English Course Comparison

 

5-7 essays of 3-5 pages based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus at least one research paper of 7-10 pages.

5-7 essays of 3-5 pages based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus at least one research paper of 7-10 pages.

Essays have complex thesis, advanced organizational techniques and use quotation and documentation.

5-7 essays of 3-5 pages based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus at least one research paper of 7-10 pages.

Essays have complex thesis, advanced organizational techniques, and use quotation and documentation.

4 papers of 2-5 pages based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus several low stakes writing assignments.

Essays have a thesis, advanced organizational techniques, and apply an introduction to basic research methods.

4 papers of 1-3 pages based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus several low stakes writing assignments.

Essays have a thesis, developing organizational techniques, and begin to appropriately integrate support.

4 papers of 1-3 paragraphs based on analysis of assigned texts and response to ideas in the texts, plus several low stakes writing assignments. Include basic paragraph components: topic sentence, support details, and concluding sentence.

One or more full-length books (fiction or non-fiction). Academic reading with in-depth analysis and complex concepts. 

One or more full-length books (fiction or non-fiction). Academic reading with in-depth analysis and complex concepts.

One or more full-length books (fiction or non-fiction). Academic reading with in-depth analysis and complex concepts. 

Several articles and one full-length book in English (not for ESL). 

Several articles and one full-length book in English written for young readers or ESL students.

Several articles and one full-length book in English written for young readers or ESL students.

"These suggestive echoes comprise Conrad’s famed evocation of the African atmosphere in Heart of Darkness. In the final consideration, his method amounts to no more than a steady, ponderous, fake-ritualistic repetition of two antithetical sentences, one about silence and the other about frenzy. We can inspect samples of this on pages 103 and 105 of the New American Library edition: (a) “It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention” and (b) “The steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy.” Of course, there is a judicious change of adjective from time to time, so that instead of “inscrutable,” for example, you might have “unspeakable,” even plain “mysterious,” etc., etc."

“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says “We’re the same.” A language barrier says “We’re different.” The architects of apartheid understood this. Part of the effort to divide black people was to make sure we were separate not just physically but by language as well. In the Bantu schools, children were only taught in their home language. Zulu kids fall into the trap the government had set for us and fight among ourselves, believing that we were different. The great thing about language is that you can just as easily use it to do the opposite: convince people that they are the same. Racism teaches us that we are different because of the color of our skin. But racism is stupid, it’s easily tricked. If you’re racist and you meet someone who does look like you, the fact that he can’t speak like you reinforces your racist preconceptions: He is different, less intelligent. A brilliant scientist can come over the border from Mexico to live in America, but if he speaks in broken English, people say “Eh, I don’t trust this guy.”

(Same as ENGL 1A)

“My father’s approach might well have backfired. With extrinsic motivation, people act to win external rewards or avoid external punishments; with intrinsic motivation, people act for their own satisfaction. Studies show that if you reward people for doing an activity, they often stop doing it for fun; being paid turns into “work.” Parents, for example, are warned not to reward children for reading-- they’re teaching kids to read for a reward, not for pleasure. By giving me an extrinsic motivation, my father risked sapping my inclination to exercise on my own. As it happened, in my case, he provided an extrinsic motivation that unleashed my intrinsic motivation."

“When we got back from the tortilla mill, my cousin Élida was waiting by the gate, asking why we’d taken so long. “Can’t you see I’m hungry?” Élida, who was going on thirteen, had a round chubby face and big puffy eyes that looked like frog eyes. I thought that since we were all in the same situation—having been left behind by our parents—we would be friends. Élida wasn’t interested in being our friend. Like the neighbors, she called us the little orphans, even though her mother had left her too. The pretty dresses Abuela Evila made for her on her sewing machine, and the many gifts her mother sent her from El Otro Lado, helped Élida transform herself from the little orphan to a privileged granddaughter. She was everything we were not."

“For as long as I can remember, our house had been full of people: neighbors, relatives, and friends of my father’s—and a never-ending stream of cousins, male and female. They came from the mountains where my parents grew up or they came from the next town over. Even when we moved from our tiny first house and I got my “own” bedroom, it was rarely my own. There always seemed to be a cousin sleeping on the floor. That’s because one of the most important parts of the Pashtunwali code is hospitality. As a Pashtun, you always open your door to a visitor.”

Standard

Professors who specialize in teaching English Language Learners (ELL)

 

Embedded Classroom Tutors (TC) who provide additional learning opportunities

 

Concentration on ELL challenges and improvement strategies

 

Embedded American college-success strategies

 

Peer collaboration to build understanding and critical analysis

 

More classroom time with instructors as compared to ENGL 1A

 

More individual attention as compared to ENGL 1A

 

More in-class help with reading and writing as compared to ENGL 1A

 

More peer interaction as compared to ENGL 1A

 

More revision strategies as compared to ENGL 1A

 

More college-success strategies as compared to ENGL 1A

Professors who specialize in teaching English Language Learners (ELL)

 

Concentration on ELL challenges and improvement strategies

 

Smaller class and more individual attention

 

Embedded Classroom Tutors (TC) who provide additional learning opportunities

 

In-class help with reading, vocabulary, writing and revising

 

Plenty of peer interaction in a comfortable language learning environment

 

Professors who specialize in teaching English Language Learners (ELL)

 

Concentration on ELL challenges and improvement strategies

 

Embedded Classroom Tutors (TC) who provide additional learning opportunities

 

In-class help with reading, vocabulary, writing and revising

 

Plenty of peer interaction in a comfortable language learning environment

 

American college-success strategies

Professors who specialize in teaching English Language Learners (ELL)

 

Concentration on ELL challenges and improvement strategies

 

Embedded Classroom Tutors (TC) who provide additional learning opportunities

 

In-class help with reading, vocabulary, writing and revising

 

Plenty of peer interaction in a comfortable language learning environment

 

American college-success strategies

 

 Sample Assignment

Life is full of borders: emotional, political, geographic, sexual, cultural, racial, and familial. The book "I Love Yous are for White People" discusses a young child’s journey to and life in the United States. Based on Lac Su’s experiences, write an essay (of at least 750 words) to discuss how assimilation can affect one’s life. 

How much does cultural identity impact one's ability to assimilate into American culture? How are assimilation and happiness related? Incorporate any other texts we have used this semester to support your claims.

Read the Washington Post article “On a Texas Prairie, Distance Grows between Neighbors over an American Birthright” by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan. Find three examples of facts and three examples of opinion. How do you know what is a fact and what is an opinion? (What are the sources?) Write a 3-5 paragraph essay about the facts and opinions. In addition to this article, use “Ten Myths about Immigration” to respond to the opinions you found in this article. Be sure to use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex) in your writing.

A rite of passage is an important experience that causes a big change in one’s life, such as a first kiss, first romantic relationship, getting a driver’s license, getting married, having a baby, etc. After listening to the song “100 Years” by Five for Fighting, write 1-2 paragraphs to answer the following questions.

What’s the message of this song? How do you know? What rites of passage can you guess the singer is referring to in the song? Describe a rite of passage that was very memorable to you. Which part of the song does it relate to?