COMMUNICATION I-II SYLLABUS

First semester, SY 2012-2013 Department of Arts and Communication College of Arts and Sciences University of the Philippines Manila

Instructor:

Mishima Z. Miciano Department of Arts and Communication, Rm 703, Rizal Hall Tel: 523-1628 Communication Skills Communication I: The development of advanced communicative competence in English, with emphasis on effective reading, writing, and listening skills (Credit: 3 units) Communication II: The development of more advanced language skills in critical thinking and effective reading and writing (Credit: 3 units)

Title: Description:

Objectives:

By the end of the semester, the students are expected to be able to do the following: 1. To read with competence expository texts from different fields of knowledge 2. To analyze the content, organization, and style of these texts 3. To use the English language appropriately and effectively 4. To write different types of papers based on library research 5. To appreciate the value of both the imaginative and the critical mode of thinking and writing As a General Education course, COMM II should help the students: 1. broaden their intellectual and cultural horizons; 2. foster commitment to nationalism balanced by a sense of internationalism; 3. cultivate their capacity for independent, critical, and creative thinking, and 4. develop a passion for learning with a high sense of moral and intellectual integrity.
(adapted from the UP Diliman website: http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ovcaa/rgep/faq_main.html#faq03)

RGEP Objectives:

Grading Scheme: COMM I

Final exam Writing project Process requirements Class activities TOTAL:

30% 40 15 15 100%

COMM II

Class activities Major papers: Critique Research paper introduction Research paper body <Process requirements 10 > <Final paper 30 > TOTAL:

10% 25 25 40

100%

References: Books

Selected chapters/articles from the following: Dadufalza, C.D. Reading into Writing 1. Manila: Bookmark. Dadufalza, C.D. Reading into Writing 2. Manila: Bookmark. American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (sixth ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. McWhorter, K. (2001), Academic reading. New York: Longman Plata, S., Dayag, D. Mirador, & Chua. (2002), Thinking and writing research. Manila: DeLa Salle University. Swales, J. & Feak, C. (1994), Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Arbor: Michigan University.

Websites

Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/01/ Using English for Academic Purposes website: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

Class Policies 1. Attendance a. Attendance is checked every meeting starting on the first day of class. A student who incurs more than THIRTEEN (unexcused or excused) absences will either automatically get a grade of 5.0 (in the case of unexcused absences) or will be asked to drop the class (in the case of excused absences). Absences are considered excused upon presenting an official excuse slip from the PGH Health Service. b. No makeup activity is given for missed class activities. Makeup for a missed final exam will be given only upon presenting an official excuse slip from the PGH Health Service.

c. Only students who are officially enrolled in the class are allowed to attend the class. Students may not bring along their friends or relatives to sit in. d. Students who leave the classroom three times or more in a meeting, or who are out for more than 10 minutes will be marked absent for that session. 2. Tardiness Students are considered late if they arrive 10 minutes after the official starting time, and absent if they arrive 30 minutes after. Three tardy marks are equivalent to one absence. 3. Plagiarism The University takes plagiarism and other forms of intellectual dishonesty very, very seriously. Students who plagiarize any of the major papers will automatically get a final grade of 5.00 in the course. Depending on the severity, a case may also be filed against the student before the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. 4. Concerns regarding class performance Concerns regarding class performance must be discussed by the students themselves with the teacher. No representativessuch as friends or relativesmay take up these concerns with teacher unless the students concerned suffer a mental or physical breakdown such that they become totally incapable of speaking for themselves. 5. Use of electronic devices a. Mobile phones should never be used in class. Ten points will be deducted from the total score of the quizzes of all students each time a phone makes any sound, or if any student is caught using his/her cell phone. b. Picture taking is not note taking. So please do not use your cameras to take down notes. c. You are not allowed to use your laptop in class, unless the teacher says otherwise. 6. INC in COMM II a. Students may be given an INC in COMM II only if they are able to satisfy both of these conditions: i. By the last day of class, they must be able to submit the first draft of the body and a complete set of source notes of the research paper. They must get a grade of 3.00 or better on one of the two other major papers.

ii.

b. If either of the above is not satisfied, the student may be given a final grade of 5.00

Topics Covered COMM I: 1. Reading strategies and outcome 2. Vocabulary builders 3

3. 4.

5. 6. 7. COMM II:

a. Greek and Latin roots and affixes b. Context clues c. Connotation, denotation, and tone Academic English vs. other registers Building comprehension skills a. Identifying main ideas and types of supporting details in a paragraph b. Identifying main ideas and supporting ideas in essays Patterns of rhetorical development: Narrative, Process, Description, Comparison/Contrast, Cause-Effect, Classification, Problem-Solution, Definition Writing for comprehension: Outlining, summarizing and paraphrasing The COMM I writing project

1. Research and the ethics of scholarship 2. The research and writing process: An overview 3. Logic a. Statements of convention, fact, opinion and preference b. Judging the truth of assertions in relation to experience c. Assumptions and implications 4. Argumentative research paper a. Purpose and basic content b. Choosing and refining the topic c. Identifying and evaluating sources d. Note taking e. Outlining f. Drafting g. Revising 5. Concept paper 6. Reaction paper
Now that the course has been introduced to you, its time for you to think about the other important of part of the subject: YOU. What is one thing youd like to achieve through/in COMM I-II? Write it down. Be as specific as you can.

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Research says

Setting a specific goal leads to better performance compared to setting an abstract goal (e.g., Im going to get a 95% on my next exam vs. Im going to do my best on my next exam )
(35 years of research on goal-setting theory, from: http://sustain.cs.washington.edu/blog/index.php /2009/01/25/35-years-of-research-on-goal-setting-theory/)

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COMM I-II Course Outline and Tentative Timetable

PROJECTED DATE

WEEK

ACTUAL DATE

TOPIC

ACTIVITY

6/11 1 6/14 Orientation Research and writing; Choosing a topic Thinking about reading: Strategic reading and controlling the reading outcome Refining the topic and doing preliminary research; Overall structure of the research paper Information literacy: Source evaluation; Scholarly vs. Popular sources Evaluating possible topics Applying suitable reading strategies Choosing a research topic; Evaluating sources

6/15 6/18 6/19 6/21

6/22 6/25 3 6/26 6/28 6/29 7/2 Using context clues Building vocabulary through Greek and Latin roots and affixes Denotation, connotation, and tone Academic English vs. other registers Overview of the COMM I writing project 4 7/3 7/5 7/6 7/9 5 7/10 7/12 7/13 7/16 6 7/17 7/19 7/20 7/23 7 7/24 7/26 7/27 Writing for comprehension 2: Paraphrasing Writing for comprehension 3: Precis writing Comprehension skills: Identifying main and subordinate ideas Analyzing idea relationships in a paragraph Identifying idea relationships in longer texts Knowing outlining rules and principles; Outlining reading material DUE: Source evaluation + preliminary bibliography (7/24) Knowing the guidelines; Paraphrasing texts Writing prcis Patterns of rhetorical development: Description Narration Comparison and contrast Process description/ Instruction Cause-Effect, Problem-Solution Using context clues Group quiz bee Rewriting exercises Rewriting exercises Writing a formal letter Analyzing samples; Writing a data commentary; DUE: List of proposed topics for COMM 2 research paper Writing an incident report Writing a comparative/ contrastive text Writing a process description Writing a cause-effect/ problemsolution text

Writing for comprehension 1: Reading outlining; Resarch paper (RP) writing outline

WEEK

PROJECTED DATE

ACTUAL DATE

TOPIC

ACTIVITY

7/30 7/31 8 8/2 8/3 8/6 8/7 8/9 8/10 8/13 8/14 8/16 8/17 8/20 8/21 8/23 11 8/24 8/27 8/28

Writing for comprehension 3: Precis writing Practice exercises

Writing prcis

COMM 1 FINAL EXAM Last day for dropping Writing break/ Consultations Writing break/ Consultations Classifying assertions as fact, opinion, preference, and convention Judging the truth of assertions; Judging the relationship of assertions; Errors in logic Assumptions Implications NATIONAL HOLIDAY NATIONAL HOLIDAY Writing the research paper: Note taking and documentation Synthesizing information and using direct quotes NATIONAL HOLIDAY Language focus: signal phrases, coherence markers, hedges

DUE: COMM I Writing project Reading and evaluating assertions and arguments

10

DUE: Tentative outline (8/17)

8/30 12 8/31 9/3 9/4 9/6 9/7 9/10 9/11 9/13

Writing break/ Consultations Writing break/ Consultations Writing break/ Consultations Writing the RP introduction Writing the RP conclusion and presenting implications Revising the RP body and introduction DUE: Draft 1 - partial draft of the body

13

DUE: RP introduction (9/7) Body draft evaluation and revision (self-evaluation)

14

9/14

The reaction paper

Due: Draft 2 of RP body and intro (w/ references and source notes) (9/14)

WEEK

PROJECTED DATE

ACTUAL DATE

TOPIC

ACTIVITY

9/17 9/18 9/20 9/21 9/24 9/25 9/27 9/28 10/1 10/2 10/4 10/5 10/8

The reaction paper Writing break/ Consultations Writing break/ Consultations Writing break/ Consultations Final manuscript preparation Teacher's feedback on the body draft Teacher's feedback on the introduction

Evaluating samples, practice writing

15

Due: Reaction paper

16

17

Due: RP final manuscript

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