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General Course Information

English 418: Second Language Acquisition


Instructor: Dr. Robert S. Carlisle
Section: 01; MWF 9:30-10:55.
Office: 201E Faculty Tower
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-12:20
Email Address: rcarlisle@csubak.edu

Required Texts:
Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Eglewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Carlisle, R. (1999). Lecture Notes for English 418: fall 2000.
Samples of ESL Writing.
Learning to Edit (distributed in class).


Course Description:

This course is a general introduction to the process of acquiring a second language. It examines the internal and external factors pertinent to that process, but much of the course will be dedicated to describing and analyzing the language produced by non-native English speakers. Students in the course are expected to have fulfilled the prerequisite of at least one course in general linguistics or the structure of English.

Some topics will covered in greater depth than others, specifically language universals, variability in language production, the effect of bilingual education, and interlanguage phonology and writing in a second language. Bibliographies are available on the last two topics.

Requirements:

All students will be required to complete three tasks during the quarter: a midterm examination on the editing of ESL writing, a comprehensive final examination, and a project or paper. The due dates for these tasks can be found in the class schedule.

Analysis of ESL Writing. During the first few weeks of the course, students will spend a substantial amount of time analyzing the writing of ESL students and should purchase Samples of ESL writing as soon as possible. Most of the work will be done in class, and class attendance will be obligatory during this unit. The midterm will be based on this section of the class.

Paper or Project. All students are urged to participate in a class project on ESL Writing or on culture shock. However, students who do not wish to participate in a project, or cannot for some reason, may write a term paper instead. I have supplied a list of possible topics and instructions for writing the term paper.

Final Examination. The final examination for the course will be comprehenise, covering information from the entire ten weeks. Students are expected to read both textbooks for the course and attend lectures to be prepared for the examination. The instructor will provide detailed information about the final examination later in the quarter.

Final grades in the course will be based upon the grade distribution in the table below.
 
 

 
Evaluation Task Percentage of Grade
Midterm
30%
Final Examination
30%
Term Paper or Project
40%

As indicated in the table above, the analysis of ESL writing samples will be 10% of the final grade, the final exam will be 40%, and the paper or project will constitute the other 50%. Students may calculate their own final grades by filling out a grading guide.

Grading Policy

Students who score below 60 on either the final exam or the midterm will receive a final grade no higher than D+ no matter how they do on the other sections of the class. Students who receive a score between 60 and 69 on both examinations will receive a final grade no higher than D+ no matter how they do on the course project. No exceptions will be made to this policy.

Pretest
All students must take a pretest on the first day of class. Even though the pretest does not count as part of the students' final grade, it is important because it is used to measure the effectiveness of the course. Students missing the pretest will be dropped from the course unless they have made special arrangements with me to take it on an alternative date and time.

Communicating with the Instructor

I have scheduled five hours of office hours per week for students, but I realize that many students have problems meeting with their instructors at specific times. Therefore, I actively encourage students to send me messages if they have questions about the content of the course. The questions should be as specific as possible and relate directly to the material being studied. More general questions should be asked during the class. I can guarantee same day responses to email messages. I prefer that students do not phone me; many do not leave phone numbers; others say them so fast that I cannot hear them; and still others do not have answering machines. Students who phone may not receive an answer for the reasons listed above.

If you enjoy this course, the minor in linguistics might be for you.

Important University Dates

October 02, 2000: Last date to withdraw without a "W" being recorded.
October 30, 2000: Last date to withdraw for a serious and compelling reason.


English 418: Course Syllabus.