Course Syllabus

Academic English 20B (Academic Writing)  Winter 2020

 

Instructor: Paul Spencer E-mail: pjspence@uci.edu Office: HH 309 Office Hours: 12.30-1.30pm  Thursdays

 

Course Description:

The Academic English (AC ENG) 20 series is offered through the Program in Academic English and comprises three levels: AC ENG 20A, 20B, and 20C. The purpose of the AC ENG 20 series is to introduce multilingual students to the common expectations associated with English academic writing at the university level. The three courses provide hands-on opportunities for students to learn and practice key academic writing skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing, annotating, critiquing, conducting library research, developing informed arguments, etc.

 

Required Materials:

• Textbook: Academic Writing for Multilingual Students: AE 20A, 20B, 20C
• Many class readings, assignments, and materials will be posted to our class Canvas page. Please check our class Canvas page regularly.

 

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory. Missing more than one week of class will result in the lowering of your final course grade. For each absence after the 3rd absence, your final course grade will be lowered by 5%. If you have a legitimate conflict or an extreme emergency, discuss the situation with me.

 

A Community of Writers:

This quarter, you will get feedback from your classmates, peer writing consultants, and me. You will also read your classmates’ work and share your thoughts about their writing. I may use something you write as an example to share with the class. When I discuss a student’s writing in class, I will not share the identity of the writer. If you do not wish to share your work, please let me know.

 

Contributing to the Class:

Be prepared to engage with class material, discuss your ideas with classmates, take notes, complete exercises, and ask questions.  If you are assigned to read an article or chapter before class, please do the reading so that everyone can get the most out of the class discussions and activities. 

 

Computers:

Please be aware that you will need regular, dependable access to a computer, Internet and a printer for this course. You will also need a copy of Microsoft Word. 

Canvas and Turnitin.com:

Writing assignments done outside of class will be submitted to Canvas. Canvas will check your papers for plagiarism. If you have a technical difficulty with Canvas and cannot submit an assignment, please let me know and email me your assignment by the due date.

 

Late Work:

It is critical that all work be turned in on time. Late work will not be accepted without penalty unless students make arrangements for an extension before the due date. Make sure you get a confirmation email that your submission was successful.

 

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism:

Learning, research, and scholarship depend upon an environment of academic integrity and honesty. This environment can be maintained only when all participants recognize the importance of upholding the highest ethical standards. All student work, including quizzes, exams, reports, and papers must be the work of the individual receiving credit. Academic dishonesty includes, for example, cheating on examinations or any assignment, plagiarism of any kind (including improper citation of sources), having someone else take an examination or complete an assignment for you (or doing this for someone else), or any activity in which you represent someone else’s work as your own. Please familiarize yourself with UCI’s Academic Integrity Policy (https://aisc.uci.edu/policies/academic-integrity/index.php) and check with me if you have any questions about what is and is not allowed in this course.

 

Grades

Academic English 20 courses are Pass/No Pass. 73% is the percentage that is required to pass the course.

 

Student Resources

Academic English Resource Center (AERC) Workshops

AERC offers writing workshops.  Links to the AERC Workshops will be emailed to students and/or posted to Canvas.

Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication (ground floor of the Science Library)

The Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication (Writing Center) is a free resource that provides feedback on any writing assignment from any course. You can do everything from brainstorming ideas to learning revision techniques with peer tutors and Writing Specialists. Students are encouraged to use the Writing Center as soon as they receive an assignment to best utilize their time. They can also submit writing online to receive email feedback. They can make an appointment online at www.writingcenter.uci.edu.

 

Disability Student Services

At the University of California, Irvine, providing a culture of inclusion and equal opportunity for students with disabilities is a campus wide responsibility and commitment. UCI demonstrates its core values of individual growth, development, civility, and diversity by recognizing students with disabilities as an important part of its student body. The mission of Disability Student Services is to empower students to maximize their abilities to thrive in today’s global community. If you need to contact the UCI Disabilities Services Center, contact:

Voice: 949-824-7494      TTY: 949-824-6272           Email: dsc@uci.edu

 

Counseling Center

Counselors are available to provide UCI students with a broad range of mental health services.  If you ever need someone to talk to, call (949) 824-6457 or visit https://counseling.uci.edu/services/appointments.html to make an appointment.

 

AE 20A-C Learning Objectives

Criteria	20A	20B	20C
Content (Source Use)	Identify the main and supporting points of a text Summarize a text accurately, clearly and objectively Analyze and interpret the relevance of a text to one’s personal viewpoints Cite sources according to a formatting and style guide appropriate for academic documents (e.g., APA, MLA, IEEE, Chicago, etc.)	Identify the focus of a text and relationships among multiple texts  Organize and synthesize perspectives from multiple sources to develop an informed position Integrate sources (e.g., by summarizing, paraphrasing, and/or strategically quoting) to present and support one’s position Cite sources according to a formatting and style guide appropriate for academic documents (e.g., APA, MLA, IEEE, Chicago, etc.)	Search for, identify and evaluate sources for credibility and relevance to a research topic Select and synthesize sources in the process of developing, investigating, and answering an original research question Integrate sources (e.g., by summarizing, paraphrasing, and/or strategically quoting) to present and substantiate one’s research findings Cite sources according to a formatting and style guide appropriate for academic documents (e.g., APA, MLA, IEEE, Chicago, etc.)
Organization	Organize writing clearly and effectively based on awareness of audience expectations  Organize paragraphs and sentences coherently through the use of effective transitional devices	Organize writing clearly and effectively based on awareness of audience expectations and academic conventions Organize paragraphs and sentences coherently through the use of effective transitional devices	Organize writing clearly and effectively based on awareness of audience expectations and academic conventions Organize paragraphs and sentences coherently through the use of effective transitional devices
Language and Style	Develop familiarity with the conventions of academic register Demonstrate improvement in grammatical and lexical accuracy	Demonstrate awareness of the conventions of academic register Demonstrate improvement in grammatical and lexical accuracy and complexity	Demonstrate proficiency in the conventions of academic register Demonstrate improvement in grammatical and lexical accuracy, complexity and efficacy
Format and Mechanics	Demonstrate a clear understanding of the formatting expectations for assigned writing tasks Demonstrate proficiency in editing and proofreading	Demonstrate a clear understanding of the formatting expectations for assigned writing tasks Demonstrate proficiency in editing and proofreading	Demonstrate a clear understanding of the formatting expectations for assigned writing tasks Demonstrate proficiency in editing and proofreading