Course description
In English 1010, we will learn how to read closely and critically, and how to form a clear argument based on academic texts. We will analyze personal narratives as well as persuasive and/or argumentative texts. We will discuss what makes texts of both genres moving, thoughtful, and successful, and we will use those tools to write our own, original work. By the end of the course, we will be writing compare-contrast essays that are more rigorous, and more carefully crafted, than those written at the high school level.
Required materials
Grades
Essays: 60%
Personal narrative: 10%
Summaries: 10%
Argumentative essay: 15%
Compare and contrast: 15%
In-class compare and contrast: 10%
Final exam: 20%
The final exam will be a compare-and-contrast essay. You’ll be given one of the readings in advance, and the other the day of the final. We will have a practice final exam in November.
Other assignments: 10%
At the beginning of each class, you will be asked to do a short free-writing assignment, which I will collect periodically, to make sure that you’ve done the reading, and to help you out with in-class discussion.
Attendance and participation: 10%
This includes attendance, promptness, participation in class discussions and group work, etc.
Grading
Grades for English 1010 are: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, NC or F. Note that the minimum passing grade is C-. Students who have completed all the course work but are not yet writing at the college level will receive a grade of NC; students who have not completed the course work will receive a grade of F.
Students who do not pass English 1010 must repeat it the following semester. The course may not be taken more than three times; students who receive three grades of F, NC and/or WU may be dismissed from the college.
NOTE: Essays turned in late will be penalized half a letter grade for each class meeting they are late. Late work will not be accepted after one week has passed from the original due date. If students miss a class during which an essay is to be submitted, students are still responsible for submitting (e-mailing) the essay on the same day, and bringing a hard copy of it the next time they attend class.
Grade scale
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 88-89
B: 83-87
B-: 80-82
C+: 78-79
C: 73-77
C-: 70-72
D+: 68-69
D: 63-67
D-: 60-62
F: Below 60
Submission of essays
All of your essays should be submitted as a hard copy.
Participation
You will be expected to come to class ready to respond to the assigned texts, in writing, through group work, and through in-class discussions. Your contributions will factor into your final grade. In order to build a classroom atmosphere of courtesy and concentration, please avoid behavior that is disrespectful and interferes with others’ learning, including rudeness, talking while others are speaking, and texting.
Attendance and punctuality
If you miss more than four classes, you will receive no credit for participation. If you are late twice, it will count as one absence. A pattern of lateness will affect your grade.
Electronic devices
If I find that you’re using your phone during class, I’ll issue a warning the first time. After that, I may ask you to leave the class, and count you as absent for that class day. Class discussion is valuable, and actively listening to your peers is a part of that.
Plagiarism
The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member must report the violation.
Disability services
In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at (718) 951-5538. If you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services, please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her.
Student bereavement policy
Visit this site for the university’s policy on bereavement: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php
Religious observance
Visit this site for the university’s policy on religious observance: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/off_registrar/2017-2018_Undergraduate_Bulletin.pdf
Professor Maddie Crum
madeleinecrum@gmail.com
Office hours: 2:30-3:30, Monday and Wednesday, Boylan 2311
If you'd like to come to office hours but are unable to make the above time, please e-mail me to schedule a time; I'm on campus for most of the day on Mondays and Wednesdays.
August 27
Introductions, short in-class writing assignment
August 29
Reading due: Chapter 1 of Americanah
September 3
LABOR DAY - NO CLASS
September 5
Reading due: Chapter 2 of Americanah
September 10
NO CLASS
September 12
NO CLASS
September 17
Assignment due: essay #1, draft #1
September 19
NO CLASS
September 24
Reading due: “Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass
September 26
Reading due: “The Ugly Tourist” by Jamaica Kincaid
October 1
Assignment due: essay #1, draft #2
Reading due: “The Last Feminist Taboo” by Marisa Meltzer
October 3
Reading due: “The Case Against Perfectionism” by Michael J. Sandel
Assignment due: summary of Sandel
October 8
NO CLASS
October 10
Reading due: “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace
Assignment due: summary of Wallace
October 15
Assignment due: essay #2, draft #1
October 17
Reading due: “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell
October 22
Assignment due: essay #2, draft #2
October 24
Reading due: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr
October 29
Reading due: “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.” by Sherry Turkle
October 31
Reading due: “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose
November 5
Reading due: “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto
November 7
Reading due: “Writing Like a White Guy” by Jaswinder Bolina
November 12
Assignment due: essay #3, draft #1
November 14
Reading due: “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua
November 19
Assignment due: essay #3, draft #2
November 21
Reading due: “Recalculating the Climate Math” by Bill McKibben
November 26
Reading due: “Elegy for a Country’s Seasons” by Zadie Smith
November 28
In-class compare and contrast
December 3
Reading due: “The Braindead Microphone” by George Saunders
December 5
Reading due: “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
December 10
Reading due: rubrics, sample essays
December 12
Reading due: long essay for the final exam