INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF GRAND-BASSAM
University Preparatory Program
UPP0326 – Integrated Academic Skills, Advanced Level
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30 to 3:50 p.m. Room 5
Syllabus for January Semester 2015
I.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
II.
Instructor Information:
Name: Julie Reimer
Phone: 05-80-16-50
Email: reimer.j@iugb.edu.ci; Facebook: English AtIugb
Office location: 203 Administration Building
Office hours :Monday 10:00 – 11:00 or by arrangement
Course information
A. Number of Class Hours per week: 3
B. Number of Credits: 0
C. Articulation: GSU/UH/UAB: N/A
D. Course Prerequisites: IUGB Entrance Test
E. Computer Skills Prerequisites (CSP): 1, 6, 7
F. Course Description:
A capstone course to integrate different academic English skills: practice reading, speaking, listening,
writing, and vocabulary building. The combination of the four skills provides variety and maintains
motivation in the students. The course also allows recycling and revision of the appropriate language. Guest
speaker lectures, videos, small group discussions, and class discussions are related to actual university topics
geared to the high intermediate level.
III.
Guiding Principles: The learning outcomes and objectives of this course are supported by the
following guiding principles:
 Communication (Oral and Written)
 Collaboration
 Critical Thinking
 Contemporary Issues (if appropriate)
 Quantitative Skills (if appropriate)
 Technology
 Problem Solving
IV.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the course, students should be able to:
A. Write simple but coherent 5-paragraph essays through the application of the different
components of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, and making effective
use of software error-detection). The students will produce academic writing such as
descriptive, argumentative, and compare/contrast writing.
B. Correctly answer at least 80% of comprehension questions in reading passages at the
12th grade level
C. Plan and present oral presentations; take part in conversations/discussions and reach
group decisions, use formulaic phrases to support opinions, agree and disagree, take a
position and defend it using relevant arguments, participate in impromptu talks on a
given subject, and speak accurately and fluently enough to take part in discussions of
lectures or readings at 12th-grade level.
1
D. Demonstrate ability to understand native conversations and lectures at 12th-grade level
courses by paraphrasing, summarizing, and answering comprehension questions about
listening passages.
E. Read and describe charts and graphs and be able to read, write, and speak about statistics
as found in 12th-grade level course materials.
F. Recognize and self-correct errors identified as problematic for IUGB students.
V.
Required Texts
Materials will be provided by the instructor
VI.
Additional References / Bibliography
-Africa's Next Big Boom. Perf. Charles Robertson. TED Talks, 2013. Film.
http://www.ted.com/talks/charles_robertson_africa_s_next_boom?language=en
- An Inconvenient Truth. Paramount, 2006. DVD.
- Fisher, M. (2013, July 16). The amazing, surprising, Africa-driven demographic future of the
Earth, in 9 charts. . Retrieved May 15, 2014, from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/07/16/the-amazing-surprising-africadriven-demographic-future-of-the-earth-in-9-charts//?print=1
-The Leaders Who Ruined Africa, and the Generation Who Can Fix It. Perf. Fred Swaniker. TED
Talks, 2014.
http://www.ted.com/talks/fred_swaniker_the_leaders_who_ruined_africa_and_the_generation_wh
o_can_fix_it?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2014-1025&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=bottom_left_button#t
-17605
- Preshoff, K. (n.d.). Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future. Retrieved May 22,
2014, from http://ed.ted.com/lessons/population-pyramids-powerful-predictors-of-the-future-kimpreshoff
-Rogers, Louis and Dawn Willoughby. Numbers: Data and statistics for the nonspecialist. London:
Collins EAP, 2013.
VII.
Course Outline
DATE
Week 1
1/13&15
Topic
Working with statistics: Demographics
Reading charts and graphs
Week 2
1/20&22
Week 3
1/27&29
Demographics, cont. Population
pyramids, avoiding plagiarism
Editing symbols, MLA style,
correcting common errors, writing
about statistics
Cause and Effect: Climate Change
Making an Outline
Cause and Effect: Climate Change –
speaking and writing from diagrams
Evaluating sources, paraphrasing
Cause and Effect: Climate Change
Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth
Citing sources
Economics: The World Debt Crisis
Economics terms, writing an outline
Week 4
2/3&5
Week 5
2/10&12
Week 6
2/17&19
Week 7
2/24&26
Readings and/or Assignments
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worl
dviews/wp/2013/07/16/the-amazingsurprising-africa-driven-demographicfuture-of-the-earth-in-9-charts//?print=1
Blog discussion #1
CIA Factbook data worksheet
Chapter 10, Numbers: Data and Statistics
KWL chart, cause/effect flow charts
Quiz: describing graphs
Draft 1 due: Writing about statistics
(compare/contrast)
Dictogloss exercise, Blog discussion #2
Rewrite compare/contrast assignment
Quiz : editing common errors, making
comparisons
Draft #2 due: compare/contrast writing
Test: Writing from source material
2
Week 8
3/3&5
Economics: The World Debt Crisis
Writing source citations
Week 9
3/10&12
Week 10
3/19
Week 11
3/31&4/2
Week 12
4/7&9
Week 13
4/14&16
Week 14
4/21&23
Week 15
4/28&30
Economics: The World Debt Crisis
VIII.
Mid-semester break (Tues.)
Political Science: African leadership
Political Science: Persuasive speaking
and writing
Computers and society
Ethical issues
Computers and society
Group project: Class blog
Work on group projects
Final course assessments
Cause and effect oral presentations with
detailed outlines and source citations
Blog discussion #3
Revised
Online discussion (TED video, African
Leadership)
Quiz: evaluating and citing sources, cause
and effect phrases
Student debates
Blog discussion #4
Persuasive essay due
in-class test (persuasive writing), last week
to write blog entries
Portfolios due
Methodology Used
IX.
Assessments and Project Description
Weighting and frequency of different assessments
1. Take-home compositions 20% (2 major assignments per semester plus several small ones)
2. In-class tests 25% (2 per semester)
3. Quizzes 10% (3-4 per semester)
3. Oral presentations 10% (2 per semester)
4. Contributions to in-class blog 20% (ongoing + group project)
5. Digital portfolio (10%) (1 per semester)
6. In-class participation (5%) (ongoing)
Total=100%
IUGB Grading Scale
Letter Grade Credit
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
K
V
W
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NO
YES
NO
NO
Quality
Grading Scale
(In Percentage)
Points
4.30
97-100
4.00
93-96
3.70
90-92
3.30
87-89
3.00
83-86
2.70
80-82
2.30
77-79
2.00
73-76
1.70
70-72
1.00
59.5-69
0.00
<59.5
0.00 Credit by Exam Pass/Fail
0.00
Audit
0.00
Withdrawal
3
WF
I
X.
NO
NO
0.00
0.00
Failing withdrawal
Check with faculty
General Policies
Students are expected to follow all published IUGB rules and regulations.
The instructor reserves the right to modify the outline and/or the assignments as deemed necessary to meet
certain needs or situations that will arise during the semester.
Students with Special Needs or Disabilities: Please let the instructor know if you have any special needs and
need specific accommodations.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is NOT optional. Students are expected to attend each class meeting and be on time. Students
who have unexcused absences for more than 20% of course meetings will fail the course. Students may be
marked absent if they are excessively late, create a disruption, leave class without permission, leave class
early or for extended periods of time, or take part in forbidden classroom behavior (such as texting).
Submission of assignments
Late assignments will have 10% deducted for every week they are late. Certain assignments might not be
accepted late.
Make-up policy
Missed work can be made up, but only if the absence is excused. You might not be able to make up some
small in-class assignments.
Academic Integrity
Students are encouraged to assist each other in mastering the concepts and skills covered in the course.
However, an individual assignment, group project, a quiz or an exam submitted by a student fulfilling the
requirements of this course must be the result of that student’s personal effort, and not copied from another
work or performed by anyone else. Any student who cheats, plagiarizes, or performs any other act of
academic dishonesty is guilty of academic misconduct. Any academic misconduct in this course will be dealt
with according to IUGB’s academic misconduct policy and will result in an automatic “F” for the
assignment. A repeated offense will result in course failure and be reported to the UPP director. If you have
any questions about what might be considered plagiarism, please ask your instructor, librarian, or writing lab
tutor.
Classroom conduct
Use of cell phones, I-pods, etc is strictly prohibited during class unless they are being used legitimately for
a class assignment. No text messaging during class! Phones should be turned OFF during the class period.
Improper use of electronic devices will lower your class participation grade or cause you to be marked
absent.
Students who are dressed in a distracting manner will be asked to leave class and be marked absent.
Assistance with course
This may be arranged either directly with the instructor, or through the Advisory Process
XI.
Faculty Biographical information
Ms. Julie Reimer has a Master of Arts in TESL from Inter American University of Puerto Rico. She
specializes in teaching academic writing and speaking and has taught in Japan, Latvia, the United
States, Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, Guinea, and Cǒte d’Ivoire. She began working at IUGB in 2008 and is
currently the director of UPP.
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