English Skills 2011 Fall

English Skills Autumn 2011
ENG100 Professor Mead
Class Schedule (Subject to Change)
August
31 W Introduction
September
2 F Parts of Speech
5 M NO CLASS
7 W Function of Words in sentence, or “noun,” or “subject”
9 F Phrases and Clauses
12 M Four types of Sentences
14 W Grammatical Mood
16 F Commas
19 M Commas
21 W Semicolons
23 F Colons
26 M Dashes
28 W Parentheses, Brackets, Ellipses
30 F Contractions
October
3 M Verb-centered prose
5 W Abstract (verbs) and Concrete (verbs)
7 F All the Tenses
10 M Voice
12 W Tone
14 F NO CLASS
17 M Audience
19 W The Paragraph (Topic Sentence)
21 F The Paragraph (Develop w/ detail, example, explanation)
24 M The Paragraph (Unity)
26 W The Paragraph: The Concrete Sandwich
28 F How Paragraphs Work Together
31 M Concision
November
2 W More Concision
4 F Still More Concision
7 M Listening to Your Tempo, Accent, and Beat
9 W Catch-up
11 F NO CLASS
14 M Catch-up
16 W Catch-up
18 F Catch-up
21 M Super Mondo Grammar Exam! Part I
23 W Super Mondo Grammar Exam! Part II
25 F NO CLASS
28 M In-class handbook workshop
30 W In-class handbook workshop
December
2 F In-class handbook workshop
5 M
7 W Evaluations. Recitations
14 W Grammar Exam Re-take 8-10.
There are no required texts in this class, as each student’s job will be to create a personal and comprehensive Textbook of English Skills. However, it may assist you to know the books that I will be working from when I come to the classroom:
Oxford A-Z of Grammar & Punctuation, John Seely. Oxford: UP, 2009
1001 Words You Need to Know and Use: An A-Z of Effective Vocabulary, Martin
H. Manser. Oxford: UP, 2010.
The Bluebook of Grammar and Punctuation, Tenth Edition. Jane Straus. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
The Hodge’s Harbrace College Handbook, 17th Edition with 2009 MLA update.
Our syllabus is highly subject to change, as we will gage our progress on the results of quizzes. These quizzes—unannounced and not make-upable—will not count toward your final grade, but will give you solid guidance of where you need to spend more study time working. The “graded” parts of the class consist of your score in the grammar exam (November 21st and 23rd and the make-up/retry on December 14th) and your Main Project, which is your creation of a personal book of grammatical rules, examples, and stylistics. This book (we will talk about it a lot during the semester) will include an index, glossary, table of contents, forward, and bibliography. Although the instructor will appreciate a slick, glossy rendition, the key to a successful Personal Handbook will be its correctness, thoroughness, and thoughtful construction.
Our class is a community, in the way you heard about on Sunday at Orientation. As such, each of us is required to be prepared and on time for all class meetings. Students who miss more than three classes will have their final grades lowered, usually by one decrement per absence beyond three. I encourage everyone to speak with me outside of the classroom with ANY concerns you may have about the class or your semester, or college in general. My office is OM 312B. Hours are MWF, 10-12; TR 8:30-9:30 & 11-1 (Although I sometimes have meetings 11-12). My phone is 438-4336, email is smead@stmartin.edu. My blog at http://stephenxmead.blogspot.com/ has syllabi, handouts, and useful links.
The main thing is that everyone in the class needs to be open, hard-working, participatory, and in reasonably good humor. Grammar isn’t inherently fun, but it CAN be, and I aim to make it so, with your help.
Attendance is required at all classes. Students who miss more than three classes will have their final grades lowered.
Exam: 40%
Book: 40%
Participation: 20%
Students will special needs should see me as soon as possible, and I will make all reasonable accommodations.