ENGL 1010: English Composition-Student Version (2018-19 Archive): Weinstein, Jillian

Required Texts:

• Freshman Common Reading: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah
• All course readings will be available at www.schoology.com with access code GXG98-686QK. It is your duty to either bring a printed version to class, or a device in which you can read the assigned text.
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Course Requirements & Policies :

• Attendance and Punctuality:
  • If you miss more than four classes, you will receive no credit for participation. Two latenesses count as one absence.  Arriving more than 10  minutes late counts as being late.  A pattern of lateness will affect your grade.

• Participation:
  • Participation includes completing and commentating on the assigned reading, contributing to class discussion through listening and responding to classmates or the instructor, bringing required materials to class, and enagaging in peer review and group activities.
  • NOTE: Cellphones must be silenced and put away during class. The use of cellphones and other electronics is not permitted in the classroom, except under exceptional circumstances. Students should inform the instructor about these circumstances.

• Reading:
  • Class discussion is a critical element of this course, and participation is essential. Students are expected to have closely read and be ready to discuss all readings on the day they are assigned. There will be unannounced reading quizzes. Bring the assigned reading to every class.
• Assignments:
  • Essays and Other Writing- Students will write the following: a personal narrative (750-1000 words), two summaries (250-500 words each), an argumentative essay (1000-1250 words), a compare and contrast essay (1000-1250 words).  Students will revise each of these essays. These essays must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, and formatted with one-inch margins. In addition, students will have an in-class essay exam. Students will be asked to complete other assignments, such as journal entries, in-class writing, and reading responses. NOTE: Essays are due at the beginning of class. The instructor will not accept essays submitted via email.
  • Final Exam- English 1010 students must take a final exam. The exam is based on responses to two pieces of writing: one 5-7 page essay, distributed one week before the end of the term, and a second 1-2 page piece, distributed along with the question on the day of the exam. The exam will count for 20% fo the final grade for the class. The instructor will discuss the test format in class.
  • LOOP Workshop- The Brooklyn College Bulletin states the following: All students in English 1010 will complete the required Brooklyn College library orientation, which will introduce them to the services and resources of the library, including access to and ethical use of its print nad electronic resources. 

• Grading:
  • The Brooklyn College policy on grading for English 1010 is as follows: 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 sutmitting (emailing) the essay on the same day AND bringing a hard copy of it th enext time they attend class.
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Possible grades are as follows:

Course Breakdown of Grade:

Additional Policy:

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is not tolerated. If you are caught plagiarizing on an assignment, you will fail the assignment, and perhaps even the class.  You may also be subject to disciplinary action by the college. Please read Brooklyn Colleges statement on Plagiarism below. 

"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 me with the course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with me.

Non-attendance Because of Religious Beliefs: Brooklyn College’s statement on non-attendance because of religious belief is located on page 66 of the Brooklyn College Undergraduate Bulletin: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/off_registrar/2017-2018_Undergraduate_Bulletin.pdf

Student Bereavement Policy: Brooklyn College’s statement on non-attendance because of religious belief is located here: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php

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.  

NOTE: English 1010 is an Academic Foundations course.  Brooklyn College’s policy on withdrawing from English 1010 is as follows:

Students are not permitted at any time to delete, drop, or withdraw from an assigned Academic Foundations course without obtaining permission of the academic department involved and consulting the Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success.

The full academic calendar, including many other important dates, and the undergraduate final exam “grid” are available on the Office of the Registrar’s website.

Evaluation criteria for written work:

The Unsatisfactory Paper.

The D or F paper either has no thesis or else it has one that is strikingly vague, broad, or uninteresting. There is little indication that the writer understands the material being presented. The paragraphs do not hold together; ideas do not develop from sentence to sentence. This paper usually repeats the same thoughts again and again, perhaps in slightly different language but often in the same words. The D or F paper is filled with mechanical faults, errors in grammar, and errors in spelling.

The C Paper.

The C paper has a thesis, but it is vague and broad, or else it is uninteresting or obvious. It does not advance an argument that anyone might care to debate. "Henry James wrote some interesting novels." "Modern cities are interesting places."

The thesis in the C paper often hangs on some personal opinion. If the writer is a recognized authority, such an expression of personal taste may be noteworthy, but writers gain authority not merely by expressing their tastes but by justifying them. Personal opinion is often the engine that drives an argument, but opinion by itself is never sufficient. It must be defended.

The C paper rarely uses evidence well; sometimes it does not use evidence at all. Even if it has a clear and interesting thesis, a paper with insufficient supporting evidence is a C paper.

The C paper often has mechanical faults, errors in grammar and spelling, but please note: a paper without such flaws may still be a C paper.

The B Paper.

The reader of a B paper knows exactly what the author wants to say. It is well organized, it presents a worthwhile and interesting idea, and the idea is supported by sound evidence presented in a neat and orderly way. Some of the sentences may not be elegant, but they are clear, and in them thought follows naturally on thought. The paragraphs may be unwieldy now and then, but they are organized around one main idea. The reader does not have to read a paragraph two or three times to get the thought that the writer is trying to convey.

The B paper is always mechanically correct. The spelling is good, and the punctuation is accurate. Above all, the paper makes sense throughout. It has a thesis that is limited and worth arguing. It does not contain unexpected digressions, and it ends by keeping the promise to argue and inform that the writer makes in the beginning.

The A Paper.

The A paper has all the good qualities of the B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, interesting, even exciting. The paper has style. Everything in it seems to fit the thesis exactly. It may have a proofreading error or two, or even a misspelled word, but the reader feels that these errors are the consequence of the normal accidents all good writers encounter. Reading the paper, we can feel a mind at work. We are convinced that the writer cares for his or her ideas, and about the language that carries them.