John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
445 W. 59th St. New York, NY 10019
English 101: Becoming Experts
Section 15, Code 1899
Wednesdays & Fridays, 8-9.15am
Room NB/1.61
Professor: Erin Garrow
Office: NB/7.63.40 (7th Floor, Eng Dept)
Email: egarrow@jjay.cuny.edu
Hours: Wed 9.30-10.30am & by appointment
Course Prerequisites: Eng 100/placement exam
Course Description:
Experts are everywhere: on TV, in the newspaper, even in the classroom. What isn’t clear
is what makes these experts so “expert,” though. In this course, we’ll ask what
characterizes expertise in several fields, explore our own areas of expertise, and
experiment with the research article, the preferred form for demonstrating expertise in
college, graduate school, and the professional world.
Along the way, we’ll examine the conventions of this form, as well as the skills and
habits that convincing experts practice. While offering techniques of invention and
revision, this course teaches the expectations of college-level research, academic devices
for exploring ideas, and rhetorical strategies for completing investigative writing.
English 101 also operates in a sequence with English 201 at John Jay. Consequently,
certain of this course’s objectives and assignments are common to all sections of English
101. While we will understand these objectives and assignments relative to our theme of
“becoming experts,” we will also underscore how they are relevant to English 201 and to
college writing more broadly.
Main Learning Objective:
To better represent ourselves and our ideas through the expert academic article
Learning Objectives Common to All Sections of English 101 at John Jay:
To invent and inquire
To reflect upon and understand our own writing
To learn a writing process
To write clear, complete, and correct sentences
To practice academic conventions To practice effective rhetoric and style
To employ claims and evidence
To conduct effective research
Methods:
This course pursues a series of steps to produce an inquiry-based academic article.
Students can use this series—entirely and in part—to write papers throughout college and
beyond. The course also demonstrates how students can refine language and ideas in
order to better articulate what they think and want.
Structure:
Each week, we will examine one or two short texts related to expertise, a related step
to produce an article, and/or a related technique for revision. Generally, students will
pursue that step after one class and revise what they have written after the next.
Feedback:
Students will receive feedback after submitting each composition or revision. For
each composition, each student will earn both “content” points (0-5) for how well she
pursued the step and editorial advice for pursuing the next step. After each revision,
she will earn “form” points (0-5) for how well she applied each revision technique.
Evaluation:
A student will earn two-thirds of her final course grade by composing, one-third by
employing the techniques of expert writing. We will value each composition step
equally and value mastering expert techniques as a cumulative process: for the first
revision, a student will earn points for employing the first technique; for the second,
she will earn points for employing the first and second techniques; and so forth.
Consequently, though the first and last assignments will carry equal content value, the
last assignment will carry more formal value than the first. As is standard, A is 93100, A- is 90-92.9, B+ is 87.1-89.9, B is 83-87, B- is 80-82.9, C+ is 77.1-79.9, C is
73-77, C- is 70-72.9, D+ is 67.1-69.9, D is 63-67, D- is 60-67.0, F is below 60.0.
Texts:
Please buy Rhetoric, Research and Strategies (ISBN: 9780558798468) from the John
Jay bookstore. I will post other texts on our Blackboard site. Please bring your RRS, a
notebook, a pen, and a copy of the assignment you submitted online to all classes.
Participation:
Composition occurs inside and out of the classroom. Much of what we “write down”
we write in our minds and in conversation well before pen touches paper.
Consequently, we will value active participation in class and devalue its absence: a
student who is absent four times will fail the course. This is John Jay’s policy. Two
late arrivals constitute an absence. Often, students will need printed copies of
submitted assignments; coming to class without these copies constitutes a late arrival.
Should you have a scheduling conflict, please consult me before the conflict.
Academic Integrity:
We will abide by the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, which is found here:
http://www1.cuny.edu/portal_ur/content/2004/policies/image/policy.pdf. Please
familiarize yourself with this document. Being dishonest can result not only in course
failure, but also in expulsion from John Jay.
Technology:
Today’s experts produce, review, and distribute articles electronically. We will do the
same. Specifically, I will post this syllabus, any readings, all feedback, and all
evaluation to our Blackboard course site. Students will submit all compositions and
revisions to this site, as well. All assignments must be composed in a word-
processing program and submitted in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. There are several
computer labs on campus, should any student seek access to the Web, as well as a
robust IT staff to help students navigate technology. For more information about
these, please consult me.
Perks:
John Jay actively supports its students. Should you struggle with an assignment, ask
questions in class and come see me during my office hours. Additionally, we will be
using John Jay’s excellent Writing Center, where a team of trained tutors stands ready
to help. Before you go, consult their website: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~writing. If
your first language is not English, consult John Jay’s Center for English Language
Support here: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~esl.
Course Schedule:
8/29 Introduction
Online Introduction due 8/31
Unit 1: Dreams of Expertise
8/31 How People Conceive of Expertise
Step 1 due 9/5
9/5
Dreaming of I: A Workshop on the Subject
Revision due 9/7
Unit 2: Commitment
9/7
Defining Your Field
Step 2 due 9/12
9/12 Committing to I do: A Workshop on Verbs
Revision due 9/14
Unit 3: Forms and Forming
9/14 Forming a Topic
Step 3 due 9/19
9/19 Being Concise: A Workshop on Comments
Revision due 9/21
Unit 4: Finding a Path
9/21 The Importance of Questioning
Step 4a due 9/28
9/28 Finding a Method to Answer your Question
Step 4b due 10/3
Unit 5: Impressing Others
10/3 Proposing Your Expertise
Step 5a due 10/5
10/5 Doing Research: CONFERENCES
Step 5b due 10/12
Unit 6: Taking a Stand
10/12 Outlining an Argument and Planning to Succeed
Step 6a due 10/17
10/17 Getting Along: A Workshop on Agreement
Revision due 10/19
10/19 Honing your Argument
Step 6b due 10/24
Unit 7: Taking on the Big Shots
10/24 Finding Other Experts: LIBRARY DAY
Step 7a due 10/26
10/26 Humanizing Experts
Scripted Interview due 10/31
10/31 Engaging with the Experts
Step 7b due 11/2
11/2 Polishing It Up: A Workshop on Perfect Sentences
Revision due 11/7
11/7 Returning to Your Argument
Step 7c due 11/9
Interlude: Reflecting on Your Own Expertise
11/9 Creating a Portfolio
Initial Portfolio due 11/14
11/14 Reflecting on Your Own Expertise
Reflective Letter due 11/16
11/16 Proving Your Point: A Workshop on Paragraphs & Topic Sentences
Revision due 11/21
Unit 8: Throwing Down
11/21 Moving from Plan to Action: Part 1
Step 8a due 11/28
11/28 Making It Stick: A Workshop on Support and Point Sentences
Revision due 11/30
11/30 Moving from Plan to Action: Part 2
Step 8b due 12/5
12/5 The Final Touches: A Workshop on Making Paragraphs Succinct
Revision due 12/7
Conclusions: Looking Back and Looking Forward
12/7 Reflecting Upon Expertise II: Final Portfolio & Cover Letter
Final Portfolio & Cover Letter due 12/12
12/12 Pulling It All Together: A Workshop Reviewing Expert Sentences & Paragraphs
Revision due 12/19
12/19 **Meeting 8.00AM-10.00AM in our classroom (NB/1.61), following exam
schedule