Course Description and Objectives
Brooklyn is a collection of neighborhoods and location, a microcosm of the world. This semester, in Telling Brooklyn Stories, we will explore Brooklyn through archives at the Brooklyn Historical Society, our own experiences walking through the City Tech vicinity, our speaking and listening, writing and reading, as well as through research and discussion on the new OpenLab digital platform and at the Ursula C. Schwerin Library at City Tech and the Othmer Library at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
This course is part of a Learning Community in conjunction with Prof. Davis’s SPE 1330-6366: Effective Speaking, M/W 11:30-12:45. The Learning Community has a peer mentor, Dawid Janik.
English Composition I is a course in effective essay writing and basic research techniques, including the use of the library. College-level readings are assigned as the basis for in-class and online discussion and for essay writing. CUNY certification in reading and writing is the prerequisite for this course. Students should expect to spend six hours per week on your work for this class in addition to class time. Through discussion, reading, writing in drafts, revising, and presenting work, students will learn to:
Write clear and logical sentences of varied structure, using correct spelling, conventional punctuation, and correct grammar and syntax;
Organize sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into well-developed essays that present persuasive arguments based on specific evidence;
Draft, revise, and proofread essays of various modes of writing, including narration, description, comparison, argumentation, and analysis;
Use writing as a process of discovery, promoting habits of critical thinking;
Develop a personal writing style.
Read actively, carefully, and thoroughly, looking at details and at the piece as a whole;
Formulate questions as part of the reading process in anticipation of class or online discussions;
Demonstrate the ability to summarize, paraphrase, quote from, and argue with assigned readings
Gain familiarity with online tools such as blogs, online writing centers, and library research tools;
Communicate professionally via e-mail and other online media;
Demonstrate information fluency—the ability to find, evaluate, use, and create online resources.
