, select "Prepare for your AP Exam". Please create a help ticket (Help -> Report a problem) if you cannot find what you are looking for.

 Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.

The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard:

After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts. 

 Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.

• Access Canvas through the Tiger Portal   https://mizzouacademy.missouri.edu/
• For assistance with Canvas, passwords, or other technical issues, submit a ticket by selecting Help from the Global Navigation menu on the left in Canvas. Additional information is provided in the following Canvas Guide:   How do I get help with Canvas as a student?
• For questions about enrollment, access to courses, exam proctoring, or billing, contact our Support Services Team at (855) 256-4975 or   mizzouacademy@missouri.edu.