Enrollment Requirements:
This course is reserved for ESL students who have completely submitted their Junior Portfolio and received their results. The only exceptions to this policy include Exchange Students and Graduate Students. If you have not completed the submission process of your Junior Portfolio, you are not eligible to take this class. You will have to drop this class and discuss your case with your academic advisor.
All students of English 303 are required to read this syllabus, ask questions, and sign the online course policies agreement located at www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL. Click on “Services for Students,” then on “ESL Program Policies, and then on “General ESL Policies.” In order to take this course, you are required to read these policies carefully, sign your name (electronically) at the bottom of the policies, and fill in your E-mail address. Clicking “Submit” will create a permanent record testifying that you have read the policies and comprehend their implications. Do not sign and submit until you have clarified all uncertainties with me. This is a contract between you and me, and between you and the ESL program. All students need to have signed and submitted this contract by Wednesday, May 9. top
Required Texts:
Kurlansky, Mark. Salt: A World History. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.
Keene, Michael L., and Katherine H. Adams. Easy Access. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1996-2006.
Longman Advanced American Dictionary (including CD-ROM). Essex: Pearson Education Ltd., 2000-2005.
A note on the textbooks: You need to have the Longman Dictionary; we will be working with it in and out of class. No other dictionary will work. All books are available at Crimson & Gray on Bishop Boulevard. top
Course Description:
As the enrollment requirements above specify, this course is designed specifically for ESL students. It is designed to provide ESL students with assistance in their academic writing and to prepare them for professional discourse communities.
For us, this means that our primary goal this semester will be to improve your written skills as well as your ability to read and comment critically, confidently, and competently on other people’s writing. Much of our work in this class will take place within this classroom, the Avery Microcomputer Lab (AML), and, most importantly, during class time. Learning, in other words, will be a collaborative effort this semester, and since the summer is short, your will need to collaborate from day one.
Throughout the semester, I need you to remember that English 303 is a revision workshop. This means that everything you write in this course is subject to revision. This does not mean, however, that you should hand in superficially edited or incomplete work, since you know that the grade you will receive is not final. Rather, revision means that you will always be given an opportunity to improve and add to whatever you hand in to me. But to effect a change of grade, revision must be substantial and go beyond sentence level corrections.
The writing that you will produce for English 303 will take three forms: 1) you will respond in- and out-of-class to the book we are reading this summer, Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History; 2) you will keep a newspaper journal, to which you will have to add two entries per week; and 3) you will write a 8-10 page term paper that involves substantial library research.
Four of your assignments—in and out-of-class—can be part of your 303 portfolio. The 303 portfolio will consist of 4 papers of your choice that you have produced over the course of the semester and that you have revised to the best of your abilities for a change of grade. The term paper cannot be part of the portfolio; it is the only paper that you will not be able to revise this semester. top
Course Objectives:
We will spend time on class discussions and activities that will aid you in comprehending and responding to academic writing, focusing on the significance—in this classroom and beyond—of strong written and analytical skills. At the end of this course you should be able to:
- Express your ideas, opinions, and reflections coherently in writing.
- Use your own words or correct quotations and documentation styles to avoid plagiarism.
- Read university-level prose.
- Write clearly organized academic research papers.
- Write clearly in class.
- Edit your work using all available reference tools—including Easy Access and the dictionary.
- Do library research, incorporate it into your own work, and document it correctly. top
Course Policies:
Please read these course guidelines and policies carefully. If there is anything here that causes you uncertainty or anxiety, please let me know. I am here to help, and it is important to me that you understand what is expected of you. The summer goes by fast, and six weeks are not enough time to indulge in confusion and await gradual enlightenment. And remember, you need to sign the ESL contract by 5-9, a contract in which you claim that you comprehend and agree to the terms outlined in this syllabus and on the ESL Website. Before you do so, you need to know that:
- All reading and writing assignments need to be completed before class and in preparation for class discussion. I expect you to be ready and willing to talk about what you did at home and brought to class with you. Active and willing participation accounts for 10% of your grade.
- Please note that timely attendance in class is a requirement for all students in English 303. Two late arrivals equal one absence. As a student, it is your job to attend classes. Show that you take your job seriously. Students with 3 absences will earn an F for the course. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- All assignments must be typed and proofread. I do not accept handwritten or sloppily composed work, I do not comment on late drafts, and I do not accept late submissions.Please plan accordingly. I trust that you will do your best to submit all work by the deadlines discussed, agreed upon and assigned in class, and outlined in the course schedule. It is your responsibility to stay in contact with me if you are experiencing difficulties completing work on time.
- All students need to provide me with a WSU E-mail address. This is an absolute necessity and my only way to get in touch with all of you at the same time. Please take care of this right away, as you are responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for class announcements. If you still do not have a WSU account by Wednesday, 5-9, you will be recorded as absent until you do. If you need help setting up the account, talk to the consultants in the Avery Microcomputer Lab (AML). Enrollment in 303 guarantees you access to the AML and support by qualified technicians. An orientation in the computer lab will take place during the first week of class, so you can familiarize yourself with the computers and meet the consultants.
- Plagiarism is not just grounds for failing this class; it is grounds for expulsion from the university. Please consult the section on academic dishonesty below. top
If you do not understand these policies, you must ask me for clarification now or stop by my office at your earliest convenience; your success in this class is dependent on your comprehension of them. By signing the ESL online contract and by staying in this class, you are showing your acceptance of and compliance with these guidelines.
About E-mail communications: I am happy to answer relevant questions and discuss literary and scholarly concerns via E-mail. I do expect, however, that all E-mails are written in a respectful and professional tone and that they are proofread before they are sent. Please not that I will not respond to unprofessional or sloppily composed E-mails, I will not answer questions that could have been answered had you been in class, and I cannot accept assignments or drafts via E-mail. Remember that this is a University-level English class—your commitment to the course and your command of professional language needs to reflect that. If you have questions about days you missed and work that was assigned on those days, talk to your classmates. There is a space provided below where you can record the names and contact information of a few reliable peers. top
Absences:
Students who miss more than 3 days of class cannot pass English 303. Excused absences are still absences.
You are responsible for finding out what you miss on days you are absent. Please gather the names, phone numbers, and E-mail addresses of at least two other students you can contact to find out what happened in class on the day you were absent. Record this information below. You will also need the names of your classmates for your revision workshops, so you might as well take care of this now and get their information. top
Name: _____________________ Name: ____________________ Name: _____________________
Phone: ____________________ Phone: ____________________ Phone: ____________________
E-mail: ______________________ E-mail: _____________________ E-mail:_____________________
Written Assignments, Workshops, and Tests: You are welcome and encouraged to submit all writing, including your term paper, on recycled paper. If there is writing on the opposite side of your original essay, please mark an X through it. top
- Online Grammar Workshops:
You are expected to do 3 online grammar workshops. If you fail to do one of these workshops, your grade in this class will be lowered one full grade. If you fail to do two or more, you will fail the class. In other words, you need to do all 3 workshops, regardless of whether you have previously attended them in another class. They are part of the grading criteria for this course. You have to do them. The online workshops will account for a total of 10% of you final grade for this course. top
Daily Quizzes:
Almost daily, there will be unannounced quizzes, usually given at the very beginning of the class. These tests might cover grammar or questions relating to class lectures or literary discussions. As they will occur during the first ten minutes of class, your timely attendance is a must. You cannot make up these tests, and you will not be allowed to take them if you walk into class late. The quizzes will account for a total of 20% of you final grade for this course. top
Written responses and Journal Entries:
You will be asked to respond not only to assigned class reading, but also to your own and your peers’ writing in this course. Often, this writing will take place in class; occasionally, it will be a homework assignment. In both cases, your responses will take the form of short essays, in which you will react to a lecture, a text or a newspaper article that you have read in preparation for class discussion or a journal entry, or a student paper that you have been asked to comment on by a peer. Combined, your written responses and journal entries will account for 20% of your final grade for this course. top
Short Essays:
At the end of week 2 and 4, you will be asked to write an essay in class on the reading you have completed from Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History. You will be sufficiently prepared to write these essays and the essay questions will be handed out a day ahead of time, but all of the writing needs to take place in class and without a computer. These essays will each account for 10% of your grade for a total of 20% of your final grade for the course. top
Term Paper:
At the end of week 6, you will be asked to hand in a term paper. The paper needs to be 8-10 pages long, include at least 7 secondary sources (none of which can be websites that have not been approved by the instructor prior to inclusion in the paper), and analyze the cultural significance of a specific food for a culture of your choice. Most of the research for and the writing of this paper will take place in class, but not all of it. All writing outside of class needs to take place in “Google documents” and within a document to which I have been added as a collaborator. I will explain to you in class how that works and what that means. This paper will account for 20% of your final grade for this course. top
Participation:
Participation in class discussion is necessary and not synonymous with attendance. Being there will not be enough; you will need to take part in activities and discussions. Small group activities will drive all of our efforts in English 303 and help you lessen your anxiety speak up in class. Daily journal and discussion questions will assist you in your group work, enliven discussion, and encourage you to share your thoughts and findings with the rest of the class. Active class participation will account for 10% of your final grade. Inactive attendance will gain you a 0 percentage-wise. I have and will continue to fail students for a lack of class participation and/or preparedness of class discussion. I am here to help you, but you are responsible for your success in this class.
303 Portfolio:
The 303 Portfolio will consist of your revision projects and your term paper. The portfolio will allow you to revise 4 papers of your choice for a better grade. top
- The revision portfolio is optional. You may include 4 revisions of any graded work you have done for this course. You may continue to revise this work until the end of the semester and until you submit the 303 Portfolio. Your grade for any and all of these 4 assignments will be adjusted in case of significant revision and considerable improvement.
Campus Resources:
WritingCenter: The Writing Center is located on the third floor of the CUE. The Writing Center employs student tutors who will talk to you about your writing. The Writing Center is not a proofreading service—expect tutors to offer suggestions for the overall improvement of your paper; they will not (and, in fact, they are not allowed to) correct typos, and they will not revise papers for you. Be careful about what you ask them to do for you. Remember that collusion constitutes plagiarism and that plagiarism is grounds for both failing this course and expulsion from the university. You can access information about the Writing Center at www.wsu.edu/writingprograms. top
Holland and Terrell Libraries: You will become quite familiar with the library this semester as you conduct your research. The library catalog can be accessed at www.wsulibs.wsu.edu. Besides the WSU Griffin Catalog, notice in particular the Article Indexes/E- Journals subsection that is linked to the WSU Library Home Page; it contains many useful databases that you have free access to as a WSU student (such as Project Muse, JSTOR, and the MLA Bibliography). While many of the scholarly articles you will need for homework responses can be found in full-text versions online, you may opt to order some less easily available ones through Summit or ILLiad. Please be sure to conduct your research early, as document and book delivery may take up to one week. top
Disability Resource Center: If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Disability Resources Center (Administration Annex 206, phone: 335-1566). It is necessary for you to receive appropriate documentation so we can accommodate your needs in the classroom. top
My office, Avery 487: My door is always open. If you have questions about assignment instructions or expectations please come and see me. I can guarantee you that I will be in my office during my scheduled office hours (Thursdays 10 am-noon), but I am in my office or somewhere on the fourth floor quite a bit. Feel free to stop by. I usually leave a message revealing my whereabouts on my office door if I happen to be out for a few moments running errands. Check the white board next to the door; no message and a closed door means I am out for the day. top
My AOL E-mail Account: The best way to contact me outside of class is through E-mail. I check my E-mail account frequently, and both my home and my office computer are connected to the Internet at all times. I promise to try to get back to you within 24 hour of your message if at all possible. top
A Final Note on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is grounds for failing an assignment and the course. I make no exceptions and report all incidents. There is absolutely no leeway here! top
As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and
supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication. Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty. top
You are expected to provide evidence of significant invention and revision if requested to do so. I expect you to know and adhere to the rules of academic honesty as outlined in the WSU Student Handbook, WAC 540-25-015 Scholastic Dishonesty: “All incidents of plagiarism or collusion will result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course, and all incidents of plagiarism and collusion will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs for further university action. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is illegal and is not acceptable in this or any other class at Washington State University.” top
For your convenience these policies are available via the ESL Website at www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL. top
Grading:
This course is graded on a 1000 point scale. Your final grade is derived from the percentages awarded for completion of the individual assignment described above. The scale is provided here: |
