Bulletin Description: Workshop in expository writing: strategies of, and practice in, analytical reading and writing about texts. Fundamentals of grammar and syntax. Frequent assignments in writing summaries, analyses, comparisons of texts, and such other expository forms as narration, description, and argumentation. Emphasis on writing as a process: invention, revision, editing. Satisfies Pathways Required Core English composition requirement. (Not open to students who have completed English 1.7.)
Discussion: This class will serve as an introduction to college-level composition. During this course students will practice and perfect strategies for writing expository essays and for engaging with different kinds of texts. Students will read actively and think critically about course reading and assigned writing. Students will write both in and out of class, with an emphasis on drafting and revision. Class will be split between writing, working in groups, and discussing readings and student work. Students will focus on the following: reading critically and writing analytically; developing and supporting theses and arguments; summarizing, paraphrasing, and synthesizing information from a variety of sources; structuring persuasive and cohesive essays; incorporating and integrating evidence into their writing using MLA documentation; editing and revising; using appropriate conventions of language, including correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Course Objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Course Requirements & Policies
Materials
Attendance & 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 an absence. A pattern of lateness will affect your grade.
Participation: Participation includes completing and commenting on the assigned reading, contributing to class discussion through listening and responding to classmates or the instructor, bringing required materials to class, and engaging 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 & 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% of 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 and 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 submitting (e-mailing) the essay on the same day AND bringing a hard copy of it the next time they attend class.
Possible grades are as follows:
|
|
A |
A- |
|
|
93-100 |
90-92 |
|
B+ |
B |
B- |
|
88-89 |
83-87 |
80-82 |
|
C+ |
C |
C- |
|
78-79 |
73-77 |
70-72 |
|
D+ |
D |
D- |
|
68-69 |
63-67 |
60-62 |
|
F |
|
|
Below 60 |
|
|
Grading Breakdown:
Essays: 60%
Personal Narrative: 10 %
Summaries: 10%
Argumentative Essay: 20%
Compare and Contrast: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Other Assignments: 10%
This includes take-home assignments, in-class writing, and quizzes.
Attendance & Participation: 10%
This includes attendance, promptness, participation in class discussions and group work, etc.
Plagiarism: Brooklyn College's statement on plagiarism is as follows:
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.
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 on account of bereavement is located here: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php
Important Dates
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.
Brooklyn College: The City University of New York
English 1010: Fall 2018
Professor Tai Nissen-Maag
3408 Boylan / 951-5195
3 hours and conference; 3 credits
taikmaag@gmail.com
Office Hours: Wed, 3:30-4:30
Americanah by 
Course Schedule
8/27 Intro & Diagnostic Essay & Freshman Common Reading
8/29 reading: Americanah Part 1
9/5 reading: Americanah ch. 3-6
9/12 reading: El-Ghobashy, Mona, “Quandaries of Representation”; Personal Narrative essay (first draft) distributed
9/17 reading: Gay, Roxanne, “The Careless Language of Sexual Violence”;
9/24 reading: Furgurson, Ernest B. “The End of History”; Personal Narrative (draft one) due
9/26 reading: King, Jr., Martin Luther, "I have a Dream", Staples, Brent, "Confederate Memorials as Instruments of Racial Terror"; reading summary (in class)
10/1 reading: Marche, Stephen, “We Are Not All Created Equal: The Truth About the American Class System”
10/3 reading: Munoz, Manuel, "Leave Your Name at the Border; Personal Narrative (draft two) distributed
10/10 reading: McWhorter, John, “Thick of Tongue: Future of Language: So what exactly is this “black sound” I am insisting exists?"
10/15 reading: Kincaid, Jamaica “The Ugly Tourist”; Personal Narrative due (draft two)
10/22 reading: Michaels, Walter Benn, “The Trouble with Diversity” (WP, 9th edition); Analytical Essay (draft one) distributed
10/31 reading: King, Jr., Martin Luther, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
11/5 Analytical Essay (draft one) due
11/7 reading: Appiah, Anthony, “The Case for Contamination”
11/12 reading: Baldwin, James, “Notes of a Native Son”; Analytic Essay (draft two) distributed
11/19 reading: Solomon, Akiba “Thugs, Students, Rioters, Fans: Media’s Subtle Racism in Unrest Coverage”
11/21 Analytic Essay (draft two) due; assignment: Compare and Contrast (draft one, in class)
11/26 reading: Jefferson, Thomas, “The Declaration of Independence”
11/28 reading: Orwell, George. "Politics and the English language"
12/3 reading: Gay, Roxane, "Peculiar Benefits"
12/5 Compare and Contrast (draft two) due
12/10 & 12/12 reading: Essays from old final exams, sample student exams, & first essay from fall 2018 final exam TBD
Note: Instructor may not discuss the final exam with students.
Note: This syllabus is subject to change; modifications will be discussed in class and updated copies distributed via hard copy and email.
