ENGLISH 2150-HMWI (48169)

Baruch College, Spring 2018
Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:55-11:35am
17 Lexington 1222
Instructor: Charles Rowe
Email: [email protected]
Course Blog: http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/2150cwrowespring2018/ Office: English Department, 7290-P
Office Hours: 12-1pm Wednesdays or by appointment

Required Texts

All texts will be provided through the course blog or will be distributed in class.

Course Description

In this course, you will develop your ability to read and think critically and to write well about subjects and issues you care about. We will look closely at how the way we think and the way we experience the world is shaped by language. Over the semester, you will sharpen your abilities to think critically about arguments of others while developing and communicating your own ideas and arguments about subjects meaningful to you.

We will devote the majority of our attention to writing—our own writing, our peers’ writing and the writing of authors in a variety of genres, including creative non-fiction, philosophy, fiction and academic prose. While I will always encourage you to take your own direction as you read and write, the readings for this course will ask us to think about the ethics of attention. Among the many questions we will consider are: How does paying attention to our own language choices—our sentence structures, our metaphors, our personal discourses—help us flourish and form our own identities? How does paying attention to the language of social media, advertising, and political rhetoric help us flourish and form our own identities? How can each individual maintain his or her individual identity as a social being? What is “worth” paying attention to? What is not “worth” paying attention to?

This course is meant to be a starting place for you to begin thinking, re-thinking, writing, and re- writing about ideas and issues that will help you throughout your course of study at Baruch and beyond. Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” I look forward to examining life with you through the craft of writing.

Learning outcomes for ENG 2100 and 2150 are:

• Rhetorical knowledge: You will analyze and identify key ideas in various discursive genres (e.g. essays, news articles, speeches, documentaries, plays, poems, short stories), with careful attention to the role of rhetorical conventions such as style, tropes, genre, audience and purpose, and demonstrate an ability to apply such rhetorical knowledge in your own writing.
• Inquiry and research: You will identify credible sources for your research questions; engage with multiple perspectives by summarizing, interpreting, critiquing, and synthesizing the arguments of others; and avoid plagiarism by ethically acknowledging the work of others when used in your own writing using a citation style appropriate to your audience and purpose.

• Well-developed thesis: You will develop your ideas into a focused, compelling argument, developed in unified and coherent paragraphs, and supported by, as applicable, evidence from your own experience, your research, and the texts you analyze.
• Composing process: You will experience writing as a creative way of thinking and generating knowledge and as a process involving multiple drafts, review of your work by members of your discourse community (e.g. instructor and peers), revision, and editing, reinforced by reflecting on your writing process in metacognitive ways.
• Style and editing: You will produce effectively organized writing that demonstrates sophistication in word choice, syntax, and sentence structure and that follows conventions of standard English grammar and usage.

Course Requirements and Rules

Attendance: Showing up to every class will go a very long way in guaranteeing your success in this course. If you miss more than three days of class (excused or not), your final grade for the course is lowered by one half step (an A- becomes a B+). I will only excuse absences if you have official documentation (doctor’s note or legal documentation). If you miss class more than 4 times, you must arrange to meet with me privately and, according to Baruch College policy, you will be subject to a WU grade, which counts as an F on your transcript and your GPA.

If you miss class, you are expected to turn in assignments on time. You should always let me know in advance (with a reason) if you are going to miss class.

Lateness: Just as important as showing up is showing up on time. Frequent (late more than two times) and/or excessive lateness (more than 15 minutes late) will be counted as absences.

Participation: You must complete reading and writing assignments before class so you are always prepared to participate in discussions and complete in-class work. Always come to class prepared to write (with a pen/pencil and paper). We will often begin class with a brief writing exercise and you will need pen/pencil/paper to take notes. Be prepared to talk in groups and contribute to class discussion—your input is highly valuable to your peers, to me and to your development as a writer.

Blog: The course blog has the syllabus, all readings, and an up-to-date schedule, with important announcements. Please check it regularly.

Writing Assignments: Paper topics/guidelines will be distributed well in advance of the due date. The basic criteria and the weight each assignment carries towards your final grade (using 100% scale), as well as basic details about formatting and style are below:

Essay One: Creative non-fiction essay (1500-1800 words/5-6 page double-spaced). 15%

Essay Two: Exploratory analysis essay (1800-2100 words/6-7 pages double-spaced). 20%

Essay Three: Research-based argument essay (2400 words/8 pages double-spaced). 40%

Essay Four: Re-Visioning of major project of your choice + Class Presentation (varying lengths based on approach). 10%

Formatting and Word Count: Your papers must always include your name, my name, the name of the course, and the date (all left justified), as well as a title that should be centered. All of this should be in plain text (no bold, no underline, no italics). All essays must be typed and double-spaced in Times New Roman 12 point, with 1-inch margins all around. This produces an average of 300 words per page, which means a 5-page paper should be about 1500 words.

MLA Style: All essays must follow the formal guidelines of the Modern Language Association (MLA). We will go over these guidelines in detail in class.

Turning in Assignments: Short informal writing assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due in order to receive full credit. These can be handwritten or typed. Formal writing assignments must be uploaded in PDF format to the course Dropbox folder by 11:59PM on the night of the due date (except for your final essay, which is due at 11:59 PM on 5/4). For every day that any assignment is late, I will deduct 1 full letter grade from the assignment. If it is more than 1 week late, I will not accept the assignment and you will get a 0. It will be nearly impossible for you to pass this course if you get a 0 any of the three major essay assignments.

In-Class Work and Readings Responses: In addition to the major assignments, there will also be frequent short writing assignments, both outside and during class, that give you a place to respond to readings and class discussions. Use these to your advantage; they will help you develop your writing voice and come up with ideas that you may very well use in your formal assignments. Along with class participation, these will make up 15% of your course grade.

Approximate Criteria for Evaluation
85% Writing Assignments (breakdown above)
15% Participation, reading responses, in-class writing, attendance

Grading
Below is the 100% grading scale I use to assess individual assignments and your final course grade. If at any time you have a question about your grade in the class, please bring it to my attention immediately. You must have a D or higher to pass this class.

Email and Classroom Etiquette

I will post to our course blog frequently to remind you about impending assignments and other news about our course. Please check it often. Email me anytime with questions or concerns but do not email me about what you missed if you were absent. I will respond to your emails as quickly as possible. No electronic devices are allowed in class unless I indicate otherwise.

One-on-One Meetings

All of you will meet one-on-one with me once this semester in my office, for a 20-minute conference. Our meetings will be held instead of a regular class meeting, so missing a conference means being counted absent.

The Reading/Writing Center

This is a free resource that can be of great importance to you when you are writing papers. I encourage you to visit and to make use of this important resource. You can

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as word-for-word copying, paraphrasing, or summarizing, without explaining that the language or ideas have come from another writer. No passage of writing, no matter how short, can be copied, paraphrased, or summarized without acknowledge its original source. Baruch College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Baruch College Academic Integrity Procedures.

Academic Accommodation

Baruch College is committed to making individuals with disabilities full participants in the programs, services, and activities of the college community 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 will be denied access to 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 contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at (646) 312-4590, and let me know as soon as you can, ideally during the first three weeks of the semester. I encourage persons with disabilities or particular needs that impact course performance to meet with me to co-design accommodations.

For additional information see:

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/facultyhandbook/DisabilitiesInformation.htm
schedule an appointment at: https://bc.mywconline.com/. Visit the Writing Center in NVC 8-185 or at the Newman Library Reference Desk, or log on to their website, writingcenter.baruch.cuny.edu, to learn more.