3
ALI 103DW-Advanced Writing for International Students
Instructor: Dr. Sharon Myers Email:
Office phone: (213) 740-8343 Office hours: By appointment
Office location: Jefferson Bldg., 214
Course Description:
ALI 103DW is for graduate students who are non-native speakers of English and who are beginning to work on theses or dissertations, or to write for publication according to the conventions of English. The course will cover conventions of advanced academic writing, and will address problems in syntax, vocabulary, and register more common to written than to spoken English. Students will work within the guidelines of the style manuals of their respective fields. Instruction will be individualized.
Course Materials:
1. Recommended: Collins CoBuild Resource Pack (CD-ROM)
OR
Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary of American English 1st Edition (Includes CD-
ROM). Heinle, 2007. ISBN: 1424003636
2. Articles and exercises downloadable from the class Blackboard site, which you can enter
by using your USC username and password. The URL is: <http://blackboard.usc.edu/>
3. Field-specific style manual
Course Guidelines:
Each student will conference with the instructor during the first week of class and together with the instructor will set semester goals appropriate to the student's writing project. Individual students will be expected to move through different phases of their projects at different rates. They will be expected to turn in work on a weekly basis or according to a schedule arranged with the instructor.
Since English instruction occurs during class time, class attendance is very important. Students are expected to attend all class hours unless other arrangements have been agreed on with the instructor.
Grading:
ALI 103DW is a pass/no pass course. Course grades will be letter grades A-F. Two grades will be assigned at midterm and two at the end of the course, one for written work and the other for participation. Written grades will be based on reasonable progress toward goals set at the beginning of the course The average of all four grades will constitute the final grade.
A=95-100 HP (High Pass)
B=85-94 P (Pass)
C=75-84 BP (Borderline/low pass)
D=65-74 NP (No pass)
Attendance and Punctuality:
This is a language course and attendance at all classes is mandatory. There is no “make-up” work that adequately substitutes for the instruction and the interaction which take place in class. Neither absences nor late assignments will be accepted without either medical documentation or permission of the instructor obtained one week in advance.
No make-up assignments will be provided for undocumented absences. Three absences may result in a grade of Borderline or lower. Four unexcused absences may result in a grade of No Credit.
Students who arrive late to class will not be marked present. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of lateness and ask to be marked present, after class or during the instructor’s office hours. Three late arrivals will be counted as one absence unless otherwise arranged with the instructor.
Students who have documented absences and wish to make up homework are responsible for getting the assignments from other students in the class, so choose a partner for this purpose.
Plagiarism:
A very important component of this course will concern the proper documentation of sources. Students will be expected to develop a clear sense of what constitutes plagiarism and to avoid it.
Students with Disabilities:
Any student requiring accommodations based on a disability is required to register with the Disability Services and Programs office (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved recommendations can be obtained through DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to your instructor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 9:00am- 5:00pm, M-F. The DSP phone number is (213) 740-0776.
Style manuals
Diana Hacker’s site (CSE and others)
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
From Long Island University (APA, MLA, AMA, Turabian, Chicago)
http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm