Course Description

Course Description: Race and Justice

The theme of this course is race and justice. Questions about how race influences justice and shapes legal foundations are never far from hand. Our task will be to trace this discourse through its various cultural manifestations and to write about it. Through close readings, we will focus on writers who have contributed to the discourse surrounding race and justice through their particular contributions and uses of literary forms. Viewings of relevant film and television offerings, consideration of legal and literary theories, and thoughtful critical responses will shape our focus and lend depth to our discussions. Student participation will be a vital part of our meetings. Each student will be expected to make meaningful contributions to class discussions and group activities on a daily basis. Thus, it is crucial that everyone completes the assigned readings on time. Our meetings will provide opportunities for students to discuss the writing process and gain assistance with their writing. Students will be asked to write essays that closely examine a particular work, compare and contrast two or more works and finally, to situate a particular contemporary legal case within a critical framework. The end result of this work will be to make you a writer of clear and effective prose.

As your instructor, I promise to return your assignments in a timely manner and grade according to the policies set out in class and in the syllabus. I hope to foster an attitude of mutual respect in class. I will only teach students who want to be taught by me. I reserve the right to ask students to leave class.

Course Goals

After completing ENG 2150 students should be able to:

  • identify the key ideas and techniques used in a variety of articles, essays, and literary works, and subject these works to logical analysis;
  • undertake writing as a process requiring the outlining of ideas, multiple drafting, and revision of complete essays;
  • create an original and cogent thesis and develop an imaginative argument in unified and coherent paragraphs;
  • observe sentence boundaries, punctuate correctly, vary sentence structures, and employ the conventions of standard English grammar and usage;
  • engage with different genres of writing, including the short story, the novel, the essay, poetry, and drama, and comprehend and use appropriate vocabulary in interpreting the material by paying close attention to language and style;
  • identify, analyze, and synthesize multiple sources as support for written arguments;
  • gauge the value of different strategies for argumentation, including the use of counter-arguments;
  • produce researched essays that incorporate sources and that effectively evaluate multiple (and even conflicting) points of view;
  • avoid plagiarism and understand why it is unacceptable, at the same time learning how to appropriately document your research and ideas;
  • imagine the needs of one’s reader when writing in different rhetorical modes and social contexts and take audience and occasion into account when writing.

Course Requirements

Writing: Expect to write and rewrite often and regularly for this class. Your writing—in response to class readings, discussions, and events—is the central component of the course. 

  • Workshops: Once a week, we will review each other’s work either in small groups or as a class. In Open Workshops, you will be expected to submit a copy of your most recent expository writing to the class for critique. You must bring enough copies of the paper for the whole class and/or group. Sign-up sheets for the Open Workshops will be passed around in the first week of class. Being absent on the date of your Open Workshop will result in a grade of zero. Attendance during group workshops is also mandatory. Meaningful participation in these workshops is part of your final grade.
  • Quizzes and In-class writing: Be prepared to write regularly in class and at home based on readings you’ve prepared for the day and other materials that we’re covering. This work will be collected and may or may not be graded.
  • Response Journals & Blog Posts: Response Journals and Blog Posts will be used to keep a record of student response to course readings and current events. Students must post a YouTube video, an image, or a link to another online resource and analyze it in relationship to course content for two of their Blog Posts.
  • Essays: Students will be required to submit three highly polished and well written essays. There will be ample opportunity to receive critical feedback and assistance during each stage of the writing process. Detailed information about each writing assignment will be available during the semester. The general breakdown is as follows:
    • Essay 1: 3-4 page essay describing your definition of justice
    • Essay 2: 5-6 page essay on one of the required readings and/or critical texts
    • Essay 3: 6-8 page researched argument based on a current event related to the theme of race and justice

Students who are unsatisfied with their grades on either the first or second essay may submit a revised version of their work for reevaluation. However, their grade will only be raised if a significant improvement has been made.

Grading: Your grade for the course will be calculated as follows:

  • Open Workshop: 5%
  • Essay 1: 20%
  • Essay 2: 25%
  • Essay 3: 30%
  • Blog Posts & Response Journals: 10%
  • Attendance & Participation: 10%

Course Grading Rubric:

For a grade of “A” you should:

always be prepared and attend class; participate constructively in class; exhibit preparedness and punctuality in class/class work; work well with others and be a team player; demonstrate initiative and improvement; seek to understand and acknowledge others’ thoughts; put extra effort into class assignments; demonstrate exceptional content knowledge; demonstrate the ability to integrate new knowledge into work; challenge your own thoughts and ideas.

For a grade of “B” you should:

usually be prepared and attend class; participate constructively in class, work well with others, and be a team player; demonstrate excellent content knowledge; complete all class assignments and occasionally add something extra; demonstrate initiative and improvement; seek to understand and acknowledge others’ thoughts; strive to reach your full potential.

For a grade of “C” you should:

occasionally be prepared and attend class; demonstrate average content knowledge; occasionally or only challenge thought when encouraged by others; reflect average work in your assignment; occasionally be an active participant in class and work well with others.

For a grade of “D” you should:

rarely be prepared or attend class; rarely participate constructively in class; hand in incomplete assignments; fail to hand in assignments; demonstrate low levels of content knowledge; not strive to your reach potential.

Reasonable Accommodation: Baruch is committed to making individuals with disabilities full participants in its programs, services and activities. It is the policy of the 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 have a physical, psychological, or learning disability, Baruch College provides services through the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD), a division of the Office of the Vice President for Student Development and Counseling. For more information please visit the OSSD’s website at: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityServices.htm or contact Barbara Sirois, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, 55 Lexington Avenue, Room B2-271, 646-312-4590. Please make an appointment to see me or come and visit me during office hours if you have special needs that require accommodation.

Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are crucial to your development as a writer and to the development of your classmates. Students who miss up to four classes without medical documentation will drop an entire grade (for example, a ‘B’ will become a ‘C’). Further, anyone with excessive absences (five or more) will be officially dropped from the course in accordance with college rules. Late papers will not be accepted, unless the student has a documented medical emergency. At my discretion, a request for an extension may be granted for a legitimate reason; such requests must be made at least ONE WEEK before the due- date of the paper to be considered. Late papers submitted without my approval or medical documentation will receive a grade of zero.

Arriving late or leaving early interferes with other students’ learning and is not acceptable. Therefore, you are required to arrive on time, prepared to fully participate, and stay for the entire period. Each late arrival or early departure will count as ½ an absence (e.g. two lates equal one absence). If you have some conflict that will regularly make you late for class or require you to leave early, you should drop the course.

Conferences: Each of you will meet with me individually during the term to discuss your writing. The purpose of the conferences is to allow us to address in detail some of the ways you can accomplish successful revisions of your drafts as you work them into more polished, focused, and convincing essays. Please feel free to drop in during office hours or make an appointment to see me at any time in addition to your scheduled conferences.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense and it directly contradicts the goals of the course. If I find that you have plagiarized a paper, I will refer you to the Office of the Dean of Students, which might result in an expulsion. YOU WILL FAIL THE ASSIGNMENT AND RECEIVE A ‘D’ IN THE COURSE. Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty states the following:

Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college’s educational mission and the students’ personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity, and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them. Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned.

Baruch College’s full policy on Academic Honesty, including a thorough definition of plagiarism, can be found at: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html

MLA Guidelines: All work must be formatted according to MLA guidelines. Your work must be typed in 12 pt. font in black ink, double-spaced, stapled and with one-inch margins all around. All work must include the proper MLA heading: name, due date, course and section #, and the title of your essay. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a grade of zero.

Important Writer’s Resource: For help with refining paper topics and completing drafts and revisions, visit the Writing Center in the VC, room 8-185. Make an appointment at 646-312-4012 or go to [email protected]