ELMS 110 Syllabus

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY, EMLS 110 Spring 2018 Section: 45610 Date and Time: Tuesday and Thursday 8 – 10:05am Room: D-107 Instructor:  Jim Beasley                                                   E-mail:  beasley_james@sac.edu Office Hours: after class or by appointment

Santa Ana College Mission Statement

Santa Ana College inspires, transforms, and empowers a diverse community of learners.

Santa Ana College EMLS Department Mission Statement

Students who complete the English for Multilingual Students program will demonstrate effective academic writing skills in terms of fluency and critical thinking and reading skills.

Course Objectives

1. Write five major class writings (including two essays).
2. Use the Lab to complete 4 Directive Learning Activities (DLA) Due May 24
3. Final Exam which will be an in-class essay (Thursday, May 31)

 

Learning Outcomes

 

Students who successfully complete EMLS 110 can expect

 

• To demonstrate competency in the use of specific rhetorical patterns and logical patterns of development in well-organized paragraphs
• To summarize and paraphrase effectively
• To develop increased grammatical accuracy to convey clear meaning in writing

Textbook and Materials

 

Our text books are: McGraw-Hill Create: Introduction to the Essay, and

Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, ISBN: 978-0-307-97607-9

 

A good bilingual dictionary such as Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English or The Newberry House Dictionary of American English is also helpful.

 

In addition, you will need the following:  8½ by 11-inch notebook paper, blue or black pens, one large examination bluebook, a bound notebook with 8 ½ by 11-inch paper and a highlighter.  All books and materials are available at the Don Bookstore in the Village and are required to be brought to each class meeting unless you are told otherwise by me.  We will be using Canvas for Grading, Turnitin and general class communication.

 

Grading Policy

 

(1) Five major writing assignments: 50%; (2) DLAs: 5%, (3) blogs, homework and class work: 10%, (4) class participation: 5%; (5) Grammar and vocabulary quizzes: 10%; (6) short writes 5%; (7) final exam: 15%.  Graded writing first drafts are written in class, but may require several rewrites.  I will mark errors, but I may not “fix” them if I think you are capable of fixing them yourselves. 

Absences

If you are absent more than four classes, you may be dropped from the class.  It is your responsibility to drop this class for personal reasons.

 

EMLS Learning Center Lab

You will complete four Directive Learning Activities (DLA) in Dunlap Hall 307.  You must do DLAs 110-7 (Organizing Your Paragraph) and 110-12 (Proofreading and Editing).  The other two are your choice.  The phone number at the center is 714-564-6569.  (Hours:  Monday through Thursday 9 am to 7 pm; Friday 10 am to 2 pm; Saturday noon to 3 pm).  This lab will help you improve your learning of English at the sentence and paragraph level.  You must have a student ID card when you go to the lab.

Class work and Homework

Expect to spend 4 or more hours of homework each week.  If you are absent from a class when something is due, you must turn in that assignment the next class you attend.  Otherwise, no late class work or homework can be turned in late.

 

To earn credit for this class, you must attend class regularly, satisfactorily complete all assignments and tests, and complete a final exam.

Make-Up Tests

No make-up tests or quizzes will be allowed.  You must attend class regularly to do well.  If you miss a class, you must have a good reason (check with me).  If you miss because you have a cold, that is not a good reason.  If you miss because you went to see a doctor, or got into a car accident then bring me evidence (doctor’s note or police report) and I might allow you to make-up one item.

Class Rules

1. Turn off cell phones.
2. Don’t eat or drink in class (except bottled water or covered drink).
3. Don’t walk in and out of the class room unless you must use the rest room.
4. Come on time and leave when dismissed.
5. You may not use photocopied textbooks in this class room.

Cheating

Cheating is serious.  A student who is discovered to be cheating will receive an “F” on that assignment.  A second time cheating could mean a failing grade for the course.  You are cheating if you:

 

1. use books or notes during a test.
2. ask another student for information during a test.
3. give another student information during a test.
4. copy another student’s work.
5. allow another student to copy your work.
6. change a graded paper and give it back to the teacher for more points.
7. use any work that is not your own in a writing assignment WITHOUT giving credit to the original author.

Students with Disabilities

A student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation, is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS).  To make arrangements for academic accommodations, contact the Disabled Student Office in B-100, or phone (714) 241-5769 for a referral to the appropriate DSPS Department.

 

Some Important Dates

 

First Day of Class	February 6, 2018
Last Day to Add (add code required)	February 18, 2018
Last Drop Date without 'W'	February 18, 2018
Last Day to File Pass/No Pass	March 8, 2018
Spring Break	April 2 – 6, 2018
Last Drop Date with a 'W'	May 6, 2018
Final Exam date	May 31, 2018

 

Some Points to Follow

 

1. Try to use “action” verbs such as “run, drive, and see” instead of the non-action verb “to be.” Action verbs help create a piece of writing that is vivid and interesting for your reader.

 

2. You must put your name, date and assignment name/page number on each paper to turn in, whether homework or class work. Please, place only one written assignment on a physical paper.  With each new written assignment start a new paper.

 

3. Avoid words like “etc.” “humans” “stuff” and phrases that announce your topic (for example, “I want to write about the following…).

 

4. Also, please avoid using “you” and “your” in academic writing. Use the more formal third person (e.g., “one” “someone” “something” “ones”)

 

5. You MUST write on the topic assigned if you wish to get a passing grade on your writing assignment.

 

6. Do not worry about neatness. Do not re-write your paper during the time you are assigned to write.  As long as I can follow your “carets” and “arrows” you will be fine.  The important thing is to edit.

 

7. If you wish to do well in this class, you MUST reserve five to fifteen minutes at the end of a writing session to edit your paper. Watch particularly for article use and verb tense consistency.

 

8. Do not use the construction: “The reason why we have not withdrawn more troops from Iraq is because conditions on the ground have not warranted such a move.”

 

Instead write: “We have not withdrawn more troops from Iraq because conditions on the ground have not warranted such a move.”  OR “The reason why we have not withdrawn more troops from Iraq is (that) conditions on the ground have not warranted such a move.”

Rules for Writing Assignments in EMLS 110

 

1. Always follow proper paragraph format
1. Use MLA format (see Canvas Module on Course Information) for an example.
2. One inch margins on all sides.
3. Indent paragraphs five spaces using 12 Times Roman font (just use the “tab” key in Word).  Two spaces between each sentence.
4. Always double-space on all drafts
2. All final drafts of paragraphs and all drafts of essays will be written through Canvas using Turnitin.  Late early drafts will not be accepted.  Late final drafts may be subject to a five to ten percent reduction in grade on top of other penalties.
3. Following submission of your first draft in Turnitin, please turn in your Error Frequency Chart (based on first draft comments) at the next class meeting.