Announcements

Congratulations on completing your coursework this semester! I have enjoyed teaching all of you, and I hope you have a fantastic break.

My best,

Prof. Westengard

  • Essay 2 due via Blackboard today (12/15) by 11:59 p.m.
  • If you are revising Essay 1, email the revised essay to me by 11:59 p.m. today (12/15)

If you would like my feedback on Essay 2 or your revision, send me an email requesting it. Otherwise, I will just put your grade on Blackboard.

Our last day of class is on Tuesday, December 20th. I will take attendance, so be sure to come if you know you have already missed 3 or more classes this semester.

Tuesday, 12/13 is a Reading Day. There is NO class! I will be on campus that day, so email me if you want to make an appointment to meet.

Thursday, 12/15:

  • Finish Americanah!
  • Final exam in class (During the test, you may use non-electronic copies of Americanah and the four essays that we read since the midterm exam. They may be annotated and marked with sticky notes, and you may write out your thesis statement for the first short essay question. You may not use any other notes or print outs. I will have one copy of each text available for you to look at as well. english-2160-final-review-f-16)
  • Essay 2 due via Blackboard by 11:59 p.m.
  • If you are revising Essay 1, email the revised essay to me by 11:59 p.m.

If you would like my feedback on Essay 2 or your revision, send me an email requesting it. Otherwise, I will just put your grade on Blackboard.

For Thursday, 12/8:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 40-43
  • Bring two typed copies of your essay draft for a peer review workshop

Email me if you have any questions!

LW

For Tuesday, 12/6:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 36-39
  • Read “The More You Subtract, the More You Add” (posted under Readings)
  • Complete the worksheet we started in class

Post Blog 10 for extra credit by 11:59 pm tonight (12/1)!!

For Thursday, 12/1:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 32-35
  • Make a list of 3 characters you find interesting in Americanah, 2 themes you find interesting, and 1 setting you find interesting (these can be from anywhere in the book).
  • If you plan to complete Blog 10 for extra credit, it is due on Thursday.

There are no classes on Thursday or Friday. Enjoy your long weekend!

For Tuesday, 11/29:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 28-31
  • Read “Reclaiming Touch: Rape Culture, Explicit Verbal Consent, and Body Sovereignty” (posted under Readings)

For Tuesday, 11/22:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 24-27
  • Read “Reclaiming Touch: Rape Culture, Explicit Verbal Consent, and Body Sovereignty” (posted under Readings)

Remember to post Blog 9 by 11:59 pm  (11/17) and comment on blogs by Sunday at 11:59 pm (11/20).

For Thursday, 11/17:

  • I will be out of town at a conference on Thursday, and my colleague, Professor Harris, will be teaching the class. Be sure to come to class because you will be doing work that will be graded!
  • Read Americanah chapters 20-23
  • Complete Blog 9

Hi everyone, since the new presidential administration might impact our national policies on immigration, some of you may have concerns about the immigration status of you or your family members.

CUNY offers a Citizenship Now! service that provides free, high quality, and confidential immigration law services to help individuals and families on their path to U.S. citizenship. Their attorneys and paralegals offer one-on-one consultations to assess participants’ eligibility for legal benefits and assist them in applying when qualified.

If you have any questions or concerns about the immigration status of you or your family members, please contact Citizenship Now! as soon as possible.

Also, if you are feeling stressed out about the election (or anything else), the Counseling Services Center offers workshops on handling stress and anxiety, and you can also drop in to talk to a counselor anytime during their office hours. They are offering a specific weekly group on Tuesdays from 3-4 pm in Namm 108 to talk about the election results: election-results-support-group

For Tuesday, 11/15:

  • Read “Peculiar Benefits” by Roxane Gay (handed out in class and posted under “Readings“)
  • Catch up on reading chapters 1-19 in Americanah

Remember to post Blog 8 by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, 11/10 and to comment on at least two other blog posts by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, 11/13.

For Thursday, 11/10:

  • Read Americanah, Chapters 16-19
  • Post Blog 8

For Tuesday, 11/8:

  • Remember to VOTE in the General Election!!! If voting makes you late for class, just bring me proof that you were at the polls and I won’t mark you late.
  • Read Americanah, chapters 12-15

Remember to complete Blog 7 by 11:59 pm on 11/3 and comment on at least two other blogs by 11:59 pm on 11/6.

For Thursday, 11/3:

  • Read Americanah, chapters 8-11
  • Complete Blog 7 by 11:59 p.m.

Congratulations on completing your Midterm Exam!!

For Tuesday (11/1):

  • Read Americanah, chapters 4-7

Remember, there is no blog post due this week. I have emailed your essays back to the email address associated with your Blackboard account. Check your email, read the comments, consult the grading rubric to understand your grade, and come talk to me if you have any questions. If you haven’t received an email from me, let me know right away!

Your mid-semester grades are now posted on Blackboard. Please check your grades so you can be aware of your standing in the class as this point, and come speak with me if you have any questions.

P=Passing work
BL= Borderline
U=Unsatisfactory
SA=Stopped Attending

Midterm Exam: Thursday, October 27th 

english-2160-midterm-review-f-16

Remember the exam is open book, but you may not use electronic files. I will have a single copy of each text for you to consult, if necessary.

There is no blog post due this week. I will email your essays back to the email address associated with your Blackboard account by the end of the week. Check your email, read the comments, consult the grading rubric to understand your grade, and come talk to me if you have any questions.

 

Email me if you have any questions!

LW

For Tuesday, 10/25:

  • Read Americanah, Chapters 1-3
  • Begin reviewing the novels, essays, and lectures in preparation for our midterm review on Tuesday. Come to class with any questions you have.

Remember to comment on at least two Blog 6 posts by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

 

For Thursday, 10/20:

  • Complete Blog 6
  • Read “The War Against Black Women, and the Making of NO!” (posted under Readings)
  • Read “In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens” (posted under Readings)

Essay 1 is due via Blackboard on Sunday, October 16th by 11:59 p.m.

Sign in to Blackboard, click on our class, click on “Essay Submission,” click on “Essay 1.” Then browse and attach your file using one of the acceptable file formats listed. Do not paste the text or any notes in the comment section. Check all the required boxes and click submit.

Remember, I do not accept late papers, so don’t wait until the last minute to post!

For those of you using “Ain’t I a Woman?” in your essays, you can use the following citation on your works cited page:

Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I a Woman?” Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Fordham

University, Aug. 1997, http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/sojtruth-

woman.asp. Accessed 14 October 2016. Web.

For those of your using “An Appeal Against Female Suffrage” in your essays, you can use the following citation on your works cited page:

Ward, Mary. “An Appeal Against Female Suffrage.” A New Woman Reader: Fiction,

Articles, and Drama of the 1890s, edited by Carolyn Christensen Nelson,

Broadview Press, 2001, pp. 120-124. Print.

For those of your using “Components of Gender” in your essays, you can use the following citation on your works cited page:

Bornstein, Kate. My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World

Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2013. Print.

For Tuesday, 10/18:

  • Read The Color Purple, pages 1-60 (the chapter that ends “For the first time in my life, I feel just right.”)

Remember, Friday, October 14th is a Tuesday schedule!! We will have our regular class meeting tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.

You can STILL register to vote through CUNYfirst! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQVB0K8qUrU&feature=youtu.be  Applications must be postmarked no later than October 14th and received by a board of elections no later than October 19th to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

Essay 1 is due via Blackboard on Sunday, October 16th by 11:59 p.m.

Sign in to Blackboard, click on our class, click on “Essay Submission,” click on “Essay 1.” Then browse and attach your file using one of the acceptable file formats listed. Do not paste the text or any notes in the comment section. Check all the required boxes and click submit.

Remember, I do not accept late papers, so don’t wait until the last minute to post!

There is no Blog due this week, and you do not have homework tonight. Just keep working on your essay so it is polished and ready to submit by Sunday!

LW

 

The FINAL scheduled date for on-campus voter registration will be TODAY (10/13) from 12:00-2:30 pm, outside the library entrance!

You can also register to vote through CUNYfirst: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQVB0K8qUrU&feature=youtu.be

Drop off your completed form at the NYPIRG Office (G411) or put it in the mail. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 14th and received by a board of elections no later than October 19th to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

Hi everyone,

As I announced at the end of class today, it seems like the class needs a bit more time and direction to produce strong essays on The Bell Jar. Because of this, the final draft submission has been postponed. Here is the updated information you need to know:

  • Post your outline for Blog 5 by 11:59 p.m. tonight (9/29). Before you post your outline, please review the guidelines for creating an effective, organized, and developed outline at the OWL at Purdue website. Carefully read all three pages describing outlines here AND open and read the sample outlines provided. You will be writing an alphanumeric outline.
  • Work on your thesis statements between now and our next class meeting on 10/13. Feel free to email me for feedback on them, and try to move beyond an argument that simply states something about how Esther’s mental health declines as a result of her struggle to conform to gender role expectations. Be more specific, more arguable, and try to incorporate a more in-depth use of other course content (essays, lectures, etc.).
  • Bring a complete draft of your essay to class on October 13th. While your draft doesn’t have to be perfect, the assignment is to bring a complete draft. It should meet all the minimum requirements of the assignment. Review the prompt here.

Remember, because of the college calendar, we won’t meet again until Thursday, October 13th. We will also meet on Friday, October 14 because it is a Tuesday schedule. Please mark your calendars!

For Thursday, 9/29:

  • Bring two typed copies of your essay draft to class (including works cited page)
  • Complete Blog 5 (essay outline) by 9/29 at 11:59 p.m.

Email me if you have any questions about your thesis statement!

LW

The due date for Essay 1 will be postponed! Plan on having a rough draft of your essay for a workshop on Thursday, 9/29. We will discuss the final draft due date in class next week.

On Tuesday, 9/27, we will be working on essay development together in class. Come to class with your copy of The Bell Jar and all other assigned texts from the semester. Make sure you are completely caught up on the reading, review the essay prompt, and do some thinking about the themes, plots, and characters that you find most interesting in The Bell Jar. 

Remember, Blog 4 is due on Thursday, 9/22 by 11:59 p.m. and at least two thoughtful comments are due by Sunday, 9/25 by 11:59 p.m.

LW

REGISTER TO VOTE!!!

If you have not yet registered to vote, you can do it this week in front of the library (4th floor, Atrium Building) on the following dates and times:

9/21 6:00-8:00 pm
9/26 10:30 am-1:30 pm
9/29 12:00-2:30 pm
10/5 10:30 am-1:30 pm
10/13 12:00-2:30 pm (this date is provisional–please check back closer to the date)
For Thursday, 9/22:
  • Read The Bell Jar, chapters 19-20
  • Complete Blog 4 by 11:59 pm

For Tuesday, 9/20:

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapters 16-18
  • If you haven’t done so yet, read “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference”

Remember to complete Blog 3 by 11/15 at 11:59 pm and to comment on at least two other posts by Friday, 9/16 at 11:59 pm

For Thursday, 9/15:

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapters 13-15
  • Read “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” (posted under “Readings“)
  • Complete Blog 3 by 11:59 p.m.

For Tuesday, 9/13:

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapter 10-12
  • Catch up on any reading you haven’t completed this semester

Complete Blog 2 by 11:59 pm tonight (9/8) and comment on at least two of your classmates’ blogs by Friday, 9/9 at 11:59 pm.

 

For Thursday, 9/8:

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapter 7-9
  • Read “Components of Gender” (posted under “readings“)
  • Complete Blog 2 by 9/8 at 11:59 p.m.

Let me know if you have any questions!

LW

Complete Blog 1 by Sunday, 9/4 at 11:50 p.m. and comment on at least one of your classmates’ blog posts by class time on Tuesday

For Tuesday (9/6):

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapters 4-6

Have a great weekend!

LW

For Thursday (9/1):

  • Read The Bell Jar, chapters 1-3
  • Read The Feminine Mystique, pages 15-26 (posted under “Readings“)

Here is the sign up sheet for your Global Feminisms Presentation: Global Feminisms Sign Up w Names

Your first blog post is postponed. I’ll explain the instructions and the revised due date in class on Thursday.

Let me know if you have any questions!

LW

It was great to meet you all today! I’m excited to begin exploring literature and women’s studies with all of you this semester.

For Tuesday, 8/30:

  • Read “Ain’t I a Woman?” (posted under “Readings“)
  • Read “An Appeal Against Female Suffrage” (posted under “Readings“)
  • You do NOT have to read “Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (but you can if you want to :))
  • Purchase, order, or check out The Bell Jar. You will have to start reading it for class next Thursday (9/1).

Email me if you have any questions!

LW

Welcome to the English 2160 OpenLab site! I will post homework, due dates, and announcements here, so check in daily to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Looking forward to a great semester!

Prof. Westengard