This section provides and overview of key information about the class. Please make sure to review all of the information! Feel free to ask me any questions! See the Syllabus section for information about the Course Work!
Welcome to English 1011
Course Number: Eng. 1101, Section 0156
Course Description:
Welcome to English 1101! This course focuses on writing both short and long pieces in many different genres on a range of topics. We will learn basic research techniques that include using the library, how to choose accurate and credible sources, and how to evaluate, synthesize, and analyze the sources with a critical lens. We will (re)discover key writing techniques and strategies to make our writing stronger and more effective. We will engage with a range of different texts and multimedia sources as a guide for our writing, a source of information, and to generate stimulating conversations. Throughout the course, we will also frequently pause to reflect on the writing process and what we have learned so far. The course culminates with a revised portfolio of all your finished work and will consist of at least 6,000 words. Don’t panic! It will include a combination of your favorite low-stakes writing assignments, some of our shorter writing pieces (composed both in class and at home), our culminating writing assignment and a final reflective piece.
Course Meeting Times
On Mondays from 10 to 11:30, we will be meeting on Zoom for synchronous discussions/ meetings. If you are unable to meet during this time, please discuss with me. I will provide all of the materials asynchronously as well. My preference is for you to have your camera turned on even if you choose to use (an appropriate) fake background. On Wednesdays, we will sometimes meet as a whole group, sometimes in small groups and sometimes, individually to work on your projects and writing also during the 10 to 11:30 time frame. For more information, see the section titled ‘Online Class Structure.’
Class Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/93988064050?pwd=K2pldkptbWc0YkRsYW9oeUZ1SCtKQT09
Meeting ID: 939 8806 4050
Passcode: 0156
One tap mobile
+19292056099, 93988064050#,,,,,,0#,,0156# US (New York)
Office Hours Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/99172923707?pwd=eHQwMWl1ZHRONElueHFPdEJJNWRGQT09
Meeting ID: 991 7292 3707
Passcode: 0156
Prerequisite: CUNY proficiency in reading and writing
Faculty Information
Professor Name: Rebekah Coleman
Online Office Hours/Information:
- Zoom Office Hours: Mondays 11:30 to 12: 30
Contact Information
- Email: rcoleman@citytech.cuny.edu
Required Texts
- You are not required to buy any texts for this class. The texts used will be easily accessible on line and will be posted on the OpenLab site. Consider bookmarking the class texts so they’re easily accessible.
- Dictionary, online MLA Formatting guide such as Perdue Owl
- Computer folder dedicated to this class. The folder will house your assignment drafts and portfolio (collected writing)
- The New York Times (create a free Academic Pass account with your City Tech email)
Technology Requirements
We will use the following platforms and resources throughout the course of the semester. Please let me know immediately if you have any challenges accessing or using the following platforms.
- OpenLab
- Zoom
- Dropbox
- Google Docs/ Google Drive for collaborative projects
Course Expectations/ Policies
To become strong and proficient writers we must write and write and write. Each week you will be asked to write different pieces for different purposes. The writing will vary in length and genre and will cover a range of topics. There will also be readings each week that will serve as mentor texts to inspire and enhance our writing.
Grading Policy
Weekly Assignments 40%
(short writing, reading, activities)
Final Portfolio 60%
Weekly Assignments
Forty percent of your grade will be based on the quantity and quality of the weekly assignments/ participation for the class. They will consist of reading the assigned texts/ readings, composing written responses to readings, postings on Open Lab, and a crafting a compilation of short writing assignments. You will also have to view the weekly PowerPoint or Video and complete the activities attached to it.
Even though this class is online, the success of the class depends on your participation. The weekly assignments must be turned in on the day they are due. Why? Because it is preparation for what will be done in class that day. If you are not going to be able to meet deadlines, please email me in advance, or it will be marked late. The weekly assignments will be graded with either satisfactory (credit) or unsatisfactory (no credit).
Final Portfolio
This course is a portfolio-based writing course, meaning that where you end up is more important than where you start, at least in terms of grading. In other words, 60% of your grade is based on your final portfolio. This is an opportunity for you to collect and showcase how your writing has grown and developed over the semester. The final portfolio will include the final revision of Projects 1, 2, and 3, your Units 1 and 2 reflections, your Final Reflective Personal Essay, and any other pieces from the semester that you feel demonstrate your growth as a writer.
The portfolio grade will include the final project grades, the credit for submitting drafts of the projects, and a grade for your final reflection. You will be graded on the final version you submit of the project, so if you submit a revised version of your second project that incorporates the feedback given to you, the grade will reflect your improvements! The break down is as follows: Project 1: 10%, Project 2: 15%, Project 3: %15, Final Reflection 10 %, Unit 1 and 2 Reflections, any favorite additional pieces, an example of your revision process (a draft) 10%)
Participation
Participation is a key part of your Weekly Assignment grade. It will be based on the quantity and quality of your participation in class. Reading assigned texts, completing any informal or formal writing assignment, and engaging in meaningful discussions all crucial to effective participation. Moreover, your opinions matter and the more we are involved in class, the more we can get out of it. Participation means being actively involved in class, not just being physically present. If you are unable to participate in the synchronous meetings, then you are expected to be actively involved in the Discussions on OpenLab. Not just posting your comments, but reading those of your classmates and replying to their thoughts as well.
Attendance
One thing you may not know is that, in face-to-face classes, we take attendance for your sake as much as for our own. If someone isn’t coming to class, we worry they won’t succeed in a writing class– and that’s because, writing is more about work and learning your own process than it is about magical talent. Even in an online class, you have to show up. Remember to just check in every day (or almost every day) to see what you need to catch up with. And, by the way, we do take attendance in online courses– we do it by checking you’ve done the daily assignments. If you cannot attend the synchronous classes, you must complete the asynchronous assignments in a timely fashion for your attendance to count.
Late Work
Work is counted as late if it is not provided to me before or during the class time on the due date (if you email it to me later that day, it is considered late). If outside circumstances make a deadline impossible to meet, it is your responsibility to contact me ahead of time to discuss a possible extension.
Assignments turned in one class period late will receive a reduction of one full-letter grade (B → C). Assignments turned in more than one class period late will not be accepted.
Online Class Structure
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Assignments and Times
Each week, an assignment will be posted on the OpenLab site. The assignment will include links to PowerPoints or Videos that cover key concepts and outline the assignments for the week. On the PowerPoints or in the Videos, there will be activities and short answer responses that will counts toward your Participation Grade.
Our class is scheduled to meet twice a week. I would like to continue this synchronous schedule online via Zoom. If you are unable to makes these synchronous meetings, the materials will be posted online and can be completed asynchronously. However, the synchronous sessions will be very important in terms of supporting you and your learning this semester.
In general on Mondays from 10-11:30, we will meet to discuss the reading and go over the week’s PowerPoint/ key lessons. I will use this time to introduce your 3 major projects, go over the content you are expected to know and engage in whole class discussions of the Readings. On Wednesdays from 10-11:30, depending on the point in the semester, I will schedule to meet individually with each of you in one-on-one or very small group sections, or arrange for you to meet in small groups to work on projects and engage in activities like peer editing for your major assignments. This is a discussion-based class and assignments are cumulative. It is crucial that you keep up with the work and participate on a regular basis. Students who regularly fail to keep up with the readings, writing, and discussions (online or on Zoom) will fall behind on the daily reading and writing assignments. The daily assignments build upon previous work and lead towards success in the major projects. In order to succeed in the class, students will need to stay on task and keep up with the work. Students who fall behind will likely have a difficult time catching up.
Office Hours
You are always welcome to meet with me! In fact, I highly recommended that you visit me during virtual office hours at least once over the course of the semester. This visit will count toward your Weekly Assignment grade. Our office visits will be much more effective if we can look at past assignments together to find patterns in your writing, so please be prepared to discuss one of your writing assignments during our meeting. We will use the time to discuss your progress in the course and address any particular writing challenges or goals you may have. Of course, please feel free to talk with me as many times during the semester as you like!
OpenLab
You will need to access OpenLab and join our course immediately. I will post everything you need for the class on OpenLab and you will have to engage in Discussions on the site as well. It will be your responsibility to learn the navigation OpenLab during the first week. If you need help with this, see me immediately, and make sure to come to our synchronous sessions.
Course Load Expectations
A full time course load for a college student is 4 classes. At forty hours per week, that breaks down to 10 hours per class. Plan to spend to spend at least 2.5 hours for class-based work (discussions, group work, assignments) and 7.5 hours on homework for each week on average. Some weeks will be more. Some less.
MLA Citations
All formal assignments should be typed and formatted according to MLA guidelines. We will review the MLA guidelines in class. There are several great websites to use as a guide: Purdue’s Online Writing Lab found at https://owl.english.purdue.edu or Excelsior Owl’s Writing Lab found at https://owl.excelsior.edu and the MLA site at https://style.mla.org.
Plagiarism
I expect the words and ideas that you hand in to be your own or else properly cited. Plagiarism is when you copy specific information from a source or take someone else’s original ideas and do not give credit to the source. Even when you paraphrase someone’s original ideas, it is still considered plagiarism if you do not credit the author for their word. In class we will discuss exactly what constitutes plagiarism. Please come and speak to me if you have any questions about how to incorporate ideas from a source or how to credit a source. Plagiarism will result in an automatic F grade for the assignment. (See additional information under University Policies section).
Academic Integrity Policy
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting and citation of sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the college recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension and expulsion. More information about the College’s policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the College Catalog.
Sanctions for Academic Integrity Violations
In accordance with the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, NYCCT empowers its Academic Integrity Committee and Academic Integrity Officer to process violations of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy. As stated in the student handbook, all instructors must report all instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Integrity Office.
English 1101 Learning Outcomes
It is expected that at a minimum, students in ENG 1101 will:
Read and listen critically and analytically in a variety of genres and rhetorical situations: Identify and evaluate exigencies, purposes, claims, supporting evidence, and underlying assumptions in a variety of texts, genres, and media.
Adapt to and compose in a variety of genres: Adapt writing conventions in ways that are suitable to different exigencies and purposes in a variety of contexts, including academic, workplace, and civic audiences. When appropriate, repurpose prior work to new genres, audiences, and media by adjusting delivery, design, tone, organization, and language.
Use research as a process of inquiry and engagement with multiple perspectives: Learn to focus on a topic and develop research questions that lead to propositions and claims that can be supported with well-reasoned arguments. Persuasively communicate and repurpose research projects across a variety of contexts, purposes, audiences, and media. Demonstrate research skills through attribution and citation gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing both primary and secondary sources. Learn how to use appropriate citation styles depending on disciplinary and situational requirements (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
Use reflection and other metacognitive processes to revise prior assumptions about reading and writing and transfer acquired knowledge into new writing situations. Students write reflections of their own reading and writing process from the beginning and throughout the semester with the intention to transfer their acquired knowledge about genre and composing practices into new writing situations.
Demonstrate the social and ethical responsibilities and consequences of writing: Recognize that first-year writing includes academic, workplace, and civic contexts, all of which require careful deliberation concerning the ethical and social ramifications concerning fairness, inclusivity, and respect for diversity. Write and revise for academic and broader, public audiences accordingly.
Compose in 21st– Century Environments: Learn to choose among the most current and effective delivery methods for different composing situations. Students learn to compose in new media environments, including alphabetic texts, still and moving images, sonic, and mixed media compositions. Use digital media platforms appropriate to audience and purpose.
Accessibility
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, you can leave a voicemail at 718 260 5143, send an email to Accessibility@citytech.cuny.edu or visit the Center’s website at http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/ for more information.
