Syllabus 0349
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| Course Description |
| English 0349: Advanced Composition for Foreign Speakers
Credit: 3 (3 lecture, 2 lab) |
| Prerequisites |
| A satisfactory score on CELSA or completion of ENGL 0347 with a "C" or better grade. |
| ENGL 0349 is the most advanced composition course offered by the Academic ESL (AESL) discipline. Students at this level are taking college classes. They have already been exposed to the grammar they need to know and should already have a strong foundation in essay organization. In this course, students learn and practice the types of writing they will do in their college courses, thus, the interdisciplinary nature of the text and curriculum. Students read authentic college textbook material and learn to respond appropriately to writing assignments in the social sciences, life sciences, and humanities. |
| Instructor Information |
| Provided by the instructor at the begining of the semester. |
| Textbook Information |
| New Directions, by Peter Gardner, second ed. (Required) Better Writing Through Editing, by Jan Peterson and Stacy Hager (Optional) a collegiate dictionary (required) |
| Lab Requirements (if any) |
| Two of the five instructional hours per week are lab hours, so called because this time is to be used for practice rather than instruction. These hours are typically spent on interactive, writing activities in the classroom. In addition, a Learning Assistance Center (LAC) or computer lab is available at campuses where AESL is offered. Instructors schedule time for a student orientation to the software designed for individualized tutorials. In addition, ENGL 0349 students generally spend a substantial amount of time learning to do research online in the lab. Some teachers take their classes to the LAC several times during the semester, but the lab is more widely used by students outside of class time. |
| Students with Disabilities |
| Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disabilities Services Office at the respective college at the beginning of the semester. |
| Academic Honesty |
| Houston Community College defines "scholastic dishonesty" as: cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. Penalties for academic dishonesty at HCCS include, but are not limited to: a "0" on that test or assignment, a "W" in the course, or an "F" in the course. |
| Attendance and Withdrawal Policies |
| Students are required to attend classes regularly. However, they may miss up to 12.5% of class time if necessary. In ENGL 0347, no more than ten hours of absence are permitted. If students miss more than ten hours, the instructor may drop them and record a W as a final grade. |
| Course Requirements and Grading Policy |
| By the end of the semester, the student who passes with a final grade of ÒCÓ or better will have demonstrated: The ability to respond appropriately to a variety of college writing assignments The ability to plan, draft, and revise 500-700 word academic essays using a variety of rhetorical strategies The ability to recognize and appropriately address the audience and purpose for a writing topic The ability to recognize the vocabulary of a particular field The ability to paraphrase and summarize The ability to work well collaboratively toward completing a writing assignment (when included in the course syllabus) The ability to write a short research paper (when included in the course syllabus) |
| Testing |
| A diagnostic composition given at the beginning of the semester confirms students' placement into ENGL 0349. In addition, students are tested periodically on vocabulary from the textbook. At least 4 major quizzes are recommended. Other quizzes may be given to determine the student's understanding of the reading selections, concepts, and skills presented in the class. In addition to periodic vocab tests, this course has an impromptu midterm that is usually modeled after the THEA, i.e. on an argumentative comp topic. The midterm gives the students a preview of the final exam and enables the instructor to gauge the progress made and skills to be reinforced before the end of the semester. Typically, the final exam is also a persuasive or argumentative essay assignment based on the readings in the text. |
| Make-up policy |
| The make-up policy is determined by the instructor and included in the instructor's syllabus. |
| Projects, Assignments, Portfolios, Service Learning, Internships, etc. |
| An instructor may choose to include projects or special assignments to reinforce the material covered in class. |
| Course Content |
| ENGL 0349 does not include explicit instruction of grammar or the writing process because these skills are learned at the lower levels of AESL; therefore, the curriculum focuses on the following: Extensive practice with editing skills Understanding reading material across the disciplines Writing compositions across the disciplines Taking essay tests Introduction to using primary sources Summarizing, paraphrasing primary sources Vocabulary development (May include) a collaborative writing assignment and/or a short research paper Orientation to Internet research |
| Course Calendar with Reading Assignments |
| The 0349 instructor generally chooses one of the following calendar options and organizes a syllabus with reading and writing assignments according to the needs of the class; therefore, the calendars below may be revised by the instructor:
Standard Calendar 55%, 7 Major Papers Alternate Calendar I 50%, 6 Major Papers
40%, 6 Major Papers |
| Other Student Information (clubs, tutoring, web resources, etc.) |
| Tutoring is available for ESL students at each instructional site where Academic English as a Second Language is offered. Additional online resources for ESL students can be located through links found on the following HCCS departmental home pages: Central: http://ccollege.hccs.edu/instru/esl/eslcentral.html |
