Required Materials

Chimamanda Adichie, Americanah. (You should have received a free copy of this book when you registered; if you do not have this book, go to 3208 Boylan to pick up your free copy.)

Various required essays and articles, available on libguides website: https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/freshmancomposition/stubbs_lisa

Course Requirements & Policies

Attendance & Punctuality

You should be present at every class. That said, I understand that extenuating circumstances arise and you may be absent up to 3 times without penalty (provided you have communicated with me in advance or as soon as possible after your absence); the next 2 absences will each lower your final grade. If you are absent more than 5 times, you will not pass the class. I also expect you to come to class on time. Two late arrivals equal one absence, and a pattern of lateness will affect your grade negatively. Arriving more than 20 minutes late counts as an absence.

Effort

• Read the assigned texts and think about them before class.
• Speak up during class discussions, use in-class writing time to challenge yourself and your ideas, and volunteer during class activities.
• I may use the papers and assignments you write for this class as examples in our activities.
• Silence and put away all cell phones and electronics, out of courtesy. Repeated use of phones or other electronics will negatively affect your grade.
• We will regularly write in class. Bring paper and a black or blue pen to every meeting.

PLEASE NOTE: Cell phones must be silenced and put away during class, for the sake of maintaining focus and quality discussion. If there are emergency circumstances that require you to pay attention to your phone, please let me before the start of class.

Assignments

Reading

• Class discussion is a critical element of this course, and your participation is essential. You are expected to have closely read and be ready to discuss all readings on the day they are assigned. You must bring the assigned text to every class. There will be unannounced reading quizzes.

Writing

• Essays: You will write four essays for this class, three take-home (personal narrative: 750-1000 words; argumentative essay: 1000-1250 words; compare/contrast essay: 1000-1250 words) and one in class (pre-exam comparison contrast essay). Take-home essays must be typed using a 12 point font and double-spaced. You may not email papers unless there is a very special circumstance and you have my express permission.
• Assignments: You will also be required to complete in-class writing assignments and short take-home prompts (including two brief summaries of 250-500 words each). These assignments will not all be graded individually, but their timely, thoughtful completion will count towards your final grade.
• Final Exam: English 1010 students must take a final exam. The exam is based on responses to two pieces of writing: one piece will be a 5-7 page essay, distributed two weeks before the end of the term, and the second will be a 1-2 page piece, distributed along with the question on the day of the exam. The exam will count for 20% of your final grade for the class. We will discuss the test format in class.

Revision

• Strong revision habits are critical to growing as an academic writer. So, all essays in this class (with the exception of the final exam essay) may be revised and resubmitted. The final grade for any essay will represent an average of the initial and revised grades.

Grading

C- is the lowest possible passing grade for the course. English Department policy dictates that a student with a final grade below a C- receive an N/C (no credit); the student may take the course up to three times. An F grade will be given in the case of too many absences or failure to complete assignments. A grade of NC may be given if the student’s work is not at a passing level, but the student has good attendance and has completed all assignments. Students receiving an F or an NC grade must retake English 1010; students may take English 1010 up to three times.

How your final grade for the class is determined:

Essays: 60%                        (Personal Narrative – 10%             Summaries – 10%             Argumentative Essay - 15% Compare and Contrast Essay - 15%  In-Class Compare and Contrast Essay – 10%)

Assignments: 10%           (this includes take-home assignments, in-class writing, and quizzes. )

Attendance and Participation: 10%          (this includes attendance, promptness, participation in class discussions and

group work, etc.)

Final Exam: 20%               (essay exam, comparing and contrasting two assigned essays)

Late work: Essays turned in late will be penalized 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 you miss a class during which an essay is to be submitted, you are still responsible for submitting (e-mailing) the

 essay on the same day AND bringing a hard copy of it the next time you attend class. Otherwise, the assignment will be treated as a late submission. If you do not submit a certain essay, you will receive the grade of F for that essay.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is not tolerated at Brooklyn College and especially will not be tolerated in this class. If you are caught handing in work that you have plagiarized from any source, you will fail the assignment in question, possibly the entire class, and may be subject to disciplinary action by the college. Here is the College's statement on 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 implementing that policy can be found at this site: http://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”

Students with Disabilities: 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.

Non-attendance Because of Religious Beliefs: Please read the information in the Brooklyn College Bulletin (http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/off_registrar/141024_2014-15_Undergraduate_Bulletin.pdf) regarding nonattendance because of religious beliefs. Please inform me in advance if you plan to be absent due to religious observance.

Student Bereavement Policy: Please read the following for Brooklyn College’s policy in the event that a student loses a loved one: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/off_registrar/2018-2019_Undergraduate_Bulletin.pdf.

Office Hours: I encourage you to make use of my office hours so that we can discuss your work and any questions you have. I am also happy to find another time to meet with you if you are unable to come to my office.

Important Dates:

• Monday, August 27                         Weekday classes begin
• Sunday, September 2                     Last day to add a course
• Wednesday, September 5            Conversion Day; Classes follow a Monday Schedule, Last day to file for

elective course Pass/Fail

• Saturday, September 8                  Weekend classes begin
• Sunday, September 16                   Last day to drop a course without a grade
• Tuesday, November 6                    Last day to withdraw from course with a W (non-penalty) grade

Class Schedule (subject to change)