Fall I 2011
Section 0809: Wed. 2:15-4:25 PM, Room E-107
Fri. 2:15-4:25 PM, Room E-260
LaGuardia Community College
Schedule and Office Hours
e-mail:
bmurphy@Brian-T-Murphy.com
|
ENG 101: College Composition I Fall I 2011 Section 0809: Wed. 2:15-4:25 PM, Room E-107 Fri. 2:15-4:25 PM, Room E-260 |
LaGuardia Community College |
Important Announcements and Updates
Sunday, December 18,
2011:
I have finished calculating and posting
final grades; you may access your grades
online through
eSIMS
on
the college website (login required) or here
(by Student ID number).
Unsurprisingly, those who read and followed directions all semester did very
well; those who did not read and follow directions did much worse. Good luck on
any remaining final exams, and enjoy your break; as Krusty says, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,
Kwazy Kwanzaa, and Terrific Tet!
Sunday, December 4:
On Wednesday, we will also see how you do on Practice Essay 2. Bring your textbook (or printouts or photocopies of the readings); you may also use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Remember, although this only counts as an in-class writing assignment, it is practice for Friday’s Final Exam (Essay 5).
Tuesday, November 29:
As per the schedule, tomorrow we will discuss
Martin Luther
King’s “Three Ways of Meeting Oppression”
(BW 279-282). This is the last essay we will discuss in class, so there
is a strong possibility of one last quiz. The remainder of the semester we will
be working towards and preparing for the Final
Exam.
Wednesday, November 23:
Due to the holiday, class will not meet
again until Wednesday, November 30.
In addition, I will be offline most of the holiday weekend, so do not expect
responses to your emails until Sunday or Monday.
Enjoy the break.
Wednesday, November 16:
The link for “Discrimination
at Large” has been corrected on the
main page.
In addition, instructions for today's in-class writing assignment are online,
here (Microsoft Word document);
also here
in rich-text format, or here in Microsoft
Works format.
Wednesday, November 9:
Two additional extra credit opportunities for students have arisen:
Library Citation Clinics (for students working on research assignments)
When: Drop in anytime during any of these two-hour sessions:
● Tuesday, November 22, 1:00–3:00pm
● Wednesday, November 30, 9:30–11:30pm
● Tuesday, December 6, 5:30–7:30pm
Where:
Library Lab (E101-B)
No Appointment Necessary
Questions? Contact, Alexandra Rojas, arojas@lagcc.cuny.edu, x6020,
or Catherine Stern, castern@lagcc.cuny.edu, x 6021
Refworks 2.0 Workshop
(for students, faculty, and staff)
Refworks has changed and this workshop will guide new or nearly new users
through the basics of Refworks 2.0.
When: Two upcomingsessions
● Monday, November 14, 2:30–3: 30pm
● Tuesday, November 29, 11:00pm–12:00 noon
Where: Library Lab, E101-B
Tuesday, November 8, 2011:
Friday, November 4, 2011:
In addition, I have added links to some relevant videos, including “Don't Cry for Me, Argentina” from the movie Evita, “Maria” from the movie West Side Story, and “La Bamba” by Los Lobos (a music video featuring scenes from the movie La Bamba, with Lou Diamond Philips as Ritchie Valens). If I get bored today, maybe we'll watch them in class.
LATER:
The link for your homework (Works Cited
practice) has been posted on the schedule
on the main page; it is also
here. The document is also
here
in rich-text format, or
here in Microsoft Works format.
Also, I am reconsidering the instructions for Essay 4: if you feel it is absolutely necessary for your essay, you may use additional sources besides Shannon Paaske’s “From Access to Acceptance: Enabling America’s Largest Minority” (BW 524-539) or Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “The Myth of the Latin Woman” (BW 172-178). However, if you do use additional sources, they must be reliable or authoritative, such as articles from reputable newspapers or journals or scholarly criticism, not summaries, reviews, or “analysis” from sites such as Wikipedia, 123HelpMe, or Gradesaver.com; instead, use the library (CUNY Plus) or the available databases such as Academic Search Complete or LexisNexis to locate appropriate sources. Finally, all sources must be correctly documented.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011:
Wednesday, October 28, 2011:
In addition, the link for the Incorporating Sources assignment that was due today is here, and the links for the Annotated bibliography samples, “Sample Annotated Bibliography” and Ebel, Kimberly, “Class and Gender in Cinderella: Annotated Bibliography,” are here and here.
Thursday, October 20, 2011:
The link for the additional recommended reading, Gary Schmidgall’s “A
Counter-Veiling Manifesto” (Rev. of Marnia Lazreg's
Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women)
has been posted on the
main page.
In addition, I have provided links for both the Feminist
Majority Foundation and Muslim Women's League websites.
Also, do not forget that we will be meeting in our regular room (E-260) to review “Citing Sources; avoiding plagiarism” and “Integrating Sources” (Rules 382-426) from 2:15 to 3:15 only; at 3:25 we will reconvene in the Library classroom, E-101-B, for our one-hour required Library Research Orientation. You will be required to sign in to verify attendance twice, once in each room.
Friday, October 14, 2011:
Wednesday, October 11, 2011:
First, remember that revisions of
Essay 1are due today. All failing essays may be revised and
resubmitted; ordinarily, essays receiving a passing grade
may also be revised and resubmitted, but only after the student has met with me
during office hours to discuss
revisions, but this time I am allowing all students to revise their graded
essays. Remember that revisions must be substantially revised, not merely
“corrected” versions of the original essay (revisions should be based upon the
Revising and Editing Checklist
and relevant information from class and the textbooks), and must be
submitted with the original graded essay attached. Evidence of
substantial revision may result in a better grade for the assignment.
If you did not submit a completed essay on time, according to the syllabus, you will receive a grade of zero and may not submit a “revision.” However, I will provide an additional chance this time: if you did not submit your essay but wish to receive credit, you may bring a completed draft of your essay to the Writing Center to receive assistance, then revise that draft, and submit both the draft and the revision.
Any “revision” submitted without either the original graded essay or a completed draft that was brought to the Writing Center for assistance will not be accepted.
Today we will be discussing Diction; be sure you have read “Tighten Wordy Sentences,” “Choose Appropriate Language,” and “Find the Exact Words”
(Rules 123-45). Consider the numerous synonyms for the words “drunk” “thin” as part of your class preparation. In addition, you should probably think about this for today's In-Class Exercise:A trio of pestiferous rodentia, of the family Muridae, genus Mus, all equally afflicted with extreme visual impairment: observe their locomotion at high velocity! This afore-mentioned triad pursued the domestic partner of the agricultural worker, who responded in a retaliatory fashion by removing their posterior appendages utilizing a large kitchen implement intended to dismember prepared animals preparatory to consumption. Has such an extraordinary spectacle ever previously intruded itself upon your ocular organs?
Also, for students who have chosen to write on “Are Families Dangerous?” (under the rubric of Marriage and Family) for their research essay project, the Domestic Violence Prevention Committee is hosting an information booth today in the Main Building lobby from 11:00 to 3:00. Visitors to the booth will also be able to view a short documentary on domestic violence.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011:
The link for Kimberly Ebel’s “Class
and Gender in Cinderella: Annotated Bibliography” has been corrected and
should work properly now.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011:
I have posted a series of extra credit
possibilities on the
main page; they are all
2011 Latino Heritage Celebration Events or
Short Takes on Literature. If
students attend one or more of these events, and provide evidence of attendance
(ticket stub, program, et cetera)
along with a typed one- to two-page personal response (review, analysis,
reflection, critique, et cetera), they can receive up to two points
per event added to their final average.
Monday,
October 3, 2011:
Out of 27 students registered for the class, 24 (88.89%) submitted essays.
Of the 24 essays submitted, 11 (45.83%) were off-topic: the first topic choice states clearly that students should “select another culture’s celebration that is comparable to Thanksgiving”; that is, students were to compare or contrast the American (U.S.) celebration of Thanksgiving with another, different holiday from another, different culture. Holidays such as Christmas and Easter are not appropriate, as they are celebrated in the United States and/or are cross-cultural celebrations.
The total number of essays following instructions was thirteen, 54.16% of those submitted (or 48.15% of the entire class).
This is less than stellar, but should be considered a learning experience: read and follow directions!
Be sure to read “Documenting Sources” (Rules 426-463) and “Documenting the Research Paper: MLA Style” in BW 13: Writing the Research Paper (540-554), as well as Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Are Families Dangerous?” (BW 37-41), and remember that this is another short week for us: class does not meet on Friday, October 7, although at least we do meet in our normal Wednesday classroom this week.
Thursday,
September 29, 2011:
Essay 1, which was due in class yesterday, has
already been graded and will be returned in class next week.
Approximately one-third of the class was absent or failed to hand in the essay; they all currently have grades of zero. Bending my own rules in order to make it easier for students, if I receive the essays via email by tomorrow—Friday, September 30—I will accept them. Otherwise the grade of zero will stand and, as per the syllabus, you may not submit a “revision.”
Another third of the class did not read the instructions for Essay 1 on the syllabus (page 4 and 5), as well as on the main page and appended below. These students also all received grades of zero, but may revise and resubmit their essays once I have returned them.
The final third of the class have apparently already learned to read and follow instructions; their graded essays will also be returned on Wednesday.
Remember that class does not meet on Friday, September 30. See you next Wednesday, when we will discuss “Documenting Sources” (Rules 426-463) and “Documenting the Research Paper: MLA Style” in BW 13: Writing the Research Paper (540-554), as well as Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Are Families Dangerous?” (BW 37-41). Note: You should be prepared for a quiz on Ehrenreich!
Tuesday,
September 27, 2011:
As there seems to be some confusion, allow me to clarify: Essay 1,
which is due in class
tomorrow (Wednesday, September 28) is not an essay on the same topic as
your Research Essay Topic Selection, submitted
last week. The assignment for Essay 1 is on your
syllabus
(page 4 and 5), or on the
main page, as well as appended here for clarity:
Essay 1: Due Wednesday, 28 September
After reading “Thanksgiving” by Ellen Goodman (BW 3-5), select one of the following topics, and compose a well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful essay of at least 600 words. In either case, use specific examples to support your main idea; you may draw upon your own experience, but remember that these are formal essays: avoid use of I or you throughout.1. In “Thanksgiving,” Ellen Goodman discusses the American tradition of Thanksgiving. Select another culture’s celebration that is
comparable to Thanksgiving in its emphasis on family and togetherness, and compare or contrast the two holidays. How are they
alike, and/or how do they differ?2. In her essay, Goodman states that we are both “a part of and apart from” our families, that we are, in essence, “between worlds.”
Select a specific group in American society—one based on age, ethnicity, or any other single defining characteristic—and explain
how members of that group are also both “a part of and apart from” our culture, or “between worlds.”
Note: This is not a research essay. Information about another culture’s celebration should be either common knowledge or based on your own experience. Therefore do not attempt the first topic if you do not have personal experience or knowledge of another culture. Also, the essay must compare or contrast the American (U.S.) celebration of Thanksgiving with another, different holiday—not Thanksgiving in another country, but another holiday that still emphasizes family, togetherness, and possibly food and/or travel. The celebration must also be unique or particular to its culture; in most cases, religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter are not appropriate, as they are cross-cultural celebrations. Similarly, do not conduct research on a group in American culture for the second topic; all information should be either common knowledge or based on your own experience.
The Topic Selection was just the first stage of the Research Essay Project; the next stage is the Annotated Bibliography, due on Friday, October 28 (not October 21, as originally planned). Essay 1 is the first of five essays, including the Midterm and Final, that you will be completing during the semester in addition to the Research Essay Project.
Don't forget that Wednesday is an irregular day and classes follow a Friday schedule, so we will meet in E-260, our normal Friday classroom, not in E-107.
Friday,
September 23, 2011:
As per your syllabus, Essay 1 is due in class on
Wednesday, September 28. In addition, as Wednesday is an irregular day and
classes follow a Friday schedule, we will meet in E-260, our normal Friday
classroom, not in E-107.
Sunday,
September 18, 2011:
As announced in class last week, the due date for the
Annotated Bibliography has been changed:
instead of Friday, October 21, it is now due one week later, on Friday, October
28.
Wednesday,
August 24, 2011:
The links on the
main page have been
checked, corrected, and updated.
While every effort is made to verify the accuracy and usefulness of these links
and their contents, no guarantees are made. Please notify me of any broken or
outdated links at
bmurphy@Brian-T-Murphy.com.
Friday,
August 18, 2011:
The
main page and
syllabus have been updated for the
Fall
2011 semester.
If you are looking for the previous ENG-101 Announcements page (Nassau Community College, Spring 2011), please see here.