This page is meant for the amazing students of the Wroclaw University of Technology. Please remember, the information and material available here is supplementary, and is not meant to be a substitution for the course.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for here or are having any difficulty with this website at all, please drop me an e-mail at cadumais (at) gmail.com.
I’m currently teaching a variety of courses here, so please choose the correct course below to access the information you need. Thanks for stopping by.
B2E (30) ♦ B2E (60) ♦ C1 ♦ C1E ♦ PhD
COURSE INFORMATION
Hello. My name is Christian A. Dumais. The key to passing my course is to participate in classroom discussions, completing all homework correctly and on time, being prepared for all tests and presentations, and having fun. I’ve outlined the general rules/guidelines for this course below. Please read this carefully.
CONSULTATION AND E-MAIL
I will be available in Room 302 (Building H4) this semester from 15:00 to 17:00 on Tuesday and Thursdays. Please come and see me regarding any issue during this time. I’m in my office to help you, so please take advantage of it. I can also be reached at: cadumais (at) gmail.com.
CLASS MATERIAL
Most importantly, I will not be using any books for my classes. I have created and updated all of the material for you. My goal is not to provide you with material that will prepare you for the examination, but provide you with the confidence and tools you will need for English outside of the classroom. All I ask is that you go to your page (above) and print out the material that you will need for the relevant class.
ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS
If you know you will be missing classes and/or attending classes late, it is your responsibility to inform me.
If you have 3 or more unexcused absences in the semester, you will automatically fail this course. I am not flexible with this issue. An unexcused absence is any absence without documentation excusing you from class because of A) a medical emergency or B) an academic scheduling conflict. If you have either documentation, it is your responsibility to show it to me the next time you attend class. All homework, tests, quizzes, and presentations given during your absence are your responsibility. Find out what you missed from someone else in the class, see me during my consultation hours, or send me an e-mail. If you miss a test or quiz, you will be allowed to take it the next time you attend class only with an excused absence.
If you are significantly late for classes this will count as half-absences, meaning that two marks of tardiness equals one absence. If you know being on time is going to be an issue for you, please talk to me so that we can make other arrangements.
HOMEWORK
All homework must be completed neatly and it must be ready for me to collect at the beginning of the class on loose paper (paper not inside your notebook). If your homework is not ready when I collect it, I will not accept it later. If I’m unable to understand your homework (damaged paper, sloppy handwriting, etc), I will consider the homework to be incomplete.
TESTS AND QUIZZES
I give two tests each semester; one in the middle of the semester and one at the end. Also, I typically give several quizzes every semester. In most cases you will not know that a quiz will be given in class. Please attend every class with the understanding that you could be quizzed on the previous week’s subject.
PRESENTATIONS
Two students will be responsible for doing presentations for each class based on the theme and/or topic of my choosing. Presentations are graded on the following categories (50 points total): 1) Eye Contact, 2) Voice, 3) Organization, 4) Accuracy and Structure, and 5) Questions & Answers. Another grade is given for the written part of your presentation (50 points).
B2 – Presenters are allowed to use their written presentation.
B2E – Presenters are only allowed to use prompt notes.
C1/C1E – Presenters cannot use any prompt notes.
Topics for examinations are not research intensive. Example topics include:
- If you were the mayor of Wroclaw, what three changes would you make to the city?
- If you were the head of the Politechnika, what three changes would you make the university?
- If you were stranded on a deserted island for the rest of your life, what three things would you bring?
- If you could meet anyone – alive or dead – who it would be and why?
GRADING
The grading scale for my course is provided for you below. Please keep this so you can refer to it during the semester. Your final grade will be the
average of your homework, test, quiz and presentation grades. Note: if you have perfect attendance for the semester, you will be rewarded by having your lowest test grade dropped.
CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM
Cheating is not tolerated in my classroom. If you are caught cheating, your paper will be taken and you will automatically receive a fail grade for that assignment. There will be no chance to retake that particular assignment and you will be given no extra assignment to make up the grade.
Plagiarism the practice of claiming, or implying, original authorship of (or incorporating material from) someone else’s written or creative work, in whole or in part, into one’s own without adequate acknowledgement. If you are caught plagiarizing, you automatically receive a fail grade for the assignment and serious consideration will be taken to dismiss you from the entire course.
TYPING YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
All homework – when appropriate – must be typed. You must use a 12 Times New Roman font and double-space. If your paper is not double-spaced, then I reserve the right not to correct your paper.
MISCELLANEOUS
Do not surprise me.
I will not tolerate poor penmanship. If I cannot read your writing, I will not grade you work.
All cell phones must be turned off in my classroom. If you either send an SMS or answer a phone in the classroom, you will be asked to leave.
