ENG 101.2701/ENG 103.2702[1]
M: 11.45-2 E-259
W: 11.45-2 C-238
TH: 1-3.15 C-718
Dr. Justin Rogers-Cooper
jrogers@lagcc.cuny.edu
Office: M-120E
Office Hours: T,W: 9-10 am, 2-3 pm, upon appointment
Course Description
English 101 is a required academic course at LaGuardia Community College. In LaGuardia’ s English Department, English 101 requires students to write essays that will prepare them to be successful in future college courses requiring writing and research. They will have opportunities to write papers in stages – they will take weeks to write two or three versions of a paper. They will also have opportunities to write under time constraints.
Section Description
This class is being taught together with a language acquisition course and with a political science course. This cluster will focus on “Language and Human Rights.” It will pay particular attention to the politics of language linguistic diversity. In this class students will approach selected texts of African-American literature in order to apprehend how an exceptional American population articulated a human-rights crisis across different regions between the colonial slave era and the Civil Rights movement.
Course Goals
This course will instruct students in the key modes of academic writing and professional communication: summary, comparison and contrast, analysis, close-reading, unified paragraphs, resource citation, introductions, conclusions, bibliographies, arguments, supporting claims, key words and concepts, audience awareness, and research techniques.
This course will also instruct students to accomplish short writing assignments by approaching writing as a process. This process includes annotated reading, note-taking, drafting, revision, and peer review.
This course will instruct students to master or become fluent in academic writing and writing as a process through various digital communication tools: blogs, Twitter, and Ning.
Required Texts
Texts are available at the LaGuardia bookstore. It is extremely important that you purchase these texts and bring it to every class session for which they are assigned.
Additional readings will be posted on our Blackboard site.
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 6th Edition. Boston: Bedford, 2009.
Eschholz, Paul and Rosa, Alfred. Models For Writers. Tenth Edition. New York and Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Harper Perennial, 2001. NOTE: This book will be available to you free from the professor.
A dictionary of your choice.
For students on financial aid vouchers are available in the bursar’s office.
The bookstore is located in the basement of the M building.
Course Requirements
Students will write numerous essays that respond to various course assignments, texts, and discussions. Students will attend class, complete the readings, participate in class discussions and workshops, post weekly responses on blackboard, and write in class (sometimes for the purpose of sharing and discussion). Students should bring notebooks to each class.
Students will place three pieces from this course into their ePortfolio.
Students should have a USB drive/stick for any work they do in computer labs.
Class Rules
This is a college classroom. You must be respectful to your fellow students.
Please avoid distracting behavior such as lateness, note passing, sleeping, whispering, crumpling papers, etc.
You must also silence all electronic devices and keep them out of sight during class unless otherwise instructed.
Attendance
Attendance is required. If you miss more than 4 class hours, you will not be able to pass. Attendance is taken at the beginning of class. If you are late twice it will count as one absence. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to keep up with our work. Exchange contact information with at least two fellow students who can tell you what you missed – do not email me for that purpose.
Grades
Blackboard Discussion Board (20%)
Each week students will respond to a question or prompt about the readings. These must be posted to blackboard by 6 pm on Sunday nights.
Essays (30%)
You will write four essays that demonstrate various skills in thesis-driven argumentation. These essays will be typed, double-spaced, and written in a 12-point font. The first three essays will be 3-4 pages; the research paper will be 5-7 pages.
Participation/quizzes (30%): ( Grammar Quizzes: 10%, Reading Quizzes: 10%, Participation: 10%)
You are expected to attend every session, arrive on time, and participate fully in the class. Participation means doing the readings on time, bringing the assigned text/readings to class, answering questions when called on, volunteering to answer questions or reading aloud from the text, and engaging fully in workshops with fellow students.
There will be periodic “grammar quizzes” and “reading quizzes” to assess your engagement with the reading.
Exams (20%)
There will be two in-class exams: a mid-term and a final exam.
Late Work
The grade on late work will be lowered by one half of one grade for each day that it is late (including weekends). For example, if you submit an “A” paper one day late, you will receive an A-. If you submit an “A” paper one week late, you will receive a D.
Revision Policy
You must revise any essay that receives an F. If you receive a C or lower you may choose to submit one revision within one week of when the essay is returned to you (assuming that it was submitted on time). All revisions must be attached to the earlier draft with my comments. Revisions will replace the previous grade that you received. Students may revise an essay twice.
Academic Integrity
All work you submit must be your own. You may not copy or paraphrase someone else’s words or ideas without properly citing the source. All instances of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in an “F” and possible action by the college.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) to receive accommodations. Please let me know if you need accommodations for this class.
Office Hours
Students are free to access me during office hours in M 120-E during my designated times (M/T/R/F 9-10am) or by appointment.
Reading Assignments
We will discuss each reading on the day it appears on the syllabus.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
Tuesday Sept 14th
Course Introduction
Thursday Sept 16th
Diagnostic
Essay One Assignment
Reading: “Becoming a Writer” (Models for Writers, 202-207)
Reading: “Experiment with ways to explore your subject” (Hacker, 11-17)
Tuesday Sept 21th
No Class
Thursday Sept 23th
Discuss diagnostic essays
Annotating “Fable for Tomorrow”
Reading: “Getting the Most Out of Your Reading” (Models, 43-55)
Reading: “Be Specific” (Models, 258-261)
Reading: “Two Ways of Seeing a River” (Models, 479-483)
Tuesday Sept 28th
Film (excepts): Food, Inc
Reading: “Supersize Me” (Models, 562-565)
Reading: “Introduction” (Fast Food Nation, 1-10)
Reading: Reading: “the founding fathers” (Fast Food Nation, 13-28)
Thursday Sept 30th
Peer Review: Essay Assignment One
Bring three copies of your essay draft to class.
Reading: “The Ways of Meeting Oppression” (Models, 132-136)
Reading: “Make Global Revisions: Think Big” (Hacker, 27-39)
Tuesday Oct. 5
Reading: “Build Effective Paragraphs” (Hacker, 40-50)
Reading: “Simplicity” (Models, 173-179)
Reading: “your trusted friends” (Fast Food Nation, 31-46)
Film (excerpts): Food, Inc
Thursday Oct. 7th
Assignment One Draft Two Due
Assignment Two
Reading: “Make Paragraphs Coherent” (Hacker, 50-57)
Reading: “perfect synergy” (Fast Food Nation, 47-57)
Tuesday Oct. 12th
Library Visit: Details TBA
Reading: “Shame” (Models, 278-283)
Reading: “Prefer Active Verbs” (Hacker, 80-83)
Thursday Oct. 14th
Reading: “Balance Parallel Ideas” (Hacker, 84-87)
Reading: “Let’s Think Outside the Box of Bad Clichés” (335-339)
Reading: “behind the counter” (59-71)
Tuesday Oct. 19th
Assignment One Final Draft Due
Reading: “success” (Fast Food Nation, 91-107)
Reading: “The Case for Short Words” (Models, 284-289)
Thursday Oct 21th
Reading: “why the fries taste good” (Fast Food Nation, 112-131)
Reading: “The Barrio” (Models, 305-311)
Reading: “Untangle Mixed Constructions” (Hacker, 92-96)
Tuesday Oct 26th
Peer Review Assignment Two
Please bring three copies of your draft essay to class.
Reading: “on the range” (Fast Food Nation, 133-165)
Reading: “Repair misplaced and dangling modifiers” (Hacker, 96-104)
Last Day to Drop Classes
Thursday Oct 29th
Reading: “In Defense of Dangerous Ideas” (Models, 346-356)
Reading: “Subway Station” (Models, 389-392)
Film (excerpts): SuperSize Me
Tuesday Nov 2st
Final Draft Assignment Two Due
Assignment Three
Reading: “the most dangerous job” (Fast Food Nation, 169-190)
Film (excerpts): King Corn
Thursday Nov 4th
Mid-term Exam
Tuesday Nov 9th
LaGuardia and Wagner Archives
Reading: “Eliminate Distracting Shifts” (104-109)
Thursday Nov. 11th
Peer Review Assignment Three
Please Bring Three Copies to class
Reading: “Some Lessons From the Assembly Line” (484-488)
Reading: “what’s in the meat” (193-222)
Tuesday Nov. 16th
Reading: “Provide Some Variety” (Hacker, 120-127)
Reading: “Stuck on the Couch” (Models, 515-518)
Film (excepts): The 11th Hour
Thursday Nov. 18th
Reading: “Forty Acres and a Gap in Wealth” (519-524)
Reading: “Emphasize Key Ideas” (Hacker, 109-120)
Tuesday Nov 23rd
Assignment Three Draft Due
Reading: “global realization” (225-252)
Reading: “Choose Appropriate Language” (Hacker, 128-138)
Thursday Nov 25th
Thanksgiving: No Class
Tuesday Nov 30th
Reading: “have it your way” (255-270)
Reading: “Find the exact words” (Hacker, 138-145)
Thursday Dec 2rd
Reading Aloud: Selections from the semester
Tuesday Dec 7th
Assignment Three Due
Practice Exam
Friday Dec 10th
Exit Exam
[1] This syllabus is subject to change at any time. Any alterations are at the complete discretion of the professor.
