Schedule

Supplies

Instructor

Grades

Resources

Updated April 9, 2001
© Mark Canada, 2001
mark.canada@uncp.edu
 
 

Objectives

In this course, we will look behind the spectacular architecture that is our language and seek to understand the basic principles that keep all those beams and bolts in place.  Yes, we will diagram some sentences and seek to master all those quirky--and sometimes maddening--rules of Standard English.  At the same time, you will learn some things you never imagined learning in a grammar course.  Specifically, you can expect to grow in four crucial areas:

• Language: Success in college and the world beyond requires more than basic literacy.  In addition to knowing how to decipher language--that is, how to read and how to listen--we must be able to analyze language for clues about purpose, audience, and agenda.  In this course, you not only will come to understand the grammatical structure of English, but also will apply your new knowledge to dissect and interpret the language you encounter in business, politics, and other areas.
• Ideas: Edifying and elevating in its own right, language is also a means for expressing ideas.  As you improve your understanding of language, you may find that you also better understand the ideas expressed through it.  Indeed, some might argue that grammar is at the heart of the very ideas themselves.
• Research: One of the most valuable skills you will learn in college is the ability to gather detailed, reliable information so that you can make informed decisions.  In this course, you will become familiar with some standard reference works where you can find credible information about the English language.  Furthermore, in your research project, you will practice a number of other skills involved in finding, evaluating, and incorporating sources. 
• Communication: Knowledge confined to a single person's brain has limited use.  It is through sharing this knowledge that humans make progress in medicine, science and technology, politics, and every other human endeavor.  In this course, you will have the opportunity to stretch and to improve your communication skills as you explore the basic components of language: phonemes, morphemes, words, phrases, clauses, and sentences.  At the same time, you will begin to master the rules that underlie Standard English and thus will be able to polish your linguistic etiquette.

P's and Q's

• Preparation:  Before you can succeed, you need to prepare.  Indeed, preparation is the single most important key to success, not only in this class, but in college and in life.  You already have taken the first step by reading this syllabus.  Take a few minutes every few weeks to review this syllabus, which describes not only the assignments, but also my criteria for grading them.  An equally important form of preparation is reading the study guide that accompanies each unit.  One or more days before coming to class each week, come here to the syllabus and click on the link to that week's unit.  Read the study guide carefully, preparing yourself to meet the objectives and to learn the terms described there.  Read any other assignments, as well, and take notes on everything.  Come to class ready to learn.  Finally, review the study guide at the end of the week to make sure you have met the objectives and learned the terms.
• Participation:  Once you are prepared to learn, you also need to show up for class and to participate in class exercises and discussions.  Although I do not require attendance in this course, I urge you to attend class regularly and to participate actively in class activities.  Indeed, research shows that active participation dramatically increases the amount a person learns.  If you are shy, take some steps toward becoming more vocal.  During class, volunteer to report on group activities and try to make at least one comment or ask one question during class.
• Physical Health:  Your mind is part of your body.  It should come as no surprise, then, that good physical health can improve your learning and your grades.  Studies have suggested that eating breakfast can improve test performance, that protein can boost alertness, and that exercise can help a person think effectively.  I suggest drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day, avoiding junk food and caffeine, exercising at least a half-hour each day, and maintaining a consistent schedule of seven to nine hours of sleep every night.  To unwind, I prefer music to television, which tends to eat up time and besides is generally inane and annoying. 
• Politeness:  Your grades depend primarily on your performance.  Nevertheless, being polite is good practice for life after college and can help you establish a good rapport with your professors.  Show up for class and conferences on time and wait until class has ended before packing up your books.  Turn in assignments when they are due and avoid making excuses for absences or poor work.
• Quality: Nothing impresses a teacher or an employer more than work that shines not only in content, but in form.  Invest the time and energy into submitting assignments of which you can be proud. For starters, read each assignment carefully and try to provide exactly what the professor requests.  In addition to researching, writing, revising, and proofreading your work carefully, follow instructions on format, such as use of correct bibliographic citations.
• Questions:  When you need information or help, ask. For example, if you have problems coming to class, keeping up with assignments, or using the computer, see me immediately.  The following statement comes from Disability Support Services: "Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first class week) as possible.  All discussions will remain confidential."

Portfolio

1. Index:  As the "home page" for your online portfolio, the index will be the first thing that I and other visitors see when we visit it on the World Wide Web.  It should include your name, a recent photograph of you, your e-mail address, links to the other components of your portfolio, and a brief profile describing your family, interests, hobbies, or anything else you would like people to know about you. Due:  noon Friday, January 12, 2001. 
2. Grammar Guide:  In this project, you will become an expert on a grammatical concept, such as prepositional phrases or subordinate clauses, and then introduce this concept to your classmates, as well as an audience of Internet users.  Your guide must include a brief overview of the concept, a history of its use, definitions of related terms, an exercise designed to help users understand the concept, and a 500-word essay that explains the implications of the concept for literature and rhetoric.  You must draw on at least two secondary sources in producing this guide and cite the sources properly in an annotated bibliography.  In class during the week we cover this concept, you will present a 15-minute lesson on it to your classmates.  Due: February 2, 2001. 
3. Editing Project:  This project will give you the opportunity to apply your new grammatical knowledge to the process of editing.  Specifically, you will edit material that my other students have created for  All American.  Like professional editors, you will be responsible for making sure that the writing conforms to the conventions of Standard Written English.  You need not worry about style, clarity, content, or format.  In other words, focus on subjects we are covering in this course: grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics.  The material I assign you may have several mistakes or just a few.  Take care that you do not introduce errors.   You should not highlight or otherwise draw attention to the changes you have made on the page itself; however, in the caption you write for this assignment, you should describe the types of changes you made.  You need not mention every change.  Due: March 30, 2001.
4. Reflective Essay and Captions: In an essay of about 500 words, reflect on what you have learned this semester about English grammar, as well as language in general, ideas, research, and communication.  In two separate captions, each 100-200 words long, comment on what you learned doing each of the major assignments: the grammar guide and the editing project.  Create links from these captions to the assignments themselves.  Due: April 20, 2001. 

Oral Examination: During this 30-minute examination, I will ask you questions about your online portfolio, as well as the grammatical principles we have covered in the course.   For example, I may ask you what changes you made in the page you edited and why you made them.  I also may ask you to elaborate on aspects of the grammatical concept you discussed in your guide.  Finally, you should be prepared to answer questions such as the following:  What is Standard English?  What clues do disjuncts provide about a speaker's tone?  What is the difference between a restrictive clause and a non-restrictive clause?  Due: April 23-27, 2001. 

Grades

• Content: The project should thoroughly and insightfully address its subject with accurate, credible, timely, and relevant information. If the project is supposed to be argumentative, it should state a clear, substantive, contestable, and precise claim early and support this claim with appropriate evidence.
• Clarity: The project should present information in a clear, logical fashion. In particular, each paragraph generally should begin with a precise topic sentence, followed by clear, well-organized sentences that support the topic sentence. The writer should use transitional words and phrases effectively to guide the reader through the information.
• Readability: The project should engage the reader with lively, concise writing and should generally lack typographical errors, as well as lapses in tone, register, punctuation, mechanics, spelling, word choice, and grammar.  The project should effectively incorporate source material with proper use of attribution, paraphrases, and quotations.  Longer projects should begin with engaging introductions and include satisfying conclusions.
• Format: Parenthetical citations and the bibliography or list of works cited should conform to MLA style. The project also should have an attractive, professional appearance and should conform to any particular format requirements described on the syllabus.  Each project must be your own work.  That is, except for properly cited quotations, every sentence and phrase must be in your own words.  All interpretations, except for those properly cited, also must be your own.  If you turn in someone else's work, use a source's exact words without placing these words in quotation marks, or use an interpretation you found in a source without giving credit to the source, you are guilty of plagiarism and may fail this course.  You must be prepared to prove that you have done all your own work by showing me your sources and discussing the details of your project with me in conference.