English Essentials for EAP Students
Spring 2010
9:00-10:15, T and Th
LA 133
3 credits
Instructor Information
Instructor: Laura Funke. You can call me Laura or Mrs. Funke, whichever you
prefer.
Office: My office is in the Library Building, room 235. There is a mailbox for me
at the assessment desk where you can leave assignments.
Phone: 651-450-3556
Call anytime and leave a message if I am not available.
Email: lfunke@inverhills.edu (that’s L as in “Laura” not #1). I check my email
frequently, so you can send me a message, and I will get back to you quickly.
Office Hours: M,T,W,Th 10:30-12:00
Feel free to make an appointment with me at another time if these
hours don’t work for you.
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I.
Course Description
This course provides advanced writing students whose native language is not
English with the ability to improve their writing skills in order to be successful in
entry-level college writing courses. You will develop your understanding of and
use of various aspects of grammar, style, and essay organization. You will write
argumentative and expository essays which include research from outside
sources.
II.
Course Content
1. Content/Organization
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paragraph and essay organization
thesis statements and topic sentences
summarizing and responding to readings
gathering research from outside sources and incorporating it
into essays
2. Grammar
 review of subjects and verbs and verb forms (simple,
progressive, and present perfect)
 development of subject-verb agreement rules, clauses and
sentence types, and sentence structure errors
 introduction to passive verbs, more complex sentence
structures (relative clauses)
 prepositions and phrasal verbs
 word forms (prefixes/suffixes/parts of speech) and word choice
(vocabulary)
3. Mechanics
 commas, semi-colons, and quotations
 word processing: essay formatting skills
 spelling, capitalization, apostrophes
4. Writing Process
 prewriting, drafting, getting feedback from instructor and
peers, revising, editing, proofreading
 special emphasis on self-editing for grammatical errors
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III. Course Requirements (Rules)
1. Come to class, and come on time. You cannot participate effectively if you
are not in class, and a significant portion of your learning will depend on
your participation (active listening and speaking) in class. Therefore, absences
and late arrivals will lower your grade.
 If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be counted as absent.
 If you are absent more than six classes (3 weeks), your final grade will
be lowered one grade (for example, from a B to a C).
 If you are absent more than eight classes (4 weeks), I will encourage you
to withdraw from the course.
 Starting with week two, if you come to class without the necessary
textbooks, you will be counted as absent.
Pop quizzes or other graded in-class work cannot be made up.
2. Get the homework done! You should expect about 6 hours of homework
each week for this class, perhaps more if you need extra time for reading or
writing. If this seems impossible to you because of your work schedule or
other courses you are taking, please consider withdrawing and taking the
course when you have more time. Students who are taking 15 credits of
coursework and working full-time will have a very difficult time
successfully completing this course. Give yourself enough time outside of
class to prepare for each class. Studies have shown that study time—not IQ—
is the single most important factor in college success.
3. Familiarize yourself with D2L . D2L stands for Desire to Learn and it is a
web-based course management tool which helps you and your instructor to
communicate, keep track of grades, and take quizzes. If you are new to D2L,
your instructor will assist you in getting to know the functions of this tool in
the first few weeks of class. You need to have access to an internet-capable
computer (at home, at school, at work, or at a library) to make use of this
essential tool.
4. Take responsibility for your absences. If you are absent, make sure to check
D2L to find out the homework for the next day’s class. You should also
contact me or another student to find out if any homework assignments were
collected. I don’t separate “excused” and “unexcused” absences.
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5. Turn in homework on time. Try to get all homework assignments completed
before class on the due date. I usually collect homework at the beginning of
the hour. You have three opportunities to turn homework in late using the
“coupons” attached to the syllabus. They allow you to turn any assignments
(homework, essays, etc) in up to ONE WEEK late. Simply attach the coupon
to the late assignment. However, if a homework assignment has already been
returned and discussed in class, you cannot submit it late. After you have
used up your coupons, no late assignments will be graded. You cannot share
your coupons with other students.
6. Emailing your instructor: If you submit something through email, I will
respond back to you to let you know that I received it. If you don’t get a
response from me, that means I did not receive it and you are still responsible
for sending it to me.
7. Any form of cheating will result in an automatic F for the assignment.
Cheating a second time will result in a No Credit (F) grade for the course.
8. Students with Disabilities: If you need help (such as wheelchair access, a
note-taker, or a sign language interpreter) to make it possible to be in this
class, please let me know or contact the Disability Services Office, L-224;
phone, 651/450-3628; TTY, 651/450-3369.
I want to invite you to let me know about any learning issues or disabilities
that you have which might affect your performance in this class. I am
committed to making certain that all students have equal access to learning,
so be sure to communicate with me if you need accommodations.
9. Fully participate in class. During many of the classes, students will work
together. Use this time effectively by preparing in advance as well as actively
speaking and listening during class time. Do not work on homework during
class.
10. Be respectful of your instructor and other students. You are responsible for
courteous behavior as outlined in the current Inver Hills catalog and student
handbook. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the college’s policy on student
conduct and be aware that I will follow that policy. Beyond that, I expect
myself to treat you and you to treat each other and me as worthy of respect
and honesty. In order for this class to function well, please observe the
following guidelines:
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Please do not let your cell phone/pager/beeper rings during class, and do
not do homework for this class or other classes during class time. If you
are sleeping during class, I will ask you to leave. If you are using your cell
phone for any purpose, I will ask you to leave.
Disruptive side conversations, inattentiveness toward your instructor or
other students who are speaking, or general disrespect toward others will
not be tolerated.
Arrive before the class is scheduled to start and wait until class is
dismissed to pack up your books.
If you have personal concerns or disagreements about a grade, speak with
me outside of class time.
IV. Required Materials
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V.
In Our Own Words: Student Writers at Work, 3rd Edition, by
Mlynarczyk and Haber, 2005.
Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition, by Azar and
Hagen, 2009.
An American English dictionary such as The Newbury House
Dictionary of American English.
One regular size (8 ½ x 11) notebook for notetaking and writing
Two folders
Jump drive for saving documents
Course components
Essays: Over the course of the semester, you will write four essays. These essays
will range from 3-5 typed pages in required length and will involve prewriting,
drafting, instructor/peer feedback, revising, and editing. Some of your essays
will be on topics for other courses in the learning community (Sociology and
Reading).
Homework/In-class writing: You will, on occasion, hand in homework
assignments or assignments completed in class.
Quizzes: You will have occasional grammar quizzes, both scheduled and
unscheduled. All quizzes will assess your ability to EDIT for the grammar rules
you are learning in your textbook, Understanding and Using English Grammar
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VI. Final Grades
In total, your grade will be divided into the following components. The points
assigned to each component are approximate; they may change slightly as we
proceed through the course.
Essays (4)
Homework/In-class Assignments
Quizzes
Final Portfolio
40%
15%
15%
30%
100%
400 points
150 points
150 points
300 points
1000 points
At the end of the course you will receive a grade of A, B, C, or NC (No Credit),
depending upon your final percentage:
A
B
C
NC
88-100%
78-87%
68-77%
67% or below
If you receive a grade of ‘NC’, you must retake the course (or take English 99)
and pass it with a grade of “C” or higher in order to be able to register for the
next course, English 1108.
If you have any questions or concerns about the expectations of the class right
now, or during the semester, please feel free to speak to me. I want to help you
to be a successful writer! 
This syllabus is flexible and may be changed to better meet teacher and student needs.
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LATE COUPON
Attach this coupon to any late assignment for EAP 99. You may submit it up to ONE WEEK after the original due
date UNLESS the assignment has already been returned to the other students for a grade. You cannot give unused
late coupons to other students. If you misplace your coupons, you cannot receive additional coupons.
Name of student: _______________________________
Name of assignment: _______________________________
Date submitted: ______________________________
Expiration date: May 8, 2010
LATE COUPON
Attach this coupon to any late assignment for EAP 99. You may submit it up to ONE WEEK after the original due
date UNLESS the assignment has already been returned to the other students for a grade. You cannot give unused
late coupons to other students. If you misplace your coupons, you cannot receive additional coupons.
Name of student: _______________________________
Name of assignment: _______________________________
Date submitted: ______________________________
Expiration date: May 8, 2010
LATE COUPON
Attach this coupon to any late assignment for EAP 99. You may submit it up to ONE WEEK after the original due
date UNLESS the assignment has already been returned to the other students for a grade. You cannot give unused
late coupons to other students. If you misplace your coupons, you cannot receive additional coupons.
Name of student: _______________________________
Name of assignment: _______________________________
Date submitted: ______________________________
Expiration date: May 8, 2010
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