NC 545 Foundations of Communications

Summer 2014
Bernadette Stockwell

Office: To Be Determined Office Hours: Before and after class and by appointment
Email: bernadette_stockwell@uml.edu
Class information: Tuesday, Friday 11:00 12:50 PM Southwick 401

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will lay the foundation for successful professional and academic communication in oral and written
English. It will allow you to strengthen your ability to communicate effectively in a variety of academic and
professional settings. From perfecting note taking, oral presentation and comprehension skills to introducing
you to the principles of academic writing and critical reasoning, Foundations of Communications is designed to
build up your knowledge of and performance in the English language and ultimately prepare you for academic
success.

RATIONALE:

Students will work on the fundamental skills commonly required for successful graduate study in the United
States, with an emphasis on the core processing and production skills of English language communication:
reading, writing and speaking.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The objective of the course is to allow you to acquire the skills relevant to successful study at the graduate level
in the US, with an emphasis on developing your written and oral English.
1. Understand and perform within the academic norms of the US university environment.
2. Conform to the standards of academic integrity in US academic institutions.
3. Develop solid listening comprehension skills in order to process academic lectures, oral instructions and
other formal and informal oral communication in the academic environment.
4. Develop strong speaking skills in both formal and informal contexts (participation in discussions, group
work, individual oral presentations, etc.)
5. Expand mastery of the English lexicon (words) to include academically relevant vocabulary at the
graduate level.
6. Improve annotating, scanning and reading skills to ensure successful processing of academic material.
7. Build the foundation for writing skills in respect to accuracy, clarity and function as pertinent to
academic assignments.

REQUIRED READING:

This course requires the following textbook:

Language Power: Tutorials for Writers, (2014) Dana R. Ferris, Boston/ New York: Bedford/ St. Martins
Other readings will be provided by the instructor.

ORGANIZATION AND TEACHING STRATEGIES:

The main focus of the course are the lectures that address various elements involved in communication in
English: reading, writing and speaking.
The lectures are interactive to maximize learning. You are encouraged to participate through asking questions,
making comments and undertaking some short relevant exercises.

The workshops and tutorials are designed to enhance learning using more specific practical exercises. During
these sessions, you will be involved in both individual and group work.

REQUIREMENTS: EARNING GRADES, ATTENDANCE POLICY

1. Writing assignments: You will write two essays this class. (Type and length to be determined.) Papers
must be typed and in APA format, double spaces with 1 margin all around, Times New Roman font in
12 point size. Papers must be printed and handed in at the beginning of class on the day that they are
due. No exceptions. Papers cannot be submitted electronically.
a. Assignment sheet: Each topic, the writing prompt and the specific requirement and rubric for
each assignment will be contained in the assignment sheet.
b. Improvement: Your second writing assignment will be evaluated on the basis of
improvementhow much you have been able to address writing issues identified in the first
paper.
2. Quizzes: There will be approximately 10 announced quizzes in this class. They will cover grammatical
and/ or vocabulary material, as well as other relevant skills presented in the course. Notice that there
will be NO make-up quizzes (unless you have a letter from the Dean of Students that documents an
emergency.)
3. Attendance and participation are mandatory: Please be punctual. Notice you may miss a quiz, which
is usually scheduled at the beginning of the class, due to lateness. For each unexcused absence*, you
will lose 5 points from your final grade (a total of 100 points possible, see Grading). I will start with the
attendance grade (10%) but will subtract the rest from the remainder of your earned points. Failure to
attend class is not an excuse to come unprepared, so if you do miss a class, please make sure you check
the syllabus or contact your classmates to find out about material covered or work due. Students are
expected to attend class regularly and actively. Three or more unexcused absences will be cause for
failure. You should come to class fully prepared to discuss any readings or assignments for that day,
and should participate in all class discussions and activities, asking questions and making observations
as appropriate. Should you need to miss a class, you are responsible for all work covered in the class
session. Students should inform me in writing of days you must be absent, as early as possible.
Students must speak with me prior to scheduled class for an excused absence. Any absences without my
knowledge will result in a deduction of 2 points for each session missed.
4. Oral presentations: Presenting your ideas in a concise, clear and convincing manner is a skill that you
will need in any career field. To this end, you will be responsible for one formal presentation (around 15
minutes) that will take place in the second half of the semester.
5. Homework assignments: Make sure you do your homework as we go: it will help you master the
material and prepare for the more complex language skills that we have to cover next. Effort will be
central to the grade you receive. Late homework will NOT be accepted, unless it is caused by a
documented emergency.
COMMUNICATION:
Please make sure you check your university email regularly because I might need to make announcements. You
can also use email to ask questions and get help on your essays. Yet, please understand that I will not be able to
read through full drafts over email (for that, fell free to make an appointment during office hours).

USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCES

UML libraries: http://libweb.uml.edu/
Purdue Online Writing Lab (APA Guidelines):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Students with documented special needs are responsible for making their needs known to the instructor by the
end of the first week of class, or as documented. Students are responsible for seeking and arranging available
assistance from the Office of Student Disability Services, One University Ave., Cumnock Hall C6, 978-934-
4574, or by contacting Jody Goldstein via email at Jody_Goldstein@uml.edu.

PLAGIARISM POLICY:

We will work on proper citations format for a variety of secondary sources. Carefully review your Student Gide
on the university policies concerning academic honesty and integrity. More information can be found here:
http://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Graduate/Policies/Academic-Integrity.aspx .

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Sanctions may be imposed on any student
who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to
cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Plagiarism includes directly copying a source
without acknowledging that source, summarizing or paraphrasing someones ideas without acknowledging the
source, or submitting a paper that has been written by someone else. We will work this semester on recognizing
and avoiding plagiarism, and how to research and write responsibly. Students who accidentally lift wording or
ideas from texts will work with me extensively to avoid such unintentional plagiarism. For a first instance of
intentional academic dishonesty, the student will receive a zero on the assignment with no chance to make it up.
For any subsequent instances, the student will be given a course grade of FX (non-deletable failure).

GRADING:

Grades are given as Pass (P) or No Credit (NC)
A grade of NC will be given if a student has made no progress in the course as outlined below.
To achieve a Pass for the course, you must earn at least 80%.
Attendance * 10%
Participation 10%
(in class performance, peer editing, group work, etc.)
Homework assignments ** 20%
Quizzes 30%
Oral presentation 10%
Writing assignment 1 10%
Writing assignment 2 10%
MBA students must attain a score of 59 on the Pearson Test

LATE PAPERS:
If you are sick, or an emergency arises, make sure that you email me in advance of the due date and we will
work something out. I will accommodate serious medical or family emergencies, but documentation will
required. That said, however, an absence is not an excuse for a late paper OR a late rough draft. An unexcused
late paper will be penalized 3 points out of 100 for each work day that it is late. No paper will be accepted if it is
more than 10 business days late. Failure to submit an assignment earns a grade of 0 points.
USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES:
Laptops are only allowed for note-taking and web-enhanced learning purposes (i.e. consulting online
dictionaries, browsing the databases for an in-class assignment, etc.) While I will not continuously check on
you, it is to your benefit to refrain from other web surfing during class. Traditionally, I have noticed that
students who focus on their laptops during class tend to do poorly on assignments because they are unable to
fully grasp requirements verbally discussed during class.

TUTORING: (The Write Place)
You can get help at each and every stage of the writing process. UMass Lowells well-prepared, specially
trained peer tutors can provide one-on-one assistance on your papers. They do not proofread or write sections
for you, but they can guide you and help you improve your writing.
A list of tutor locations will be provided.
SCHEDULE:
This is a communications skills course and thus I need to make changes to be able to best meet your learning
needs. Publishing a schedule has previously resulted in a lot of changes and confusion.
During class meetings, I will assign work and post message on my class web site-
www.profstockwell.weebly.com to keep you informed about what to cover and what we will work on next.