BMCC Instructor Copy
ENGL 101-067
Assistant Professor James Hoff
Email jhoff@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office Hours:
Office Number
English Composition
Fall 2014
W 11:00am-1:45pm
Classroom Number
Required Text: (Available at BMCC Bookstore)
Strunk, William and White, EB. Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000.
Course Description:
This course is designed to help new college students improve the quality of their writing and
the clarity of their thought. Because revision is such an indispensable part of the act of writing,
students will be expected to compose several drafts of four essays over the course of the
semester, to write frequently in and outside of class, and to keep a regular journal of their
writing, which will be due the last day of the course. In addition to frequent writing and
revision, students will also be expected to read and analyze essays by successful writers as
models for their own work and be able to talk intelligently about those texts. Classes will
alternate between discussions of assigned reading, in-class writing lessons, and peer-review
workshops. By the end of the class students should see a marked improvement in their writing
and be able to produce authentic work that is imaginative, intelligent, thoughtful, wellstructured, clear, and persuasive.
Learning Objectives:
In this course students will learn:








How to express themselves with confidence and intelligence
How to use writing to better understand themselves and the world around them
How to use writing as a tool for generating ideas and solving problems
How to express ideas in a creative and convincing way
How to appreciate the value, beauty, and pleasure of carefully chosen words
How to organize, revise, and re-arrange their ideas on paper (in written language)
How to edit their work and develop their ideas without censure
How to proofread their own writing and produce potentially publishable quality work
Assignments and Grades
Points for all Assignments are as Follows:
Essay One (Personal Essay)
Essay Two (Narrative Essay)
Essay Three (Argumentative Essay)
Essay Four (Creative/Lyric Essay)
10
10
20
10
Final Exam
Portfolio/Homework
30
20
Total Possible Points
100
Essays (4): Students are required to write three drafts (a First Draft, a Second Draft, and a Final
Draft) of four different essays over the course of the semester. Each of these essays will be in
response to a specific assignment created to help stimulate the imagination and allow the
author to put to use his or her own knowledge and intelligence. These essays will be read and
receive feedback from other students in the class as well as the instructor. A grade will only be
given to the final draft of each assignment, but students are required to write all three drafts in
order to receive credit. This is an extremely important part of the class and students who fail to
turn in all three drafts of each essay on time will receive a zero for the entire assignment. Note:
these essays are generally very short, therefore I will expect them to be almost entirely free of
typos and spelling or grammar errors. Also please note that Essay Three (Argumentative Essay)
is worth twice as much as the other three essays.
Portoflio/Response Papers (8): Over the course of the semester students will be asked to write
frequently in class and to respond regularly to questions related to the course readings at
home. This writing should be recorded in a spiral notebook of adequate size which you should
bring with you to every class. It is imperative that you do not lose this notebook, since it will be
turned in as your portfolio at the end of the semester. Portfolios will be graded based on the
amount of writing (whether or not the student completed all required assignments) and the
level of engagement evident from that writing. This will make up a significant portion of your
grade so be sure to take this writing seriously.
Final Exam: The Department requires that all 101 students take and pass a final departmental
exam. This exam will be an in-class essay and will require you to respond to two texts. This
year’s texts are “The Declaration of Independence” and “There are Now Two Americas…” by
David Simon (the Creator and Executive Producer of The Wire). This Exam will make up 30% of
your final grade and will be graded by another member of the English department to ensure
that all students are ready to move on to EN 201.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance and punctuality are mandatory and it is your responsibility to come prepared and
on time to every class meeting. Because this course requires a significant amount of student
participation and cooperation in class, absences and perpetual lateness are especially harmful
to you and your fellow students. Therefore, there are no excused absences for this class, except
for a documented medical or family emergency. Regardless of reason, however, students who
miss more than four class meetings will lose an entire grade for every additional class they miss.
Students who miss more than seven classes will not be allowed to pass the course. If a problem
arises such as a serious illness or extended family emergency that keeps you from attending
class, you must contact the Dean of Students and explain your situation to them. They and I will
then decide on a course of action that is best for you and your education.
Plagiarism:
Because of the proliferation of available content on the Internet, plagiarism has become a
serious problem and will not be tolerated. Students are expected to cite all sources and to turn
in work that is their own. Students caught plagiarizing the work of another (including fellow
students) or from the Internet (it’s not hard for an instructor to figure this out by the way) will
receive an "F" for the course and face possible administrative action. If you have any questions
about what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to the “Academic Integrity Policy (CUNY)”
posted online, or see me in my office. Knowing this information is your responsibility and “I
didn’t know” is not an excuse.
Academic Accommodation:
It is important to me that the course be accessible to all students. In order to receive disabilityrelated academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for
Student Disability Services. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may
have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for
Student Disability Services. If you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability
Services please provide me with the course accommodation form so we may discuss your
specific accommodation.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Wednesday, September 3
FIRST CLASS
Wednesday, September 10
Reading Due: “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth
Anniversary of the Emancipation” By James Baldwin
Response Paper 1 Due!
Essay Assignment One
In-Class Writing Workshop: “What do I Know? (the Power of Freewriting)”
Wednesday, September 17
Essay Assignment One Rough Draft Due!
Peer-Review Workshop
In-Class Writing Workshop: “Memory and Place: Beginning to Write About the Self”
Wednesday September 24
NO CLASS
Wednesday, October 1
Reading Due: “Old Lady Down the Hall” by David Sedaris
Response Paper 2 Due!
Essay Assignment One Second Draft Due! (Schedule Conferences)
In-Class Writing Workshop: “Exploding the Moment: Developing Details”
Wednesday, October 8
Reading Due: “The Last American Man” By Elizabeth Gilbert
Response Paper 3 Due!
Essay Assignment Two
In-Class Writing Workshop: “What Is It? Enriching Descriptive Writing”
Wednesday, October 15
Essay Assignment Two Rough Draft Due!
Peer-Review Workshop
In-Class Writing Workshop: “Getting it Just Right: Editing for Clarity”
Wednesday, October 22
Reading Due: “Nickel and Dimed: on (Not) Getting by in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich
Response Paper 4 Due!
In-Class Writing Workshop: “Connecting Ideas: The Art of the Transition”
Essay Assignment Two Second Draft Due! (Schedule Conferences)
Wednesday, October 29
Reading Due: “There are Now Two Americas: My Country is a Horror Show” by David Simon
Response Paper 5 Due!
Essay Assignment One Final Draft Due!
Essay Assignment Three
In-Class Writing Workshop: “What’s it like? Using Metaphors Effectively”
Wednesday, November 5
Library Research Workshop
Research Agenda Due!
Wednesday, November 12
Essay Assignment Three Rough Draft Due!
Peer-Review workshop
In-Class writing workshop: “What’s Your Point?: How to Write a Thesis Statement”
Wednesday, November 19
Essay Assignment Three Second Draft Due! (Schedule Conferences)
Reading Due: “The Ecstasy of Influence” by Jonathan Lethem
Response Paper 6 Due!
In-Class writing workshop: “Make it Interesting/Make me Want to Read it: Catchy Openings”
Wednesday, November 26
Essay Assignment Two Final Draft Due!
Reading Due: “From Reality Hunger” by David Shields
Response Paper 7 Due!
Essay Assignment Four
In-Class Writing Workshop: “Who Said it?: Using Sources Effectively”
Wednesday, December 3
Essay Assignment Four Rough Draft Due!
Reading Due: “Declaration of Independence”
Response Paper 8 Due!
Peer-Review Workshop
Wednesday, December 10
Essay Assignment Three Final Draft Due!
Final Exam Prep (In-Class Practice Exam)
Final Exam (TBA)
Final Exam!
Essay Assignment Four Final Draft Due!
Final Portfolios Due!