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Teaching Writing at LaGuardia

Bethany Holmstrom–ENG 102 Syllabus

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Black Text Logo: Sample Syllabus ENG 102 with yellow, red, and blue stripe
Black Text Logo: Sample Syllabus ENG 102 with yellow, red, and blue stripe

ENG 102: Composition II Writing Through Literature

Sections 0873 & 0874 / LaGuardia Community College, CUNY

Instructor Info:  Professor Bethany Holmstrom
E-mail: professor.holmstrom@gmail.com

Occasional TA on Zoom: Leela Holmstrom 

Meeting info: Entirely asynchronous, work due every Monday and (some) Wednesdays  by midnight 
Zoom Student Hour-ish (optional!) on Wednesdays from 12:45-2pm (link posted in Class Basics in Google Classroom)
To join our Google Classroom: [link redacted]

Course Objectives

This course will:

  1. Reinforce the practice of writing as a process that involves pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, critiquing, and reflection.
  2. Reinforce students’ skills at writing clearly and coherently in varied academic formats (such as response papers, blogposts, formal essays, and research papers) with an emphasis on writing as a critical thinking process. Essays will vary in length between 600 and 2000 words, using standard written English (SWE).
  3. Familiarize students with poetry, drama, and fiction, and introduce students to techniques of literary criticism including the close reading of literary texts. 
  4. Introduce students to methodologies of literary analysis, such as biographical context, historical context, and critical theory.
  5. Reinforce critical reading and analytical skills by guiding students to identify an argument’s major assumptions and assertions and evaluate its supporting evidence and conclusions.
  6. Reinforce students’ skills in creating well-reasoned arguments and communicating persuasively over a variety of contexts, purposes, audiences, and mediums. 
  7. Reinforce students’ research skills including the use of appropriate technology and the ability to evaluate and synthesize primary and secondary sources, while employing the conventions of ethical attribution and citation and avoiding plagiarism. 
  8. Reinforce writing strategies to prepare students for in-class writing.

Course Description 

Course Catalog Description: This course extends and intensifies the work of Composition I, requiring students to write critically and analytically about culturally-diverse works of literature. Students are introduced to poetry, drama, and fiction, employing close-reading techniques and other methodologies of literary criticism. Students will utilize research methods and documentation procedure in writing assignments of varying academic formats, including a research essay that engages literary critics or commentators. Admission to the course requires completion of Composition I. 

In this section: Our section is themed around apocalyptic and  post-apocalyptic literature, broadly construed. All reading and viewing materials will be made available digitally via Google Classroom. We will be reading the novel The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (available at the LaGuardia book store: it’s around $15, less if you want to purchase a Kindle copy); the novel has been scanned and is available to you as a pdf, but you might still want your own physical copy.

FAQ

How can I get a question answered?

Email me via our Google Classroom at professor.holmstrom@gmail.com, or post to the class stream if you think others might have the same question. It might take me up to 12-24 hours to respond during the week. I will not respond to emails or messages on weekends because I do not check my work email then, but I’ll get back to you on Monday. I’ll have a Zoom Student Hour-ish for this class every Wednesday from 12:45-2 (exceptions noted on the course Google Calendar), where you can ask questions or check in or just say hi or demand to see my dog. Email me if you’d like to chat privately (by phone, FaceTime, Zoom, whatever!) at another time/date, and list a few options for when you are available and the necessary contact information.

What technology or materials will I need?

You’ll need to have an internet connection. All work for the class could, in theory, be completed on your phone, but access to a laptop, tablet, or desktop would be ideal. You’ll need to download/have access to some free apps/platforms: Google Classroom (which includes Drive and Docs) and Zoom (for Student Hour). Our Google Classroom code is [code redacted]. As stated above, the novel is already scanned, but you might want a hard copy for your own annotation purposes (I always prefer a physical book myself, but you do you).

What will the class be like, since it is online?

This class will be entirely asynchronous; this means that there will be no virtual class meetings, and no set time that you must log on to get course content. I understand that this might frustrate some students, but a professor lecturing at you on Zoom (live, or a session that was recorded for absent folks) is not the same as an in-person, face-to-face class (trust me: I’ve done pandemic Zoom classes now both as a professor and a graduate student, and  it just isn’t the same, and never will be). But that’s okay! An asynchronous, online class has different advantages, flexibility is one of them. I want to be as flexible as possible for those who have technology/wi-fi issues, or changing work schedules, or family demands. I’ll have a series of videos to guide you through the class ; they might be videos setting you up for the week’s coursework, or mini-lectures on writing or research skills. You’ll be able to work through these items at your own pace throughout the week for the most part. Please note that these mini-lectures are exactly the same in terms of content that I give in a face-to-face class: now, I’m just presenting it as a video, that you can stop and start at will, and watch when you like. 

The tasks for the week should be completed in the order listed on the syllabus and in Google Classroom. Items are hyperlinked in the syllabus below, and also posted on Google Classroom, so you have multiple ways to access the information. You can see your assigned, completed, and missing work (and all the due dates) by clicking the “View Your Work” tab at the top of Classwork. Every time you complete an assignment, you have to click “Turn In” at the top right corner of the Doc/assignment, so that I know you have completed it; otherwise, I won’t be able to see it is done, and so won’t be able to grade it. 

What if I want to work ahead?

You’ll see that most of the videos are available for you at least two weeks in advance. While I encourage you to preview what’s coming up and even get started thinking and collecting ideas for some papers, this is a class that builds on skills as we go along. If you jump ahead it’s okay, but realize you might need to go back and tweak and refine drafts based on feedback. As writers (and, sometimes, as humans?) we tend to make the same mistakes repeatedly, until we are better able to spot when we are making that error and proactively fix it in the revision process. So any and all comments and feedback you receive on early assignments might (and should!) have you applying these comments and revisions to later papers. 

How many papers, and what are the deadlines?

According to the English department guidelines, you will be responsible for three papers in this class (including a final course reflection), each 600 words or more, for a total of 3000 words. Check the schedule below, your View Your Work list, & our Google Calendar for deadlines. If you need an extension, message or email me, no questions asked, no details necessary. 

Here’s a general overview of our papers: 

How will I be graded, and how can I check on my grade?

Low-stakes writing (journals, quizzes, other  informal writing, etc.)35%
Analytical Essay (Paper 1, 800 words minimum)25%
Inquiry and Problem Solving Research Essay (Paper 2, 1400 words minimum)30%
Final Course Reflection (600 words minimum)10%

Attendance is counted by the tasks you complete. If you miss a task/assignment, you will be counted absent for that week/class. If you miss more than 6 hours of class, you will earn a failing grade, as per LaGuardia’s handbook. Your grade will be constantly updated in Google Classroom; to check, log in to Classroom, go to the “Classwork” tab, and click on “View Your Work.” You’ll see all your assignments and your grade that way.

What is the revision policy more broadly?

You can revise and resubmit Paper 1, but you must do so by the deadline for your section of the class (I’ll announce this to the entire class; typically, however long I take to grade and get you comments is the same amount of time you’ll have to revise and resubmit). The first grade will go away, and the revision grade will be your final grade on that paper. 

If you want to be able to revise and resubmit your Final Project, you must submit your draft by Monday, December 7, and sign up for a conference during that week (on December 7th or 9th). This is the only way you will get comments from me that will allow you to revise your work for a higher grade. Final drafts of the projects are due on Friday, December 11th, and you will not be able to revise and resubmit or get feedback (beyond your earned grade) if you did not hand in a first draft and attend a conference. 

The final course reflection is in place of a final exam, and cannot be revised (but honestly, you have to try really hard to not do well on the final course reflection). 

What should I do if I fall behind?

First off: we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. Don’t be too hard on yourself; we’re all facing a lot of challenges, and it’s an incredibly difficult time. DM or email me  if you need extensions or a little more time on something. But it will be hard to catch up if you fall too far behind; it’s best to let me know immediately if you are struggling, so that I can help you. 

What should I do if my “life stuff” is interfering with my “college stuff”?

Any student who is having trouble affording the basics, lacks a stable place to live, and/or is experiencing other issues that they think may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact Student Services for support. LaGuardia Cares provides a variety of services such as financial support, tax help, and legal counseling for immigration, among other needs, along with a food pantry. You can contact them here: https://www.laguardia.edu/coronavirus/campus-services/. 

LaGuardia is also offering help for students who need a laptop, and there are many internet/cell phone providers who are running deals or offering free access to students during this time. Check out this page for resources, and for borrowing a laptop or iPad for the semester: https://www.laguardia.edu/coronavirus/student-resources/. 

What should I do if I need a learning accommodation?

Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we all learn differently. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course. I encourage you to consult with the Office for Students with Disabilities remotely to determine how you could improve your learning as well. If you need official accommodations, you have a right to have these met. There are also a range of resources remotely, including the Writing Center.

What do you mean when you called this an “inclusive” classroom?

Every student in this classroom, regardless of personal history or identity categories, is a valued member of this group. Your experiences are valuable and important, and you should feel free to share them as they become relevant to our class. No student in this class is ever expected or believed to speak for all members of a group. In this classroom you have the right to determine your own identity. You have the right to be called by whatever name you wish, and for that name to be pronounced correctly. You have the right to be referred to by whatever pronouns you wish. You have the right to adjust those things at any point in your education. If you find that there are aspects of course instruction, subject matter, or classroom environment that result in barriers to your inclusion, please contact me privately without fear of reprisal. 

What should I avoid?

Try hard, meet deadlines, write, engage with the material, and be involved in the learning process, and you’ll be fine. Don’t miss more than 15% of class (6 hours, the maximum allowable, as per the college handbook, and measured this term by tasks completed). Don’t plagiarize on a paper; if you plagiarize, you will fail the class. This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community College’s academic integrity policy. All students of LaGuardia Community College are responsible for preparing and presenting original work. In accordance with the college’s policy on student responsibilities, the penalty for papers which are plagiarized and for any cheating during exams is immediate course failure. Please refer to your college catalog for a more complete discussion of Academic Honesty.

Course Schedule

Please note that all assignments/due dates are subject to change. You should complete watching, reading, and writing in the order written. 

Intro to the Class:

Poetry (September 14-28)

Reading Poetry

  • Due by Monday, September 21: Journal 1
  • EXTRA CREDIT: Email me a YouTube link to your favorite song and sign off with your name so I can give you credit. I’ll make a class playlist!

Reading Poetry with Outside Sources

Drama (September 29-October 5)

Paper 1 (October 6-15)

  • Watch the Journal 4 Prep Video
  • Read at least one colleagues’ Paper 1
  • Due by Wednesday, October 14: Journal 4 

Novel (October 15-November 16)

World-Building & Exposition 

Narrative Point of View

Storytelling & Themes

Storytelling & Themes 

Reading Secondary Sources

  • Read (TBD!)
  • Watch (TBD!)
  • Due by Monday, November 23: Journal 9

Final Projects (November 24-December 11)

Proposal

  • Watch the Final Project Options Overview video
  • Read the Annotated Playlist Prompt & Example and the Creative Retelling Prompt & Example
  • Due by Monday, November 30: Final Project Proposal
  • Sign up for Proposal Conference (November 30th & December 2nd)

First Draft

  • Watch the MLA Review Video
  • Watch the First Draft Overview & Checklist video
  • Due by Monday, December 7: First Draft of Final Project  – Optional if you want a chance to revise & resubmit your final project.
  • Sign up for Project Conference (December 7 & 9)

Final Draft 

  • Revise your Final Project
  • Due by Friday, December 11: Final Draft of Project – No revisions are possible after this date. 

Final Course Reflection (December 12-16)

  • Watch the Final Course Reflection Video
  • Read the Final Course Reflection Prompt
  • Read at least two colleagues’ Final Projects (extra credit option)
  • Due by Wednesday, December 16: Final Course Reflection

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