I would like to hear from people who teach or know of grammar courses
offered at the college fresdhman or sophomore level.  We teach such a
course at North Seattle Community College.  It concentrates on syntax and
teaches  a traditional approach to it.  We even use Reed-Kellog diagrams
rather than phrase structure trees.  Another piece of our course applies
the syntax to the improvement of writing.  In that part of the course we
use sentence combining.
 
The course was created here by my colleague Edith Wollin, and I know
that, in its present form, it is probably unique.  It should be taught
elsewhere, for it is very successful.  Students praise it and recommend
it to other students.  They say it even makes them better readers!
 
We present the material at a level and pace that would make it too
challenging for many developmental-level students.  The course is
certainly as rigorous as any other 100-level and 200-level course in most
colleges; indeed we think it rivals many higher level courses in
usefulness.  But we are aware that it does not present the broad
linguistics-based grammar covered in the typical 300-level grammar
course.  One professor of such a course told me our course sounds like
excellent preparation for his.  He would love to get students who already
know what a clause is, he said.
 
I would be grateful to hear from colleagues who know of any kind of
grammar or syntax course at freshman or sophomore level.  Thanks.
 
Michael Kischner
North Seattle Community College
Seattle, WA 98103
 
(206) 528-4540