Spring 2022 English 1101 section OL10
Professor: Lisa Wu
Email: lwu@citytech.cuny.edu
Course Meeting Times & Zoom Link:
Monday/Wednesday at 10 AM to 11:40 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85298554947?pwd=V3g4cGh6SlZMSUthTnVHVU82ckhYUT09
Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday the noon hour 11:45 to 12:45, and by appointment
Welcome!
Welcome to City Tech and English 1101 Freshman Composition I. In our class, we will prioritize intellectual nourishment and community. 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
This is a course in effective essay writing and basic research techniques including library use. Demanding readings assigned for classroom discussion and as a basis for essay writing.
Every City Tech (and CUNY) student takes Composition I, 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 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.
Course Prerequisite
CUNY Proficiency in Reading and Writing
Online Synchronous Class
Our class is a synchronous class resembling a traditional on-campus in-person classes in that students must all be (virtually) present at the same time. Though our class is conducted virtually, we will meet in real-time. Students must, therefore, commit to scheduled class times and sign onto their virtual learning platforms on schedule. I am asking you to sign on to Zoom 5 minute early, so we can start on time. During these classes, students will engage with the instructor and each other with online lessons, presentations, breakout rooms, and/or discussions. Active participation is an essential part of the learning process and is required of all enrolled students. A student who, for any reason, engages in non-class related activities during scheduled class times forfeits and loses the benefit of the education being provided.
Course Website on Open Lab
This course will take place online. Our homework and announcements will be on this website. Our class meetings will be Mondays and Wednesdays on Zoom. It is extremely important that you familiarize yourself with our class website and find out where everything is. This is where you will find your assignments and post your homework as well as the three major unit projects. This is how we’ll keep in touch, so please check in on the website daily! You are responsible for being up-to-date and knowing what is on our course site. You are also responsible for checking your CityTech email daily. Please contact me if you are having trouble!
Students will post their writings on the Open Lab. This is an OPEN lab. We will share our writing and learn from each other. At times, student work will be discussed in class, so that we can all learn from each other. If you write something that you do not want to share, then do not write it into your work.
Tools & Materials
- Course Site
- Zoom
- Email (check your City Tech email daily)
- Google Drive (for assignment collection)
- Texts linked on the course schedule (no cost) Please find a place to printout assignments and readings.
- Dictionary
- Physical Real Notebook for pen to paper writing, real physical folder for printouts
- On your computer, make a folder dedicated to this class for your writing work.
- USB for backing up your computer work.
- Microsoft Word suggested (Get your free MS Office Suite as a City Tech student.)
- The New York Times (Create a free NYT digital subscription with your City Tech email.)
Grading Breakdown
Unit 1 20%
Unit 2 20%
Unit 3 20%
Final Reflection & Revisions 10%
Participation 30%
(Participation: Contributions to discussion, including reading aloud activities, Open Lab HW Posts, Rough Drafts, attendance for the FULL-ENTIRE CLASS period, submitting Open Lab HW assignments on time, being prepared with readings, extra-credit, tutoring attendance (2 required), Final Day Reading Celebration)
Participation/Homework
You’ll see that your participation and homework count for 30% of your grade in this class. What does this mean? How is this calculated? Why is this such a high percentage?
Let’s look at that last question first: in this class, you’re graded almost as much on your weekly low-stakes assignments as you are on your high-stakes essay assignments. This is because in this class, you’re not learning how to write one particular paper, or how to do one particular thing, you are learning about the process of writing (and reading—and researching) and all of those things are the behind-the-scenes work, the homework.
How will participation/homework be graded?
Basically if you do it, you’ll get the credit. However, you have to do the work thoroughly and thoughtfully, and you have to do it in a timely manner. Writing is largely about discipline and routine, so this is a good way to learn that– and to earn 30% of the credit for this course.
A lot of informal writing is required of you, mostly through the Open Lab HW Postings. These posts are low stakes assignments. You will have roughly 20 HW posts due over the course of the semester and ALL of these count toward your Participation Grade. You will also be required to comment on you student peers’ HW posts.
Homework must be posted before the next class date. If you post your HW late, it will be considered late and you will NOT receive feedback. HW that is later than one week WILL receive no credit. Another reason to keep up with the HW posts is that these writings will get you started on the Major Unit Assignments.
HW posts and in-class work is required. By writing, we will create a sense of community. By participating in class discussions, we will build community.
NOTE: If you do not do all the homework posts, or if you hand them in LATE, this is a problem. Your participation grade will suffer.
Major Unit Essays/Projects
There will be three major unit assignments. Major unit assignments are due before class begins on the due date. Turning in assignments on time is a major factor in your grade. If you are having difficulty completing a major unit assignment please speak to me before the due date.
Attendance
Regular and prompt attendance is crucial to do well in the class and helps us build community. Being present means being present for yourself and for each other in mind, body, and spirit for the ENTIRE class period. Perfect attendance is the easiest way to boost your Participation Grade. Poor attendance will significantly hurt this grade. I start taking attendance 5 minutes before class and finalize attendance at the start of each class. I expect you to participate when I call upon you – whether in the middle of class or towards the end of class — as you have committed to be in attendance for the entire class session. If you are unresponsive when called upon, I will mark you absent.
NOTE: You cannot make up missed work in the final weeks of the semester. And you cannot pass the class with excessive absences.
Revision Policy
In this course, you can—and will—revise all major unit writing projects for your final portfolio (see Final Writing Portfolio). Your new grade entirely replaces your old grade. You can also revise your units sooner (in fact this is recommended) so that you can better remember and consider feedback you got.
Ground Rules and Best Practices
- 3L’s: Language, Listening, Letting others know you care.
Though we are not in a physical classroom, we are still a community. Respect for everyone in our course (not just the professor) is crucial.
- Email Etiquette. Please compose your school emails as if you were writing a professional letter: include formal salutation, body, sign off. Please address me as Professor Wu. In the first sentence introduce yourself by your full name and give the course number. Then in the following sentences make your request. Always sign off with Best wishes, or Sincerely. In the subject line, write your full name and the course number. See First-Year Companion, page 100.
- City Tech email. Check it regularly, at least once a day. You’ll be surprised what resources you’ll find there!
- Open Lab HW Posts. Posts are required. These HW posts count toward your participation grade. Some HWs will be graded (1-4, with 4 being the maximum number of points). One point is deducted for each class day late. You are also required to comment on your peer classmates HW posts to help each other and to help us build community. ALSO, HW posts are visible to everyone in the class. It’s an Open Lab, so to say. We will learn from each other’s writings.
- Attendance. Arrive to class early (5 minutes before the start of class) with all relevant documents open, ready to go at the top of the hour. Attendance and promptness are major components of participation grade.
- Supplies. You’ll need a physical real notebook (for pen on paper writing) and folder for print outs and a USB drive for your writing work. Sometimes I’ll ask you to write by hand in your physical notebook. Also it’s always a good idea to compose your HW posts off-line in MS Word and then copy/paste from Word to the Open Lab HW Postings. Please find a place to printout our readings at home, at the college, or a Staples.
English 1101 Course Specific 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).
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.
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!
Note: Extra credit for attending two (2) tutoring sessions during the semester. Ask your tutor to email me to verify that you attended.
Note: TWO (2) tutoring sessions are REQUIRED during the semester. Ask your tutor to email me to verify that you attended. Extra–credit for more than the two required visits in the semester.
Advisors
The transition to college is challenging for everyone. It is helpful to periodically reflect on how you are doing in your classes, and how your anticipated area of study (major) is progressing, as well as to plan next steps. Academic advisors are able to help you navigate these paths. If you are in SEEK or ASAP or have declared your major, you have an assigned advisor with whom to schedule appointments. Others should seek out appointments with Dr. Julian Williams, Director of Liberal Arts & Sciences, jwilliams@citytech.cuny.edu.
Pathways Required Common Core: English Composition
A course in this area must meet all of the following learning outcomes. A student will:
• Read and listen critically and analytically, including identifying an argument’s major assumptions and assertions and evaluating its supporting evidence.
• Write clearly and coherently in varied, academic formats (such as formal essays, research papers, and reports) using standard English and appropriate technology to critique and improve one’s own and others’ texts.
• Demonstrate research skills using appropriate technology, including gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing primary and secondary sources.
• Support a thesis with well-reasoned arguments, and communicate persuasively across a variety of contexts, purposes, audiences, and media.
• Formulate original ideas and relate them to the ideas of others by employing the conventions of ethical attribution and citation.
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]
Diversity Policies
City Tech Diversity and Inclusive Education 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.
