Course Coverage: This course will cover the three most important contemporary descriptions of English syntax (i.e., traditional, structural, and transformational) with emphasis on the basic concepts and terminology of the first.

Course Objectives: Students who successfully complete the course will 1) comprehend the relationships that words and phrases have to one another in the English sentence, 2) master the terminology used to discuss these relationships, and 3) learn the fundamental concepts of each of the contemporary approaches to grammar.

Course Grade: Course grades will be based on four tests and a daily grade:

 

First Test	15%
First Major Exam	25%
Second Major Exam	25%
Third Major Exam	25%
Daily Grade	10%

The first test will consist wholly of diagramming sentences. The second test, or First Major Exam, will test students' mastery of compound structures and phrases as well as the grammatical terminology used to describe them; it will be part short-answer questions and part diagramming. The third test, or Second Major Exam, will test students' understanding of clauses in addition to the concepts of traditional grammar covered in the previous tests. The final test, or Third Major Exam, will cover the fundamentals of structural and transformational grammar; it consists of a series of short-answer questions.

Daily Grade: The daily grade will be made up of timely submission of assigned homework and of the quality of classroom participation.

Attendance: Regular attendance is necessary. Repeated absences, whether excused or unexcused, could be detrimental to your daily grade, as could repeated late arrivals and/or early departures.

Students with Disabilities: If you need accommodation due to a disability, please make an appointment to see me, and bring a statement from Disability Support Services (4-2638).

Cheating and Plagiarism: All work done in this course must be your work only. Cheating and/or plagiarism could result in an "F" for the course. For details, see the Student Academic Integrity Policy.

Note: This course may be repeated only once without the permission of the Academic Standards Committee.

Grade Conversions:

(Towson University does not recognize A+ or C- grades.)

Provost's Statement regarding the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus:

In the event of a University-wide emergency, including the impact of the H1N1 flu pandemic, course requirements, classes, deadlines, and grading schemes are subject to changes that may include alternative delivery methods, alternative methods of interaction with the instructor, class materials, and/or classmates, a revised attendance policy, and a revised semester calendar and/or grading scheme. In the case of a University-wide emergency, you will be notified by e-mail and/or the Blackboard site.

For up-to-date information on the H1N1 flu, see the Dowell Health Center website, and click on the "Flu Facts" link.

For more general information about any emergency situation, please refer to the following:

H1N1 Influenza Policy Statement (TU Office of the Provost):  “Students should not attend classes or other university events from the onset of flu-like symptoms until at least 24 hours after the fever subsides without the use of fever reducing medications. Such absences will be considered excused absences; however, students are responsible for the material covered during the period of their absence.”