HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Alief-Bissonnet
ESOL 0354 Course Syllabus (Advanced Composition)
Spring 2011
Class CRN #: Alief/Bissonnet ____
Instructor: Margaret McLay_
Phone (Voice Mail): 713- 718-7760 (Gulfton)
Office hours: by Appointment
E-MAIL: margaret.mclay@hccs.edu
Course Description(80hrs): A continuation of ESOL 0351. This course concentrates on elements of organization, rhetoric, and sophisticated language use. Students are required to produce well-ordered, well-substantiated, multi-paragraphed essays containing thesis statements and topic sentences.
ESOL 0354 Statement of Purpose: Advanced Composition, seeks to prepare students for college composition courses and academic writing in general by accomplishing the following objectives:
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Introducing to students the basic principles of the multi-paragraph composition, focusing especially on the role of the introductory and concluding paragraphs, drafting an effective thesis statement, and organizing the composition according to a clear logical pattern;
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Honing students’ sentence combination skills, especially in the area of the strategy and techniques of subordination within complex sentences.
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Increasing student awareness of the nature of the writing process, especially in the area of effective topic construction and in the necessity and techniques of revision and editing, including peer revision.
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Introducing students to essential academic writing skills, including paraphrasing, summarizing and writing essay exams in content area courses.
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Training students in critical thinking, especially in evaluating their own content and clear logical presentation in their writing.
Course Outcomes: After taking ESOL 0354, the student should:
1) Be able to write a well-organized, substantially fluent and grammatical essay of between
300-500 words, including introductory and concluding paragraphs and properly crafted body paragraphs;
2) Be able to choose a topic and write an appropriately limited thesis statement about it;
3) Exhibit familiarity with the following modes of development of a thesis in academic writing: process description, narration, classification, comparison/contrast, cause & effect, and argumentation;
4) Be able to write a concise, accurate outline of his/her essay;
5) Exhibit familiarity with the main stages of the composing process: prewriting; composing; peer editing; revising; proofreading;
6) Exhibit proficiency in rhetorical signals and coherence markers, including connecting words such as conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs and prepositions, and related expressions;
7) Exhibit ability to write a summary of outside material that demonstrates recognition of the main ideas, and ability to paraphrase those main ideas comprehensibly;
8) Exhibit ability to respond appropriately to an essay exam topic within the assigned time limit;
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9) Be able to detect and correct intra- and inter-sentential errors in their writing, and assist others to do so in a peer revision process;
10) Exhibit familiarity with basic rules of capitalization, punctuation and proper academic essay format.
Grade Distribution: A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79). Anything below 70 is not a passing grade and will receive an F or an IP (in progress). The course grade will be determined as follows:
In class Essays
Revised Essays
Mid Term Essay
Lab
40%
10%
20%
10%
Final Essay 20%
100%
Other 10% may be deducted for inappropriate behaviour etc
Required Text(s): The following text is required for the course: Great Essays 4 or as indicted on the book list.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR MAY ADJUST THIS COURSE CALENDAR TO COVER COURSE
MATERIAL . YOUR INSTRUCTOR MAY ASSIGN EXERCISES TO DO IN WRITING
ACADEMIC ENGLISH AS HOMEWORK AND FOR QUIZ PURPOSES.
ESOL 0354 COURSE CALENDAR
Week 1
Week 2
Introduction to the class and explanation of syllabus; get-acquainted writing exercises.
Introduction to the Essay
Narrative Essays Week 3
Week 4 Narrative Essays, Ctd.;
In-Class Essay #1
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Revision of Essay #1;
Comparison/Contrast Essays
Comparison/Contrast Essays, Ctd.
Comparison/Contrast Essays, Ctd.;
In-class Essay #2
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Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week
Week 12
Week 13:
Week 14:
Revision of In-class Essay #2;
Cause –Effect Essays
Cause-Effect Essays, Ctd.
Mid Term Essay
Cause-Effect Essays, Ctd.;
In-Class Essay #3
Revision of In-Class Essay #3;
Argumentative Essays
Argumentative Essays, Ctd.
In-Class Essay #4
Critical Thinking, Research Skills & Plagiarism
Revision of In-Class Essay #4;
Critical Thinking, Research Skills & Plagiarism
Week 15
Week 16:
Review for Essay
FINAL EXAM WEEK
OTHER MATERIALS : As advised in class
Cellphones must be turned off and put away in class, so they cannot be used as your dictionary.
NO electronic dictionaries, cellphones, or laptops can not be used in in-class writing assignments.
Phones cannot be used as dictionaries.
Classroom Policies
Please treat all students and your teacher with respect. Speak English at all times. If you speak your native language in class = 1 tardy.
1 Make up test or essay may be taken in consultation with me.
Students are expected to arrive to class on time. If students are absent from class, they must ask the teacher for the assignments that they have missed and complete this by the next scheduled class session. Most homework assignments will be checked in class. No late homework will be accepted. Being absent is not an excuse to not turn in homework . It is your responsibility to find out what the assignment topic is for the class. Please get a classmates phone number to find out the assignment information. There may be regular announced and unannounced quizzes on homework and classroom topics.
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Homework must be presented in a legible, neat format on A4 paper. Your class level, your full name, date and topic of the homework should be at the top of the front page. Each page should be numbered. The pages should be stapled together.
Format: Written black ink or word processed (you will be advised about the format in the class). If word processed Arial or Times Roman in 12 font.
As a courtesy to your instructor and the other students in the class, please turn off any cell phones and other electronic devices before entering the classroom. If one of these devices goes off and interrupts the class, the instructor will confiscate it until the end of the class period.
No eating or drinking in the class. If a mobile phone makes a noise you will get a late mark.
Other 10% may be deducted from the final course mark if there is unacceptable behavior in the class . This includes the submission of homework and when students fail to purchase course books for class..
HCC Policy on Use of Recording Devices
Classrooms and Other Instructional Locations: To prevent disruption and academic dishonesty, instructors are permitted to impose restrictions on students regarding use of recording devices in classrooms, laboratories, or other locations where instruction or testing occurs. Instructors shall notify students in writing of any restrictions on the use of recording devices. Such restrictions, if any, shall be included in syllabi, course handbooks, or other printed class material distributed to students. The following language may be used: "Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who need to use a recording device should contact the Office for
Students with Disabilities for information.
Attendance Policy
Houston Community College has very strict attendance policies. Houston Community College requires students to attend classes regularly. Any student who misses more than 10 hours the lass in a semester will be dropped from the class and the course.
Tardiness
It is not acceptable to be late to class. If a student arrives late to the class or from break, goes to break early or leaves early they will be marked tardy.
Phone rings etc = 1 tardy
Using Computer for work other than class work + 1 Tardy
Speaking native language = 1 tardy
3 times tardy = 1 absence.
15 mins late as above = 1 absence
Any student who is late for a class should enter the classroom in a quiet manner and not disrupt the progress of the lesson. Do not speak to any students about the work in progress which you may have missed. When appropriate speak to the teacher about the reason for your lateness and the lesson content.
HCC Course Withdrawal Policy
The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses excessively. For example, if you repeat the same course more than twice, you have to pay extra tuition. In 2007, the Texas
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Legislature passed a law limiting new students (those starting college in Fall 2007) to no more than six total course withdrawals throughout their academic career in obtaining a baccalaureate degree. There may be future penalties imposed.
To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by which your instructor will "alert" you and HCC Student Services of the chance you might fail a class because of excessive absences and/or poor academic performance. You should visit with your Instructor, an HCC counselor, or HCC Online Student Services to learn about what, if any, HCC interventions might be offered to assist you – tutoring, child care, financial aid, job placement, etc. – to stay in class and improve your academic performance.
You MUST visit with a faculty advisor, a counselor or on-line student services at: http://studentservicesonline.hccs.edu/ prior to withdrawing (dropping) the class and this must be done prior to to receive a "W" on your transcript. After that deadline, you will receive the grade you are making in the class, which will more than likely be an "F". Withdrawal date is 14 th April 2011
College Grading System
Students in ESOL 0354 classes may receive a letter grade of A, B, C, IP or F. IP means "in progress." This is not a failing grade, but it is given to students who complete the course but who are not yet ready for the next level. Anyone who receives an IP must take ESOL 0354 again. However, if a student has already received an IP in this course during a previous semester, that student will receive a letter grade: A, B, C, or
F this semester.
Grade Distribution
100 – 90 A
89 – 80
79 – 70
B
C
Below 70 IP (In Progress) or F
Academic Honesty
All Houston Community College System students are required to exercise academic honesty in completion of all tests and assignments. Penalties for academic dishonesty (cheating on a test, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration on an assignment) may include a grade of O or F for the particular assignment, failure in the course, and/or recommendation for probation or dismissal from the College System.
Students with Disabilities
Students who require reasonable accommodations for disabilities are encouraged to report to the disability counselor to make necessary arrangements. Faculty is only authorized to provide accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. The telephone number for this office is 713-718-6164. Students at Alief-Bissonnet should contact Dr. Becky Hauri, at 713-718-7910.
Sexual Harassment Policy
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Sexual harassment in a nay form is not tolerated at Houston Community College. See the HCC Student
Handbook for further information.
Three-Peater Policy
Students taking this course for the third time are required to pay an additional sum of money in tuition fees.
Important Course Dates
Last day to withdraw from course Withdrawal date is 14 th April 2011
Final Exam Week 16
I have read the ESOL 0354 class syllabus policy and I understand it.
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