Course Lecturer Name(s): Ms. Roslyn A. Douglas, MA, DTM
Course Director Name: Mr. Asher Mains
Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: rdougla1@sgu.edu
Course Director Contact Information: amains@sgu.edu
Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 1:30 pm to 3:30 Tuesday, Thursday: 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Course Director Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Balisier Building 1st Floor
Course Director Office Location: Balisier Building 1st Floor
Course Support: Nichole Phillip, nphilli2@sgu.edu, ext. 3823 or Nikkisha Thomas
Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf
IMPORTANT NOTATION
Students have been designated either face - to- face or online status, based on the survey they completed. Please note that students must therefore maintain their respective designations and not be allowed to switch, without the permission of the Dean of Students (DOS) Office.
Course Description:
This course is designed to build up and strengthen your ability to write clearly and effectively in Standard English. Students will work with the writing process and using prewriting, writing and revising techniques, become proficient in the application and practice of proper grammar, punctuation and writing structure, and develop the ability to understand printed material. At the end of this course, students will be qualified for more advanced English courses.
Course Objectives:
- Gain skills of academic reading, writing and critical thinking
- To write clearly and intelligently in various program disciplines
- Improve academic, professional and personal writing
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Develop the necessary skills required for college level writing
- Use relevant information from various conventional and electronic sources
- Improve the reading effectiveness of students academically, professionally and personally
- Sharpen ability to think clearly, logically, critically and effectively through reading.
Program Outcomes Met By This Course:
PO.4- Effectively communicate information by extracting and constructing meanings through analysis and critical thinking.
SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:
A = 89.5% or better
B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%
B = 79.5 - 84.4%
C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%
C = 69.5 - 74.4%
D = 64.5 - 69.4%
F = 65% or less
Course Materials:
Text: Readings will be made available online.
Supplementary Readings/Resources: Supplementary Readings/Resources will be made available online.
Course Grading Requirement:
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Assignment #1 (Expository Essay) |
5% |
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Assignment #2 (Descriptive Essay) |
5% |
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Assignment #3 (Comprehension) |
5% |
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Practice Exercises/Drills (approx. 5) |
10% |
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Test/Quiz #1 |
5% |
|
Test/Quiz #2 |
5% |
|
Midterm Exam |
20% |
|
Class Project |
15% |
|
Final Exam |
25% |
|
Attendance and Participation |
5% |
|
TOTAL |
100% |
Course Requirements:
Placement Exam
Course Schedule:
Course Schedule: Lectures & Assignments: The following schedule may be adjusted as needed.
Week 1
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Course introduction (outline, grading policy, homework, textbook, office hours, Communication Support Services (etc.) |
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Administrative Reminders: Registration, Add/Drop, Sick Leave, LOA, plagiarism, late assignments. |
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A Look at Language: Standard English vs. Dialect (+ Discussion) Benefits of Language Flexibility (CSME, self-marketability, etc.) Preliminary Quiz; Avoidance of Plagiarism & APA Style |
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Vocabulary [Give study sheets: Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes: Commonly Misspelled Words] |
Week 2
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Basic Parts of Speech; Types of Nouns |
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Types of Verbs (action, linking, verb phrase; Transitive and Intransitive Verbs |
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Subject/Verb Agreement |
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Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases & relationship to subject |
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Punctuation: part 1 Semicolons, Colon, Comma Usage |
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Dangling Modifier& Parallelism |
Week 3
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Types of Sentences and End Punctuation |
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Review Basic Sentence analysis |
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Capitalization Rules |
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Complete and Incomplete Sentences |
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Subjects and Predicates |
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Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates |
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Correcting fragments, run-ons and comma splices |
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Vocabulary Context clues; Syllabication |
Week 4
- Reading: Main Idea; Patterns of Development, Paragraph Structure/Topic sentence; Major and Minor Details
- Paragraph Writing Types of writing; paragraph structure (topic sentence, main idea, major/minor details, transitions)
Week 5
- Parts of the Essay (Introduction, Body and Conclusion) Examining types of essays i.e., Expository and Descriptive.
- Planning an essay (Essay planning sheet)
- Punctuation: part 2- Dash, Hyphen, Ellipsis, and Quotation Marks
Week 6
- Expository Writing
- Analysis of sample expository essay using skeleton outline
- Writing an introduction and a conclusion for expository essay
- More Vocabulary and Reading Exercises
- Written Assignment #1 (Expository Essay)
Week 7
- Introduction to Descriptive Writing
- (Figures of Speech (Simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia) Written Assignment 2 - Descriptive Essay due in Week 9.
- Review for Mid-Terms
- TEST #2 based on weeks 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Week 8
- MID- TERMS
Week 9
- Introduction to Project
- Tips for working in groups
- Review of Descriptive Writing
- Written Assignment #2 (Descriptive Essay)
Week 10
- Reading and Comprehension
- Comprehension: Literal/Inferential
- Comprehension: Critical and Creative
Week 11
- Faulty Parallelism
- Dangling Modifiers
- Plurals and Possessives: Using the Apostrophe
- Vocabulary
Week 12
- Assignment #3 Comprehension
- Organization and preparation for presentation
Week 13
- Organization and preparation for presentation
- Preparation for Final Exam
Week 14: Presentations
- Group Presentation
Week 15
- Review and Practice
- Close out discussions
Week 16
- Final Exam
School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections
Academic Integrity
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).
Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.
Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.
Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).
For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).
It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.