Download TROY UNIVERSITY eTROY ENG 3341 XT1A 16/T3 Advanced

TROY UNIVERSITY
eTROY
ENG 3341 XT1A 16/T3
Advanced Grammar
Term 3, 2016
January 4 to March 6, 2016
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Barbara I. Gusick, Ph.D.
Adjunct English Faculty, Online
Remote: Chicago, Illinois
Email address: [email protected]
INSTRUCTOR EDUCATION
Ph.D. in English, Loyola University Chicago
M.A in English, DePaul University, Chicago
B.A. in English, Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois
TEXTBOOK:
Grammar for English Language Teachers, 2nd Ed., Martin Parrott, ISBN: 978-0-521-71204-0
The textbook provider for the eTROY is Barnes and Noble. The website for textbook purchases is
http://troy.bncollege.com.
Students should have their textbooks at the beginning of the first week of class. Not having the textbook is
not an acceptable excuse for turning in late work. Students who add this course late should refer to the
“Late Registration” section for further guidance.
LATE REGISTRATION
Students who register during the first week of the term, during late registration, will already be one week
behind. Students who fall into this category are expected to catch up with all work missed during Week 1
so that at the beginning of Week 2, late enrollees will be completing Week 2 assignments on time with the
rest of the class. Students who do not feel they can meet this deadline should not enroll in the class. If they
have registered, they should see their registrar, academic adviser, GoArmyEd/eArmyU representative, or
Military Education officer to discuss alternative options.
ELECTRONIC OFFICE HOURS
I will be available by telephone on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (CDT). You can
reach me during this time period at (334) 790-3705 (cell phone).
Further, I’m available by e-mail at any time. You can also post questions in the “Ask the Instructor”
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discussion forum in Blackboard. I check that forum daily during the weekdays, but for more immediate and
personal assistance, kindly email me at [email protected].
PREREQUISITES
Six (6) semester hours of 2000-level English courses
ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES
The student must possess the grammar/usage skills of a college-level student and the capability to perform
on a college level. Students should have a basic understanding of traditional grammar and usage as
demonstrated through past and present writing and papers, for example.
STUDENT EXPECTATION STATEMENT
Students are expected to participate in the course via e-mail exchanges with the instructor; by reading the
assigned materials made available to them; by submitting informative and well-written comments to the
discussion forums; by submitting assignments, completing exercises, activities, quizzes, and exams; and by
engaging in the comprehensive steps that lead up to, and conclude with, the analytical paper project.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Detailed study of the structural system of English grammar.
PURPOSE (COURSE OBJECTIVES)
To introduce students to the parts of speech; to introduce students to functional roles that various words
play within a sentence or clause; to strengthen students’ writing skills by parsing sentences that demonstrate
improper grammar/usage; to introduce students to verb tenses and the problems arising therefrom; to
introduce students to active and passive voice constructions;
to introduce students to clauses (both independent and dependent) and the role that each clause plays
within the larger structural unit; to introduce students to correct pronoun usage and accurate case forms;
to introduce students to subject/verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement; to demonstrate
current issues with the subject area of grammar; for instance, educational concerns within the secondary
classroom.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course in Advanced Grammar is an upper-level English course which develops and improves students’
grammar and usage skills. The class accomplishes this objective by administering exams and by engaging
students in exercises (including quizzes and/or discussion forum topics) designed to assess the progressive
competence they are acquiring. Students engage in frequent discussion of the lessons and build their skills
formulaically through accessing, reading, and responding to all course materials.
CULMINATING PROJECT: (1) ANALYTICAL ESSAY; (2) FINAL EXAM
This course’s culminating PROJECT consists of two parts: (1) analytical essay and (2) final exam. Both
the essay and final exam will react—in different ways—to a composition (a conference paper presented as a
speech) that will be distributed during Wk. 6. In short, this culminating project is a multi-process
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assignment requiring students to synthesize what they have learned: use the knowledge which they have
acquired from discussion forum posts, exercises, quizzes, and/or exams. For the final exam phase of the
project, students will be required to read and analyze each sentence of the composition, scrutinizing that
writing selection for grammar, usage, and spelling errors. For the analytical essay component of the project,
students will be critiquing the composition using other criteria that will be spelled out later. More details
will be provided during Week 6; however, students should note that the assignment itself cannot be released
before Week 6 because the instructional material presented in the course is cumulative; learning materials build from
the simple to the complex.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All students in this course must follow TROY’s academic integrity policy; please refer to the Standards of
Conduct mentioned in the catalogs or within the student handbook accessible at:
http://www.troy.edu/studentservices.oracle.
eTROY COURSES AT TROY UNIVERSITY
All eTROY courses at Troy University utilize the Blackboard Learning System. In every eTROY course,
students should read all information presented in the Blackboard course site and should periodically check
for updates—at least every 48 hours.
TROY E-MAIL
All students were required to obtain and use the TROY e-mail address that is automatically assigned to
them as TROY students. All official correspondence (including bills, statements, e-mails from instructors
and grades, etc.) will be sent ONLY to the troy.edu (@troy.edu) address.
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All students are responsible for ensuring that the correct email address is listed in
Blackboard by the beginning of Week #1. E-mail is the only way the instructor can, at least
initially, communicate with enrollees. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure a valid e-mail
address is provided. Failure on the student’s part to use the authorized email address can result in
his or her missing important information that could affect the grade.
A student’s troy.edu email address is the same as his or her Web Express user ID, followed by “troy.edu.”
Students are responsible for the information that is sent to their TROY e-mail accounts. They can get to
their respective e-mail accounts by logging onto the course and clicking “E-mail Login.” Students will then
be able to forward their TROY e-mails to their eArmy e-mail accounts. However, students must first access
their individual TROY e-mail accounts though the TROY e-mail link found on the Web site. After a
student logs in to his or her TROY e-mail account, he or she should then click on “options” on the left hand
side of the page. Then the student should click on “forwarding.” This will enable the Advanced Grammar
enrollee to set up the e-mail address to which e-mail should be forwarded.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS / METHOD OF EVALUATION
Exams: 20% (Exams 1-3)
Assignments and grammar exercises: 20%
Quizzes: 20%
Discussion forum posts (which must be substantive, well-written, and error-free): 20%
Analytical Essay: 10%
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Final Exam: 10%
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students should interact with the instructor via Blackboard and e-mail and are encouraged to call the
instructor during her office hours throughout the course. Although physical class meetings are not part of
this course, participation in all learning activities is mandatory. As a result, student involvement in the
course is closely monitored.
MAKE-UP WORK POLICY
Regardless of the reason for missed work (whether assignments, exams, or quizzes), no make-up material
will be accepted from students. All assignments, exams, and quizzes, and essays are due—and must be
submitted—by the published deadline.
To accommodate students, assignments are made available well in advance of due dates. Students should
complete homework ahead of time in case such occurrences as illness, personal or professional emergencies,
or other unforeseen events arise. See “Attendance” above and “Late Work” below.
LATE WORK
The only assignments eligible to turn in as “late work” are Discussion Forum contributions (posts). A lategrade policy is imposed for posts which come in late. That policy is a 10% docking rate for each day
that a Discussion Forum entry remains late. To illustrate, a student who turns in a required Discussion
Forum post 4 days late would be subject to a 40% docking for handing in that assignment 4 days after the
entry is due.
Late homework (submitted after the deadline) cannot be accepted. The instructor posts the right answers
for each homework assignment immediately after the deadline, and therefore any student who attempts to
submit an assignment late has (unfair) access to all the correct answers. The late-submitting student must
therefore accept a zero grade on homework exercises which come in after the announced deadline. This
late-submission policy also pertains to quizzes or tests which students attempt to submit after the announced
deadline regardless of the reason for the missed exam or quiz. In summary, any work (besides Discussion
Forum posts) which a student attempts to submit or take late will not be accepted. And a zero grade will
be imposed for that item.
To accommodate late registration authorized by the university, late enrollees will not incur docking (a
late-grade penalty) for turning in Week 1 work late.
INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY
Missing any part of the Course Schedule may prevent completion of the course. If circumstances prevent
the student from completing the course by the end of the term, the student should complete a request for
an incomplete grade.
Note: A grade of incomplete (INC) is not automatically assigned to students but rather must be requested
by the student, who must submit a Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade Form. Requests for an
incomplete grade must be made on or before the date of the final assignment or test of the term. The form
will not be available after the last day of the term. A grade of “INC” does not replace an “F” and will not be
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awarded for excessive absences. An “INC” will only be awarded to a student presenting a valid case for the
inability to complete coursework by the conclusion of the term. It is ultimately the instructor’s decision to
grant or deny a request for an incomplete grade, subject to the policy rules below.
Policy/Rules for granting an Incomplete (INC)
An incomplete cannot be issued without a request from the student.
To qualify for an incomplete, the student must:
a. Have completed over 50% of the course material and have a documented reason for
requesting the incomplete. (50% means all assignments/exams up to and including the
mid-term point, test, and/or assignments.)
b. Be passing the course at the time of his or her request.
If both of the above criteria are not met, an incomplete cannot be granted.
An INC is not a substitute for an F. If a student has earned an “F” by not submitting all the
work or by receiving an overall F average, then the F stands.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
This is an eTROY class. It is not a “correspondence course” in which a student may work at his/her own
pace. Each week there will be assignments, on-line discussions, and/or exams with due dates. Refer to the
schedule at the end of this syllabus for more information.
ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES
All grades will be posted in the student grade book in Blackboard and will be assigned according to the
following scale:
A
B
C
D
F
90 – 100%
80 – 89%
70 – 79%
60 – 69%
59% and below
Postings: I post grades in Blackboard, in the Grade Center.
FA: “FA” indicates the student failed due to attendance. This grade will be given to any student
who
disappears from the course for three or more weeks. See the Attendance section of this syllabus for
additional information.
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
There are multiple assignments listed in the course schedule; please note the due dates for them. Students’
responses must be typed, using 12 pt. font, double-spaced, in Microsoft Word format. The
assignments must be turned into the Assignments Section by 11:59 p.m. of the due date (note:
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Blackboard and I operate on Central US time). See above “Late Work” section for grade-docking policies
applicable to Discussion Forum work only.
A student should include his or her name on assignments and submit them to the Assignments Section.
Points will be deducted for failure to follow the format requirements. No e-mail attachments will be
accepted; all work must be submitted through the Blackboard system.
EXAMINATIONS & ASSIGNMENTS: SCHEDULE & INSTRUCTIONS
For dates of assignments, see the end of the syllabus. Regarding exams, quizzes, or exercises, these
assignments will be available, and accepted, during a specific time period. See the Course Schedule at the
end of this syllabus for the dates and times during which these assignments can be submitted.
Exams and quizzes will be delivered online via Blackboard. They will be found in the Assessments
(Exams/Quizzes) Section. These testing items will be timed. See relevant instructions (pertaining to
each item) for the time limit imposed. Per Troy’s I.T. Department (information to be provided), exams
and quizzes must be submitted on a LAN-line computer, not submitted on an iPad, a smartphone,
or a wireless computer.
INTERNET ACCESS
This is an on-line class. Therefore, students must have access to a working computer and access to the
internet. Students can use the TROY computer lab, a public library, etc., to ensure that they have access.
A student’s “not having a computer” and/or “computer crashes” are not acceptable excuses for turning in
late work. All students should have a backup plan in place in case computer problems arise.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1 (January 4): Parts of Speech
This week concentrates upon parts of speech: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions,
pronouns, and interjections.
During this week we are “labeling” various words in a sentence or clause according to the “part of speech”
which each word can be said to be. This information is foundational, and some students entering this course
will be more conversant with this material than other students. Readings include the following chapters
and/or sections of chapters; Advanced Grammar students should determine for themselves how in-depth
they need to study the relevant material:
Nouns (Chapter 1)
Adjectives (Chapter 4; also see Chapter 2 on Articles and Chapter 3 on Quantifiers)
Adverbs (Chapter 5)
Verbs (Chapter 8)
Pronouns (Personal and Possessive: page 371 bottom; Relative: page 407 bottom)
Prepositions (Chapter 7)
Conjunctions (Coordinating: page 302; Correlative [two-part]: page 390) {Note: subordinating
conjunctions will be introduced and discussed later—during the “Subordinate clause” unit
to be studied during Weeks 3 and 4}
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Interjections (information to be presented in class).
At the end of this week, we will be “previewing” the material to be covered during Week 2: the functions
of words within sentences and/or clauses. Our looking at a word or a phrase in terms of its particular
function rather than according to its part of speech—is an entirely different process.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Meet and Greet”
2) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “The Relevancy of Grammar” **
** See Announcement during Week 1 for how to respond to a Discussion Forum question
for information regarding (1) grading criteria, (2) format, (3) length of responses, (4)
number of posts, and (5) due dates.
Week 2 (January 11): Functions of Words within Sentences or Clauses
This week concentrates upon the roles that words play within sentences or clauses (a clause can be
independent or dependent [subordinate]).
During this week, we will be focusing upon words (and phrases) as they fit into the following functionary
units: subject (S), verb (V), direct object (DO), indirect object (IO), predicate nominative (PN), and
predicate adjective (PA).
Suggested reading: Chapter 20.
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 3: subordinate
(dependent) clauses and independent clauses.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Functions of Words within Sentences or Clauses.”
2) Week 2 Exercise: due Tuesday, January 12, by 11:59 p.m. (CDT).
3) Test One: due Saturday, January 16, within specified time parameters.
Week 3 (January 18): Independent Clauses and Subordinate (Dependent) Clauses
This week concentrates upon identifying independent clauses and subordinate (dependent clauses). With
regard to subordinate clauses, students will learn to recognize noun clauses (used as subjects, direct objects,
indirect objects, predicate nominatives, and objects of prepositions); adjective clauses; and adverb clauses.
Within each clause, they will learn to identify functionary components of targeted words as well as (in the
case of adjective and adverb clauses) say which particular words these clauses modify. For instance,
adjective clauses modify either nouns (or noun phrases) or pronouns. An adverb clause can modify an
adjective, a verb, or another adverb. Noun clauses are the most difficult clauses to identify, and students
should devote more time to studying this particular type of construction.
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Suggested readings: Chapter 25 (adverb clause), Chapter 26 (noun clause), Chapter 27 (adjective clause)
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 4, which will
constitute Part Two of our focus upon subordinate clauses and problems arising therefrom.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Subordinate Clauses – Part One”
2) Week 3 Quiz on Subordinate Clauses: due Saturday, January 23, within specified time parameters.
Week 4 (January 25): Subordinate (Dependent) Clauses, Part Two
This week continues the task of identifying subordinate clauses (noun, adjective, and adverb) and the role of
each clause within the larger unit (and meaning) of the sentence. However, this week’s discussion targets
specific problems which arose during the quiz on subordinate clauses administered at the end of Week 3 and
provides a review of relevant material in preparation for Test Two on Subordinate Clauses to be given at
the end of this week.
Suggested readings: lecture notes, non-graded exercises, and discussion-board comments made available
during Week 3 and this week.
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 5: pronouns and
case forms. As the Week 5 overview is presented, students will be able to see that correct pronoun usage is
essential within our daily lives and that pronouns such as “who” or “whom” (whoever/whomever) present
special areas of concern.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Subordinate Clauses – Part Two.”
2) Test Two: due Saturday, January 30, within specified time parameters.
Week 5 (February 1): Pronouns and Case Forms
This week concentrates upon pronouns with a focus upon identifying proper case forms. There are many
different types of pronouns: personal, possessive, demonstrative, relative, and intensive. The index of our
textbook indicates how many different aspects of pronoun usage there are (see “Pronouns” in the index). A
quick example is the following: Which pronoun is correct in the following sentence: “She is much taller
than {I, me}”? The correct answer is “I” because there is an elliptical (unexpressed, implicit) clause
underway. Elliptical clauses can begin with “than” or “as.” To restate this sentence, we should say the
following: “She is much taller than I am (tall).” Now we can see that “I” is the subject of the elliptical clause,
“am” is the singular verb, and “tall” is the unexpressed predicate adjective.
Readings: lecture notes, non-graded exercises, and discussion-board comments made available during this
week.
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 6: Verbs, Part
One. This focus upon verbs is complex and will constitute two weeks’ work (Verbs: Part One and Verbs:
Part Two—that is, Weeks 6 and 7).
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Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Pronouns and Case Forms”
2) Week 5 Quiz on Pronouns: due Saturday, February 6, during the time parameters specified.
Week 6 (February 8): Verbs / Part One
This week concentrates upon verbs and begins a two-week study. Although verbs as parts of speech were
dealt with during week 1, and verbs as function words within sentences were discussed during week 2, we
have yet to discuss many aspects of verb usage. Among these areas are the following: subject/verb
agreement, verb tenses, progressive verbs, active versus passive voice verbs, helping (modal) verbs,
problematic verbs.
Readings: lecture notes, non-graded exercises, and discussion-board comments made available during this
week.
Analytical Essay assignment – during the middle of this week, the essay assignment due in Week 9 will
be made available to students. Because of the complexity of the material that must be mastered before
embarking upon this paper, this paper topic cannot be distributed, or otherwise made available, any earlier than Week
6.
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 7: Verbs, Part
Two.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Verbs, Part One”
2) Week 6 Exercise: due Saturday, February 13, by 11:59 p.m. (CDT).
Week 7 (February 15): Verbs / Part Two
This week concentrates upon verbs and concludes the two-week study. Specifically, this time span focuses
upon problematic areas for verbs. As an example, the verbs “lie” and “lay” are often used incorrectly.
Similarly, students need to be recognize the difference between active and passive voice verbs.
Furthermore, they should be able to choose a correct verb form when given a number of options from
which to select. Thus, additional work with verbs this week becomes essential. In preparation for the third
test to be given this week, the instructor will provide an overview of the material that must be mastered as
students prepare for Test Three (verbs).
Readings: lecture notes, non-graded exercises, and discussion-board comments made available during this
week.
At the end of this week, we will be previewing the material to be covered during Week 8: Verbals
(gerunds, participles, infinitives).
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Verbs, Part Two.”
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2) Test Three: due Saturday, February 20, within specified time parameters.
Week 8 (February 22): Verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives)
This week concentrates upon verbals—that is, gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Now that students have
mastered verbs, we move toward studying these “verbals” which are sometimes mistaken for verbs.
Gerunds are always nouns and always end in “-ing”; however, the problem with gerunds is that they can
appear within any of the following “roles”: subject, direct object, indirect object, predicate nominative,
object of preposition (as that is what any noun can do). Participles are adjectives and are difficult to
recognize; sometimes they, too, end in “-ing”; however, participles always modify nouns or pronouns (as
that is what an adjective can do). Infinitives are “to” plus a form of a verb. An example: is “To study.”
Infinitives are sometimes confused with prepositional phrases which begin with “to” (as an example: “to
bed” as in “I am going “to bed.”) The latter construction is a prepositional phrase, not an infinitive phrase.
Readings: lecture notes, non-graded exercises, and discussion-board comments made available during this
week. For a cursory look at how to identify verbals, check out the following terms in the index of our text:
“gerunds,” “participles,” and “infinitives.”
At the end of this week, we will be providing a summary of what to look for when writing the final
analytical paper. Specifically, we will be focusing upon how to write a paper which is lucid, informative,
and complete. We will provide a snippet of a successful analytical paper, an assignment which is
grammatically correct, displays a comprehensive study of a certain passage, and demonstrates proper
writing.
Assignments due:
1) Respond to Discussion Board Forum: “Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, Infinitives”
2) Week 8 Exercise on Verbals: due Saturday, February 27, by 11:59 p.m. (CDT).
Week 9 (February 29): Agreement
This week concentrates upon subject/verb agreement as well as agreement of pronoun with its antecedent
in order to demonstrate common choices that students—and all writers—have to make when faced with an
AGREEMENT problem. As an example, which of the following should someone say? (select one of two
pronoun choices shown within the parentheses that follow): “Every boy should let (his/their) coach know
when participation is impossible because of illness.” (The correct answer is “his” since “boy”—singular—is
the subject of the sentence.) What about: “Either the apples or the orange (is/are) to be eaten for lunch”(?)
The correct choice is “is” because when two subjects are joined by “or,” the verb should agree with the
subject closest to the verb (“orange” is singular).
Readings: lecture notes, sample exercises this week.
Assignments due (there is no Discussion Board this week)
{See the Calendar for early due dates during this final week of class.}
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1) Week 9 Exercise: due Tuesday, March 1, by 11:59 p.m. (CDT).
2) Final Exam: due Thursday, March 3, by noon (12:00 p.m. CDT).
3) Analytical essay due: Friday, March 4, by 11:59 p.m. (CDT).