Academic English I 2011 Syllabus
First Semester
Winter 2011 Session
Graduate Diploma in Social Sciences
Nepā School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Instructor: Sarah Shepherd Manandhar
Course Description
This course is designed to provide students with a basic introduction to all aspects of Academic English. The course will review common writing conventions, advanced grammar points, and vocabulary from the Academic Word List developed by Averil Coxhead at Victoria University of Wellington. In addition, the course will introduce students to all elements of the writing processes, from writing basic sentences to engaging the academic literature in one’s own work. Students will also be expected to improve their reading, note taking, and critical thinking skills, in order to best prepare them to be engaged readers and writers. The class will emphasis cumulative learning and students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of preceding lessons in each class in order to achieve the final goal of becoming proficient academic writers.
Class Structure: Classes will meet for 90 minutes twice a week. Students will also be able to meet with the instructor during office hours when extra assistance is needed.
Course Requirements
Students should remember that the key to learning any language is practice, and therefore the course requirements for this particular course are strict.
Attendance and Participation: Students should be present and engaged in class every day. Participation in classroom discussions is mandatory, and in addition to attendance, accounts for 10% of the final grade. Students will be expected to give occasional presentations. The presentations scores will be considered part of each student’s participation grade.
Weekly Assignment Pack: Students will be given a pack containing grammar, vocabulary, and other relevant exercises at the end of each week. This pack must be returned by the beginning of class the following week. The pack will also contain space in which students must write a short daily reflection. Completion of all weekly assignment packs will account for 20% of the final grade.
Writing Assignments: Students will receive two graded writing assignments each week. They will account for 30% of the final grade.
Quizzes and Exams: Students will be given several quizzes and one exam in week 11. These tests will account for 15% of the final grade.
Final Paper: A 5 page essay will be due at the end of the semester. Students work will be graded based upon their understanding and use of all previously taught concepts. The final essay will account for 25% of the final grade.
Detailed Course Outline
Week 1
Class 1: Class Introduction; Introduction to Critical Reading; Understanding what we read; Assignment of first vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 1 A
Class 2: Grammar Review: Nouns; The Reading Process: SQR3 and KWL; Discussion: Identifying Well Written Works; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 1 B
Week 2
Class 3: Grammar Review: Articles; An Introduction to Presentation Skills; In Class Reading Drills; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 1 C
Class 4: Grammar Review: Articles; What is Academic Writing?; In Class Reading Drills; Assignment of peer review groups; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 1 D
Week 3
Class 5: Grammar Review: Present Tenses; The Writing Process; In Class Writing Drill; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 2 A
Class 6: Grammar Review: Present Tenses; Critical Reading: Student Evaluations; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 2 B
Week 4
Class 7: Grammar Review: Present Tenses; Critical Reading: Note Taking; In Class Writing Drill; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 2 C
Class 8: Grammar Review: Student Evaluations; Critical Reading: Note Taking; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 2 D
Week 5
Class 9: Grammar Review: Past Tenses; Writing Summaries; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 3 A
Class 10: Grammar Review: Past Tenses; Writing: Brainstorming for New Ideas; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 3 B
Week 6
Class 11: Grammar Review: Tense Consistency; Presentation Skills: Audiences and Preparation; Vocabulary Review
Class 12: Grammar Review: Tense Consistency; Writing Summaries; Vocabulary Quiz
Week 7
Class 13: Grammar Review: Passive Voice; Writing: Organizing Our Ideas; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 3 C
Class 14: Grammar Review: Passive Voice; Critical Reading: Evidence, Bias, and Inaccuracies; Re-assignment of Peer Review Groups; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 3 D
Week 8
Class 15: Grammar Review: Sentence Structure: Fragments and Run-ons; Writing: Editing; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 4 A
Class 16: Grammar Review: Sentence Structure: Fragments and Run-ons; Writing: Academic Style One; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 4 B
Week 9
Class 17: Grammar Review: Student Evaluations; Writing: Doing Research; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 4 C
Class 18: Grammar Review: Editing Drills; Writing: Bibliographies; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 4 D
Week 10
Class 19: Grammar Review: Editing Drills; Writing: Using other’s Theories; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 5 A
Class 20: Grammar Review: Editing Drills; Writing: Presenting Our Own Arguments; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 5 B
Week 11
Class 21: Writing: Academic Style Two; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 5 C
Class 22: Exam: Editing, Plagiarism, Style; Assignment of vocabulary list: AWL Sublist 5 D
Week 12
Class 23: Writing: Academic Style Three; Vocabulary Review
Class 24: Presentations: Visuals, Voice, and Gesture; Writing: Using Footnotes, Endnotes, etc.
Week 13
Class 25: Writing: Advanced Arguments; Vocabulary Review
Class 26: Writing: Perfecting the Final Draft; Advanced Peer Editing
Week 14
Class 27: Grammar: Student Evaluations; In Class Writing Drill
Class 28: Grammar Review: Review of all grammar lessons; Student Presentations
Week 15
Class 29: Final review of all grammar lessons; Student Presentations
Class 30: Grammar and Vocabulary Quiz; Student Presentations
Week 16
Class 31: Final Review; Peer review of final paper
Class 32: Final Paper Due; In Class Wrap Up