L/S 5 Winter '02

Diversity in America

[ Class Information ] [ Materials ] [ Course Description ]
[ Class Objectives ] [ Grades ] [ Course Components ] [ Schedule ]

Class Information


Class:	10:00-11:50 T,Th
Location:	FAB 60-08
Instructor:	Gregry M. Davis
Office:	341 East Hall
Office hours:	After class T/TH, or by appointment
Phone:	503 725-9196
E-mail:	davisg@pdx.edu	You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink!
WebCT:	http://www.webct.pdx.edu

Materials/General Information

	An e-mail account from PSU
	Strongly Recommended: Small tape-recorder and tapes for discussions, lectures, interviews, etc.
	All phones/pagers/etc. should be turned off or set to vibrate during class time.

Course Description

This course has been developed to give you some experience with PSU liberal arts non-ESL classes. The difference is that you will get extra language support from your instructor who is a professional language educator. Thus, the activities you do for this class will be similar to regular university classes, but you will get extra practice with and support for developing your English listening and speaking skills.

We will focus on diversity and multiculturalism. According to DiversityWeb, there are 8 main categories of diversity: Native-Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, European-Americans, Disabled, Gays/Lesbians, and Women. You will choose 4 of these topics to explore in more detail. For each topic, we will have a combination of any or all of the following elements: guest speakers, films, discussions, simulations, surveys, readings, etc.

In addition, you will give two speeches for this class. One will be an individual presentation based on research you do (see Birthday Presentation). The second presentation will be a group presentation based on research, interviews, and volunteering with a local community agency (see Community Presentation).

Class Objectives

Speaking

Participate in small group discussions on topics introduced through movies and/or articles by:

	Following an ordered series of steps in discussing the selected topic;
	Practicing a variety of discussion roles to facilitate discussion.

Participate in a small group discussion (15 minutes) by:

	Dividing and assigning subtopics among group members;
	Researching information on the topic using library and Internet;
	Practicing individually and as a group;
	Using visual aids in a clear and effective manner;
	Speaking with fluency and ease.

Prepare and present a 10-15 minute individual presentation by:

	Effectively developing a thesis and supporting points;
	Using organizational cues and signals (lexical phrases) to signal clear organization and logical transitions;
	Using computer software (Microsoft PowerPoint) to create visual aids that are appropriate and thoughtfully incorporated into the informational content.

Prepare and present a 20-25 minute group presentation by:

	Selecting a local community organization to research;
	Learning as much as possible about the organization through interviews, tours, library or Internet research, etc.;
	Volunteering a minimum of 2 hours;
	Following the 3 points listed under individual presentation above;
	Practicing with your group to divide the time and roles equally.

Demonstrate an ability to pronounce American English sounds clearly with correct word and sentence stress.

Listening

Take notes from full-length lectures, both live and taped by:

	Identifying lexical phrases that signal organizational patterns;
	Visually organizing notes to indicate organization of lecture;
	Comprehending academic vocabulary within lectures;
	Using notes to successfully answer test questions based on lectures.

Identify and take notes on major themes and sub-themes in a full-length movie or documentary.

Understand and respond appropriately to classmates in small group discussions by:

	Paraphrasing others' ideas;
	Summarizing own and others' ideas;
	Clarifying and asking for clarification of comments.

Grades

Attendance

	If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be marked absent. However, please come to class even if you are late.
	There are no excused absences.
	More than 4 hours of absence will result in your final grade being lowered 10 percentage points.
	More then 8 hours of absence may result in your failing the course.
	If you miss class, you are responsible for all the information covered in class. Please get the telephone number or e-mail address of a classmate who is dependable. You will have to rely on him/her to give you information if you are absent.

Late homework is not accepted.

Since most of your final grade is based on classwork, it is essential that you attend every day. If you are absent on a day that a classwork grade is given, you will receive a zero.

In order to pass this class, you must have a passing average (see below) in BOTH listening and speaking components of the course (see Course Components). A failing average in either part means that you will need to repeat the course.

This class is graded A - F.

Percent	Letter Grade
97-100%	A +	PASSING
93-96%	A
90-92%	A -
87-89%	B +
83-86%	B
80-82%	B -
77-79%	C +
73-76%	C
70-72%	C -
67-69%	D+	NOT PASSING
63-66%	D
60-62%	D -
0-59%	F

Course Components

I.	LISTENING A. Note-taking on live and videotaped in-class lectures B. Videos and films on diversity C. Quizzes on the content of lecture notes and videos	50%
II.	SPEAKING A. Participation in group discussions B. Reports on group discussions/Role analyses C. Presentations D. Pronunciation work E. General class participation	50%