ESLW 123: Academic Writing for International Undergraduates
Fall 2017 Syllabus
MWF 10-10:50 AM
Anthony Michael Hall, Room 77
John Hughes University
Shermer, Illinois
Instructor: Krystie Ritchey
Office location: Molly Ringwald Hall, #16
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3 PM
Overview: This course is a one-semester course for undergraduate international students at John Hughes University, a 4-year liberal arts institution. The course, which is limited to 15 students per section, is intended for students who have been placed in it as a result of their English Language Proficiency Test scores, have completed the two-semester sequence of Foundations of College Writing for International Students I and II, or who qualify via TOEFL/IELTS score to take Academic English Composition I with domestic students, but feel they would be more comfortable in an ESL class. The main focus of the course is to introduce students to the practices of research-based writing for American academic audiences, such as research paper structure, developing research questions, APA citations, academic tone, and avoiding plagiarism. Additionally, there is a presentation component where students will work to improve their oral skills by crafting a short presentation on their research project.
Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Write an argumentative essay that effectively incorporates opposing arguments and refutations.
Conduct and document effective pre-research, which includes choosing a researchable topic, adjusting the scope of the topic, forming a tentative thesis statement, and outlining, and explore their pre-research findings in an exploratory essay.
Formulate effective search strategy and retrieve relevant articles located in library databases.
Evaluate sources based on reliability and relevancy.
Summarize, synthesize and integrate sources in their writing without plagiarism (by paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing) in APA style.
Write a research paper, with support from academic sources, that critiques existing solutions or recommends new solutions for a social issue.
Present their research in a brief oral presentation to their peers.
Required Textbook: Samantha Baker & John Bender, Academic Writing: Skills for Success (1st ed.), 2017. Shermer, Illinois: Ferris Bueller Educational Publishing.
Grade Policy for ESLW Courses:
Students must earn a C- (70%) or better in order to successfully pass the course.
Your grade will be made up by the following components:
ESLW 123 Major Assignments
Argumentative Essay/Diagnostic Revision (Unit 1 Major Assignment)
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15%
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Exploratory Essay (Unit 2 Major Assignment)
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15%
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Annotated Bibliography (Unit 3 Major Assignment)
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15%
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Research Paper (Unit 4 Major Assignment)
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25%
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Oral Presentation
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10%
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Participation and Homework
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5%
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Attendance
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5%
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Writing Reflection Journal
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10%
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Grading Scale:
A+ (97-100%)
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A (94-96%)
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A- (90-93%)
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B+ (87-89%)
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B (84-86%)
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B- (80-83%)
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C+ (77-79%)
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C (74-76%)
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C- (70-73%)
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D (60-69%)
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F (0-59%)
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|
Course Outline:
UNIT I: Introduction to Academic Writing
Week 1
M
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1.1: Introduction to the Course
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W
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1.2: Diagnostic Essay (in class)
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F
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1.3: Audience & Purpose
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Week 2
M
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1.4: Persuasive Strategies
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W
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1.5: Responding to Opposition
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F
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1.6: Thesis Statements
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Week 3
M
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1.7: Paragraph Structure (TEA)
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W
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1.8: Writing Coherently & Cohesively
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F
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1.9: Introduction & Conclusion Paragraphs
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Week 4
M
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1.10: Academic Tone
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W
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1.11: Peer Review: Introduction
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F
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1.12: Peer Review: Practice
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UNIT II: Introduction to the Research Process
Week 5
M
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2.1: Overview of Research Papers/Exploratory Essay
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W
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2.2: Choosing a Research Paper Topic
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F
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2.3: Avoiding Plagiarism: Overview
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Week 6
M
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2.4: Introduction to APA In-text Citations
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W
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2.5: Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Quoting
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F
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2.6: Writing Concisely
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Week 7
M
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2.7: Background Brainstorming
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W
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2.8: Critical Thinking
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F
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2.9: Thesis Statements for Research Papers
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Week 8
M
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2.10: Library Resources (Field Trip)
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W
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2.11: Creating an Outline
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F
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2.12: Introduction to APA Reference Page Citations
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UNIT III: Refining and Organizing Research
Week 9
M
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3.1: Overview of the Annotated Bibliography
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W
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3.2: Source Reliability
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F
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3.3: Source Relevancy
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Week 10
M
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3.4: Choosing Sources & Refining Topics
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W
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3.5: Effective Note-taking/Skimming & Scanning
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F
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3.6: Source Summary Writing
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UNIT IV: Writing and Presenting Research Papers
Week 11
M
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4.1: Introduction to Source Synthesis, pt. 1
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W
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4.2: Introduction to Source Synthesis, pt. 2
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F
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4.3: Reporting Verbs & Advanced In-text Citations
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Week 12
M
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4.4: Research Paper Introductions and Conclusions
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W
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4.5: APA Research Paper Formatting
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F
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4.6: Research Paper Workshop Day
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Week 13: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 14
M
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4.7: Effective Presentations: Delivery
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W
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4.8: Effective Presentations: Materials
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F
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4.9: Peer Review (In-class)
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Week 15
M
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4.10: Student Presentations, Day 1
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W
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4.11: Student Presentations, Day 2
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F
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4.12: Individual Conferences (NO CLASS)
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