English 2180-D540

Studies in Identity and Orientation (Fall 2023)

Intro to Gender and Sexuality through Literature

Class Meetings: Tuesday/Thursday 11:30-12:45 in Namm 803

Writing Intensive, US Experience in its Diversity

Professor Laura Westengard (she/they)

Email: laura.westengard25@citytech.cuny.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am-11:00 am in Namm 503 and by appointment

Course Description:

This course provides students with an introductory understanding of identity, focusing specifically on the concepts of gender and sexuality as they intersect with race, class, ethnicity, and other aspects of social location and identification. Students will analyze the appearance of gender and sexuality as integrated social concepts by reading and discussing contemporary American literature across multiple genres and media, learning relevant biographical information about the authors, situating the texts within their historical and literary context, and exploring the major symbols and themes present in the work.

Required Texts:

This class will use free resources, so you will not be required to purchase any textbooks. Instead, all class readings will be listed on the course schedule and made available on our Open Lab site. It is your responsibility to download, read, annotate, and bring to class all assigned texts by the due dates noted in the course schedule.

Assignments and Grading:

• 4 Field Research Essays (10% each totaling 40%)
• Midterm Exam (10%)
• Final Exam (10%)
• Group Project (20%)
• Active Participation/In-Class Writing/Quizzes (20%)

OpenLab

This course will use OpenLab. You will be asked to complete 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, as well as class announcements, will appear there.

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.

Perusall

We will all contribute annotations to shared versions of the readings located on Perusall. As you are reading the assignments, you should include questions and highlight words that need definitions on this site. Sign up Sign up on the Perusall site and join our class using code WESTENGARD-ER48M

Assignments and Essays

• 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 recommend that you obtain a writing handbook for the purposes of formatting and editing your work. You may have one from an earlier writing course, or you can use the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/.
• All essays and assignments must be submitted by the deadline or you will get no credit for them. If you have a personal emergency or other circumstances that prohibit you from finishing your assignment on time or turning in an essay as scheduled, email or see me as soon as possible so we can discuss your situation.
• 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.
• While I will not review an entire essay draft via email attachment, I’m happy to conference with you about your essay drafts and ideas in detail during my office hours. I am also happy to respond to specific questions via email. Feel free to consult with me at any stage in your writing process. In addition to this, you may choose to revise one essay for a new grade. To do this, you must discuss your revision plan with me during my office hours and submit your revision by December 15, 2023.
• I encourage you to visit my office hours and the Writing Center throughout the semester for help developing ideas, drafting and editing assignments, and for proofreading and polishing final drafts.

In-Class Writing, Active Participation, and Attendance

Your regular attendance and active participation are extremely important, so be sure to attend class regularly and arrive on time so you can get the best grade possible. Missing multiple class meetings or consistently arriving late to class will impact your grade in several ways: You will lose active participation points (quizzes and in-class writing/activities cannot be made up), you will be less prepared for your essays and exams, and you will quickly fall behind on the course concepts covered in lectures and discussions. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to email me about your situation, to keep up with the reading/homework/lectures posted on OpenLab, and to contact your classmates to find out what you missed.

I expect you to exhibit maturity in class, to arrive prepared (which means you have read the assigned reading, considered the posted discussion questions, and completed any homework assignments), 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 are allowed in the classroom, but they should be used only for the purpose of course work (reading assigned texts, 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 we work together to make the classroom a safer space for respectful and engaged discussion. Please come to class with an open mind and a desire to learn about identities, cultures, times, and places that are unfamiliar to you. Also, please know that many of the topics we will read about and discuss include perspectives on violence, sexuality, and other topics that may be uncomfortable for some class members. If you find any of the class material to be excessively uncomfortable, be sure to speak with me privately about your feelings and reactions. I also encourage you to take advantage of City Tech’s support resources by visiting the Counseling Center. They can help you process difficult course materials, address personal topics, and offer support for college-related stress.

Inclusive Language:

Every student has the right to be addressed by their chosen name/pronouns. These are to be respected at all times.  If you are comfortable doing so, let me know what your pronouns are. If you do not feel comfortable sharing pronouns, we will address you/refer to you in class by your chosen name.

Update your chosen name in City Tech’s systems: Go to the Important Forms page and complete the Preferred Name Form.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion 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.

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.

Learning Outcomes:

General Education Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to

• Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view.

• Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically.

• Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions.

Pathways Learning Outcomes

U.S. Experience in its Diversity

A course in this area must meet at least three of the following additional learning outcomes.

A student will:

• Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or interdisciplinary field exploring the U.S. experience in its diversity, including, but not limited to, anthropology, communications, cultural studies, economics, history, political science, psychology, public affairs, sociology, and U.S. literature.

• Analyze and explain one or more major themes of U.S. history from more than one informed perspective.

• Evaluate how indigenous populations, slavery, or immigration have shaped the development of the United States.

• Explain and evaluate the role of the United States in international relations.

Course – Specific Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Understand the definitions of and analyze the distinctions between “gender” and “sexuality” as social concepts
• Understand the social forces and assumptions that construct our understanding of gender and sexuality and the ethical issues related to this construction
• Discern the way gender and sexuality interact with other aspects of identity (race, class, ethnicity, etc.) and on multiple levels of identity (micro, meso, macro)
• Identify and analyze the concepts of gender and sexuality as they appear in contemporary U.S. literature and culture
• Develop critical thinking and reading skills and writing strategies to effectively analyze and respond to course texts in both written and oral forms
• Gather, interpret, and evaluate research from a variety of sources for the completion of a final research project
• Work with peers on projects, presentations, and class activities, including written and oral feedback
• Write essays in MLA format, draft and revise essays for content, organization, style, clarity, and emphasis

Assessment Methods

• • Reading and discussion will be measured through grading of discussion question responses and oral participation.
  • Written analysis of texts will be measured through grading of essays.
  • Knowledge of texts will be measured through grading of exams, discussion question responses, and essays.

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