English Department                                                                 Professor: Amy Rosenberg

Fall 2017                                                                                    Email: [email protected]

ENG 2150                                                                                  Office Hours: W 9:40 – 10:30 a.m.,

W 7:50 – 9:30 a.m. and online                                               by appointment only

Class Blog: All assignments will be posted to the class blog. The blog is essentially a second, virtual classroom space for us. You are required to visit it often, as there will be support, information, and materials posted there to help you succeed in the course. Schedule changes and announcements will be available on the blog (as well as, at times, through email). The schedule of assignments also will be available here; it is crucial that you check it frequently.

Attendance: Classes are work sessions during which concrete tasks are completed to help you with your written work. In addition, on some days, your fellow writers will be depending on you to show up. Therefore, regular attendance and being on time to face-to-face sessions are essential. Missing class and/or lateness to class will be taken into account for the academic performance part of your grade.

Although it is best to attend every session, each student has two “free pass” absences — you may miss two sessions, no questions asked. After two absences, I will step your grade down one notch for each missed class. For example, if you have completed all the work and gotten top marks on everything but you have four absences, your grade, which would have been an A, will drop to an A- for the third absence and a B+ for the fourth; B+ will be your final grade. Note that more than four absences may result in automatic failure of the course.

In addition to receiving a lower grade than you need have received, absences also will cause you to miss vital discussions and information, which could affect your grade further. You’re advised simply to come to every class, and to come on time. Note that two latenesses = 1 absence.

Potentially Disruptive Personal Situations: Students with a documented, ongoing, serious health issue or other potentially disruptive situations that may affect their attendance and/or performance should speak with me and the Chair of the English Department as soon as possible.

Late Assignments: Unless you and I have had a discussion in person or over email, in which you have been granted an extension or other arrangements have been made, late work will be marked down. For each day an assignment is late, one point will be knocked off. No assignment will be accepted more than one week late.

Required Texts: All readings will be posted on the course blog or distributed in class. It is the student’s responsibility to bring copies of the readings to class; printed-out hard copies are preferred.

Writing Center: I urge you to make use of the Baruch College Writing Center throughout the semester, frequently and for all stages of assignment completion (not only for this class, but for all your classes). Here is the Writing Center’s summary of its services (from http://writingcenter.baruch.cuny.edu/):

The Writing Center offers free support to all Baruch students. Our professional consultants—teachers of college writing and writers themselves—work collaboratively with you to deepen your writing and English language skills. At any step in the process, we’ll help you become a more independent, confident, and versatile writer.

For example, we can help you more effectively

  • understand assignments, feedback, and audience
  • respond critically to texts
  • generate and organize ideas
  • develop thesis statements
  • evaluate sources
  • structure sentences, paragraphs, and whole papers
  • draft, revise, and edit your own work

No matter what you’re working on—Great Works essays, executive summaries, business plans, lab reports, case analyses, resumes and cover letters, PowerPoint presentations, Master’s theses, or personal writing—we provide invested, attentive readers who will recognize your strengths and teach you specific strategies to improve your writing.

Classroom Conduct:

  • Smart Phones, tablets, and laptops are allowed in class for academic purposes only. All personal communication, surfing the web, and the like should be done outside of class.
  • Drinks are allowed in class; food is discouraged.
  • Sleeping in class is disrespectful to everyone else in the room. If you are falling asleep, then leave the room to wake up.
  • Class discussion requires an element of order. Please speak one at a time, listen to what others are saying, and refrain from local conversations during class time.
  • When working in groups, be sure everyone is invited to talk and everyone listens well. Needless to say, all should be treated with respect.

Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is the presentation of somebody else’s ideas as your own; this includes material downloaded from the internet without citation. Plagiarism and cheating are extremely serious violations of academic behavior. In all written work, you must clearly indicate (using quotation marks and citations) when you are quoting or paraphrasing. Plagiarism and cheating will result in a final course grade of D- and/or disciplinary action. If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism, please ask. For more information on Baruch College’s honesty policy, see http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.htm

Computer Issues: Please talk to me early in the semester if you think you do not have quality and consistent access to a computer, a printer, email, and the internet. You will not be able to complete the course without this technology access.

College Policy on Differently-Abled Students
Baruch College is committed to making individuals with disabilities full participants in its programs, services, and activities through compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. It is the policy of Baruch College that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall be denied access to or participation in any program, service, or activity offered by the university. Individuals with disabilities have a right to request accommodations. If you require any special assistance or accommodation, please let me know as soon as you can, ideally during the first three weeks of the semester.