Hi Class,

Thank you SO MUCH for the emails and the responses to the questionnaire. I felt so much better once I had heard from you! Perhaps you felt a bit better receiving some word from me, too.

I don’t want to overload you with information, so here are just three things for today:

1. My cell number in case you can’t email me: 718-308-7132. Feel free to text or call between noon and 9pm.
2. I’ve moved the due date for Journal 5 to Friday, March 27. Email it to me any way that is comfortable: Google Docs, MS Word, Open Office, or just type in the body of an email.
3. I’ve updated the weekly schedule; please check it out. The main idea here is to think of our class as having a Monday start and a Friday finish. I plan to roll out each week’s plan on Monday morning. We don’t have a set time where we all have to meet as a class–either in a video or text chat. Perhaps, soon, I will set up the ability to chat, but I want to make it more of a drop-in type of thing. I’m working on it.

Please fill out the questionnaire if you have not done so! Thank you to the eleven students who have.

Best wishes,

Sean

Dear Class,

I hope that you are well. This has been a crazy week for me and my family, but we are healthy. I truly hope that you are all okay as well.

I’ve created a form for each of you to fill out. When you submit this information, it will only go to me. Once I have an idea of the ways that we can communicate, I will be able to reconfigure assignments, turn-in processes, participation, and grading.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Hi Class,

I hope that you all are well and comfortable. By this time, you have no doubt received multiple messages, alerts, and emails about the news that we will be shifting to online instruction for the rest of the semester.

Here is a condensed message from Stephen Soiffer, assistant to president Hotzler:

All CUNY schools will have a five-day instructional recess March 12-18. There will be no physical classes on campus. Students and faculty will be working on getting ready to have classes delivered via distance-learning for the remainder of the Spring semester.

CUNY’s 25 campuses, including dorms, libraries, research facilities, and essential on-campus services will remain open.

During the five-day recess, we expect students, faculty and staff to finish their plans to transition all instruction to distance education. Starting March 19, classes will resume in distance-learning form for the remainder of the Spring semester.

As always, the health and safety of the University community remains our top priority. These measures allows CUNY to continue serving its students while alleviating pressure on our areas during this public health threat.

More details will follow.

Stephen M. Soiffer, PhD, Special Assistant to the President, City Tech (New York City College of Technology)/CUNY

I am working with the English department to alter assignments and to augment instructional delivery methods. While I am sad that we will not be able to meet in person, I am excited by the challenge to help you learn and succeed in my class via new methods. Though many details need to be ironed out, I do imagine that we will be reading a lot (as usual) watching and possibly making short videos, engaging with online messaging apps, emailing more, and sharing our writing with each other more frequently.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

Additionally, Journal 5 will be due Friday, March 25 via email.

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan

sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu

Hi Class,

Over the past few days, I have received a flurry of emails concerning the COVID-19 virus from my department chair, the provost, the president, and from CUNY central. I imagine that you have received some yourself.

I will try to keep our OpenLab website current with news, updates, and instructional material.

In the meantime, if you can answer these questions, it would be helpful:

1–Do you have reliable internet access at home?

2–Do you have a computer, tablet, or cell phone that you can use at home for homework?

I ask these questions so that I can consider holding online class sessions and sending/receiving lesson materials.

Homework for Monday, March 16: First, read the assignment sheet for Essay 2 (also on OpenLab, Assignments menu tab). Second, write Journal 5: 300 words in which you select three favorite poems from the ones we have read so far (either in our book or in the handouts); briefly state why these three are your favorite and be sure to use at least three of our poetry terms (underline them).

Finally, as of now, this journal should be printed and turned in to me in class. But if things change, we may make this an emailed assignment. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at: sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

For Wednesday, read the two poems on the Roethke/Spahr handout (Readings menu tab), then read the poems in our textbook: pages 360-372. Lastly, study the poetry terms that we have covered up through today’s class. We will have a brief Extra Credit quiz over these terms on Wednesday.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

For Monday:

1–Read 350 – 360 in our textbook. Remember to read slowly and read more than once. Use today’s handout for guidance.

2–Then write Journal 4: 300 words in which you select one poem from the readings and use the poetry analysis tool (1-8) from today’s handout. Use complete sentences.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

I’m feeling much better (no sore throat, no temperature, no cough). So, I will see you Wednesday morning.

No extra homework. Please refresh you memory about the poems and questions we were to discuss Monday.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Students,

I am not feeling well (sore throat), and so I think it is prudent to cancel class.

I will post again tomorrow with homework for Wednesday.

Sorry to alert you all at such a late hour — I was hoping my throat would heal by now.  But it has not.

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Consider submitting your writing to City Tech Writer. This is a great opportunity to get creative and submit your work for inclusion in an awesome publication. There are many categories of writing.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/literaryartsfestival/submission-guidelines/

Let me know if you have any questions or want some advice.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

Hi Class,

Here’s a brief review of the homework:

1. Read the following poems: the three poems on the handout from class and two poems by Walt Whitman in our textbook: “Mannahatta” and “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”
2. Answer the following four questions: 1–What is poetry? 2–Why do people read and write poetry? 3–Where is poetry used? 4–How should we read poetry?

I hope that you enjoy reading the poems for Monday. Make sure to bring your textbook to class!

See you on Monday.

Cheers,

Prof. Scanlan