Syllabus (Weekly Schedule)

Weekly Schedule

Our class is “asynchronous,” which means that we do not have a scheduled meeting time, although each week I will have office hours (day and time determined by your availability feedback). I am hoping many of you will be able to attend to chat about the class readings and assignments and any questions you have. I will be recording these sessions and sharing them on our course site for anyone who cannot join. For the most part, we will be conducting business on our OpenLab site, reading and responding to texts and each other’s posts. You will upload your formal writing assignments to Google Drive (info to be provided).

Weekly schedule: class meeting/ recorded lecture TBD (likely Monday or Tuesday); OpenLab post due by Thursday at 12pm (this gives me time to respond before we move on to new material).

City Tech Fall 2020 Academic Calendar (including withdrawal deadlines)                              

Classwork

(OpenLab + lecture & office hours focus)

Homework

(due next class)

Week 1

8/23

 

Classes begin 8/26

Welcome to City Tech and English 1101Co

 

OpenLab registration, technology survey and schedule survey completion

 

·       Register for OpenLab and request membership to our course site

·       Create free New York Times account

·       Complete technology/access survey

·       Complete Doodle Scheduling Poll for office hours

·       View Professor’s intro video

·       Post your own introduction to the class on OpenLab (in video or writing)

·       Read your classmates’ introductions and respond to 2

Week 2

8/30

 

 

Unit 1: Education

Introductions to one another, to our class, and to the college

 

First-Year Companion

 

Hellman, “In Defense of the Classroom” (2020)

 

Reading strategies:  annotating; understanding main ideas; summarizing; responding

·       Leaf through the First-Year Companion

·       On OpenLab, share 1 thing that you found useful in the First-Year Companion, and explain why. Include any questions you have about City Tech or our class. Mention 1 approach that you think will be important for being a college student in general or an online student in particular. Read your classmates’ responses prior to posting, so you contribute a new point.

·       What are some of the main ideas in Prof. Hellman’s article? How do we build community as an online class?

Week 3

9/6

 

No Classes 9/7

Mike Bunn, “How to Read Like a Writer” (2011)

 

Toni Morrison, “The Reader as Artist” (2006)

 

Considering how reading and writing work together; annotating; distinguishing main ideas from supporting examples and details; summarizing and responding

·       Read Bunn, “How to Read Like a Writer” and Morrison, “The Reader as Artist”

·       Annotate each article online, in a printed hard copy, or in a notebook. Attach a photo or screenshot of a favorite section of your notes. In your accompanying post, explain what you found interesting.

·       On OpenLab, post 3 important ideas from each article, in your own words

·       Also copy and paste a quote that you found most interesting, and explain why

Week 4

9/13

 

No Classes 9/18

José Olivarez, “Maybe I Could Save Myself by Writing” and “Mexican American Disambiguation” (2018)

 

Stephon Hobson, “The Caged Bird Prevails

(2019) page 39 in City Tech Writer

 

 

Reading strategies: annotating (continued); summarizing and responding; identifying structural elements of writing and different genres

·       Read Olivarez and Hobson texts

·       Annotate each text online, in a printed hard copy, or in a notebook. Attach a photo or screenshot of a favorite section of your notes. In your accompanying post, explain what you found interesting about this section or quote.

·       On OpenLab, consider what the 2 texts have in common with each other. What are some important ideas from each text, and what do you think about them? How does each author illustrate their main points?

·       Watch 2019 LAF student video on Olivarez. Share any response you have to the student comments. Can you relate to something a fellow City Tech student articulated?

Week 5

9/20

 

Unit 1 Project discussion and brainstorming

 

Olivarez and Hobson continued

 

Discussion of writing process and components of a narrative essay

·       On OL, post 1 paragraph about your experience with education (inside or outside of a school setting). Use this paragraph to generate an outline for your Unit 1 Education & Identity narrative (see Unit 1 Assignment)
Week 6

9/27

 

No Classes 9/28; Tues. 9/29 =Mon. schedule

 Unit 1 Outline due (post to OL)

 

Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average” (1989)

 

Jamila Lyiscott, “Broken English/ I’m Articulate” video

 

Discussion of quote integration and quote sandwich; assignment formatting; titles

·       Use your outline to generate a rough draft of Unit 1 Project

·       Schedule Week 7 writing conference with professor and with tutor (Margo)

·       Read Rose text and watch Lyiscott video

·       Annotate each text online, in a printed hard copy, or in a notebook. Attach a photo or screenshot of a favorite section of your notes. In your accompanying post, explain what you found interesting about this section or quote.

·       On OpenLab, consider what the 2 texts have in common with each other. What are some important ideas from each text, and what do you think about them? How does each author illustrate their main points?

Week 7

10/4

 

Unit 1 Rough Draft due via email

 

Discussion of revising and proofreading. How can a piece of writing be improved? What does it mean to revise? Revision components: argument, structure, development, grammar, word choice, sentence structure. What does it mean to proofread?

·       Share draft with peer reviewer

·       Use feedback to revise draft and prepare final version with cover page reflection

 

 

Week 8

10/11

 

No Classes 10/12; Wed. 10/14 =Mon. schedule

Unit 1 Project due via email.

 

Unit 2: Reflective Annotated Bibliography (Good Trouble)

 

Willie Perdomo, “Where I’m From” (1996)

 

John Lewis, CCNY 2019 Commencement Speech

John Lewis, “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

 

Defining and distinguishing our own voice; discussion of literary and poetic devices; genre

·       Read Perdomo, “Where I’m From” and watch Def Poetry Jam

·       Work on your own “Where I’m From” poem and post to OL

·       Watch Congressman Lewis’s City College speech and read his editorial. What did you learn? What is your own “good trouble?”

Week 9

10/18

Poem sharing

 

James Baldwin, “A Talk to Teachers” (1963)

 

Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro (Baldwin documentary)

 

Unit 2 Project discussion and brainstorming

 

Engaging with secondary sources; annotated bibliography and research methods discussion; genre awareness continued

·       Write a brief (1 paragraph) letter to our class about your proposed topic for Unit 2: what it is, why you’re interested in it, what you think or know about it already, and some potential questions you have. Include a preliminary list of sources in different genres that you plan to consult

·       Respond to 2 classmates’ poems on OL

·       Read at least two of your colleagues’ proposals, and comment on them. Think about the kind of feedback that might be helpful to you as you embark on this project (narrowing down topic, possible source suggestion, something you find cool or interesting about the proposal).

·       Read and consider your proposal feedback but keep in mind you as the author retain ultimate control over the direction you pursue

·       Watch Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro (available on Kanopy, free with your City Tech ID card #)

·       For OL: What are two quotes you found important in Baldwin, and why?

Week 10

10/25

Unit 2 Project discussions

 

Engaging with secondary sources; annotated bibliography and research methods discussion; genre awareness continued

 

·       Flesh out your bibliography to generate a rough draft of your Unit 2 Project (see Unit 2 Assignment)

·       Share this info in a reply to your initial topic post on OpenLab.

·       Schedule Week 11 writing conference with prof. and with tutor (Margo)

 

Week 11

11/1

Unit 2 Rough Draft Due via OpenLab

 

Engaging with secondary sources and determining useful quotations; annotated bibliography and research methods discussion; genre awareness continued

 

·       Share draft with peer reviewer

·       Use feedback to revise draft and prepare final version with cover page reflection

Week 12

11/8

Unit 2 Project Due via OpenLab post

 

Unit 3: Writing in a New Genre (Good Trouble: From the Classroom to the Community)

 

Annie Correal, “Love and Black Lives on a Brooklyn Street” (2017)

 

Unit 3 Project discussion and brainstorming; genre awareness

·       Write a 1-paragraph proposal for your Unit 3 Project and share on OpenLab. Include which genre and writing style best suit your project, and your intended audience

·       Read classmates’ posts and respond to 2 with your thoughts:  consider recommending a specific publication or website you think the author could write for; a question or comment to help identify the intended audience and/or genre, which could include info about your own media consumption; proposal ideas you appreciate

·       Read Correal’s text. Write down main ideas. Think about one question you would like to ask the author in her guest appearance.

Week 13

11/15

New York Times Journalist Annie Correal Zoom Visit! Correal Zoom Author Visit!!!!!!! (day, time TBA)

 

Continued genre discussion; how to use Unit 2 for Unit 3

·       Outline your project and share in your OpenLab thread
Week 14

11/22

No classes 11/26-7

Unit 3 Workshop: Outline due ·       Use your outline and annotated bibliography to generate a rough draft of your Unit 3 Project, including the 1-page reflection on rhetorical choices

·       Schedule Week 15 writing conference with prof. and with tutor (Margo)

Week 15

11/29

Unit 3 Workshop: Rough Draft due

 

·       Share draft with peer reviewer

·       Use feedback to revise draft and prepare final version

Week 16

12/6

Unit 3 Project due

 

Revision and Portfolio discussion

·       Complete all revisions of Units 1 and 2; prepare portfolio cover letter.
Week 17

12/13

No classes 12/10

Final Reflection and Portfolio Due (12/18)

 

End-of-Semester Celebration/ Sharing Exercise

Happy Holidays!
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