Click here for sub-pages about the group project (page two has more detailed information)

Syllabus, Fall 2009: English Communication for Medical Students                      Michael Krigline, MA, www.krigline.com.cn

Notes:

If you are absent, you do not need to call me in advance, and I do NOT want any note of explanation (by note, email, or SMS). However, I hope you will tell your partner or class monitor. I also expect you to find out what we studied in class and what homework was assigned. The “welcome sheet” tells you what to do about homework if you miss class; late homework will be penalized or may not be graded at all (you get zero). This course is an elective, so I expect you to attend faithfully; excessive absences may affect your grade. I won’t give you a quiz if you miss it; your other quiz will count double. I may or may not take attendance in the Monday 8:30 class, but those who miss more than 10 hours of our “small” class will discuss their absence with me and the Dean before I decide if you can take the final exam and receive class credit.

Any cheating/plagiarism will be treated severely (usually this means a zero on the assignment plus 30 points off your final exam; more than one instance will make you fail and/or permanently leave my class).

Homework: You won’t have much written homework, but when I assign it, it is due at the beginning of our Monday class. It is “late” if it is given to me after I ask for it, but before Mon noon; I may not accept homework after Monday 12:30 unless you were absent (if I do grade it, the penalty is -50%). I grade HW carefully and strictly, and you can lose 20 to 50% easily by not following directions (if you don’t understand my directions, ask questions—or lose points). If I give a “maximum word count” then it is NOT a “suggestion” (any more than “4 pills a day” can mean 3.5 or 6). Likewise, I want your name and other information in a specific format (not “any way you choose”). MONITORS: if you don’t quickly bring HW to me when I ask for it (at the beginning of class), you and/or classmates could lose points on the assignment (so don’t “hold it” until after class!).

Grading:*

            Midterm quizzes (two) & homework                   25%

            Final Exams (written 35%; oral** 15%)              50%

            Group project                                                    10%

            Class participation/"daily grade"/attendance         15%

*The teacher reserves the right to adjust these percentages (within 5% for each category).

**can be a small-group interview or (maybe) lunchtime meeting Nov 2 onward

Group project:

When you are a doctor, you won’t always get to choose who you work with. Similarly, your patient’s health may depend on how well you work together, not how “good” you are individually. That is why I will divide the class into groups, and require each group to do a presentation together.

Outside the “#1 Affiliated” hospital, there is a mural showing different aspects of medical treatment & history. I will assign each group one part of that mural to describe. Your presentation will have an oral component (presented to the class), and a written component (I hope to put your paragraphs on the Internet).

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Click here for details about the group presentations, including sample paragraphs and reviews, and sample formats for academic paragraphs and one-paragraph reviews.  Click here for "tips" on writing a better Topic Sentence, title or conclusion.

This resource was created by and for our students under my understanding of "fair use" for educational resources.  

 2009 Michael Krigline. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print/copy it for personal or classroom use.

(Please see our “Website Standards and Use Policy” for materials available at Krigline.com.)