Syllabus

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Syllabus

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About the Teacher

BROOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Foreign Languages, ESL & Speech Department

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SYLLABUS

Course Title: Introduction to Academic Writing

Course Number: ENG 095-02 CRN: 32004

Credits: 4

Semester: Fall 2014

Course Schedule: Mon., Tue., Wed., & Thur. 1 - 1:50 PM

Room: Mon. & Wed. – Business Building (BB) #044

Tues. – Campus Services (CS) #110

Thurs. – Natural Science Center (NSC) #201

Instructor: Rhonda Lunder, B.S. in Ed., M. Ed.

Office: Titchener (T) #202

Phone: 778-5502 or 778-5094

Email: lunderrl@sunybroome.edu

Office Hours: Wed. 11:50 AM – 12:50 PM in T #202, or by appointment.

Textbooks:

1. Paragraphs To Essays, by A. Oshima and A. Hogue, 4^th edition, Longman, 2014. (Required)

2. Longman Advanced American Dictionary, 2nd edition, Longman, 2007. (Recommended)

I. DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

A. CATALOG DESCRIPTION

Introduction to academic writing for non-native students at the low-advanced level, with a focus on paragraph writing. Understanding of paragraph structure and process of paragraph writing. Practice in writing a variety of common rhetorical paragraph modes. Understanding of and practice in prewriting techniques, sentence types, mechanics, and American writing conventions. Introduction to essay writing.

B. CLASS HOURS: 4

C. PREREQUISITES: ESL-113 Grammar 3, ESL-114 Speaking & Listening 3, and ESL-115 Reading & Writing 3, ESL placement or chairperson approval.

D. COREQUISITES: Concurrent enrollment in SPK-095 Speaking & Listening 4, or chairperson approval.

II. COURSE CONTENT

A. Paragraph writing

1. Paragraph format: hand-written and computer-written

2. Paragraph structure: the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence

3. Rhetorical modes: narrative, descriptive, division of logical ideas, process, and comparison/contrast

4. Methods of organizing ideas: time order, space order, order of importance

5. Unity and coherence

B. Writing process

1. Prewriting techniques: listing, freewriting, clustering, and outlining

2. Polishing: revising and editing

C. Grammar

1. Sentence types: simple, compound, complex, mixed

2. Correcting sentence errors: fragments, run-ons, comma splices, faulty parallelism
3. Subject-verb agreement
4. Using pronouns for coherence
5. Appositives
6. Adjective clauses

D. Punctuation and mechanics

1. Capitalization

2. Apostrophes

3. Commas

E. Introduction to essay writing

1. Essay structure: the introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and the concluding paragraph

2. Essay outline

3. Transitions between paragraphs

III. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of ENG-095 Introduction to Academic Writing, the student should be able to:

1. Understand paragraph structure and the process of paragraph writing.

2. Develop ideas for writing a paragraph using prewriting techniques such as listing, freewriting, outlining, and clustering.

3. Understand and write five rhetorical types of paragraphs: narrative, descriptive, logical division of ideas, process, and comparison/contrast.

4. Write well-organized and well-developed paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting sentences and concluding sentences.

5. Work alone or with classmates to review, edit and revise his/her writing.

6. Understand basic concepts of essay writing.

7. Improve grammar skills in using more sophisticated sentence structure and avoiding common sentence errors (such as fragments, run-ons, and commas splices).

8. Use conventions of writing, including indentation, margins, capitalization, and punctuation.

9. Improve proofreading skills by detecting and correcting grammar, spelling, and mechanics errors in intermediate texts and in his/her own work.

10. Understand the basic concepts of essay writing.

IV. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

Instructional methods include lectures, group work, class discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and multimedia presentations.

All students who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the American with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and are eligible to receive accommodations, or suspect you have a disability, you should contact the Student Support Services Program at 778-5150, Learning Disabilities Program at 778-5316 or Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program at 778-5398/778-5430 TTY. Please feel welcome to discuss your special needs for academic accommodations with me during the first week of class.

V. METHODS OF STUDENT EVALUATION AND CLASS POLICIES

1. Class attendance and participation 10%
2. Homework and in-class assignments from textbooks and 10%

activities designed by the instructor

3. Quizzes 30%
4. Writing assignments 50%

· Attendance and participation: Regular attendance and active participation are essential for the success of this class. You are allowed 3 absences for any reason. An absence beyond the third, except for one excused by a doctor, will reduce your grade. You may also lose points for being late for class frequently. You are expected to participate frequently and actively in class activities using English. These activities include being prepared for class, speaking, asking questions and answering questions, and working in pairs and groups. You may lose points for not doing these activities.

· Assignments (homework and in-class): Exercises in the text and handouts will be assigned. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned. Late assignments will be reduced one letter grade if handed in at the next class session and will receive no higher than a C grade if handed in later than that. Some homework assignments will be checked in class and others will be collected. Each assignment must be completed in its entirety in order to receive full credit. You will receive a “0” grade for each assignment you do not complete.

· Quizzes and Writing Assignments: In this course, you will have frequent quizzes based on materials covered in the class. Some quizzes may not be announced ahead of time, so it is important to keep up with your homework and other assignments. You will also have several writing assignments in this course. If you have to miss a quiz or writing assignment because of an illness or other valid reason, call my office and leave a message or send an email before the test, if possible. You must meet with me to request a make-up within one week of the absence. Consult your course syllabus for the approximate dates of the quizzes and writing assignments.

· Consider me a resource for this semester. If you find yourself falling behind or not understanding class or text material, or if you have any concern about your study, come see me as soon as possible.

· Students are expected to come to class on time and not to leave before class ends. It is disruptive to use cellular phones, MP3 devices, and cameras during class. Please turn off these devices.

· Students are expected to show respect for your instructor and classmates.

· Academic dishonesty including plagiarism (using someone else’s ideas or writing as your own), giving help or getting help on a quiz or test will not be tolerated. If you cheat, you will receive a 0 grade for the test and you may receive an F for the course.

VI. GRADING SCALE

94 - 100% = A

90 - 93% = A-

87 - 89% = B+

84 - 86% = B

80 - 83% = B-

77 - 79% = C+

74 - 76% = C

70 - 73% = C-

65 - 69% = D

64 and below = F (Fail)

VII. Tentative COURSE SCHEDULE

Week	Date	Topics /Chapters	Homework & Assessments
1	Sept. 2-4	Course Introduction Chap. 1. Academic Paragraphs: Format	p.2-4 Organization p. 5-8 Capitalization p. 10-11 Practice 4, p. 12 Quiz: Capitalization
2	Sept. 8-11	Chap. 1 (continued): Simple Sentences & S-V Agreement Fragments Writing Process	Practices 8 & 9, p. 16-17 Practice 10, p. 18 Try It Out, p. 23
3	Sept. 15-18	Chap. 3 Paragraph Structure Topic Sentences	p. 51-54 Practices 2&3, p. 55-59 Try It Out: p. 60
4	Sept. 22-25	Chap. 3 (continued) Supporting Sentences Concluding Sentence	Writing Assignment 1: Topic Sentences Practices 5-7, p. 61-63 Practices 8 & 9, p. 65-66
5	Sept. 29 – Oct. 2	Chap. 3 (continued) Paragraph Structure Outlining (5 week reports due)	p. 67-74 Practice 10, p. 67 Practice 15, p. 75
6	Oct. 6-9	Chap. 2. Narrative Paragraphs Time Order  Compound Sentences	Writing Assignment 2: Paragraph Structure p. 31-34 Practices 1& 2, p. 33 p. 40-43 Practices 8-10, p. 42-43
7	Oct. 15-16	(Mid-Semester Break – Oct. 13 & 14) Chap. 2 (continued) Commas Freewriting	Writing Assignment 3: Narrative paragraph Practice 11, p. 44-45 Try it Out, p. 47
8	Oct. 20-23	Chap. 4 Logical Division of Ideas Transition Signals Run-ons and Comma Splices Paragraph Unity	p. 79-84 Practice 3, p. 84 Practice 9, p. 93 Practice 4, p. 85 Practice 12, p. 97 Quiz: Run-ons & Comma Splices
9	Oct. 27-30	Chap. 5 Process Paragraphs Organization Time Order Signals Complex Sentences	p. 103-106 Practice 2, p. 106 Practice 3, p. 107 Practice 7&8 and Try It Out, pp. 114-115
10	Nov. 3-6	Chap. 6 Commas and Appositives Adjective Clauses Clustering (10 week reports due)	Writing Assignment 4: Logical Division of Ideas paragraph p. 129-130 Practice 7, p. 131 Practice 8, p. 132 p. 143 Try It Out, p. 144
11	Nov. 10-13	Chap. 7 Cause/Effect Paragraphs Organization Sentence Structure	pp. 148-152 Practice 2, p. 153 Practice 3, p. 155 pp. 160-162 Practice 7, p. 163 Practice 8, pp. 164-165 Quiz: Adjective Clauses
12	Nov. 17-20	Chap. 8 Comparison/Contrast Paragraphs Identifying and Finding Antonyms Point-by-Point Organization Block Organization	Practices 1, p. 174 Practices 3&4, p. 179 Quiz: Sentence Errors
13	Nov. 24-25	(Thanksgiving Break – Nov. 26-28) Chap. 8 (continued) Comparison Signals Contrast Signals	Writing Assignment 5: Cause & Effect Paragraph Practices 6&7, p. 185-186 Practice 9, p. 189
14	Dec. 1-4	Chap. 9 Essay Organization The Introductory Paragraph The Body Paragraph	p. 198-200 Practice 1, p 201 Practice 2, p. 204 Practice 3, p. 205
15	Dec. 8-11	Chap. 9 (continued) The Concluding Paragraph Transitions between Paragraphs Essay Outlining	Writing Assignment 6: Comparison/Contrast Paragraph Practice 4, p. 206 Practice 5, p 210-211 Practice 6, p. 212 Practice 7, p. 214
16	Dec. 15-18	Chapter 10 Opinion Essays (Overview) Thesis Statement Body Paragraphs in Opinion Essays Concluding Paragraphs in Opinion Essays	p. 222-226 Practice 3, p. 227 Practice 4, p. 229 Try It Out, p. 230
17	Dec. 22	Monday, Dec. 22 - Last day of class Chap. 10 (continued) Quotations	Practice 5, pp. 231-232

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