Syllabus Eng 1101-D355 S 17 (Westengard)

 

English 1101-D355/C355: English Composition I (Spring 2017)

 

Tuesday/Thursday 11:30-12:45, Namm 1018

Tuesday 1:00-1:50

 

Professor Laura Westengard (lwestengard@citytech.cuny.edu)

Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 10:30-11:30 am, and by appointment

Office/Mailbox Location:  Namm 503

Phone Number: (718) 260-5761

Course Description

 

This is a course in effective essay writing and basic research techniques, including use of the library. Demanding readings are assigned for classroom discussion and as a basis for essay writing.

 

Prerequisites: CUNY certification in reading and writing.

Course Materials

 

Maasik, Sonia, and Jack Soloman, Eds. Signs of Life in the U.S.A.:  Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 8^th ed.

A dictionary

A folder dedicated to this class (you will be responsible for keeping all of your in-class and homework assignments to be submitted as a prewriting packet at the end of each unit)

A notebook with lined paper dedicated to this class

 

Note: You should bring all of these materials to each class meeting.

Assignments

Essays/Research Assignments: 60% (20% each)

Essay #1

Essay #2

Essay #3

Final Exam: 10% (students must pass the final exam in order to pass the course)

In-Class Writing/Homework: 10%

Active Participation/Attendance/Quizzes: 20%

Essays/Assignments

All essay assignments should follow MLA format. This means that all rough and final drafts must be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around, in 12 point Times New Roman font. The first page must display student’s name, your teacher’s name (Professor Laura Westengard), the class you are in, and the date the paper is due. Every paper should have an original title.

 

• I DO NOT accept late papers. All essays must be submitted by the deadline or you will get no credit for them. Because life can be unpredictable, each student will be allowed ONE “oops” paper during the semester. Your “oops” paper can be submitted up to 24 hours late with no penalty, but use this opportunity carefully because once you have used your “oops” paper all other essays must be submitted on time in order to receive credit.
• Since writing is a process, you will submit a prewriting packet containing all of the homework and in-class work for each essay on the date the essay is due. The prewriting packet must demonstrate that you have worked through each step of the invention and peer review process assigned in class and as homework.
• You will be responsible for peer review during class, which means that you will listen to the work of other students and offer meaningful feedback to help them make their essay as effective as possible. Preparedness for and participation in these peer review sessions will account for the bulk of your Active Participation/Attendance grade. If you do not bring a complete draft of your essay to the peer review workshop, you will receive a “0” for the workshop.
• You are required to revise all of your essays after the peer review workshop and before you submit your final draft. In addition to this, you may choose to perform an additional revision of ONE essay for a new grade. In order to do this, you must discuss your revision plan with me during my office hours and submit your revision by the end of class on Thursday, May 18th.
• All of your writing should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors, and it should demonstrate increasingly complex critical thinking and analysis as the semester progresses. If this is a challenge for you, I encourage you to visit my office hours and the Learning Center for help throughout the semester.

OpenLab

This course will use OpenLab. You will be asked to post assignments and contribute to other course related activities on the course OpenLab site. You must sign up for an OpenLab account, participate in activities, and check the site daily because important instructions for completing assignments, class materials, and announcements, will appear there.

 

In order to set up your OpenLab account, you must activate your City Tech email. I will only send or reply to email from your City Tech email address, so make sure you set it up early and check it regularly.

In-Class Writing, Active Participation, and Attendance

Much of the work in this class will be collaborative; therefore, your active participation is extremely important. Quizzes and in-class writing cannot be made up, so be sure to attend class regularly and arrive on time. When you miss class it is your responsibility to keep up with the reading/homework and to contact your classmates to find out what you missed. In order to demonstrate that you are fully present during class, I expect you to arrive prepared, to ask and answer questions, and to participate in a positive classroom environment (including turning all electronic devices to silent and treating your fellow students and myself with a positive and respectful attitude). Electronic devices should be used only for the purpose of course work (reading the textbook, looking up words in the dictionary) and nothing else. You may not text, browse the internet, or record or photograph anything in the classroom.

 

Since we will be covering topics such as race, gender, class, and sexuality in this class, it is imperative that our classroom is a safe space for respectful and engaged discussion. I expect you to exhibit maturity in class, to arrive prepared (which means you have read the assigned reading and completed any homework assignments), to ask and answer questions, and to participate in a positive classroom environment by treating your classmates and myself with respect at all times.

 

If you find any of the class material to be excessively uncomfortable, be sure to speak with me about your feelings and reactions. I also encourage you to take advantage of City Tech’s support resources by visiting the Counseling Services Center (http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/students/counseling/services.shtml). They can help you process difficult course materials, address personal topics, and offer support for college-related stress. Location: Namm 108 Phone: 718-260-5030

 

New York City College of Technology Policy on 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.

 

 

 

Tentative Course Schedule

(subject to change as dictated by the needs of the class)

 

Unit 1: Commodification, Capitalism, and Consumer Culture
Week 1
Tuesday, 1/31	Introductions/Syllabus
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 2/2	Create OpenLab Account Bring all textbooks/materials to class Introduction to Signs of Life, “Popular Signs” p. 1-20
Week 2
Tuesday, 2/7	“Writing about Popular Culture,” p. 21-40
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 2/9	OpenLab Intro Post Due “The Science of Shopping” p. 93
Week 3
Tuesday, 2/14	Introduction to Chapter 1 p. 71-79
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 2/16	“Men’s Men and Women’s Women” p. 182
Week 4
Tuesday, 2/21	“What We Are to Advertisers” p. 177
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 2/23	“The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth” p. 228
Week 5
Tuesday, 2/28	Essay #1 Peer Review Workshop
Lab Hour	Revision Workshop
Thursday, 3/2	Essay #1 Final Draft Due Prewriting Packet #1 Due

 

Unit 2: Playing with Gender and Sexuality
Week 6
Tuesday, 3/7	Introduction to Chapter 7 p. 491-499
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 3/9	Library Orientation Day
Week 7
Tuesday, 3/14	“Selling to Children: The Marketing of Cool” p. 218
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 3/16	“Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ Backlash” p. 194
Week 8
Tuesday, 3/21	“Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes” p. 504
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 3/23		“I Won. I’m Sorry.” p. 524
Week 9
Tuesday, 3/28	“American Dreams” p. 519
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 3/30	“The Butler versus The Help: Gender Matters” p. 352
Week 10
Tuesday, 4/4	Essay #2 Peer Review Workshop
Lab Hour	Revision Workshop
Thursday, 4/6	Essay #2 Due Prewriting Packet #2 Due
Spring Break!!
Week 11
Tuesday, 4/11	Spring Recess, no class
Thursday, 4/13	Spring Recess, no class
Week 12
Tuesday, 4/18	Spring Recess, no class
Thursday, 4/20	Monday Schedule, no class

Unit 3: Constructing Race in U.S. Popular Culture
Week 13
Tuesday, 4/25	“In Living Color: Race and American Culture” p. 538
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 4/27	“The Offensive Movie Cliché that Won’t Die” p. 356
Week 14
Tuesday, 5/2	“Sanjay and Craig: Nickelodeon’s Hilarious New Mixed-Race Heroes” p. 554
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 5/4	“Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck” p. 343
Week 15
Tuesday, 5/9	“The End of Post-Identity Television” p. 556
Lab Hour	Writing Workshop
Thursday, 5/11	Essay #3 Peer Review Workshop
Week 16
Tuesday, 5/16	Essay #3 Due Prewriting Packet #3 Due
Lab Hour	Revision Workshop
Thursday, 5/18	Revision Due Review for Final Exam
Finals
Tuesday, 5/23	Final Exam
Lab Hour	Conclusion
Thursday, 5/25	Conclusion