ESOL 021 W: Spring 2014 Syllabus
Class Hours: Tuesday 6:00 – 8:30pm Room: Namm 518
Wednesday 6:00 – 8:30pm Room: Namm 518
Instructor: Kate Naito
Phone: 718-260-5392
Email: katenaito@gmail.com
Office: Namm 529
Office Hour: Thursdays 5:00-6:00pm
OpenLab site: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/naitoesol021spring14
Book:
Urban Reader for College Writers, by Lubie Grujicic-Alatriste
– Available at the City Tech bookstore on the corner of Tech Place and Adams St.
Purchase these dictionaries from any bookstore. If you have a different dictionary, show it to Kate for approval.
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of American English
Longman Dictionary of Idioms
* Only paper dictionaries are allowed for in-class essays and CATW.
Class Rules:
You are allowed 3 absences this semester. After 3 absences, you risk losing the opportunity to take the CATW in May. 1 late arrival = ½ absence.
If you miss a class, you must contact the instructor or a classmate to get the homework. You are responsible for getting your assignments on days when you are absent.
Please make your cell phone silent during class.
There are serious punishments for cheating. You must do all the work yourself. Never plagiarize (steal written words) on any of your assignments. This means you cannot take words directly from the Internet, a book, or an article. Also, you cannot ask another person to write an essay for you. If you plagiarize, your essay will receive a grade of 0% and you may be dismissed from ESOL 021.
About This Class:
This is a second-level writing course, in our three-level sequence. It connects reading and writing by asking you to read texts, discuss them, and write papers about them.
Course Goals
This course has been planned to help you develop your academic skills and general education. Everything that we do in this class should culminate in your ability to pass the CUNY Proficiency Test (CATW), but this course is not a CATW workshop. All our in-class and homework assignments will prepare you for success in English Composition in the future.
Writing Skills
The goal of the course is to help you advance your academic writing competency and to improve your writing skills such as brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising and self- and peer-editing.
Reading Skills
The readings in this course will help you grow as a reader, thinker, and a citizen, too. You will read for homework and during class, and together we will discuss current topics that are all based in the recognized college disciplines. You will learn to distinguish among different writing types (genres) for different purposes.
Time Expectations
This is a serious college course. For every hour of class, expect about two hours of homework. Therefore, expect 10-12 hours of homework and studying per week in order to pass thr class and be prepared for the CATW.
Essays
• Essays written at home must be double spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point.
• You will write two formal essays (500 words each) and one formal research project (650 words) based on a theme selected from the textbook. Expect to revise your essays at least once. Revisions are graded separately.
• Your essay grades will be based on your ideas, organization, clarity, grammar and vocabulary.
• All essays must be submitted on the due date in order to receive full credit.
Other Graded Assignments
• All assignments will be listed on our OpenLab website. Please check it frequently.
• We will have a midterm and a final exam. (The final exam is not the CATW.)
• Expect grammar and vocabulary quizzes.
• For each unit we study in the textbook, you will write responses to “Blog It” questions from the textbook. You will post your responses on the City Tech OpenLab (URL above).
• For each unit we study in the textbook, you will find another article from a newspaper that discusses the same topic. You will post a link to the article and a short summary on the City Tech OpenLab (URL above).
Vocabulary
• You will keep a log (= list) of new vocabulary that you find in our readings. You may type it or write it neatly by hand. For every word, write the word, part of speech (noun, verb, etc.), definition, and a sample sentence from a dictionary or from our text. Kate will check your list, so please bring it to class. Expect vocabulary quizzes.
Grammar
• We will review grammar topics that are essential for clear writing. Expect grammar homework and quizzes.
Exams
• There will be a midterm and final exam.
Participation
• Even if your English is not perfect, it is important that you ask questions and contribute to class discussions. If you never speak, the professor may think that you don’t understand the topics.
CATW
You need to pass the course and have excellent attendance in order to qualify to take the CATW re-test.
Grading:
“S” is a passing grade in this class. “R” means to repeat this class next semester. In order to pass the class you need to earn an average of 70% in the categories below:
Midterm Exam 10%
Final Exam 20%
Formal Essays 30%
Quizzes 10%
Quality of Homework 20%
Participation/Attendance 10%
New York City College of Technology Policy on Academic Integrity: Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.
Plagiarism: DON’T DO IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!! The penalties for plagiarism in this course include failure of the course and additional academic sanctions; I will report all incidences of plagiarism to City Tech’s Academic Integrity Officer. If you are confused about what plagiarism is or have questions about how you should avoid it, please contact me before your paper is due. Do not, under any circumstances, hand in plagiarized work.
Students With Disabilities: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. I will work with the Student Support Services Program (Atrium 237 – 718-260-5143) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Syllabus Disclaimer: Any part of this syllabus may be revised during in the semester at the sole discretion of the instructor.
