Office: 422 Withers Hall  Phone: 515-9278

Email: nmswishe@ncsu.edu- or - icnlang@mindspring.com

Web site: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nmswishe

Course Description
This course provides intensive pronunciation practice for non-native speakers of English who want to improve the clarity of their English speech. The primary focus of the course is improvement in the areas that are most important in making speech more understandable and native-like: word stress and phrase stress, intonation, and the rhythm of English speech. In addition, there will be individual and class work on vowel and consonant sounds throughout the semester. Strategies for practicing and improving your pronunciation outside of class will also be introduced.

Pronunciation practice will include individual, large group, and small group work during class, recorded and written homework assignments, individual tutorials arranged as desired with the teacher, and practice in the language laboratory or at home using the CD's which accompany the textbook.

Course Requirements
The final grade will be calculated as follows:

1. 20% Participation, practice, and performance. This grade will be calculated based on (1) written homework which will be announced in class and will be due on the next class day, (2) recordings which are recorded regularly and are due approximately every two weeks, (3) promptness and attendance, and (4) bring your book to class each day - this is absolutely required.

2. 20% Individual Presentations. There will be two presentations: one will be given at midterm; the second will be given during the second half of the semester.

3. 40% Midterm and Final Oral Exams.

4. 20% Quizzes. Approximately 5-6 quizzes will be given during the semester. The dates of these quizzes may or may not be announced. They will be given at the beginning of the class period.

Format for text documents submitted on line:
Please submit MSWord documents with a .doc file extension (not .docx).

Grading
A. Careful and meticulous work with very few errors. Good improvement demonstrated.

B. Careful and thoughtful work with a few errors. Moderate improvement demonstrated.

C. Average work. Homework completed as assigned. Some improvement evident.

D. Lack of understanding. Little improvement. Also, incomplete or late assignments (1 day).

F. Lack of understanding. No improvement. Also, incomplete or late assignments (2 days).

0. Assignment is more than 2 days late.

Materials
The following materials are required:

1. Well Said, 3rd edition, by Linda Grant

2. FLE 400: Pronunciation Course Packet (available at Sir Speedy on Hillsborough Street, across from the D.H. Hill Library)

Academic Integrity
All work done for this class must be completed by each student individually. Cheating will be dealt with according to University Policy.  Practicing your spoken English together with other learners of English and receiving pronunciation correction or help from native English speakers as you prepare your tapes, is not cheating. It is encouraged as a useful way to improve your English.

Attendance
Your preparation for class (by doing the assignments) and your participation in each class are crucial both for your own improvement and for a good learning environment in the class.  Therefore attendance is mandatory.  In a class taught MWF you are permitted three absences with no penalty. Each absence above the limit will reduce your class participation grade by one grade. Save your absences for emergencies. Beyond the limit you will need a written excuse to be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. In general, a written excuse will be accepted in cases of illness, injury, death or illness in the family, university duties, court attendance, or religious observance, in accordance with the University Attendance Policy.

No late work is accepted for credit unless arrangements have been made with the instructor prior to the date the work is due. There are no make-up quizzes; however, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Auditors
AUDIT in this class means that you are responsible to participate in class fully. You will receive a grade of AU for the equivalent of A, B, or C work, or NR for the equivalent of D or F work.  Auditors are required to attend class regularly and do all of the assigned work, including homework recordings and presentations.  Auditors are not required to take written tests, but are encouraged to do so.

Language Labs:
The Foreign Language Technology Center is located at the corner of Stinson and Current Drives and is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Its hours are Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Saturday: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Sunday: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The ESL collection includes the ELLIS program, which is loaded on the server. You may borrow these materials from the lab assistants at the front desk. There is also a computer lab in Withers 131 which is open Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and and closed on Saturday and Sunday.  The pronunciation software program TELL ME MORE is installed on all computers in both labs.

English Conversation Club:
This club meets every Friday from 3:30-4:30 in Daniels Hall. Students are grouped with native/fluent speakers of English to practice conversation skills and idioms. Bring newspaper or magazine articles or anything you want to ask questions about. Call 515-2961 if you have questions.

Responsibility for Learning
Any improvement you make in this course will be a direct result of your own efforts, not the efforts of the teacher. You will be provided with descriptions of English pronunciation, opportunities for purposeful practice, and suggestions of ways to improve beyond the classroom. No teacher can be responsible for your improvement of your spoken English. Only you can take this responsibility.

In order to improve your spoken English, do the following:
1. Talk out loud. Participate actively in each lesson. There is only one way to improve your pronunciation: During all drills and practice times during class when students are asked to talk and practice, practice aloud also.

2. Practice privately. Memorize short quotes or dialogues, difficult words or a poem. Practice saying them over and over whenever you have an opportunity: while waiting for the bus, in the shower, while preparing dinner, while walking or driving.

3. Listen. Whenever you listen to native speakers of English (on TV, in stores, at work, with friends, on the radio), listen for the features of English that we're learning in class.

4. Take risks. Speak out. Engage native speakers in conversations. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you make a mistake, correct it if necessary for communication. Otherwise, take note of it, write it down later and work on it privately. Try to say the same thing again correctly in a conversation in the near future.

Class Evaluations:
Online class evaluations will be available for students to complete during the  last two weeks of class.  Students will receive an email message directing them to a website where they can login using their Unity ID and complete evaluations.  All evaluations are confidential; instructors will never know how any one student responded to any question, and students will never know the ratings for any particular instructors.

Evaluation website:  https://classeval.ncsu.edu
Student help desk:  classeval@ncsu.edu
More information about ClassEval:  http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/classeval/index.htm