Syllabus

ENG 210: Writing for the Social Sciences

Fall 2021, 3 credits, 3 hours 

Instructor:​ Tim Dalton (he/him/his)

Class Dates & Times​:​ T/H, 9:30am-10:45am [Hybrid]

Classroom:​ https://ccny.zoom.us/j/4537798403 and NAC 5/108 (select Thursdays only)

Course Site: https://worldasatext.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Course Group: https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/groups/eng-210-with-prof-dalton-fall-2021/ 

Daily Schedule: For in-class activities and homework, check our “Chalkboard” Doc 

Student ​Hours:​ 30 minutes before & after class, and by appointment, on Zoom

City College Email:​ tdalton@ccny.cuny.edu

 

Course Description: “Reading the World as a Text”

Writing about people is important—and difficult. In this course, we’ll adopt the tools of social scientists: research, interviews, observation, a little data, and a lot of writing. You’ll each develop a digital portfolio of writing in CUNY Academic Commons showcasing your skill using these tools. To do this, we’ll become participant-observers in a subculture that’s very at home in an English department: the book club. We’ll use the tools of disciplinary writing to select books; to set norms and define roles for our book groups; to analyze the process of discussing books about true stories set in cultures that may or may not be familiar; and to write about the events, systems, and experiences described in those books. As a class, we’ll read excerpts of three contemporary memoirs. Then, you’ll read either Heavy by Kiese Laymon (2018) or Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz (2019) which is available in English or in Spanish, or Fairest by Meredith Talusan to read in book clubs. These writers each tell true stories from their lives against backdrops that many social scientists study from a greater distance. By the end of the semester, you’ll be able to talk about when a social experience is most clearly seen from afar—and when a writer needs to zoom in. 

Course​ ​Learning​ ​Outcomes 

First-Year Composition Mission Statement: “First-year composition (FYC) courses at CCNY teach writing as a recursive and frequently collaborative process of invention, drafting, and revising. Writing is both personal and social, and students should learn how to write for different purposes and audiences. Since writing is a process of making meaning and communicating, FYC teachers respond mainly to the content of students’ writing as well as to recurring surface errors. Students should expect frequent written and oral responses on the content of their writing from their teachers and peers. Classes rely heavily on a workshop format. Instruction emphasizes the connection between writing, reading, and critical thinking; students should give thoughtful, reasoned responses to the readings. Both reading and writing are the subjects of class discussions and workshops, and students are expected to be active participants in the classroom community. Learning from each other will be a large part of the classroom experience.” 

Over​ ​the​ ​course​ ​of​ ​the​ ​semester,​ ​you​ ​will: 

  • Acknowledge your and others’ range of linguistic differences as resources, and draw on those resources to develop rhetorical sensibility. 
  • Enhance strategies for reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment. 
  • Negotiate your own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situation. 
  • Develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. 
  • Engage in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond. 
  • Formulate and articulate a stance through and in your writing. 
  • Practice using various library resources, online databases, and the Internet to locate sources appropriate to your writing projects. 
  • Strengthen your source use practices (including evaluating, integrating, quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, and citing sources).

Note: I’ve designed most assignments to focus on one of these interrelated objectives. The objective is often listed on the top of each assignment sheet or prompt. As you draft, write, edit, and revise, I invite you to think and pose questions about how these tasks help us progress towards these goals—and to explore why the college has set these goals for you in the first place.  

Required Materials

You’ll need a few things right away to do our reading and writing assignments:

  • By Sept 21, You will acquire ONE of the following books, available at the CCNY bookstore:
    • Heavy, by Kiese Laymon OR 
    • Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz OR
    • Fairest by Meredith Talusan
  • By Sept 14, you’ll start a website of your own on the CUNY Academic Commons

Content Note: The memoirs you’ll choose from this semester each describe lived experiences sometimes directly shaped by difficult social forces, including (depending on the book): racism, sexism, violence, poverty, mental illness, homophobia, transphobia, and addiction. Each book is beautifully written, and important work by an exciting, living American writer. You have choice in what you read but these books generally draw their power from their refusal to remain silent about taboo topics. I recognize that some passages may be hard for some readers. Keep me in loop about how your reading experience is going, and we can adjust as needed.

College Resources

COVID-19 has made college a different place. Below are a few college resources with remote services available. I’m hopeful this information helps you navigate this semester more smoothly. For many of these transactions, you’ll need to know your EMPL / CUNY ID. You might also need to use your CCNY email address. 

  • For online tutoring, contact the writing center here:
  • For virtual counseling services, email the Counseling Center or call them at (212) 650-8222. 
  • For ways to use the CCNY library’s current services, check here. 
  • For general information on COVID-related news at CUNY and CCNY, please check and read your CCNY email regularly. 
  • For tech support, you can contact IT by emailing servicedesk@ccny.cuny.edu or calling 212-650-7878. The CCNY IT department has also assembled a pretty comprehensive Distance Learning Resource Directory here. 

I invite you to add to this list over the semester by emailing me resources that have helped you. 

Academic​ ​Integrity

Sometimes “academic integrity” is used as a synonym for “plagiarism.” I think of “integrity” differently. To me, academic integrity is the sum total of behaviors, language, and rituals that allow us to show respect to our peers and our predecessors in this academic subculture. The policies below aim to reflect that. Please think of each as a potential way to express your integrity. 

Plagiarism

Part of academic integrity is the recognition of others’ ideas as theirs, and of yours as your own. Copying and using other people’s words and original ideas without acknowledgment or citation is called plagiarism. All of your writing for this course should be your own, and if academic dishonesty is detected, serious consequences ensue—you may fail the project or entire course, and worst-case scenarios can lead to academic probation or expulsion. If you have a question about whether or not something is plagiarism, please ask. Sometimes that kind of conversation is an important first step towards taking an idea that has inspired your thinking and making it your own—something that’s at the core of what we’re trying to do in this class. You are expected to familiarize yourself with CCNY’s Policy on Academic Integrity, which is available here. 

Access Statement 

Another part of academic integrity is access. This class and its instructor operate under the assumption that all of us learn in varied ways. Part of our work together will be examining some ways of “positioning” the identities of our narrating selves while/by describing our own (current, malleable) tendencies, habits, and personal traits. Even if you do not have a formally diagnosed disability, in this technologically distanced environment I welcome dialogue about what makes you most engaged as a learner—and what sorts of approaches aren’t working as well as they could. If you do have a diagnosed disability and are registered with the AccessAbility office to receive accommodations, please communicate this as soon as possible. If you need to register with that office, contact them by email at disabilityservices@ccny.cuny.edu or visit their “Zoom Virtual Front Desk” (what a time to be alive!) at: https://ccny.zoom.us/s/116151245. The registration process can take some time—having been both a student and an instructor who has required accommodations myself, I can attest to this firsthand. 

Diversity Statement 

Building on the above statement, and seeing diversity as a strength of our class, I should emphasize just how much we’ll learn from the different perspectives and experiences we each bring to the table. I’ll expect comments to respect CCNY’s written code of community standards. This is especially important if your class is interested in a social media space where I am not present, such as a WhatsApp channel. If you elect to form and participate in such a forum, I’ll ask a student to moderate that channel, letting me know of any possible situations that may not be aligned with those standards. This helps me facilitate our City College class and our virtual campus as “a place where all people are welcome, protected, and celebrated…a place where your experiences, perspectives and identity will be respected.” (Read the entire “We Are One CCNY” statement, from which that quote comes, here.)

Deadlines 

Accountability is another form of integrity, and one way to show that is to meet deadlines. I strongly encourage you to meet deadlines. I set them so that we can engage with each other’s work. Deadlines also help keep writing from being an overwhelming task. Deadlines are at the start of class, 2:00pm, on the dates listed unless otherwise noted. If you need more time with a formal assignment, let me know before the deadline arrives. I almost always grant brief extensions, usually 24-48 hours. For shorter assignments, I will allow some time to get started at the end of most classes. I’ll also often suggest a time limit. If you don’t contact me before the deadline, you may still turn in the work, but I will mark it as late. For more on how this affects your grade, see the section of this syllabus on “Grading Contracts.” There you’ll find the definitions of “make-up” and “ignored” assignments. TL;DR: Keep me in the loop about where you’re at, and if we adjust an aspect of the assignment, be accountable for meeting your obligations. (For example, if you get an extension on a deadline, please meet it without reminding.) 

Conventions of Academic Work

We use APA format in this course. Formal writing assignments will have any additional formatting requirements in their instructions on the Assignment Sheet on our Commons site, such as options for completing the work in multi-modal ways or with translingual elements. If any formatting issues need to be addressed when you turn in the work, I will contact you at your City College email. Work that needs to be resubmitted for reasons of formatting should arrive within 48 hours or will be marked late. 

Technology

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this course is partially online, or hybrid. I plan to hold classes in person on the following dates: 

  • September 23, September 30, October 7, October 14 
    • In these sessions, 6-9 students attend each date; all students must come once 
  • October 21
    • All students attend, but we’ll stagger class, ie: 9:30-10:00, 10:10-10:40 (12-15 people in the room); attendance here, at the Book Group kickoff, is required
  • October 28, November 4, November 11, November 18, December 2
    • These sessions are the heart of your book groups. Two book groups will meet during each session, and all groups will meet twice, engaging another group in conversation about a topic of your mutual agreement.
  • December 9: All students attend Celebration of Work Completed (possibly staggered or, weather willing, outside, with December 16 as a “backup”)

What all that means is that you’ll attend class in person five times. That may not seem like a lot, and if that’s disappointing, I’m sorry. That may also seem like an awful lot, and if that’s anxiety-provoking, I’m also sorry. We’re going to do the best we can to make the most of the good things technology can offer, and to make the most of what “face to face” learning can do. 

To add a little more complexity, class will be online synchronous (Zoom, Docs, Hypothes.is, Commons set up) between the start of the semester and September 14. 

While some work can be completed asynchronously, I ask you to attend our live online meetings, since we do a lot of work in them. I also strongly encourage you to attend student hours. Please check our course site, the Chalkboard Doc, and your City College email often (probably daily). Whenever possible, I utilize basic, widely available technologies. We’ll take a technology & learning survey on the first day of class. 

CUNY Academic Commons

If you don’t have one already, create an Academic Commons account during our first week of class. This is where you’ll produce your final portfolios, and where some of our book group work will be. You will need to be a member to view this site and to submit your work to it. 

Office 365

Free for CUNY Students, Office 365 is a cloud-based version of the Microsoft Office Suite. You can use this or Google Drive to save your work as you compose it.  

Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms

We’ll use this smartphone-friendly suite for informal writing, classwork, logistics, and collaboration. 

Hardware 

In terms of hardware, you will need reliable internet and a device that can produce an essay and connect to the internet. If any of the technology mentioned above presents a barrier, please let me know in our first-week Tech Survey. 

Grading Breakdown

Grading Contracts

For this course, we will use a grading contract, which my colleague Melissa Watson has defined as “a system of grades that are based primarily on your labors and efforts.” That means that your final course letter grade will be based on your participation, attendance, and successful completion of assignments and revisions. Like Prof. Watson, whose model of grading contracts I borrow from here, I will “continue to hold high standards for completing assignments fully and effectively,” but hope that contract grading will “invite you to feel more comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and being transparent about your questions and stances.” It’s my preference to put my energy into supporting your growth, rather than assigning you a number. 

Generally, as should be clear from the expectations above you’ll need to attend most classes, for close to their full duration, and be prepared and present for the entire time you are here. Being a few minutes late a few times in a semester is understandable, but we may need to talk if lateness becomes a problem. If things come up, let me know. You might also get the contact information for people in class who seem friendly. They can help fill you in about what you might miss (and you can return the favor). As part of this grading contract, you agree to participate in ways that best fit you and that are most appropriate for each day’s goal (by actively listening, taking notes, asking questions, offering comments, etc.). You agree to work cooperatively and collegially in groups, to share your work, to listen supportively to the work of others, and, when called for, give full and thoughtful assessments that help your colleagues consider ways to rethink and revise. 

The grading contract includes some consideration of the assignments, low stakes and high, that make up your grade for the term. You agree to strive to complete all readings and to turn in on time all assignments. All assignments should be completed fully and meet all assignment requirements. Even if you are absent, you are still responsible for submitting work that’s due on time. The only letter or number grade you will receive in this course will be your final course grade. Pluses and minuses are at the instructor’s discretion. 

All formal and informal writing assignments will instead be marked in the grade book according to the following guidelines:

  • Complete Assignments (marked as “0” in the grade book): An assignment is considered “complete” if it is turned in on time and if it effectively meets the assignment goals. This means that projects are not just done but done in the manner discussed. If I find that a given assignment is not “complete,” we will discuss how this will affect your final grade.
  • Late Assignments (marked as “1” in the grade book): An assignment is considered “late” if turned in after its initial due date and time, but submitted within two days (48 hours).
  • Make-up Assignments (marked as “2” in the grade book): An assignment is considered a “make-up” if it is turned in at some point in the semester but after the 48-hour window.
  • Ignored Assignments (marked as “3” in the grade book): Any assignments not done at all, for whatever reason, are considered “Ignored.” Even one ignored assignment will prevent you from earning a B or higher in the course (see chart below).

The Grade You Want # of Absences # of Late Assignments # of Make-up Assignments # of Ignored Assignments # of informal artifacts effectively discussed in Essay 4
A 3 or fewer 2 1 0 11
B 4 2 1 0 10
C 5 4 2 1 10
D 6 5 3 2 9
F 8 or more 7 or more  5 or more 4 or more 7 or fewer

Note: “Assignments” include writing prompts, peer editing evaluations, book group participation, class-wide research, and other acts of care/service to the group. These tasks can all be completed asynchronously. A very few tasks (in-class polls, check-ins, freewrites, reading quizzes) will not count as full assignments because they cannot be completed asynchronously. With this work, I see the penalty related to the absence of class and the consequent loss of the learning opportunity as sufficient.

Participation/Effort

This includes regular, active attendance in our synchronous sessions, effective collaboration with others, demonstrations of resilience, a sense of humor when things get tough, engagement with feedback from your readers, a healthy relationship with deadlines, and a genuine curiosity about the work we have in front of us. Places I look for this include but aren’t limited to: especially helpful peer editing, generous blog replies, prepared conference attendance, invigorated book club involvement, and otherwise unbridled curiosity and enthusiasm for the work we’re so lucky to be doing in this class. Generally, we can discuss how you’re doing with this aspect of our class during Week 5 and Week 10, when you’ll have the option to renegotiate your grading contract (from a B to an A, say).

Formal Writing

Formal writing consists of four essays, composed in stages, workshopped with peers, and revised at least once. Essay 1, “How to Book Group” examines the subculture of the book group, ending in your assessment of what kinds of roles, norms, and practices you’d like to engage in. Essay 2, “Consumer Report,” uses a variety of sources to articulate the reason behind and your interest in the book you’ve chosen. Essay 3, “An Autoethnography of a Book Group” uses social science tools to explore the process of a book group *and* to express the product of it (the product being your insights about the book itself). Essay 4, “Letter to a Future ENG 210 Student” combines personal experience, text-based reflection on your writing, and a demonstrated knowledge of audience to produce yourself something you consumed on the first day of class: an effective, detailed, persuasive, and personal letter to an audience you can imagine but won’t ever meet. 

Deadlines (Formal Writing)

All essays will go through a peer editing draft, with these workshops being held a week before the graded revision is due. Leading up to the peer editing drafts, we’ll do a number of reading and writing activities, all of which prepare you to write the draft. This makes prepared attendance a very good idea. Deadlines for those graded revisions are as follows: 

  • Essay 1, due Sept 29 by 9:30am to your page on the Commons 
  • Essay 2, due Oct 19 by 9:30am to your page on the Commons 
  • Essay 3, due Nov 30 by 9:30am to your page on the Commons 
  • Essay 4, due Dec 9 by 9:30am to your page on the Commons 

A note about how I grade: like most teachers, I use a rubric to grade. Often, I ask students to collaborate with me on the rubrics I use to grade them. Usually, this is part of peer editing. We’ll talk more about this as we work towards a draft of Essay 1. 

Informal Writing 

The following informal writing activities will be ongoing throughout our semester. Each is considered an Assignment for the purposes of your term grade. 

  • Writing Prompts: due throughout the semester, these tasks help us explore ideas and experiment with language as we draft formal essays. These prompts include experiments in disciplinary writing.
  • Book Group Discussions: Over the course of 12 possible “responses” to the books you’ve chosen, you’ll use various modes to react to and discuss the reading.  
  • End-of-Term Reflective Slideshow: an option for your final reflective essay instead of the letter. Due Dec 7 / Dec 9, these multimodal presentations will be taped, viewed by the class, and discussed; three slides, three minutes, one insight. They will draw on your writing prompts (*not* formal writing) to make the argument for your progress. At least one slide will touch on what you’ve learned about disciplinary writing. 

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