http://www.dmacc.edu Des Moines Urban Campus			Syllabus Academic Standards Commission
Instructor Information
Name	Vera Aginsky			E-mail address		vaginsky@dmacc.edu
Phone number	(515) 248-7521			Fax number		(515) 248-7253
Office location	Building 1, Room 233			Office hours		M.,W. 9-11 am T., R. 3-4 pm And by appointment
Course Information
Semester	Spring				Year	2011
Course title	Advanced Academic ESL Writing
Course number	ESL 104			Credits		3
Section number	UAM			CRN number		23981
Days & Time	M., W., F. 8:00 – 8:55 am			Location		Building 3, Room 206
Course description	http://www.dmacc.edu/courses/crsrod.asp
Prerequisites
Course competencies	http://www.dmacc.edu/competencies/
Important Dates
January 15^th, noon	Last day to add classes
Holiday/no classes	January 17^th
College closed	February 18^th
Midterm	March 7^th
Spring break	March 14-20^th
Last day to drop classes	March 29^th
Final Exam	Monday, May 2^nd , 8:00 – 10:00 am
Textbooks & Materials
Required textbooks	Writing Academic English, Level 4 by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue
Required materials
Software applications
Software notice	“All the software used in this class is copyrighted; therefore, it is not for distribution, copying, or personal use. This software is the property of Des Moines Area Community College.”
Course Policies
Methods	All the teaching will be done in a friendly and supportive environment. The most important person in the classroom is each individual student. There are several keys to successful writing in English: a good command of English grammar, an extensive English vocabulary, and a lot of practice reading and writing English. We will have quizzes on a regular basis. They are not scheduled and cannot be made up.
Attendance	It is crucial to be in class every class meeting. The students are expected to miss not more than two classes per semester
Grading criteria	- Quizzes – 15% - Homework – 30% - Active participation in the classroom discussions – 10% - Midterm Exam – 20% - Final Exam – 25% 90% - 100% = A 86% - 88% = B+ 76% - 78% = C+ 88% - 90% = A- 80% - 86% = B 70% - 76% = C 78% - 80% = B- 68% - 70% = C- 66% - 68% = D+ 60% - 66% = D 58% - 60% = D-
Classroom conduct	Refer to the DMACC Student Handbook: http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp
Cell phone use statement	Cell phones must be off during the class time. The use of cell phones in class is very disrespectful.
Missed exams	Can be taken in the ESL Lab upon the arrangement made with the instructor. You’ll get 75 % of the grade.
Late assignments	Will be graded 10% lower
Extra credit	Will be regularly provided by the instructor
Study expectations	At least six hours weekly of studying outside of the classroom
Weather policy	“Individual circumstances such as health, childcare, rural roads, distance from the College, etc. can vary greatly among students and staff. It is always DMACC’s goal to provide safe learning conditions, as well as provide the opportunity for students to attend classes when the vast majority is able to safely attend. The final decision to come to College can only be made by the individual student based on their specific extenuating circumstances that may make it unsafe for them to travel. During adverse weather, DMACC faculty is considerate of students who are unable to attend classes due to unique extenuating circumstances. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to notify their students (in addition to their dean or provost) through some predetermined means if they are must postpone or cancel a specific class due to weather or illness.”
Academic dishonesty	Refer to the DMACC Student Handbook: http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp Plagiarism may result in the failure of the course.
DMACC Information Web Sites
DMACC home page		http://www.dmacc.edu/
Instructor home pages		http://www.dmacc.edu/instructors/welcome.asp
Admissions & registration		http://www.dmacc.edu/potienti.asp
WebCT		http://webct.dmacc.edu/webct/public/home.pl
Student handbook		http://www.dmacc.edu/handbook/welcome.asp
Add/drop dates		http://www.dmacc.edu/registration/add_drop.asp
Refund policy		http://www.dmacc.edu/refund.asp
Support Services
Accommodations	“It is the policy of DMACC to accommodate students with disabilities. Any student with a documented disability who requires reasonable accommodation should contact the special needs coordinator at 515-964-6850 voice or 515-964-6810 TTY.”
Services for students with disabilities	http://www.dmacc.edu/student_services/disabilities.asp Contact the special needs coordinator at 515-964-6850 voice or 515-964-6810 TTY or contact the counselor on the Urban campus at 515-697-7727 for an Application for Accommodation.
Academic & educational advising	http://www.dmacc.edu/advising/
Career counseling	http://www.dmacc.edu/counseling/
Library	http://www.dmacc.edu/urban/library.asp Room 122 · Monday-Thursday: 7:30am to 9:00pm · Friday: 7:30am to 5:00pm · Saturday: 7:30am to 1:00pm
Academic Achievement Center	http://www.dmacc.edu/urban/tutoring.asp Services include academic help, tutoring, GED, testing (Compass), pre-admission courses, high school diploma courses, and several credit classes. 515-248-7204 or 1-800-362-2127 Room 204/206/208 · Monday – Thursday 8:30 am to 7:00 pm · Friday 8:30 am to 2:30 pm · Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (fall & spring semesters only)
Computer labs	http://www.dmacc.edu/helpdesk/pc_labs.htm Room 202 · Monday - Thursday 2:30pm-9:30pm · Friday 8:30am-2:30pm · Sat 8:00am-1pm Room 218 · Monday - Thusday 8am-9:30pm · Friday 8am-4:40pm · Sat 8am-Noon ESL lab, Building 1, Room 202 · Monday - Friday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Library Research Lab, Urban Library, Building 1** · Monday – Thursday 7:30am to 9:30pm · Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm · Saturday 7:30am to 1:00pm **Please see the Urban Library for special guidelines on the use of this lab
Disclaimer
“This syllabus is representative of materials that will be covered in this class; it is not a contract between the student and the institution. It is subject to change without notice. Any potential exceptions to stated policies and requirements will be addressed on an individual basis, and only for reasons that meet specific requirements. If you have any problems related to this class, please feel free to discuss them with me.”
Nondiscrimination Policy
Des Moines Area Community College shall not engage in or allow discrimination covered by law.  This includes harassment based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. Veteran status in educational programs, activities, employment practices, or admission procedures is also included to the extent covered by law. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the College Discrimination Complaint Procedures. Complaint forms may be obtained from the DMACC Web site, the Ombudsperson, Judicial Officer, Human Resources Department, the campus Provost's Offices, and Academic Deans’ Offices. Students who wish additional information or assistance may contact the Executive Dean, Student Services, Laurie Wolf, Building 1, 515-964-6437 or the EEO/AA Officer, Dr. Sandy Tryon, Human Resources, Bldg. 1, 515-964-6301 or they may refer to Student Services procedure 4645 located on the DMACC Intranet at http://my.dmacc.edu/procs.aspx. Go to Policies & Procedures and choose Student Services Procedures. Employees and applicants who wish additional information or assistance may contact the EEO/AA Officer, Dr. Sandy Tryon, Human Resources, Bldg. 1, 515-964-6301 or refer to HR Procedures 3000, 3005, 3010, 3015, and 3020 at http://www.dmacc.edu/hr/hrpp.asp . For requests for accommodations, the Accommodation/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Sharon Bittner, can be contacted at 515-964-6857. Students with requests for accommodations should refer to the Student Services procedure 4610 located on the DMACC Intranet at http://my.dmacc.edu/default.aspx . Go to Policies & Procedures and choose Student Services Procedures.

Course Schedule
Week or Date	Assignment	Due Date
Week #1	Chapter 10 Types of Sentences. Appendix A The Process of Academic Writing.	01/19/11
Week #2	Chapter 1 The Three Parts of a Paragraph. Practice 6, p.16.	01/24/11
Week #3	Chapter 2 Unity and Coherence. Appendix C Charts of Connecting Words and Transition Signals. Practice 12, p.37.	01/31/11
Week #4	Chapter 3 Supporting Details: Facts, Quotations, and Statistics Appendix B Punctuation Rules, p.280-289. Write a paragraph on graph 1 or 2, p.53-54	02/07/11
Week #5	Chapter 4 From Paragraph to Essay. Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Conclusion, p.56-74. Write your own conclusions for essays, p.73-75	02/14/11
Week #6	Chapter 4 From Paragraph to Essay. Practice 9, p. 78.	02/21/11
Week #7	Chapter 5 Chronological Order: Process Essays. Practice 3, p. 89.	02/28/11
Week #8	Wednesday, March 2^nd, Midterm Exam Chapter 6 Cause/Effect Essays	03/07/11
Week #9	Chapter 6 Cause/Effect Essays. Practice 6, p. 105. Chapter 11 Using Parallel Structures and Fixing Sentence Problems.	03/21/11
Week #10	Chapter 7 Comparison/Contrast Essays. Practice 4, p.123	03/28/11
Week #11	Chapter 8 Paraphrase and Summary. Practice 6, p. 141.	04/04/11
Week #12	Chapter 9 Argumentative Essays. Chapter 12 Noun Clauses.	04/11/11
Week #13	Chapter 9 Argumentative Essays. Chapter 13 Adverb clauses.	04/18/11
Week #14	Chapter 14 Adjective Clauses	04/25/11
Week #15	Chapter 15 Participial Phrases
Week #16	Final Exam May 2^nd, 8:00 – 10:00 am