FLS 004: Academic English (Fall)

Kent Lee

IFLS
Korea University

Contents

Schematic of the English grammatical system

Note: This site has moved to a new wiki site. This page is no longer maintained.

Introduction

Course syllabus

Announcements

Important announcements will appear here. Unimportant announcements may also appear here.

  1. My office hourse are Tuesday & Thursday, 3-4pm. My office is 국제관 720.
  2. A new Google Form assignment has been posted for 28 Sept. - see below.
  3. Grading may be delayed due to the arrival of our new baby, Eugene Francis Lee.

Readings and materials

Handouts, assignments, and materials will be provided on this website, or by email. There is no textbook for this course.

Week 1: Course intro

Google Form #1 (due date: 06 Sept.) Fill out this form of basic information about yourself, and submit it. This counts as a minor grade. (The form works, though it won't send you a confirmation.)

In-class work: Syllabus quiz, Language learning strategies, Talking about careers

Week 2: Careers

In-class work: Science news: Tearahertz detectors

Homework #1: Your career (due date: 13 Sept.). What are the most important factors for you in deciding on your future job or career? Is it money, satisfaction, an easy-to-find job, something fun/interesting, or other factors? What are your dream job[s], and other options (second choice or backup options)? This should be at least one full page (400-500 words). Due date: midnight, 14 Sept.

Week 3-5: The nature of science

Google Form #2 (due 28 Sept., midnight) Fill out this form - these are a few open-ended questions on how you would explain your field to non-engineers, such as friends, family members, and significant others (boyfriend/girlfirend/partner).

Science, theories, and your field - handouts (Myth vs. science; Theories, laws, hypotheses; Talking about your field)

Weeks 5-8: Pronunciation

Weeks 5-8: Invention activities, presentations

Week 9: Midterm presentations

Spring semester

Write 10 adjectives that describe you. Turn them into several sentences that describe you. Based on this, write a self-introductory paragraph that describes you and what kind of person that you are.

Write 1-2 paragraphs about your language learning habits and motivation in learning English. Explain what methods have worked and what has not worked well for you, and why. Also talk about what has hurt or helped your motivation toward English, e.g., what things have hurt your motivation, or have caused you to have an unhealthy motivation? Optionally, you can also talk about your writing process when you have a writing assignment, weaknesses or problems with your writing process, the difficulties that you have in writing, and how you overcome them.

You have been discussing your major in class. Now you will write 1-2 paragraphs or one page about your particular major (e.g., electrical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering). Imagine that you are explaining your major to family members, friends, or a future boyfriend/girlfriend. Explain the following: what the field is, why it is interesting to you or why it is worth studying, why you chose to study it, what you hope to do in a future career.

Grading criteria

Grades for minor assignments

Minor assignments - Google Forms, quizzes, minor presentation activities, and other class tasks - will be graded along the following 10-piont scale.

points criteria criteria
2 minimal effort The student does not try to answer, indicates that s/he does not know, or offers minimal or no response.

4 incorrect answer;low effort The student tries to answer but shows no evidence of making effort; may show serious misconceptions; does not use any information from readings or lectures (or from previous courses, knowledge, or experience) to formulate the response.

6 partially correct answer, but still incomplete; medium effort Student shows some prior knowledge and uses some correct terminology, but does not provide a complete explanation for the answer. Student does not use appropriate information from the readings or lectures (or prior knowledge). Little evidence of original thought or analysis.

8 correct or nearly correct; good effort Student answers the question with few mistakes and with a complete explanation. Student incorporates information from the lectures and readings, and shows original thought or analysis.

10 correct; very high effort Student provides a very detailed explanation, with information from outside the course materials, e.g., has obtained and incorporated more information from outside sources, and/or shows great creativity, original thought, or critical thinking skills.


Participation

Class participation will be assessed as follows:

criterion poor (1/10) excellent (10/10)
Attendance Skipping class; often late; lacking or not providing a valid reason for absence or lateness; seemingly contrived or artificial excuses for absences or tardiness; overburdens prof. with questions about missed work or contents; fails to make up work in time Always in class and on time; contacts prof. about legitimate reasons for repeated lateness or absence; finds out from fellow students about missed work and contents, contacting prof. when necessary; takes care of missed work responsibly

Attentiveness Does not seem to pay attention to lectures; seems to be using devices or materials for non-class-related purposes; falls asleep in class; ...

Usually focused on the lecture, discussion and class activities; well prepared
Active participation Not participating in group & class discussions or class activities; not answering questions or raising relevant questions in class; never talks to prof. after / outside of class about difficulties; or may try to dominate discussions unfairly, not allowing others a chance to participate

Regularly participates in class discussion and activities; asks and/or responds to questions in class; sees prof. about questions or difficulties after class; does not try to dominate discussions
Quality of contributions to class & group discussions Likes to say things that are not relevant, tangential, or self-focused; no intelligent or insightful contributions; says little beyond what is obvious; shows little sign of critical thinking Has intelligent, specific, insightful, focused comments or questions; comments or questions demonstrate critical thinking skills and creativity



How to find me

Via email:

Email is the best way to reach me. I also have an office hour at my office in 국제관 720.