Welcome to ESL 273!

PREREQUISITES:
English Writing 200 and Reading 200 (or Language Arts 200), or English as a Second Language 261, 262 and 263 with a grade of C or better; or qualifying score on the English as a Second Language placement test.

COREQUISITES:
ESL 273 students must also enroll in ESL 226 (Practice in Essay Writing). ESL 274 is highly recommended.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
ESL 273 is designed to help the non-native English speaker develop the writing skills necessary to succeed in an academic environment. Although primarily a writing course, ESL 273 combines activities and lessons in reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar.  This advanced level course moves from a review of the principles of paragraph writing through the process of developing a well-organized and coherent multi-paragraph essay. By the end of the quarter, you should be able to:

a. Write analytical essays which demonstrate critical thinking and support ideas with evidence

b. Develop writing process skills including brainstorming, revising, and editing

c. Paraphrase, summarize and synthesize information from readings

d. Employ complex sentence structures, advanced vocabulary, and correct grammar and punctuation


REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Mirror on America: Short Essays and Images From Popular Culture (Joan T. Mims, Elizabeth M. Nollen)

A good monolingual dictionary and thesaurus, such as Longman Dictionary of American English, The Newbury House Dictionary of American English.  Thesaurus: Roget’s Thesaurus

Two pocket folders
8-1/2 x 11 white lined composition paper (for in-class writing)


COURSE CONTENT:

Reading:  You will be expected to read several essays on the given topic each week.  On average, you will need to plan for 1-2 hours of reading per class.  

Writing Assignments: You will be writing three take-home essays, which will go through a multiple-draft revision process. All drafts of all writing assignments done outside of the classroom must be typed and double-spaced. If you do not have a computer at home, there are computers on campus available for student use (see the last page of this syllabus for resources). Handwritten papers will not be accepted.  I do not accept late or incomplete work.  Please also note that I do not accept assignments via email. In the upper right hand corner, you should include your name, course title /instructor’s name, date, and the assignment # and draft #. When you turn in your work, the newest draft goes on top with previous drafts stapled behind it.  With your final draft, you will also include a reflective paragraph detailing what you have revised and what skills you have refined.

There will be two in-class writing essays. In-class essays cannot be made up, so do not be absent on days they are scheduled. Keep in mind that in order to pass the class, you must pass at least one of the in-class essays.

You should keep all homework, quizzes, and writing assignments in one of the required folders. Whenever you come to see about your work, you need to bring your folder with you.

Quizzes: There will be quizzes on the reading selections or writing material often (almost every week).  Each quiz is worth 5 points.  You cannot make up quizzes.

Reader’s Journal: You will be expected to keep an ongoing vocabulary and freewriting journal.  More to come on this assignment later on.

Group Project: As part of your final exam for ESL 273, you will complete a group project.  The group project asks you to examine one of the Unit Reading themes more closely.  More to come on this assignment later on.

ATTENDANCE:
This class is like a job: you must attend regularly, do your work, and participate actively.  Just like a job, you are allowed time off: three absences (excused or unexcused).  And just like a job, I am your manager and can “fire you” if attendance becomes a problem or other issues arise.  If you miss class more than three times, I will assume that you have withdrawn and give you a W.  3 tardies of more than 10 minutes (arriving late or leaving early) are equal to one absence.  If you are absent, do not contact me to see what you have missed.  You must arrange with other students to get copies of the homework you miss, and you are responsible for those assignments in the following class.  If you are absent the first two weeks of class and do not inform the instructor ahead of time, you may be dropped to allow another student on the wait list to be added.


HOMEWORK POLICY, LATE AND/OR INCOMPLETE WORK:
Homework will be assigned at each class meeting. All assigned work should be completed before the next class. Homework to be collected will be done so at the beginning of the class.  You are responsible for turning in all assignments--including essays--on time (even if you are absent). If you are absent, it is your responsibility to see that your work gets delivered to me before class.  I do not accept any assignments via email.   

Late and/or incomplete assignments cannot be turned in for credit.  Work is considered late and/or incomplete when:
•    It is partially finished upon the time of collection or discussion
•    You are working on it in class when I collect it  
•    You forget to bring your homework to class
•    Any other reason that prevents you from turning it in on time

Thus it seems advisable to complete your homework on time and come to class prepared.


CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Participating in class is important not only for your course grade, but also for your learning process.  Speaking up, expressing your opinion, and working with your classmates (in groups or in pairs) are all important factors of this class.  It is okay to share your opinion with me and with your classmates.  I realize that speaking up and participating in class is a new experience for a lot of you.  But please know that I really love it when students ask questions, participate, and tell me what they think!  You help your own understanding and you help your classmates.  If you remain passive in class, you will do poorly.  So take a deep breath and dive in!  ☺    

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:
Academic dishonesty and / or plagiarism is a form of cheating or fraud; it occurs when a student misrepresents the work of another as his or her own.  Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgement, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own, or allowing another student to copy from his/her work.  Any time you use a resource that is not your own you must cite your source.  Any assignment found to be plagiarized or completed by a person other than the student will be given an “F” grade.  Furthermore the student may be dropped from the class or fail the course.  All instances of academic dishonesty and / or plagiarism in ESL 273 will be reported to the appropriate college personnel.    

If you are not sure if you have paraphrased and / or cited material correctly, please come see me.  I will be more than happy to help you out.   


NOTE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY USE IN THE CLASSROOM:
I am a big fan of technology, and I’ve been labeled a tech-geek by friends and family.  Technology is great.  I have an iPhone.  I love it.  It’s practically my life.  But it doesn’t always belong in the classroom.  I turn off my iPhone when I enter the classroom to teach, so please turn off any electronic devices you own as well (cell phones, iPhones, iPods, Blackberries, Sidekicks, mp3 players, etc.).  If your cell phone rings in class, you will receive one warning and then you will lose 2 points from your final course grade. Likewise if I catch you texting, updating your Facebook / MySpace, checking your messages, emailing, downloading applications, (and so on and so forth) during class, I will subtract 2 points from your final grade.

Use of any electronic device that can connect to the Internet is prohibited in the classroom at all times.  Any student found to be using an Internet-capable device during quizzes, the midterm, and final will receive an automatic fail (“F”) for the assignment.

PORTFOLIO:
Your portfolio will include three essays: one in-class essay, one out-of-class essay (with drafts), and a reflective essay. If, by the end of the quarter, you have not earned a “C” or better on your coursework, or if you have not passed one of the in-class essays, you will not be able to pass the course, and you will not be able to turn in a portfolio. If, however, by the end of the quarter, you have a “C” in the class and have passed at least one in-class essay, you will be able to present your portfolio on the last Monday of the class (12/7). No late portfolios will be accepted. Please note that portfolios will not be returned.

GRADING POLICY AND PASSING THE CLASS:
Your final course grade will be determined by:

An average of a "C" or better on all assignments (essays, quizzes, homework), a passing score on at least one of the in-class essays, a passing score on your portfolio, and attendance / class participation.  All assignments will receive a letter grade and point value.  

  Essay 1                        20 points
  Essay 2                        25 points
  Essay 3                        30 points     
  Quizzes                       15 points (3 quizzes at 5 points each)
  In-Class Essays           60 points (2 essays at 30 points each)
  Group Project               25 points    
  Reader’s Journal          30 points    
  Class Participation       20 points
  Point Total                   225 points    

   
Grading Scale
Passing: 95-100 (A), 90-94 (A-), 87-89 (B+), 84-86 (B), 80-83 (B-), 76-79 (C+), 70-75 (C)
Not Passing: 0-69 (F/NC)


EXTRA CREDIT: Students co-enrolled in a 1/2 unit Academic Skills Course (Grammar, Reading, Writing, Spelling, or Vocabulary) may be eligible for extra credit in ESL 273.  More to come on this option later on.


CONTACTING YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
The best way to reach me is via email (see the email address posted on the first page of this syllabus).  However, please note that I only check my email Monday through Saturday, 9 AM—5 PM.  I will not answer emails received outside of these times.  You can leave me a voicemail message by calling the phone number listed on the first page of the syllabus.  However, I only check this voicemail every week when I’m on campus.  When in doubt, send an email.


RESOURCES:
De Anza has a great resources for students!

Computer Access / Printing: Library West Computer Lab (lower level of Learning Center West); Computer Access Lab (Advanced Technology Center, Room 203); LARTS Computer Labs (ATC 102, 103)

Tutoring: Individual and drop-in tutoring, all subjects.  Please see Tutorial Center Coordinator, Sandy Blackborow, in The Tutorial Center (L-47) to fill out a tutee application and immediately be placed with an individual or drop-in tutor.  Drop-in writing help: The Writing & Reading Center (WRC), ATC 309.

Academic Skills Courses: In addition to teaching in the ESL Department, I am an Instructor in the Academic Skills Center.  The Skills Center offers ½ unit, self-paced, individualized programs of instruction in Language Arts and Study Skills.  These independent study courses are a great way to brush up on or fine tune your reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, or study skills.  Each ½ unit course requires 12 hours of work over the duration of the quarter.  The 12 hours can be completed according to your own schedule, and in some cases, 6 of the 12 hours can be completed online from home.  If I see that you are struggling in any particular language area, I may recommend that you look into taking a Skills course.  If you have any questions about the Academic Skills Center, please come talk to me. (Please see “Extra Credit” section above for an extra credit option).
          
Listening & Speaking Lab: The LSL offers you the chance to practice, practice, practice your listening and speaking skills in a friendly, supportive, and comfortable environment.  Please see MaryAnne Ifft, LSL Coordinator, in ATC 304 for more information.  


A NOTE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
We will do a lot of reading, writing, and thinking in this class.    You can expect to work hard this quarter, but I promise you that your hard work will pay off and you will have fun in the process.  In this class we will work individually and in groups to improve our writing, reading, and language skills; we will also help each other out—there’s no competition in ESL 273.  I want everyone to feel comfortable sharing ideas in class; thus please respect your fellow classmates and treat each other how you wish to be treated yourself.  I am always available to discuss your progress in ESL 273.  I encourage you to come talk to me.  ☺