Syllabus for ENG 1121—Section D533

English Composition 2

 

Course Title: Composition 2

Section: D533

Time: THIS CLASS MEETS IN PERSON, Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Place: Namm 704

Instructor: Sean Scanlan, PhD

Email: sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu

Course Website: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/english1121-profscanlan-d533-fall2024/

Zoom Office Hours: Tuesdays from 3-5 and by appointment

*Please turn on camera during Zoom meetings

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85178016664?pwd=Lkz2b5av2q14uG5SSA5Upmog8YavJi.1

Meeting ID: 851 7801 6664
Passcode: 069989

Office: Namm 511

Welcome:

Welcome to City Tech and English 1121. In our class, we will prioritize intellectual nourishment, community, and humanity. If you have any concerns about the course or college, or if there is any situation preventing you from participating, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Know that I am here to work with you.

Course Description:

An advanced course in expository essay writing that requires a library paper. Further development of research and documentation skills. Assigned literary and expository readings.

Every City Tech (and CUNY) student takes Composition 2, which features reading and writing assignments that will help prepare you for college and beyond. Together we will work on communicating effectively, building an argument, adapting your writing for different needs and situations, interpreting and responding to a text, incorporating and citing secondary source material. We will be reading pieces both for their inherent literary and informational value and also as models for our own writing projects. Sharing your own ideas and experiences and adding your voice to our discussions will enrich our class community.

Prerequisite: 

English 1101 or equivalent

Course Meetings:

This course will meet twice a week for an hour and fifteen minutes in person.

I will post the class agenda and the upcoming homework on OpenLab before each class. Many times, I will ask students to respond to our texts by asking direct questions. I will also ask students to respond to our formal and informal writing. We will work on developing community through both spoken and written communication.

Course Email and Website:

This course will take place in person, but we also have online components.

1–Email: Check your City Tech email every day. I will only use City Tech email. I do not receive or send email through any other system. If you do not have a working City Tech email, it is vital to solve this issue immediately.

2–OpenLab: It is extremely important that students become familiar with our OpenLab website. Find out where everything is and how to post–there is an extensive help page if you have questions. OpenLab is where students will find assignments and where homework will be posted. Students can communicate with me and with each other via OpenLab. Once students have signed up for OpenLab and joined my class, they will receive a daily digest of any updates and posts. Students are responsible for being up-to-date and knowing what is on our course site. Please contact me if you are having trouble!

 Required Texts:

• All readings are available in the Readings menu tab.

What! No grammar textbook? While students are not required to purchase a grammar book for this course, we will discuss grammar frequently. In order to help us improve and understand college-level grammar, we will use a free, online grammar guide called Purdue OWL, published by Purdue University. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

 Other Materials: 

You must devise a system to record, store, and organize the course materials. It is very important that you save all of your work for this class. Devise a filing system that allows you to maintain prior drafts and final copies of all major assignments, as well as your research notes, outlines, and written evaluations. In addition to keeping a copy of your work on the hard drive of your computer, save all drafts of assignments on a stable format such as a flash drive or on a remote hard drive/server such as MS OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Never throw away or delete drafts or notes until after you have received your final grade. Computer/Printer malfunctions are not viable excuses for late or lost work. Please note that students can print up to thirty pages per day on campus in the library or in one of the many computer labs.

 Assignments and Grading: 

Completing all the required elements in good order and form constitutes the average, or a C. To raise your grade above this average, you will need to invest your time, talents, and energies to add insightful commentary, sound argumentative reasoning, and show initiative in your approach to scholarship. It should be understood that revision and refinement are necessary, though not the sole, qualifications for success. Each major assignment will be returned to you with specific comments and suggestions on how to improve your work. I recommend that you make an appointment to see me if you receive a grade of C- or lower.

There will be times when student expectations and my evaluation do not match. I am always willing to explain my comments on your assignments, and to discuss ways in which student work might benefit from additional effort. Lower grades most often result from misunderstanding the assignment goals, and from insufficiently realized or poor executions of these goals. I do not grade beliefs or values. If you are unhappy with a grade, or unsure as to why you received such a response to your work, please make an appointment to see me.

All Three Essays must be typed, use standard college-level grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and use American Psychological Association citation (APA style), formatting, and style. Computer spell and grammar checkers help to spot some errors (but not all). In general, use carefully divided and constructed paragraphs and full sentences. The content should logically progress from one idea to the next in such a way that the entire essay has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Essay 1: My Photo Essay                                                          20%      (Comparison, Story Telling, Analysis) (100 points)

Essay 2: Artificial Intelligence PSA Project                   20%      (Analysis, Close Reading, Editing) (100 points)

Essay 3: Ethics, the Short Story, Research Essay       20%      (Literary Research, Analysis, Synthesis) (100 points)

Quizzes (4)                                                                                        20%      (100 points total; 25 points each)

Questionnaire and Homework                                             10%      (50 points)

Participation                                                                                    10%.    (50 points total; Midterm  = 25; Final = 25)

TOTAL: 100% = 500 points

 

Generative Artificial Intelligence Statement, 2/22/24 

Artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, is now ubiquitous in workplace and learning environments. Our class will learn about types of AI and work with some of them. We will explore ethical uses of AI, and we will learn how this technology can be abused. A core tenet of this class is that learning how to use ChatGPT is not the same as learning how to write or edit. 

Students may use AI enhanced grammar and spell checkers (such as Microsoft Word 365, Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, QuillBot, Wordsmith, and ProWritingAid) on all assignments, but should indicate such use in a note at the bottom of a document (see below for an example). 

Students may use generative AI (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Anthropic) to produce a document only when instructions clearly indicate that such use is permissible and is part of the assignment’s learning objectives. In general, generative AI usage will be paired with a non-AI generated reflection or explanation. Attempts to submit generative AI work as a student’s own work will be treated as academic dishonesty. Such attempts will receive a failing grade, and an academic integrity violation report will be filed with the chair of the English Department and the Dean of Arts and Sciences. 

Collaboration, creativity, originality, and learning all are part of the college experience. Generative AI can be used to augment such skills, but it cannot replace any of them. 

Note: This document reflects some ideas included in NYU’s Teaching with AI webpage. Grammar check: MS Word 365

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1–Attendance and participation. It is expected that students arrive on time for each class for the entire semester. Absences and tardy arrival will result in a lower participation grade. If a student is not present, he or she cannot participate, and therefore, no points are awarded for that day.

2–Drafts and Typing: The three major essays will require organization, honesty, and clarity. In order to practice the process of writing, the essays will require drafts. If you have word processing questions, please ask me. City Tech students have free access to Microsoft Office. In addition, you can use Google Docs for free (https://docs.google.com/) or Open Office for free (www.openoffice.org/). UPDATE: If students have difficulty with using these formats because of internet connection issues, please see me.

3–Late Papers and homework: 10 points will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late. After ten days, the assignment will be recorded as a “0.” If you have difficulties with due dates because of illness or other situations, please contact me so that we can work things out.

4–Revision Policy: students may revise the first two major essays. Such revisions must be submitted, at the latest, two weeks before the end of the semester (May 8). The overall grade for the essay will be the average of the original essay grade and the revised essay grade.

5–Distraction-Free Classroom Policy: our class is not strictly a lecture course. It is a performance, lecture, skills, and engagement course. This means that students are required to listen, speak, write, share, and most importantly, engage with each other. In many ways, this course prepares students to work in teams, one of the most important skills that companies desire. Students work best and enage with each other more meaningfully when free from distractions. This means that no headphones or earbuds are allowed at any time. There may be times when phones or other devices may be used. My key point is that devices should not be used off-topic. This article provides background evidence for the negative effects of off-topic device use: https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/technology-and-student-distraction. Students who use devices off-topic will lose participation points.

 

University Policies:

Accessibility Statement:

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. 

Academic Integrity:

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 citing 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 at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.[9] 

City Tech Diversity and Inclusive Education Syllabus Statement:

This course welcomes students from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. In accordance with the City Tech and CUNY missions, this course intends to provide an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and the mutual appreciation of differences so that together we can create an environment in which all students can flourish. It is the instructor’s goal to provide materials and activities that are welcoming and accommodating of diversity in all of its forms, including race, gender identity and presentation, ethnicity, national origin, religion, cultural identity, socioeconomic background, sexuality and sexual orientation, ability, neurodivergence, age, and etc. Your instructor is committed to equity and actively seeks ways to challenge institutional racism, sexism, ableism and other forms of prejudice. Your input is encouraged and appreciated. If a dynamic that you observe or experience in the course concerns you, you may respectfully inform your instructor without fear of how your concerns will affect your grade.  Let your instructor know how to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. We acknowledge that NYCCT is located on the traditional homelands of the Canarsie and Lenape peoples.

Support Resources:

College Writing Center:

Online writing tutoring is available through the Writing Center at City Tech! I encourage you to utilize their services. Keep in mind you’ll need to make an appointment ahead of time. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to squeeze you in at the last minute, especially during busy times, so plan ahead!

Advisors:

The transition to college is challenging for everyone. It is helpful to periodically reflect on how you are doing in your classes, how your anticipated area of study (major) is progressing, and how to plan next steps. Once advisement begins, you will be assigned a faculty advisor. During this period, if you have not been emailed and/or you do not see your advisor/appointment on CUNYFirst, go to your major’s homepage; there, you will find advisement details that will include contact information, as well as dates and times.