South Portland, Maine 04106
English As A Second Language
Title: Advanced Academic Writing
Catalog Number: ESOL 095 01
Credit Hours: 3
Total Contact Hours:
Lecture (or Lab): Writing Lab
Instructor: Ellen Brady, B.S., M.S. Ed.
Office Hours –Mon, Wed, 11:00 – 5:00
by appointment
Office Location: Hague, first floor
Contact Information: ebrady@smccme.edu,
or 741 5586, (office)
Course Syllabus
This advanced course focuses on academic writing skills necessary for content courses. Students
will continue to develop their abilities with sentence structure, paragraph writing, and essays
from personal experience and readings. Students will learn to cite sources and answer essay
questions from readings. Grammar is taught in the context of the readings and student
generated writing. This course must be completed with a "C" grade or better in order to take
college level courses. The credits earned in this course will not count toward a degree with
SMCC. Prerequisite(s): ESOL placement test Corequisite(s): none
Text: Folse, Keith S., April Muchmore-Vokoun, and Elena Vestri Solomon. Great Writing
4: Great Essays. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Other Materials:
Three-ring binder and 5 dividers
Notebook or loose leaf paper
Course Objectives:
By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Use the writing process to plan, write, draft, revise and edit paragraphs and
essays in various academic formats (e.g. narrative, comparison/contrast,
persuasive).
2. Use simple, compound, and complex sentences correctly, recognize
fragments and run-on errors, and edit own work for these.
3. Identify common suffixes for adjectives, verbs and nouns, and identify
sentence clues for usage of these forms.
4. Paraphrase sentences from a variety of textbook sources.
5. Use advanced grammar forms correctly in writing, including adjective
clauses, transition words, complex sentences with adverb clauses, indirect
reported speech, direct quoted speech
6. Recognize and demonstrate appropriate college behaviors such as asking
appropriate questions, keeping a record of assignments, completing
homework thoughtfully, preparing for exams, and seeking help from learning
center and instructor as needed. Students will identify own learning needs.
Coursework Requirements:
1. Regular class attendance and punctuality (see policy below)
2. Completion of approximately two hours of essential practice homework for each
class. (4-5 hours per week)
3. Participation in all group and individual class activities
4. Tutoring work in the Learning Commons (at least three sessions within the
semester)
Writing Center Hours: http://smccme.libguides.com/writingcenter
Writing/Tutoring open 7 days. New schedule coming.
5. Successful completion of 3-5 grammar and sentence structure tests
6. Completion of 3-4 academic essays (250+ words each) INCLUDING brainstorming
and planning activities, drafting, revision, peer editing, and self-editing
Narrative
Persuasion/Argument Cause/Effect
Comparison/Contrast Summary
Grades: Attendance / Participation: 10%
Homework: 20%
Essays: 40%
Tests and Quizzes: 25%
Tutoring: 5%
Classroom Policies
Attendance Policy:
The SMCC College Catalog states: after three or more absences from regular class meetings
without communicating with the instructor, the instructor must report the absences to
Enrollment Services and assign the student a grade of “AF” (Administrative Failure).
Attendance is a necessary part of any language-focused course. All students are allowed 1
excused absence. Each additional absence will result in one-point deduction from final grade for
each absence. A student who misses 5 or more classes is at risk for automatic failure for the
course.
Tardiness:
Tardiness will not be tolerated. If you are not in the classroom when attendance is taken,
you will be marked as absent.
Late Work Policy:Work is expected on time. Homework assignments cannot be made up or
submitted late. Each student is allowed one free late pass for one paper. The late pass is good for
one week. A grade of “0” (zero) will be given for all other assignments not handed in by the due
date.
Self-Evaluation / Participation
At the end of every class, students are required to complete a self-evaluation for
participation. Students will rank themselves on a 1 - 4 scale.
1 = was present, did not speak, took poor/no notes
2 = was present, did not speak, took good notes
3 = was present, spoke once, took good notes
4 = was present, spoke more than once, took good notes
Any use of electronics of any sort during class = 0 for the day.
The instructor reserves the right to change an inaccurate self-evaluation grade.
College Policies
End-of-Course Evaluation:
In order to gain access to final course grades, students must complete evaluations for each
course attended at SMCC. Evaluations are submitted online and can be accessed through
the student portal site. Students can access the course evaluation report beginning two
weeks before the end of classes. The deadline for submission of evaluations occurs 24
hours after the last day of classes each semester. Instructors will announce when the
online course evaluation is available.
ADA Syllabus Statement:
Southern Maine Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution
and employer. For more information, please call 207-741-5798.
If you have a disabling condition and wish to request accommodations in order to have
reasonable access to the programs and services offered by SMCC, you must register with
the disability services coordinator, Sandra Lynham, who can be reached at 7415629. There will be some documentation for your teachers that must be supplied before
accommodations can be given. Further information about services for students with
disabilities and the accommodation process is available upon request at this number.
SMCC Pay-for-Print Policy:
Students can print 150 pages per semester for free. If you print over 150 pages, you will be
charged 10 cents per page to your Beacon Bucks account. Left-over pages will roll over to
the following semester but will zero out at the end of the academic year. A pilot project
tracking public printing has shown that this amount of free printing meets the needs of the
vast majority of students. The College’s pay-for-print system monitors printing on all public
printers (i.e., those in general access labs, library printers, the AAC, and technology labs).
Each time you log in to the system, the print station displays the remaining print
quota. Once the printing quota has been exceeded, users will be charged $0.10 per page on
their Beacon Bucks accounts. Color printouts will be charged at 11-page units. This means
each color printout will count as 11 pages toward the quota and cost $1.10. Students can
add money to their cards using a credit card online.
Add-Drop Policy:
If a student decides not to take a class, and wants to receive a 100% refund on tuition and
fees for that course, he/she must “drop” the course during “add/drop” period of the
semester (FALL/SPRING= only the first week of classes; SUMMER= the first three days of
this session)
Please note any course that meets for less than the traditional semester length, i.e., 15
weeks, has a shorter add/drop period.
NOTE: Not attending a class is NOT the same as dropping a class. Students may drop classes
at the Office of Student Success in the Campus Center or online in My Maine Guide<<<My
Degree<<<My Courses. (Please see information below about stopping a class after the
add/drop period)
Withdrawal Policy:
Students do not receive a refund when they withdraw from a class.
A student may withdraw from a course only during the semester for which he/she is
registered for that class.
A student may withdraw from a course only within the following periods: FALL and
SPRING semesters- weeks two through twelve of classes; SUMMER- weeks two through
nine of classes. (This period is shorter because the course length is shorter).
A student may withdraw from a course only during the semester for which he/she is
registered for that class.
A student may withdraw from a course only within the following periods: FALL and
SPRING semesters- weeks two through twelve of classes; SUMMER- weeks two through
nine of classes. (This period is shorter because the course length is shorter).
To withdraw from a course, a student must complete and submit the appropriate course
withdrawal form. Students can find this form at the Office of Student Success (no phone
calls, please). Instructors cannot withdraw students from classes.
The letter “W” (in the place of a grade) will appear on the transcript after a student has
officially withdrawn. NOTE: A course withdrawal is an uncompleted course and can
negatively affect financial aid eligibility; however, a “W” grade does not negatively affect a
student's GPA.
Students should speak to an advisor and the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from a
course. Not attending or stopping to attend a class is not the same as withdrawal from the
course.
Plagiarism Statement
Adherence to ethical academic standards is obligatory. Cheating is a serious offense, whether it
consists of taking credit for work done by another person or doing work for which another
person will receive credit. Taking and using the ideas or writings of another person without
clearly and fully crediting the source is plagiarism and violates the academic code as well as the
Student Code of Conduct. If it is suspected that a student in any course in which s/he is enrolled
has knowingly committed such a violation, the faculty member should refer the matter to the
College’s Disciplinary Officer and appropriate action will be taken under the Student Code of
Conduct. Sanctions may include suspension from the course and a failing grade in the course.
Students have the right to appeal these actions to the Disciplinary Committee under the terms
outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.
SCHEDULE FALL 2014
August 25 – 27, Course syllabus overview and discussion of the semester. Text pages 2-12. Exploring
the essay.
September 1, no class
September 3, The Hook!
September 8 -10 discussion on types of essays, compare/contrast, narrative, cause and effect.
September 15 – 17 Unit 2 - First draft of narrative due, peer review workshop
September 22- 24 Narrative due, Grammar quiz #1, Clauses
September 29- October 1, comparison essay organization, pre writing
October 6 –October 8 Introduction for comparison paper, outlining
October 13, Columbus Day, no class
October 20-22 rough draft of comparison esssay due,
October 27-29 quiz #2, summarizing,
November 3-5 defining and dissecting argument essay, supporting arguments, final copy due
November 10-12Unit 4 Cause /Effect essay text page 90.
November 17-19text p96 , building better sentences
November 24-26rough draft due for cause/effect essay, quiz#3
December 1-3final copy due
December 8-10, end of semester writing workshop and gathering.
The pay-for-print system is an effort to control escalating printing costs. Charging for printing helps offset
the increasing cost of supplies and encourages students to conserve resources. To find ways to reduce
your printing charges, please go to the IT Help tab on My SMCC. If you have questions about the payfor-printing policy or your printing charges, please contact the Help Desk at 741-5696 or send an email to
helpdesk@smccme.edu.
Be sure to log OUT of the system when you’ve finished your printing, to prevent unauthorized access to
your account.
Add-Drop Policy
Students who drop a course during the one-week “add/drop” period in the fall and spring semesters and
the first three days of summer sessions receive a 100% refund of the tuition and associated fees for that
course. Please note any course that meets for less than the traditional semester length, i.e., 15 weeks, has a
pro-rated add/drop period. There is no refund for non-attendance.
Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course only during the semester in which s/he is registered for that
course. The withdrawal period is the second through twelfth week of the fall and spring semesters and the
second through ninth week of twelve-week summer courses. This period is pro-rated for shorter-length
courses. To withdraw from a course, a student must complete and submit the appropriate course
withdrawal form, available at the Enrollment Service Center (no phone calls, please). The designation
“W” will appear on the transcript after a student has officially withdrawn. A course withdrawal is an
uncompleted course and may adversely affect financial aid eligibility. Failure to attend or ceasing to
attend class does not constitute withdrawal from the course. There is no refund associated with a
withdrawal.
Plagiarism Statement
Adherence to ethical academic standards is obligatory. Cheating is a serious offense, whether it consists
of taking credit for work done by another person or doing work for which another person will receive
credit. Taking and using the ideas or writings of another person without clearly and fully crediting the
source is plagiarism and violates the academic code as well as the Student Code of Conduct. If it is
suspected that a student in any course in which s/he is enrolled has knowingly committed such a
violation, the faculty member should refer the matter to the College’s Disciplinary Officer and
appropriate action will be taken under the Student Code of Conduct. Sanctions may include suspension
from the course and a failing grade in the course. Students have the right to appeal these actions to the
Disciplinary Committee under the terms outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.