SYLLABUS

Dr. Carrie Hall

Office: Namm 525

chall@citytech.cuny.edu

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/hall1101spring2019

1101-355

Namm 1018 T/Th 11:30-12:45

Conference Hour Tuesdays 1:00-1:50

Office Hours Thursdays 10:15-11:15 or by appointment

WELCOME

HELLO AND WELCOME TO 1101. THIS CLASS IS HERE TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT LANGUAGE IS “BEST FOR THE JOB,” WHATEVER THE JOB YOU’RE TRYING TO DO MIGHT BE. WITH THIS IN MIND, WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE KIND OF LANGUAGE YOU USE IN YOUR OUT-OF-SCHOOL  LIVES, THE KIND OF LANGUAGE YOU USE IN YOUR FIELDS, AND THE KIND OF LANGUAGE THAT GETS USED IN ACADEMIA AND HOW DECISIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE GET MADE.

WE’RE GOING TO DO RESEARCH ABOUT THE WORLD OUTSIDE OURSELVES AND WRITE ABOUT THE WORLD INSIDE OURSELVES, AND WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER.

MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS

In this class, you’ll write FOUR take-home papers and write TWO revisions. You will also take a final. These are ALL REQUIRED! This means if you do not turn ALL these papers in, you will fail the class.

They also must be turned in on-time! Papers will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade (A- to B+, C to a C-) for each day they are late for the first three days. After that, they will be marked down a FULL letter grade. This means that papers over six days late will fail.

There is an exception! If you need an extension on a paper and you speak to me BEFORE it’s due, I am likely to give it to you. Please note that “speak to me” actually means that you hear back from me. That is, emailing me the night before something is due and not receiving a response is NOT speaking to me.

PLEASE NOTE! You will also have homework for this class, which is all in preparation for the next day’s class and is always to help you get ready for your upcoming papers. For this reason, I do not accept late homework!

Your homework will be posted on the OpenLab course website (discussed below.) Homework assignments are not graded individually, but they are factored into the grades for each unit.

GRADING

• UNIT 1: 10%
• UNIT 2: 15%
• First Revision: 10%
• UNIT 3: 15%
• Second Revision: 15%
• UNIT 4: 5%
• Final Exam: 5%
• Participation: 15%
• Quizzes: 10%

These are the general breakdowns for grading. Remember that the homework is factored into each unit grade; it will also help you write a better paper.

Despite these percentages, I grade for improvement. That is, if your writing improves throughout the semester, which it usually does with hard work, your grade will improve. It is completely possible to get a D on the first paper and an A in the class, if you keep working hard, even though that’s not quite mathematically possible.

However, I don’t extend this same leniency to lateness (unless you have spoken to me BEFORE the paper was due and you don’t make a habit of turning work in late.) That is, if you failed a paper or got a low grade because you turned a paper in late, that grade stands.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

If you miss more than FIVE classes, you will fail your participation grade, which makes up 15% of your final grade. The conference hour DOES count as a separate class session- and a separate absence. You can also fail the participation grade by:

• Texting in class. (I might not always mention it, but I see you)
• Coming to class unprepared.
• Regularly coming to class late.
• Taking phone calls in class
• Wearing headphones in class (These last two kill me!!)

There are many ways to participate besides just talking: first of all, LISTENING is a fantastic way to participate. Also, taking part in online and small group discussions and coming to class regularly and on time, doing your homework, and coming to see me during office hours are all ways to participate. And they are all ways, incidentally, to LEARN.

OPEN LAB

In this class, we do not have any required textbooks. All required texts will be handed out by me, found by you online or at the library, or posted on our course website on OpenLab. You MUST sign up to the course website within a week! In fact, do it today.

The reason for this is because OpenLab is where I will post all of our assignments and where you will post much of your homework for the course.

RESOURCES:

Look, school is hard and so is life! Sometimes you might need some help. So where can you go?

Counseling: You can call or stop by the counseling center in Namm 108 (ph: 718-260-5030) or check out their website at: http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/counseling/. They’re here to help you with educational, psychological and career development, and also have some grants for emergency situations.

If you are struggling with learning, you might want to check out The Center for Student Accessibility at: 718-260-5143 http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/ or in A237. They can help people with diagnosed disabilities get extra resources, and they can get you diagnosed if you think you may have a disability.

The Veterans’ Support office is in A236. 718-260-5143.

I also strive to be a resource. Please come to me if you need help!

PLAGIARISM AND 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 (CUNY) and at New York City College of Technology (City Tech) and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion

–City Tech’s Policy on Academic Integrity

What that statement above is saying, more or less, is that it is the job of the college to teach you what “academic honesty” is, but it is your responsibility not to plagiarize, not to cheat and to do your own work. Please note that if you are not academically honest, you can get expelled, so this policy is very very important.

So, what do we mean by academic honesty? We’ll discuss it as the semester goes on, and I also suggest that you look at the handout on plagiarism under “resources,” but basically, where you will really get in trouble in this class is by using someone else’s words or ideas and trying to pretend they are your own. In other words– if you didn’t write a sentence, you need to put quotes around it! And if you didn’t come up with an idea, even if you’re not quoting it directly, you need to acknowledge where you got that idea. Look, if you mistakenly forget to cite, you’re not going to get in trouble, but if you buy a paper or cut and paste huge chunks of a paper from articles on the internet, or get your girlfriend to write your paper for you, you will face disciplinary action. It’s not worth it.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES (subject to change, but I do my best to keep these solid)

• Unit 1: February 21
• Unit 2: March 14
• REVISION 1: April 2
• Unit 3: April 18
• REVISION 2: May 9
• Unit 4 and final portfolio: May 16
• Final Exam: May 21

Again, please remember, all papers are required to pass this class! Even if you are so late turning the paper in that you can only get a failing grade, you must turn the paper in!

A NOTE ON CONFERENCE HOUR

First of all, yes. It is required. And it is counted as a completely separate period (meaning if you miss it, it’s a whole absence.) But what is it for?

Well, there’s a lot to learn in 1101: organization, research, critical thinking, grammar, sentence structure, syntax, vocabulary. And the extra hour gives us time to go over the things we need most extra help with. In my experience, people who come to this hour do better on their papers, because they get that extra help!

There will be 5-6 quizzes throughout the semester during the conference hour that will cover key concepts. These quizzes will make up 10% of your final grade.

COME TALK TO ME

What you’ve read here is a long list of rules, regulations and explanations. Sometimes it can sound overwhelming. I promise you, I have reasons for every little policy. Come talk to me if you are confused about anything, if you are having a hard time reading the texts, knowing what plagiarism is, issues with someone in class, with group work, with me, whatever. Come talk to me if you’re excited! Come talk to me (or email me) if you have a disability or a difficulty (diagnosed or undiagnosed) that means you need to do things a different way than I’ve asked you to do things here or as the class progresses. You do NOT have to tell me anything private you don’t want to—but if you need to sit near a door or in a corner to feel comfortable, or close to me so you can hear better or anything like that, you will have to express what those needs are. I won’t pry—and I totally get it.