ENA/G 101
Composition 1
Contact Information:
Professor: Marisa A. Klages-Bombich Ph.D.
Office: Zoom [link redacted]
Text: 206-619-9030
e-mail: mklages@lagcc.cuny.edu
#Slack: [Link redacted]
Class Meeting Times
This class will be conducted asynchronously. This means that you will NOT be required to be on Zoom for three hours weekly for this class.
We will have TWO MANDATORY class meetings this semester for our first class period and our last class period. Our first class will be from 11:45am-12:45pm on Monday , 9/14/20 and our last class will be from 11:45am-12:45pm on Monday, 12/07/20. Please make every effort to attend these two meetings.
Otherwise, there will be optional synchronous sessions via Zoom on Mondays at 11:45am. If you plan to attend the optional synchronous section please arrive by 11:55am. These are not mandatory. We will use this time to discuss readings, and to otherwise enhance the learning you are engaged in. I will record sessions as far as I am able (CUNY prevents recording student voice or faces without explicit permission- more on this later).
You will need to click the link below and register to attend our class meetings. Class meetings are password-protected, you can find that password in our #Slack channel.
All CLASS meetings will ALWAYS be at this Zoom link:
[Zoom Link Redacted]
Please make sure that your Zoom name matches the name you used to enroll at LaGuardia.
Please do not record our online conversations or class sessions. Sharing video with other students in it violates CUNY policies.
COVID-19 Awareness and Statement of Support
Your health and your family’s health should be your priority. If you are dealing with illness, sick family members, travel difficulties, a bad internet connection, increased anxiety, childcare challenges, or any other issues, please reach out and we will figure out accommodations.
Engagement Statement and How We Will Work in ENG 101 (ENA, there is a separate document for you).
Welcome to ENG 101! My name is Marisa Klages and I’m your professor for this semester. I want you to be aware of some of the ways that we will communicate this semester. First and foremost, this course is being conducted asynchronously. This means that each week there will be several activities for you to work through and turn-in. I will check-in with you at the optional class meetings on Mondays from 11:45am-112:45pm.
You can always always get in touch with me via #Slack, text, or email. My preferred method of communication is either through our class channel on #Slack or DM’s on #Slack, followed by text messages. During the week, M-F, you can expect fairly rapid answers if you contact me in either of those ways between 8am and 7pm. After those hours (or if I’m in meetings during those hours), my responses might take an hour or two. On weekends, my responses may take up to 24 hours. If you email me at any time you should expect to wait up to 24 hours for a response.
This course is largely asynchronous. Because of this, don’t think in terms of “classroom periods” think about the week as a whole. When you are planning to do work, you will want to set aside about 10 -14 hours each week to do your work. This is a 3-credit course (ENG) or a 7-hour course (ENA), which means it would meet face-to-face 4 hours weekly. In college, generally, you want to think about 1-2 hours of outside work in addition to each “in-class” hour. Each week, you will note that our syllabus lists activities like “Watch, Read, Do, Post, Respond, Write, and/or Turn-in” These activities will be found in weekly modules that you can access in Blackboard. Modules are open two weeks at a time. Modules open on Sunday mornings and work is due on Friday evenings- with one exception- in a week that we are conducting a Peer Review, drafts for those review will be due on Wednesdays and reviews will need to be completed by Fridays- This will have 4-5 times throughout the semester, but you will have advance notice as outlined here on the syllabus. Every week, you will receive 3 major communications from me. Here’s how I plan to roll out this information:
- On Fridays or Saturdays, I will send out an #Slack/BB Announcement AND multiple VIDEOS previewing the work to be done during the next week and including mini-lectures.
- On Tuesdays or Wednesdays, I will send you a midweek #Slack/BB Announcement reminding you of deadlines for the week.
- And at the end of our week, I will send a #Slack/BB Announcement wrapping up any issues that have arised.
To be successful, you need to think about your time management and you need to be able to check #Slack and Blackboard with regularity.
I have several office hours weekly. You can just drop-in, OR, preferably, you can schedule yourself into an office hour by using this link: [Link redacted]
- Mondays 12:45pm-1:45pm
- Wednesdays 9:15am-10:15am
- Thursdays 10:15am-11:15am
We will meet in Zoom for Office Hours: [Zoom link redacted]
Organizing Your On-Line Life
Since we are online you need to become adept at using multiple tools. Here is a run-down of what platforms we are going to use this semester.
1. Zoom. We will use Zoom for synchronous weekly check-ins. These are NOT mandatory. These will occur on Mondays (9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30 and 12/7) 11:45am EXCEPT for 10/05/20. I recognize that on 9/28 and 10/12 there are officially no classes; however, for continuity, I will still hold our optional weekly check in on those dates. I will not be able to hold one on 10/5.
You WILL NEED to Pre-register, once, to attend any Zooms for class this semester. Please use this link to do that: [Zoom link redacted]
We will also use Zoom for individual conferences which will be held several times throughout the semester. A link will be provided for these when you sign-up for a scheduled time.
2. Blackboard: Blackboard will be the overarching organizational structure for the course. It’s your home base. Come here to find syllabi, assignments, contact information for classmates, assignments, and discussion boards. There is an App available for Blackboard, but it’s pretty terrible.
- You will submit all written material through Blackboard and most feedback will be given to you through Blackboard.
- Our Discussion Board is in Blackboard.
3. #Slack We will be using the app SLACK for much of our communication outside of class- You can download the App on your smartphone, or log in and access it from a computer. I sent everyone an invitation to their email address in CUNYfirst; if you didn’t join, please do so now. Or go [link redacted]. There is an App available for this. You WILL NEED to create an account.
4. FlipGrid Just to add something besides writing to the course, we may occasionally jump into Flipgrid for some video/verbal responses. There is an App available for this. You will NOT need to create an account. Your ID number for FlipGrid will be the last two digits of your EMPLID.
5. Nearpod is an interactive lesson that will ask you to view content and interact with that content. There is an App available for this. You will NOT need to create an account.
6. Padlet is like a collaborative digital notebook you will use to write occasionally. There is an App available for this. You WILL NEED to create an account.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LINKS TO ALL ACTIVITIES AND WEBSITES ON THE SYLLABUS AND FROM THE BLACKBOARD MODULES.
To make our virtual classroom more grounded in reality, please add a picture to your Blackboard Profile and your Zoom profile so that everyone has a sense of who they are writing/talking to.
Catalog Description for ENG101: Composition 1
In this course students write coherent essays in varied academic formats, both in and out of class, responding to culturally diverse materials and using appropriate technology. Students focus on critical and analytical skills through reading and listening. They also study aspects of argumentation, including formulating theses; researching and identifying sources; evaluating and documenting sources; and communicating persuasively across contexts, purposes, and media. Admission is based on CUNY Proficiency Index Scores. The course meets four scheduled classroom hours per week.
Catalog Description for ENA101: Accelerated Composition
In this course students write coherent essays in varied academic formats, responding to culturally diverse materials and using appropriate technology. Students focus on critical and analytical skills and study aspects of argumentation including formulating theses; researching, evaluating, and documenting sources; and communicating persuasively. Three additional hours a week support students with lower placement scores. Admission is based on college placement test scores. Course meets seven classroom hours weekly.
Section Description
ENG 101 is designed to strengthen your ability to read critically, to discuss ideas intelligently, and to write clearly. It is a writing intensive class. In this class we will read and discuss issues related to equity and access in education in the United States.
You will use writing and reading to think through problems, discover more about yourself, formulate questions about new information and experiences, make connections between what you already know and what you’re learning, report observations and insights, and make sense of the world of which you are a part.
This class will involve you directly in writing, responding, and reflecting on reading assignments. ENG101 encourages collaborative learning through online discussion, research and essay writing.
Because the course depends on the content you generate, participation in ALL activities is mandatory.
Student Learning Objectives
At the end of ENG101 you will be able to:
- Write with attention to process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, critiquing, and reflecting.
- Write, read, and listen critically and analytically, identifying a text’s major assumptions and assertions and evaluating its supporting evidence. As part of this process of inquiry and problem solving, students will be able to demonstrate understanding of audience, voice, context, and purpose.
- Write clearly and coherently in varied academic genres, rhetorical modes, and forms of argumentation using standard written English (SWE).
- Complete early assignments that utilize quotation, summation, paraphrase, and citation to create well-reasoned arguments.
- Complete later assignments that require research skills, especially the evaluation and synthesis of primary and secondary sources.
- Explain their own ideas and relate them to the ideas of others by employing the conventions of ethical attribution and citation and avoiding plagiarism.
Additionally, ENA students will be able to:
- Explain and execute all phases of the writing process to ensure the development of college-level writing skills to be successful in English 101.
- Demonstrate the reading and writing skills appropriate to English 101.
- Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the recursive writing process necessary for college composition.
Required Course Materials
- A large USB drive/or cloud access for saving all of your files
- Coursepack and readings provided by Dr. Klages-Bombich
- #Slack (accessible via an app or website)
Doing your best in ENG 101
English Department Attendance Policy
The English Department’s attendance policy allows a total of 2 weeks of absences from classes.
Since this course is being conducted online, attendance is based on your engagement. Engagement in this section of ENG 101 is based on your completion of work each week. Attendance is determined by your engagement. If you don’t complete the work that is scheduled, and you haven’t communicated with me about an extension, you will be marked absent.
Academic Dishonesty
This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community College’s Academic Dishonesty policy. All students are responsible for preparing and presenting original work. In accordance with the college’s policy, the penalty for plagiarized work ranges “from a grade of “F” on a given test, research paper or assignment, to an “F” in the course, or suspension or expulsion from the College.” Please refer to the college catalog for a more complete discussion of academic dishonesty. (WPA Revised 2/27/20)
Important Campus Resources
Office for Students with Disabilities
Jhony Nelson, director of the Office for Students with Disabilities, at jhonyn@lagcc.cuny.edu (OSD website)
Writing Center
The Writing Center provides free tutoring. Working with a Writing Center tutor can be a wonderful additional supplement to this course!
Writing Center Schedule (Writing Center hours)
Library
We’ll be doing a library orientation this semester. Before we do that, know that the library has reference librarians who can assist you with research questions, resources (books, databases, electronic sources). (Library website)
The Future! How about a Writing and Literature Major?
4 out of 5 employers consider writing and critical thinking to be key skills but complain that only 1 in 5 new graduates have these skills. If you enjoy reading and writing about literature or want to improve your analytical skills, strengthen your vocabulary, and become an effective writer, sign up for a Writing and Literature Major. This major prepares you for academic success at a four-year college and provides access to a range of professional opportunities, such as business, media, advertising, law, and politics, among others. We also offer tracks in pursuing Creative Writing or Journalism. Note: all the courses you take as a Writing and Literature graduate will transfer to the English major at John Jay and Queens College. For more information, contact Program Director Professor Jayashree Kamble at jkamble@lagcc.cuny.edu. Your faculty contact for Creative Writing is Professor Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez at sorodriguez@lagcc.cuny.edu, and for Journalism, Professor Richard Dragan at rdragan@lagcc.cuny.edu.
Academic Etiquette
I want to make sure that our class is a productive environment for everyone. I am serious about this class and about students who want to be in class and who want to do the work. Be prepared and engaged each week and you won’t need to worry about losing points here.
YES!
- Please be prepared to meet weekly deadlines
- Always be ready to engage in class and contribute your ideas!
- Please study for class and take your education seriously.
- Please respect the college’s statement of pluralism and diversity. Find productive ways to engage in conversations about difference.
- If you are registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities, please let me know and I will make any accommodations you need.
- Please ask questions!
- Please visit my office hours!
- Please use the writing center (access through MyLaGuardia)
- Please stay in touch via text, #slack and office hours. Let me know what you need and how I can help you
Be a Kind Person!
- Please do not be rude to me or to other classmates.
- Please mute your mic upon arrival to a Class Zoom
- Please do not ask me if you missed anything when you are absent from class. Yes, you did. Always. ☺ Get someone’s contact information and be responsible for finding out what you’ve missed.
- Please do not plagiarize.
Please do not cheat.
5. Do not record videos of class content/Zooms
Policies
- Work is due weekly. Since this is a writing class, it’s imperative that you turn things in on time so that I have time to respond to your writing and your classmates have time to review it as well. Each week, anything individual that you need to turn in is due on Friday evening by 11:59pm. Work for the next week opens on Friday mornings. If you need to submit an assignment for a Peer Response Activity, that work is due by Wednesday at noon in order for your classmates to have time to work on those assignments.
- Please submit all work via Blackboard unless otherwise indicated in each assignment. DO NOT EMAIL PAPERS TO ME– really- I’ll lose them- and then I’ll feel bad, and I’ll ask you if you sent them to me, and you’ll panic because you will think you haven’t—just use Blackboard.
- Work that is plagiarized is grounds for automatic failure in the course; cheating on exams or quizzes is also grounds for automatic failure in the course. Depending on the seriousness of the infraction, I may refer your case to the college’s Academic Review Board. Please refer to the college’s Academic Integrity policy for further information.
All of our work is hyperlinked through the syllabus. Please make use of this. It’s to make your life easier. Please refer to the course calendar for assignments, due dates, and the weekly class overview. All of our work is also in created modules in Blackboard. The same information is available in multiple places.
Grading Overview
There will be handouts in the Assignment folder detailing each assignment. Please refer to both the assignment explanation (provided to you as a handout) and the grading rubric (provided to you as a handout) as you write each assignment. You can always work on drafts of written assignments. Please use my office hours to discuss your work and share drafts with me. Your final grade will be configured as follows:
- Inquiry Activities, Nearpod, Padlet, Choice Board, Discussion Board: 20%
- Essay #1 Literacy Narrative 15%
- Essay #2 Rhetorical Analysis 15%
- Essay #3 Problem Essay 15%
- Essay #4 Proposal Argument 15%
- Final Portfolio: 20%
Assignment Overview:
Each week, you will complete 2-3 low stakes assignments as well as working towards a major writing assignment. There are four major writing assignments in this class in addition to a well-revised, reflective final writing portfolio. This is a writing class and you will be writing- a lot.
Most assignments for this class will be due via Turnitin Assignment on Blackboard. There are several ways to turn in other assignments. These will be specified in the assignments.
Name Your Files: LastNameFirstInitialAssignmentName so for example, if I was to upload my Rhetorical Analysis Paper, I’d name it: KlagesMRhetoricalAnalysis.docx
Inquiry Activities, Nearpod, and Choice Board assignments (20%)
Due regularly
There are a variety of assignments under this grade percentage. Typically, there will be 1 or 2 of these assignments each week. Many of these will focus on building writing, research and thinking skills useful to a college student.
Essay #1 Literacy Narrative Due 10/2/20 (15%)
This essay, personal in nature, will explore how you understand yourself as a writer, reader and thinker
Essay # 2 Rhetorical Analysis Due 10/23/20 (15%)
This essay asks you to look at how an author makes their argument using a series of rhetorical tools. You will be asked to include quotations from a text and analyze text in this essay.
Essay #3 Problem Essay 11/20/20 (15%)
This essay will ask you to identify a problem that you see at LaGuardia or in your community. It asks you to conduct research using sources about the problem you identify.
Essay #4 Proposal Argument 12/4/20 (15%)
This essay builds on the problem that you identified in Essay #3. Essay #4 asks you to write a proposal argument advocating for a solution to the problem you identified in your third essay. This essay requires you to evaluate and determine appropriate sources and use those sources to best support your argument.
Final Portfolio (20%)
The culminating assignment for this class, your final portfolio will include a long reflective essay on your writing process and your development as a writer in this class as well as at least two fully revised essays of your choice and several low-stakes activities and assignments that you choose.
Revision Policy
You are always welcome to revise essays (1, 2, 3, or 4), if they receive lower than a C (C-, D grade, F). You may not revise A, B, C+ or C grades for a higher grade. If you want to revise these essays, you may revise them for your final portfolio. You may also wait to revise failing essays until your final portfolio. Revisions are due two weeks *after* you receive a grade on your essay. You will not need to revise low-stakes assignments.
Late Work Policy
Due dates are generally not negotiable after you’ve missed them, there are, or course, exceptions for extreme emergencies; however, our course calendar should allow you to plan around things like scheduled doctor’s appointments, major due dates for other classes you are taking, or the premiere of your favorite television show. So please, if you know that you are going to be unable to meet a specific deadline (and literally, every solitary deadline for this class is written in this document), TELL ME and I will work with you to ensure that we can identify a deadline that works for you.
Course Calendar
(Subject to revision at instructor discretion as needed)
Week 1: September 14th
Modules 1 and 2 and 3
Activities: Framing the class, Getting to know each other, Introduction to tech and tools, Learn about the Rhetorical Triangle, Introducing Essay #1 and Prewriting
Attend: Live Zoom Session on 9/14/20 at 11:45am [link redacted]
Watch:Weekly Video Playlist- these are all listed within the modules as well, it’s a total of about an hour of video this week. Rhetorical Triangle Video (14 minutes)
Read:Chapter 17 from Educated by Tara WestoverLiteracy Narratives (stop after “Writing Out a Draft”)Research Guides: Reading and Study Strategies: Annotating a Text reading. Essay Assignment #1
Do:
Create an account on Padlet.com if you haven’t already.
Create an account and join our #Slack if you haven’t already.
Schedule and Attend an individual conference with Marisa: [Link Redacted].
Post in Discussion Board Introduction in FlipGrid (Flipgrid will ask you for a username. Your username is the last two digits of your EMPLID.)
Nearpod: Rhetorical Triangle Lesson
Nearpod: Essay #1 Assignment
Respond: Find a classmate on Flipgrid who you have something in common with. Post a video response to their introductory video. Padlet Prewriting for Essay #1 (Literacy Narrative)
Write and Turn-in: Writer’s Profile Activity
Week 2: September 21- Module 4
Activities: Draft and Peer Response #1
Watch:
Weekly Video Update: Weekly playlist- Overview 8 minutes/Rhetorical Triangle 14 minutes/ Argument 7 minutes/Thesis Statements 7 minutes What is Peer Review? (3 minutes) Logos, Ethos, Pathos (13 minutes)
Do:
Choice Board Activity #1 posted in Discussion Board
Peer Response of Essay #1 by 9/26
Summarize Peer Response Feedback before next week in Discussion Board.
Nearpod: Logos, Ethos, Pathos activity
Nearpod: Thesis Statement Activity
Week 3: September 28
Essay #1, Literacy Narrative Due on Friday 10/2/20
Activities: Finalizing Essay #1 and Reflection, Begin Essay #2, Reading Activities
Watch: Weekly Video Message
Read: Essay #2 Assignment HandoutAdd articles here.
Do: Nearpod: MLA Citation
Write and Turn-In: Literacy Narrative Final Draft and Reflection
Week 4: October 5
Activities: Work on Draft Essay #2
Watch:
Weekly Video Message
What is a Rhetorical Analysis? Why We Cite? (2 minutes)
Read: Some of Educated by Tara Westover
Do: Choice Board Activity 3Nearpod: How to Write a Rhetorical AnalysisComplete Workshop on Essay #2 Draft
Write: Begin drafting Essay #2
Week 5: October 12
Activities: Using Sources and Peer Response on Essay #2
Watch: Weekly Update
Read: Source Integration HandoutEducated
Do:
Nearpod Source Integration
Matching Game
Draft by 10/14/20 for Peer Response
Peer Response #2 by 10/16/20
Summarize Peer Response Feedback on Padlet
Choice Board #4
Turn-in:
Essay #2 for Peer Response by Wednesday.
Week 6: October 19
Rhetorical Analysis Due on 10/23/20
Activities for the Week: Essay #2 Due
Watch: Weekly Updates
Do:
Flipgrid Check-in Choice Board #5
Turn in:
Essay #2 10/23/20
Week 7: October 26
Activities for the Week: Learning About Source Evaluation,beginning Essays 3 and 4
Watch:
Weekly Update
Read:
Evaluating Sources Essay #3 and #4 Assignment Sheet
Do:
Nearpod Activity on Evaluating Sources
Play: Factitious
Reflect in Flipgrid about your Factitious experience
Respond: Find someone who had the same struggles on Factitious that you did. Respond to their Flipgrid post and think about why you may have faced the same issues.
Choice Board #6Prewrite for Essay #’s 3 and 4 in Padlet
VOTE Week 8: November 2 VOTE
Activities for the Week: Prewriting for Essay 3 and 4, Summarizing Sources, Conference with Marisa
Watch: Weekly Update
Read: Sources that you have identified for Essay 3 and 4
Do:
Drafting for Essay #3 and #4
Schedule and attend an individual conference with Marisa
Choice Board #7
Find 2 Sources to use in Essay #3.
Padlet Summary of two sources that you have identified for essays 3 and 4
Week 9: November 9
Activities for the Week: Source Evaluation and Peer Response on Essay #3
Watch: Weekly Update
Read: Sources that you have identified for Essay 3 and 4
Write: Draft of Essay #3 for Peer Response (due 11/11/20)
Do:
Peer Response of Essay #3 due by 11/13
Choice Board #8
Padlet Summary and evaluation of two sources that you have identified
Week 10: November 16
Essay #3 Due 11/19
Activities for the Week: Complete essay 3, Introduce Final Portfolio Assignment, Begin Essay 4
Watch: Weekly Update
Read: Sources that you have identified for Essay #4
Write:
Complete Essay #3
Draft Essay #4
Do: Choice Board #8
Padlet Summary of two sources that you have identified
Turn-In: Essay #3 and Reflection
Week 10: November 16
Essay #3 Due 11/19
Activities for the Week: Complete essay 3, Introduce Final Portfolio Assignment, Begin Essay 4
Watch: Weekly Update
Read: Sources that you have identified for Essay #4
Write:
Complete Essay #3
Draft Essay #4
Do:
Choice Board #8
Padlet Summary of two sources that you have identified
Turn-In: Essay #3 and Reflection
Week 11: November 23
Essay #4 Due 11/27/20
Activities for the Week: Turn in Essay #4Start Revision Plans
Watch: Weekly Video Message
Do: Work on Essay #4
Write and Turn in: Essay #4 and Reflection
Turn-in Revision Plans
Week 12: November 30th
Activities for the Week: Work on Final Portfolio
Watch:
Weekly Update
Do: Work on Final Portfolio and Reflective EssaySchedule and attend an individual conference with Marisa [link redacted]
Week 13: December 7th
Last Week of Classes in Fall 2020
Final Portfolio Due on 12/11/20
Activities for the Week: Complete Fall 2020 ENA/G 101 work.
Watch: Weekly Video Message
Do: Flipgrid Goodbye
Write and Turn-in: Final Portfolio
Week 14: Finals Week: December 14th
MANDATORY GRADE CONFERENCES: Please sign up for a conference: [link redacted]
If you miss this conference you will need to wait until grades are posted to CUNYfirst to receive your grades.
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