Instructor: Shawn Ford	Class Hours: M-F 12:30 - 2:35 p.m.
Office: I‘liahi 220	Classroom: I‘liahi 202
Phone: 734-9327	E-mail: sford@hawaii.edu
Office Hours: M-F 12 - 12:30 p.m.	Web: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~sford

Course Description

ESOL 197B&C is a content-based intensive course. The content for this section of the course focuses on Mass Media in America. Language development is approached in the context of a language input model, centering on cooperative interaction with class peers through academic reading and writing, discussions, presentations, research, guest lectures, and field trips.

In this section of the course, you will have ample opportunities to practice the major academic skill areas – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – with an emphasis on developing your academic writing. In addition, you will have opportunities to develop your academic vocabulary and other study skills and strategies necessary to be a successful student in American colleges and universities. You will also have opportunities to further develop your academic writing and online communication skills through tasks and activities in the ESOL computer lab.

Each section of ESOL 197 meets for approximately 10-1/2 hours per week (that’s 21 hours for the two sections!) You should expect that for every hour you spend in class, you will have another hour for homework each week (that’s another 21 hours!) Therefore, you will need to manage your time wisely over the next 15 weeks.

Required Materials and Texts

· Required textbook (reading focus): Kristine Brown & Susan Hood, Academic Encounters: Life in Society, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

· Recommended reference: Longman American Dictionary paperback (NOTE: Electronic dictionaries may not be allowed to use during quizzes or tests!)

· Additional materials given to you throughout the semester by the instructors.

· 3-ring binder for your “Academic Writing Portfolio” (2” with inside pockets)

· Notebook paper: American college-ruled 8-1/2 x 11” loose-leaf

You are required to use your UH e-mail address (youruhusername@hawaii.edu) for any and all e-mail correspondence in this course.

Course Goals

This intensive ESOL course is designed to

1) introduce you to concepts and issues associated with the role that Mass Media plays in the United States,

2) introduce you to the Western concept of communication and the role it plays in American society,

3) provide you with opportunities to develop your academic reading, writing, listening, and speaking through a wide variety of tasks and activities, and

4) accelerate your language development through interaction,

with the overall goal to

· prepare you for academic culture at Kapi‘olani Community College.

Student Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

· create written and oral reports about information found in reading material,

· make generalizations and inferences and draw conclusions from reading material,

· work in groups to find solutions to problems and report on solutions orally or in writing,

· demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with peers to accomplish tasks,

· evaluate, persuade, and argue a point orally and in writing,

· summarize information in written form,

· select appropriate information to support a thesis or validate a hypothesis,

· write unified, cohesive and well-developed essays,

· use the writing process to complete various academic writing assignments,

· make oral presentations that are well organized and delivered with confidence,

· identify and use academic skills needed to succeed in the college environment,

· identify your academic goals and the steps you need to follow to achieve your goals at KCC, and

· identify and use campus and community resources.

Grading Scales

Class and Group Activities	Writing Assignments	Quizzes	Overall Eval. Level	Promotion Level
√+	ESL100	90-100%	High Pass	ESL 100
√	ESOL94	75-89%	Pass	ESOL 94
√-	ESOL92	60-74%	Low Pass	ESOL 92
Ø	ESOL197	0-59%	No Pass	Repeat ESOL 197

Evaluation

ESOL 197 is Pass/No Pass. In order to receive a course grade of Pass, you must:

· Have an excellent attendance record (less than 8 absences).

· Participate actively in class by contributing positively to all class and group activities (including discussions, lectures, and projects) with an average evaluation of √-.

· Complete writing assignments (papers, essays, and quizzes) with a minimum average evaluation of 92.

· Achieve an average vocabulary quiz evaluation of at least 60%.

· Receive a minimum evaluation of Low Pass (√- / ESOL92 / 60%) on all projects, including your course presentations, course portfolio, personal homepage, and course web site task.

· Complete all other class and homework assignments with an average evaluation of Low Pass (√- / ESOL92 / 60%) or higher.

If you pass ESOL 197, you will enter KCC’s credit ESOL Program and begin taking other credit classes at Kapi‘olani Community College. Please understand that if you pass, you may be promoted to either ESOL 92, ESOL 94, or ESL 100, depending on your overall progress in both sections of ESOL 197. Your individual progress will depend largely on how seriously you take this course and your language development.

Attendance

You are expected to attend class on time every day. Attendance will be taken daily. You may have no more than 7 absences in order to pass the class. Also, three tardies (late to class) of 10 minutes or more equals one absence.

If you miss class, you will not only miss opportunities to communicate in English and develop your language skills, but you will also miss important course information, and your classmates will miss your participation in class.

You are responsible for all material covered in class and for all assignments.

I understand that there may be times when you are unable to come to class due to sicknesses, emergencies, scheduled appointments, or other personal reasons. My understanding of your situation does not mean that you are not responsible for the material that you missed. If you miss class, you must get any assignments, explanations, directions, information, and handouts from your classmates. Upon your return to class, you should be prepared for any scheduled class activities.

Quizzes, exams, and tests missed due to absence cannot be made up unless you provide an acceptable and verifiable excuse, such as a Dr.’s note, an accident report, or a police report. Class activities missed due to absence cannot be made up for any reason. Any group assignments missed due to absence should be made up with the respective group members.

Also, general class announcements and directions will be given in the first 10 minutes of class. If you are late and don’t get this information, you will be responsible for getting the information from a classmate.

If you have 8 absences or more, counting all missed classes and tardies (regardless of excuse), you will fail this course regardless of your performance and will not pass to ESOL 92 or 94.

Late Work

I expect all homework assignments to be completed before coming to class and submitted in class on the date that they are due so that you will be ready for classroom activities or discussions. Late assignments will be accepted for credit at a penalty of one lower evaluation level per day. Keep in mind that many classroom activities require related papers and homework assignments in order to receive credit. Full participation is a requirement, and these daily classroom activities cannot be made up. The exception to this is late work that has an acceptable and verifiable excuse (a Dr.’s note, an accident report, a police report, etc.).

Repeated late submissions of work will result in failure of the course.

Field Trips

Any scheduled field trips to sights of course, local and national interest are mandatory. In addition, students will participate in other on-campus functions (such as guest speaker presentations and counseling meetings) and the opening / closing ceremonies, which may be scheduled at off-campus locations.

Course Schedule

ESOL 197B&C is two separate but linked classes: Writing Focus from 12:30 – 2:35 p.m. and Reading Focus from 2:45 – 4:50 p.m. In addition, you will have a computer lab on Wednesdays and the International Seminar on Mondays. The computer lab is located downstairs in I‘liahi 126, across from Subway.

Please refer to additional course handouts, outlining course content, topics, main assignments, and important dates.

Etc.

Since this is a course for developing academic English, it is expected that only English will be used for all course activities and assignments. First languages should not be used for general group or peer discussions, or to “chit-chat” in class, especially when language is used to exclude from conversations classmates who do not speak the same native language. Do what you like on your breaks, but keep in mind that you are here to develop your English – you should already be very good at your first language – and that any time spent using English is time well spent.

It is a natural tendency for students to sit in the same seats and form their own groups with friends or classmates with similar interests. However, these practices can limit a student’s development in a language-learning environment like our classroom. Therefore, students are encouraged to sit in different seats each day and form groups with different classmates, and I will change seating arrangements and form groups as necessary for classroom activities.

Please do not send regular course papers or assignments by e-mail or by attachment unless told otherwise. Turn in hard copies only. The exception to this is work completed on your computer lab day.

Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other things that beep, ring, chirp, chime, or can play music, while in our classroom. At no time may anyone engage in phone conversations in the classroom for any reason.

Please do not smoke on the lanai outside of the I‘liahi classroom, nor in the stairwells, nor under any roofed area, which are all considered areas of the building. Smoke downstairs in the courtyard or open areas around the building where there is an ashtray.

This class is a safe zone. I will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or language use. Any violation will be referred immediately to the dean of students for disciplinary action.

If you have a disability and have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you need, then please contact the Special Student Services office at 743-9552, located in Ilima 105.

This syllabus and the course schedule are subject to change at the teacher’s discretion with appropriate notice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me after class, by e-mail, or make an appointment for an office conference.