COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Texts

The Advanced Grammar Book, Steer and Carlisi
The Advanced Grammar Book: Workbook, Steer and Schmid

Course Description and Objectives

The course is designed as an intensive overview of patterns of English grammar and sentence structure. The material selected focuses on the areas of grammar that have been identified as consistent stumbling blocks in the writing production of advanced nonnative students. The ultimate purpose of the grammar overview is to help students improve their ability to construct grammatically correct written academic discourse.

Course concepts

The course will cover the following aspects of English grammar:

• Tenses and aspects (simple, present, past, and future), Ch. 2
• Tenses and aspects (perfect, future, and shifting time frames), Ch. 3
• Tenses and aspects, continued (progressive & stative verbs), Ch. 4
• Sentence Structure, Ch. 5
• Noun Clauses, Direct and Indirect Speech, Ch. 6
• Adjective Clauses (restrictive and non-restrictive, reduction), Ch. 7
• Conditional statements, Ch. 13

The Attendance Policy

REGULAR ATTENDANCE of classes during the quarter is mandatory. Students who miss three classes during the quarter will have their grade lowered by one grade point (letter grade). Arriving late to class three times is considered equivalent to one absence.

Assignment and Course Grading

The course includes 6 tests that cannot be made up, if missed. In addition, there will be a comprehensive test at the end of the quarter, which is equal in value to the chapter tests. The average of all the grades obtained on the tests, with missed tests receiving zero credit, will represent 75% of the final course grade. The remaining 25% of the course grade will be determined by an evaluation of the students’ ability to use the above grammar points correctly in a variety of writing assignments.
C is the lowest passing grade, and those who earn a lower course grade will have to repeat the course. In this case, an F letter grade will appear on student transcripts.

Academic Honesty

If you knowingly or unknowingly present the work of another as your own, you have committed plagiarism. Any piece of work that is determined by the instructor to be plagiarized will be given an automatic failing grade. Repeated occasions of plagiarism may result in automatic failure of the course as well as notification to the department of your major. Please see the policy of academic honesty outlined in the student handbook.

There will be no class on the following days: Wednesday, November 19 (University Mission Day) and Wednesday and Friday, November 26 and 28 (Thanksgiving Recess)
Last day of class: Saturday, December 6

This syllabus is a general guideline and subject to modification by the instructor at any time. If changes are implemented, students will receive updated information and syllabus revisions.