Course Syllabus

English Conversation II Syllabus
Fall 2016 #8237
Instructor: Jason Surendranath

E-mail: j.surendranath@bellevuecollege.edu

Office location:R230 Office Hours: By Appointment Time /Date: 
Course Information This class is designed to help intermediate to advanced students express themselves better through small group conversations, informal presentations, and listening activities. The goal of this class is to improve your conversation ability. You will also develop vocabulary knowledge and improve fluency. In addition, this class will help you increase your confidence in English conversation.

Course Outcomes After successful completion of this course, you will be able to:  Learn useful idioms and expressions.  Improve English pronunciation, speaking, and listening ability  Improve ability to communicate with people from other cultures/backgrounds.  Improve vocabulary to function better in different situations  Understand and use correct verb tenses correctly in general conversations.  Understand social introductions.

Grading This class is not graded. However, students who attend 75% or more of the class will receive a certificate on the last day. Please note: If you are 20 minutes or more late to class or leave class 20 minutes or more early, you will receive an absence for the day.












Books and Materials Required

Please preapre a notebook for idioms and expressions.

Canvas Students are required to have a Canvas account. The instructor may post important information on it.
Instructor’s Expectation  Enjoy the class.  Come to every class. Try very hard not to be late.  Ask questions regularly. Seek me out if you’d like help. I welcome questions, and I’m always eager to help my students learn.  Speak English as often as possible. Practice, practice, practice. In order to learn a language, you must USE the language.  All cell phones must be turned off while you are in class.  Make friends, and learn from others. Treat others in this class as you would like to be treated. Please raise your hand when you wish to speak. Do not talk while your teacher, or your classmate, is speaking.  Remember, it is okay to make mistakes as long as you are trying your best!

Affirmation of Inclusion Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.

Religious Holidays Students who expect to miss classes as a consequence of their religious observance should be provided with a reasonable alternative opportunity to complete such academic responsibilities. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, preferably at the beginning of the term. Students who are absent on days of class assignments should be offered an opportunity to make up the work without penalty (if they have previously arranged to be absent), unless it can be demonstrated that a makeup opportunity would constitute an unreasonable burden on a member of the faculty. Should disagreement arise over what constitutes an unreasonable burden or any element of this policy, parties involved should consult the department chair, or Dean. College Anti-Discrimination Statement Bellevue College does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity; color; creed; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; genetic information; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; gender identity or veteran status in educational programs and activities which it operates.

School Closure due to Weather If there is no class because of bad weather, to check to see if classes are cancelled: Bellevue College homepage: https://bellevuecollege.edu

Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share with the Title IX Coordinator any and all information regarding sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g. dating violence, domestic violence, stalking) that may have occurred on campus or that impacts someone on campus. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the BC Counseling Center at (425) 5642212. The Title IX Office can be contacted at 425-564-2441 and more information can be found at www.bellevuecollege.edu/titleix/.

Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Any act of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source), and fabrication and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to, talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Dean of Student Success for investigation.

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: http://mybcc.net/

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Technology Help Desk http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/servicedesk/students/computerlabs/

Disability Resource Center (DRC) The Disability Resource Center serves students with disabilities. A disability includes any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Common disabilities include physical, neurological (e.g. Autism, ADD), and mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety). If you are a student who has a disability or if you think you may need accommodations in order to have equal access to programs, activities, and services, please contact the DRC.

The DRC office is located in building B Room 132. You can contact the DRC by stopping by B132, calling our desk at 425-564-2498, emailing drc@bellevuecollege.edu, and Deaf students can reach us by Skype (account name DRCatBC). For more information about the services we offer, including our Initial Access Application, visit our website at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc.

Public Safety and Emergencies Public Safety is located in the D building (D171) and can be reached at 425-564-2400 (easy to remember because it’s the only office on campus open 24 hours a day—2400). Among other things, Public Safety serves as our Parking Permits, Lost and Found, and Emergency Notification center.

If you work late and are uneasy about going to your car, Public Safety will escort you to your vehicle. To coordinate this, please phone ahead and let Public Safety know when and where you will need an escort. Please familiarize yourself with the emergency postings by the door of every classroom and know where to go in the event of an evacuation. Your instructor will be asked if anyone might still be in the building, so check in before you do anything else. Emergency responders will search for anyone unaccounted for.

If a major emergency occurs, please follow these three rules: 1) Take directions from those in charge of the response -We all need to be working together. 2) Do not get in your car and leave campus (unless directed to) - Doing so will clog streets and prevent emergency vehicles from entering the scene. Instead, follow directions from those in charge. 3) In an emergency, call 911 first, then Public Safety.

Please do not hesitate to call Public Safety if you have safety questions or concerns at any time. You may also visit the Public Safety web page for answers to your questions.