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Course Syllabus: Spring 2011 English 0349 CRN No. 69830

Instructor: C. Boykin McKelvy Time: 12:00 to 2:00 Room No. W124 Scarcella Bldg., Stafford
Office hours: By appointment Email: charlotte.mckelvy@hccs.edu OR caboykin@sbcglobal.net

Texts and Supplies:

New Directions, Second Edition, by Peter S. Gardner (required)
http://www.mywritinglab.com Register online (with credit card or with Visa, Mastercard or American Express
cash card). Cost will be $25.00.
English/English dictionary (no electronic or bi-lingual dictionaries)
Loose-leaf notebook paper blue or black and red pens
One manila folder for a composition portfolio An email address
Two Examination Book (“Blue Book” mid-term and final essay) A one and a half-inch ring binder
6 Scantrons: Green with abc answer blanks Stapler

Course Goals
English 0349 helps ESL students prepare for American core academic college courses. Students learn
composition (comp) skills for writing in a variety of academic classes, such as in the humanities, social
sciences, and business. ENGL 0349 is the exit-level comp class for non-native speakers who plan to continue
their education and earn a college degree. After passing this course, students should be ready to take ENGL
1301, freshman comp, and to successfully complete any state-mandated writing assessment designed to measure
college readiness, such as THEA.
Specific course objectives include:
• read, comprehend, and be able to discuss academic texts
• write well-written 500-1000 word essays in response to those texts
• use of a variety of rhetorical strategies (exemplification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, argumentative)
to develop a thesis
• apply critical thinking skills in writing
• edit comps for accurate grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• work collaboratively to complete the writing process (for one comp)
• expand vocabulary
• recognize the author’s tone in writing
• demonstrate ability to paraphrase and summarize
• use accurate MLA style guidelines to cite sources
• demonstrate ability to address a wide variety of writing tasks (journals, essays, short-answer and test
questions, e-mail)

Compositions/Papers
Students will write 4 compositions (comps), a midterm, and a final exam. Much of the class time is arranged as
a writing workshop in which students discuss ideas for writing, pre-write, draft, edit, and revise their work with
assistance from classmates and the instructor. One or two drafts may be written before the final draft. Only the
final draft is graded, and students do not revise further after turning in a composition for a grade. All parts of
the comp process are kept in a manila folder, called a portfolio, and turned in with the final draft. Unless
otherwise directed, students must type or word-process each final draft (except for the midterm and final exam)
in 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and identify their work in the following manner:
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First and Last Name

Instructor: Boykin-McKelvy
Date
Assignment ID, i. e. Diag. Comp.English 0349

Coming to a New Land (or whatever your title is)

Indent for the first and all paragraphs and double space. ----------------------------------------------------

Don’t skip extra spaces for new paragraph.

Journals
Students have the journal assignments on their syllabus. Some will be written in class. NO LATE JOURNAL
ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Topics for journals may range from your responses to reading
assignments. Length will vary. You must make sure that I understand which topic you have chosen by
paraphrasing the topic in the topic sentence of your journal response. Also, identify the Journal No. in the
assignment i.d. of your heading. Keep your journals in a folder to be turned in when requested and at the end of
the semester.
Examples:
Journal # 2: In order to avoid intercultural misunderstandings, a visitor to (X
country) should know that…
Journal # 4: I agree (or I disagree) that students who are accused of plagiarism should get an F for the
assignments

Homework
Homework assignments will generally be related to writing and research skills, as well as reading assignments.
They will be due on the due date of the assignment. Many homework assignments will be on My Writing Lab.
NO LATE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Quizzes
Quizzes generally cover the material from the reading assignments and vocabulary. These reading
comprehension quizzes are unannounced. Therefore, students should be prepared for a quiz on every reading on
the course calendar whether or not they are leading a small discussion group.

Midterm and Final Exams

The midterm and final exams consist of impromptu essay topics based on the reading assignments in New
Directions. These essays will have a persuasive purpose and are used, along with the other work done in this
class, to determine whether or not a student is ready to succeed in college credit classes. A student who has a
passing class average but who does not pass the midterm and the final exam with a 70% or higher grade will
have his/her portfolio reviewed by the Asst. Department Chair for Academic ESL.
The final objective exam consists of grammar and writing skills. A scantron will be needed.
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Texas Public Universities, Placement Rules
Beginning in the Fall 2003, the Texas legislature instituted new rules for developmental students called the
Texas Success Initiative (TSI). Under TSI rules, most new students must be tested for placement (with THEA,
ASSET or COMPASS) and placed into developmental courses if they do not score high enough to demonstrate
college readiness. Successful completion of developmental coursework, ENGL 0349 and GUST 0342 (or an
appropriate test score), enables students to advance to ENGL 1301.
Classroom Policies
Students are expected to arrive on time to class. If a student returns from a break, leaves early, or falls asleep in
class, the instructor will mark that person absent for the time he or she has missed. When students are absent on
the day of a composition assignment, they must come to the next class prepared to make up the work. A final
comr that is turned in past the due date will be lowered by 10 points for each class day that it is late. There are
no make-up tests or quizzes, but I will drop the lowest test/quiz grade for each student at the end of the
semester. All cell phones and electronic devices must be turned off when the class is in session. A student who
uses a cell phone during class will be asked to leave and marked absent for the remainder of class that day.

College Grading System

Students may earn an A, B, C, F, or IP in this class. IP means “In Progress” and is given to the student who
makes a good-faith effort to complete the work of the class but is not ready to advance to the next level and
could benefit from another semester in 0349. If a student receives an IP, ENGL 0349 must be repeated.
However, if the student is repeating 0349 for the second time and not passing, the final grade will be F.
The W grade is given to the student who exceeds the allotted number of absences (10 hours) before the last day
for Administrative Withdrawals. An F is given to students who do not make a good-faith effort to successfully
complete work in the class and/or who stop attending after the last day to withdraw, and to those who take 0349
for the second time but fail it. Students are responsible for completing the process to drop a class if they wish to
stop attending. See the “Last Day to Withdraw” date in the HCCS Schedule of Classes.

Tutoring and the Language Assistance Center (LAC)

You are encouraged to take advantage of the student services at your campus. Tutors are available to assist you
with any reading/writing assignments that you need help with. You may make an appointment in advance or
drop in (if no one has an appointment when you arrive). Prepare yourself before you see a tutor to ask specific
questions in order to use your time together well. Reminder: the tutor is not your editor and will not write
papers for you.

Each campus has an LAC where you can use a computer to work on grammar software, online resources, and
word processing. No appointment is needed to use an LAC; however, if a teacher schedules a class there while
you are visiting the lab, you might be asked to leave. NOTE: Students must pay for all copies printed in the
LAC. Lab aides manage the labs and are there to assist you with technical questions about the computers.

English 0349 Grading Formula

The final grade is calculated as follows:
Comps 1 & 2 20% Journal and Classwork 10%
Comps 3, 4, 30% Homework, Quizzes 10%
Midterm Essay. 15%
Final Exam 15%

College Grading Scale

90—100 A 70—19 C
80—89 B 60—69 IP or F
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Academic Dishonesty
Students are expected to do their own work. The instructor can not help a student unless he
or she knows who is authoring the assignments. Copying another person’s words without
giving credit to the source is considered cheating and called “plagiarism.” All other forms of
cheating as defined by the Student Handbook are penalized as plagiarism: a grade of 0 is
recorded for all forms of academic dishonesty that appear in ANY of the work done in this
class.
Department and College Policies
Contained in the following addendum:
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ENGL 0349
Calendar: SPRING 2010
THIS CALENDAR IS SUBJECT TO REVISION
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Classes begin Jan. 18
Last day for drop/add/swap Jan. 19
Official Date of Record Jan. 31
Presidents’ Day holiday Feb. 21
Spring Break Mar. 14-20
Last day to withdraw Apr. 14 (4:30 p.m.)
Easter holiday April 22-24
Instruction ends May 8
Final exams May 9-15

NOTE: Some JOURNALS AND ALL FIRST DRAFT COMPOSITIONS WILL BE WRITTEN IN
CLASS. EXPECT QUIZZES ON ANY READING ASSIGNMENT.
GO TO A TUTOR WITH YOUR FIRST DRAFT OF COMPOSITIONS AND BEFORE
TURNING IN YOUR FINAL TYPED COMPOSITION. A SIGNATURE FROM THE TUTOR
IS REQUIRED. ALL HANDOUTS WILL BE SENT BY EMAIL SO YOU MUST REGISTER.

New Directions Unit 1 --- Intercultural Communication

Classwork and Homework
WEEK 1
TUES. JAN. 18 Sign in to class (Sign-in sheet)
Fill out Retention form.
Fill out Student Information Form
Diagnostic Writing
Homework: Journal # 1: Establish e-mail contact; introduce yourself

THUR JAN. 20 Diagnostic Objective Test (Bring a scantron).

Assignment:
American Values and Assumptions pp. 4 – 13;
Homework: p. 16 (Vocab in Context)
WEEK 2
TUES. JAN. 25 Students Choice Readings
Where Do We Stand pp. 18 - 22
OR
Time Talks with an Accent pp. 27 – 31
Journal No, 2: p. 13, New Directions, “Reading Journal” No. 1, 2 or 3.
Write at least 300 words.

THUR. JAN 27 Computer Lab:

Bring credit or cash card (Mastercard, American Express, Visa) for
My Writing Lab fee of $25.00.
REGISTER FOR MY WRITING LAB.
Web address: http://www.mywritinglab.com
GET COURSE I.D. FROM INSTRUCTOR.
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Class Readings and Homework

WEEK 3
TUES. FEB. 1 Polite but Thirsty, pp. 36 – 39 (Chinese)
OR
Friends and Strangers, pp 40- 43 (Arabic)
OR
A Coward pp. 44 – 51 (Indian)
Journal No. 3: Read the “Stages of Cultural Adjustment,” p. 38 and identify
the stage that you are in now. Which previous stage was hard for you?
Explain.
Complete My Writing Lab: “Grammar Practice for ESL Students”
Diagnostic Pre-tests.

THURS. FEB. 3 First, review pages 102–132.

Main Composition No. 1: See instructor’s handout for the assignment.
Complete My Writing Lab: “Grammar Practice for ESL Students”: Nouns
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New Directions—Unit 2: EDUCATION

Class Readings and Homework

WEEK 4
TUES. FEB. 8 First, review page x (Journal Writing). Write your Journal No. 4l assignment from one
of the readings below :
“School is Bad for Children” (pages 58-63)
or “How the Web Destroys” (pages 67–72)
Homework: Select either of the Vocabulary in Context exercises from these two
readings
Complete My Writing Lab: “Grammar Practice for ESL Students” Articles /Verbs

THUR. FEB. 10 Due: Typed copy of Comp. 1 (double space, Times New Roman 12 pt.)
Write in class Comp. 1.
WEEK 5
MON. FEB. 14: PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY - NO CLASSES

TUES. FEB. 15 Select one Student’s Choice Reading

Multiple Intelligences .(pages 77–83)
OR The Teacher Who Changed My Life (pages 88–92)
OR Let’s Tell the Story of All America’s Cultures (pages 93–95)
Journal 5: Choose at least three of the following topics and write between 650 and 750
words (note computer word count at bottom of final page), with outline stapled on top of
your paper.
• Preliminary Questions (page 57)
• Reading Journal (page 63)
• Reading Journal (page 72)
• Reading Journal (page 83)
• Making Connections (page 87)
• Reading Journal (page 92)

Complete My Writing Lab, “Grammar Practice for ESL Students”

Modifiers/Pronouns

THUR. FEB. 17 Main Composition 2—In-class essay: Write between 450 and 500 words on a topic
related to this Unit.
Do Peer Review of Comp. 2.

Complete My Writing Lab, “Grammar Practice for ESL Students” Prepositions/

Sentence Structure.
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New Directions—Unit 3: TECHNOLOGY

Date Due Class Readings and Homework

WEEK 6
TUES. FEB. 22 Computers and the Pursuit of Happiness, pp. 137 - 144
AND
We’ve Got Mail – Always, pp. 149 – 154
HOMEWORK: Either of the Vocabulary in Context exercises related to
these two readings

THUR. FEB. 24 TYPED COPY OF COMP. 2 DUE (DOUBLE SPACE).

COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB, “Grammar for Writers” Subjects and Verbs/
Fragments.

WEEK 7
TUES. MAR. 1 All Watched Over by Machines. p. 182
Figures of Speech Lecture

THUR. MAR. 3 Students Shall Not Download. Yeah, Sure pp. 171 – 175
OR
Don’t Touch That Dial pp. 176 - 178
OR
Conceptual Fruit pp. 179 – 181

Writing with Sources Lecture

Journal 6–. This may be all about one of the following choices OR a combination of three or more:

 Any or all “Questions Raised in Chapter 3”, p. 135

 Reading Journal, p. 144
 Reading Journal, p. 154
 Making Connections, p. 170
 After You Read, p. 175
 After You Read. P. 178

WEEK 8
TUES. MAR. 8 COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: ““Grammar for Writers” Run-ons
and Regular and Irregular Verbs

Rough Draft of Essay Three (IN CLASS) and Peer Review (IN CLASS),
based on #1,2,3, or 4 p. 185

THURS. MAR. 10 COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”:

Verb Tense and Subject-Verb Agreement.

MAR. 14-20: SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES

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New Directions—Unit 4: GENDER ROLES

Date Due Readings and Homework

WEEK 9
TUES.. MAR. 22 MIDTERM ESSAY (IN CLASS) BRING BLUEBOOK.
*Sex Roles (pages 189–195)
Homework: Main Ideas (page 195) AND Vocabulary in Context (page 198)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Consistent
Verb Tense and Active Voice

THUR. MAR. 24 The Greater God (pages 233–234)

*Boys Will Be Boys (pages 201–206)
The Gender of Computers (page 235)
Homework: Vocabulary: Related Sets of Words (page 208) AND
Vocabulary in Context (page 209)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Pronoun Case
and Pronoun Reference.
WEEK 10
TUES. MAR. 29 TYPED COPY (double spaced) OF ESSAY NO. 3 DUE
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Pronoun
Agreement and Adjectives

THURS. MAR. 31 Sex, Sighs, and Conversation: Why Men and Women Can’t Communicate (pages 211–
213)
Summarizing and Paraphrasing Notes Lecture
(page 127, pages 196–197, and pages 214–215)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Adverbs and
Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers.

WEEK 11
TUES. APR. 5 The Androgynous Male (pages 223–226)
Women Have What It Takes (pages 219–222)
The Princess and the Admiral (pages 227–232)
Journal 7: Choose one of the following topics. Any Questions Raised in Chapter Four,
or any Brief Quotations (page 187)
• Reading Journal, # 1 (page 195)
• Reflecting on Content, # 3 (page 196)
• Making Connections, # 1 or # 2 or # 3 or # 4 or # 5 (page 218)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Final
punctuation and commas.

THURS. APR. 7 Composition # 4—In-class draft and peer review: Write between
500 AND 750 words on the following gender roles topic quoted from page 213.
“Generalizing about groups of people makes many of us nervous. We like to think of
ourselves as unique individuals, not representatives of stereotypes. But it is more
dangerous to ignore patterns than to articulate them.” Refer not only to the essay
including this quotation, but also to other essays in the Unit—particularly those listed
above with an asterisk
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New Directions—Unit 5: WORK

Date Due Readings and Homework

WEEK 12
TUES. APR. 12 The New American Dreamers (pages 241–245)
Someone Is Stealing Your Life (pages 251–255)
Homework: Vocabulary in Context (page 248) or
Vocabulary in Context (page 257)
Guidelines for research documentation (in class)
Begin research for Research Composition # 5
(any topic on page 286)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS: Apostrophes
and Quotation Marks.

THUR. APR. 14 Composition # 4—Submit final draft typed and double-spaced.

Our Schedules, Our Selves (page 266)
Homework: Vocabulary in Context (page 209)
The Rage to Know (pages 269–273)
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS: Semicolons,
Colons, Dashes and Parentheses

WEEK 13
TUES. APR. 19 COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Abbreviations
and Numbers.

THUR. APR. 21 Los Pobres (pages 274–277)

Action Will Be Taken: An Action–packed Story (pages 278–282)
To Be of Use (page 283)
The Purpose of Work (pages 284–28
Journal 8 : Choose one of the following topics: Questions Raised in Chapter Five, # 5
(page 239)
• “Many Americans . . . have a fundamentally optimistic attitude toward the future.
Historically, Americans have believed that progress is likely, even inevitable, and that
they have the ability to control their own destinies. . . .” (page 244)
• “Keeping in mind that our days expand and contract according to their own
patterns is perhaps the best way to keep time on your side.” (page 263)

APR. 22-24: SCHOOL CLOSED. EASTER HOLIDAY.

WEEK 14
TUES. APR. 26 Bring all returned and graded compositions and journals to class.
` Do an in-class self-assessment of writing problems. Use form provided.
Do an in-class assessment of another student’s writing problems. Use form.
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Varying
Sentence Structure, Parallelism.

THUR. APR. 28 Review for final exam.

COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”: Combining
Sentences and Standard vs. Non-Standard English
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WEEK 15
TUES. MAY 3 Review for final exam.
COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS” Easily
Confused Words and Spelling

THUR. MAY 5 FINAL ESSAY EXAM

COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”:
DIAGNOSTIC POST TESTS: 1, 2

WEEK 16
MAY 9-15: FINAL EXAMS FOR ALL HCC CLASSES

TUES. MAY 10: (NO CLASS) COMPLETE MY WRITING LAB: “GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS”
Diagnostic Post Tests 3 and 4.

THUR. MAY 12: FINAL OBJECTIVE EXAM FOR ENG. 0349 (REGULAR CLASS TIME):
Bring a green scantron with a., b., c., d., e. answer blanks.

Websites for English 0349 extra practice and Final Review for Objective Final Exam:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/sequence.htm (chart of verb tenses)
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/verbtense.html verb practice test
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/transitions.htm (transition words)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_overvw.html (punctuation)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html (comma rules)
http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm (transition words, a second site)
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/definitions.htm (parts of speech definitions)
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English as a Second Language—Resources

Common Errors in English (www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/index.html). This site, developed by Paul

Brians, Professor of English at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, simply and entertainingly
explains a number of common spelling and usage errors in English.

Dave’s ESL Cafe on the Web (www.eslcafe.com/). ESL students and teachers can select from a variety of
activities, including an interactive quiz and help with questions, and links to other ESL information.

English as a Second Language (academic.cuesta.cc.ca.us/ahalderma/ESL.htm). Designed by Anthony

Halderman of Cuesta College, this site provides students and teachers with useful information, lessons,
exercises, games, and other resources.

English Forum (www.englishforum.com/00/). This comprehensive site includes a variety of resources for ESL
students and teachers, including Interactive Exercises.

English Grammar Online (www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm). Send in your English grammar

question and a professional teacher will answer it.

EnglishLearner.Com (www.englishlearner.com/). Interactive practice for learners of English includes tests and
quizzes.

Grammar Bytes! (www.chompchomp.com/). This site, a grammar review by Robin Simmons, contains
explanations, handouts for students and teachers, and interactive exercises.

Interesting Things for ESL Students (www.manythings.org/). The site includes quizzes, word games, word
puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, and a random–sentence generator.

Learning English on the Web (www.rong-chang.com/). Listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities are
included at this site, a starting point for ESL learners who want to learn English through the World Wide Web.

Self-study Quizzes for ESL Students (a4esl.org/q/h/). This site, featuring multiple choice, true or false, and fill
in the blank type quizzes, provides immediate feedback.

http://citationmachine.net This site is excellent if you have to document sources for any assignments you have.
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Academic ESL Program
Syllabus Statement Policy Addendum
Spring 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses excessively. For example,
if you repeat the same course more than twice, you have to pay extra tuition. In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting
students to no more than six total course withdrawals throughout their academic career while obtaining a baccalaureate (BA) degree.
To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by which your instructor
will inform you and HCC Student Services of the chance you might fail a class because of excessive absences and/or poor academic
performance. You should visit an HCC counselor or Online Student Services to learn about what, if any, interventions might be
offered by HCC to assist you. You must visit with a counselor prior to withdrawing from a class on or before the last day to withdraw
in order to receive a W on your transcript.

Developmental Courses and ENGL 1301: Students taking developmental English and reading courses to meet state and institutional
requirements must complete GUST 0342 and ENGL 0310 (or ENGL 0349 for non-native speakers) before taking ENGL 1301.

Grades – IP & W: Students taking developmental courses may only receive an In Progress or IP grade one time for each course. The
instructor’s official class roll indicates with an asterisk next to the student’s name when a student is repeating a course. The student
must receive a letter grade after the second attempt (A, B, C, or F). F-1 students are subject to the same attendance and grading
policies as all other students. F-1 students will be dropped for excessive absences and receive W.

Grade Reports: HCCS does not mail out grade reports. Students will get their grades online at the following Internet address
(www.hccs.edu). Students who require a paper or hard copy of their grades must obtain an unofficial transcript from the Records and
Admissions Office of their campus/college.

Attendance Policy: Although it is the responsibility of the student to drop a course for non-attendance, the instructor has full authority
to drop a student for excessive absences of more than 12.5% of the hours of instruction (including lecture and laboratory time). Texas
State Law requires students to complete 87.5% of hours of instruction in order to receive a grade. If students drop/are dropped from
developmental studies while they are taking college-level courses, they will also be dropped from those college-level courses.

American Disabilities Act and ADA Compliance: HCCS is compliant with the ADA and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
“Any student with a documented disability (e. g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange
reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Service Office at the respective college at the beginning of each
semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office.”
The Disability Services Office number for Southwest College is 713-718-7910. Dr. Becky Hauri is the ADA contact
counselor.

Sexual Harassment: It is a violation of HCCS policy for an employee, agent, or student of the college to engage in sexual harassment
as defined in the EEOC guidelines (EEO/AA Compliance Handbook 47).

Tuition Payment: Students who use the installment plan or receive financial aid are responsible for making sure all of their fees are
paid. Students will be dropped for non-payment of tuition. The cost for reinstatement is $75.

On-Line Tutoring: HCCS now offers access to English tutors on-line. All HCCS students can take advantage of this service by
logging on to www.askonline.net and by using their e-mail account. Papers for
most HCC classes can be submitted for advice with a short turnaround time. See the askonline homepage.