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Syllabus for English 101
Borough of Manhattan Community College
The City University of New York
STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED BRING THE SYLLABUS TO EACH AND EVERY CLASS.
This will help you find answers to commonly asked question.
Course: English 101-1226 English Composition
Instructor: Andrew Gottlieb
Semester: Fall 2015
Office: F212 Office Hour: Wednesday 2:50PM – 3:50PM
Credits: 3
Room: M410
Office: F 212
Email: andrew150@verizon.net
Course Description:
English 101 is a basic writing course that stresses the fundamentals of English composition. Students will learn how
to present persuasive thesis driven arguments in a clear, unified, well organized, coherent, and grammatically correct
essay including references to reliable sources cited appropriately according to MLA formats.
Learning Outcomes:
Students completing English 101 will be able to:
1. Organize, develop, and revise at least three thesis-driven essays that include substantial support and use a variety
of rhetorical strategies. Assessment will be based on evaluation of three essays, four pages long. and a departmental
final exam.
2. Summarize, paraphrase, and quote from readings. Assessment will be based on evaluation of three essays, four
pages long and a departmental final exam.
3. Critically analyze numerous readings. Assessment will be based on evaluation of three essays, four pages long
and a departmental final exam.
4. Demonstrate a command of edited American English, using vocabulary and syntax appropriate to college-level
work. Assessment will be based on evaluation of three essays, four pages long and a departmental final exam.
5. Demonstrate a command of the MLA conventions of citation and documentation.
Assessment:
Assessment will be based on evaluation of three essays, four pages long and a departmental final exam. One of the
essays is a documented essay. This essay must have at least two primary sources (provided by the professor) and, in
addition to that, a third source researched by the student. This same essay must have a works cited with at least three
entries and be approximately 750-1000 words in length (four pages). To this end, professors must teach students
how to find and evaluate a source as well as how to properly cite according to MLA style guidelines.
General Education Outcomes
Below are the college’s general educational goals that students who successfully
complete this course can expect to have achieved.
1. Communication Skills: Students will be able to express their thoughts in speech and in writing. They will also be
able to read critically and articulate thesis driven arguments in well-organized essays. Assessment will be based on
evaluation of three essays, four pages long and a departmental final exam.
2. Values: Students will be able to make informed choices based on a capacity to reason and to evaluate what they
hear and read according to an awareness of the value of exploring viewpoints other than their own. Assessment will
be based on evaluation of three essays, four pages long and a departmental final exam.
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Course Requirements:
Students are required to:
1. Come to every class on time and to stay until the end. Coming late or leaving early
is unacceptable. See the College Attendance Policy on page 3.
2. Bring the syllabus and writing assignments to each class.
3. Do all the reading assignments.
4. Complete 3 formal, thesis-driven essays, four typewritten double-spaced pages each. These will have gone
through multiple drafts and will make appropriate use of summary, paraphrase, and quotation as well as analysis and
argument. Formal, evaluated writing should total at least 12 typewritten pages.
5. Hand in essays in on time.
6. Fulfill the required specifications for the writing assignments.
Required Specifications for The Writing Assignments:
1. Each essay must be typed.
2. Font size must be 12.
3. Font style must be Times New Roman.
4. The name of the student, professor, course, and date must be flush left with a double-space between each.
5. See MLA Handbook - Seventh Edition. 4.3. Heading And Title. 116.
6. The title must be a double-space below the date and centered.
7. See MLA Handbook - Seventh Edition. 4.3. Heading And Title. 116.
8. Each essay must be double-spaced.
9. Each paragraph must be indented.
10. There must be no more than one double-space between paragraphs.
11. Each page of each essay must be numbered in the upper right-hand corner.
12. Each essay must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.
13. The three essays must be between at least 4 pages.
14. Documentation must include a “Works Cited” page and be done according to MLA formats.
See MLA Handbook - Seventh Edition. 131.
Any claims that the specifications have not been given or explained as a basis for receiving a passing grade when the
specifications have not been met will not be accepted.
Grading:
The final grade will be based on the following:
1. The average grade for the three required essays will count for 60% of the final grade.
2. The departmental final will count for 30% of the final grade.
3. Your presence and participation in class, meaning attendance, promptness, staying until class is dismissed,
contributing to class conversations will count for 10% of the final grade.
The Final Exam:
The departmental final, graded by the instructor and an additional reader who is another current 101 instructor,
counts for 30% of each student’s final grade. The 90-minute exam is administered during the last week of class. It
asks students to write a fully developed essay (of approximately 500 words) in response to a question based on two
interrelated readings selected each semester by the Composition Committee. The readings are made available to
instructors at the beginning of each semester. 3
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Texts & Materials:
1. Handouts including questions, assignments, and reading selections relating to the theme of American democracy
including an analysis of the difference between a democracy and a republic, supreme court cases concerning the
First Amendment, freedom of speech, prayer in the classroom, and separation of church and state.
2. May It Please The Court - The First Amendment - Live Recordings and Transcripts of the Supreme Court in
Session. Peter Irons and Stephanie Guitton, editors. c. 1997.
3. Handouts relating to the MLA.
4. Pens and an 8 ½ by 11 inch notebook.
College Attendance Policy
At BMCC, the maximum number of absences is limited to one more hour than the number of hours a class meets in
one week. For example, you may be enrolled in a three-hour class. In that class, you would be allowed 4 hours of
absence (not four days). In the case of excessive absences, the instructor has the options to lower the grade or assign
an F or WU grade.
Academic Adjustments for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must
contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities. BMCC is committed to providing equal access to all
programs and curricula for all students.
BMCC Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Statement
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas, words or artistic, or technical work as one’s own creation.
Using the idea or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and
summarizing, as well as direct quotation, require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or
unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism.
Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The
library has guides designed to help students to appropriately identify a cited work. The full policy can be found on
BMCC’s website, www.bmcc.cuny.edu. For further information on integrity and behavior, please consult the college
bulletin (also available online).
Coming Late and Leaving Early
10% of a student’s grade is based on class participation. Coming to class late or leaving early can have an adverse
effect on a student’s grade. If, however a student needs to leave early, he or she is expected to do so in a respectful
manner and, at no time to impose his or her needs on the rest of the class. Students are not allowed to make
comments such as: “Class is over!” or “Time’s up!” A student wishing to leave early can say “Excuse me, I need to
leave.” It is preferable that students tell the teacher in the beginning of class that they are planning to leave early.
Disruptive Behavior
Disruptive behavior of any kind is unacceptable. Students are expected to behave in a courteous and respectful
manner at all times. Students wishing to address personal needs, expressing complaints, or requiring excessive
explanation of assignments, must do so before or after class, during breaks, or during the instructor’s office hour. 4
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Writing Assignments for English 101
Andrew Gottlieb
STUDENTS IN ENLISH 101 ARE REQUIRED TO WRITE A
TOTAL
OF
3
PAPERS
EACH PAPER IS
4
DOUBLE-SPACE PAGES.
PAPERS MUST SATISFY ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS ON THE
FOLLOWING PAGE TO RECEIVE CREDIT. 5
One of the essays is a documented essay. This essay must have at least two
primary sources (provided by the professor) and, in addition to that, a third source
researched by the student. This same essay must have a works cited with at
least three entries and be approximately 750-1000 words in length (four pages).
To this end, professors must teach students how to find and evaluate a source as
well as how to properly cite according to MLA style guidelines.
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Specifications
1. Each essay must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.
Papers that are not stapled will not be accepted.
2. Each page of each essay must have typed page numbers in the upper right-hand corner.
Papers without typed page numbers in the upper right hand corner will not be
accepted.
3. Each essay must be typed. Essays that are not typed will not be accepted.
4. Font size must be 12.
5. Font style must be Times New Roman.
6. Each paragraph must be indented.
7. There must be no more than one double-space between paragraphs.
8. The name of the student, professor, course, and date must be flush left with a double-space
between each. See example on the following page.
9. Each essay must be double-spaced.
10. For citations more than one sentences, use the following specifications.
See example on page 9.
a. single-space
b. font size 10
c. left indent at 1
right indent at 5.5.
11. Quotation marks and the appropriate MLA citation for all quotes must be used. The absence
of quotation marks where needed is PLAGIARISM. See example of internal punctuation
on the following page. WARNING: Omission of quotation marks is grounds for an F for
the paper and possibly for the final grade.
12. All sources used in the essay must be cited in a “Works Cited” page and be done according to
MLA formats. See example on the page after the following page.
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Format
First Page
This is an example of the top of the first page of a paper.
Use double-spaces. The title must be a double-space below the date and centered.
See MLA Handbook - Seventh Edition. 4.3. Heading And Title. 116.
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John Smith
Professor Abraham
English 201
May 7, 2009
Greek Tragedy
Internal Punctuation
When citing a source in the text do as follows: “Oedipus in the play is a free agent” (Fagles, 149).
When paraphrasing do as follows: Fagles maintains that Oedipus has free will (Fagles, 149).
Long Quotations
This is an example of how to do a citation longer than one sentence.
“In the very first year of our century Sigmund Freud in his Interpretation of Dreams offered
a famous and influential interpretation of Oedipus the King:
Oedipus Rex is what is known as a tragedy of destiny. Its tragic effect is said to lie in the contrast
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between supreme will of the gods and the vain attempts of mankind to escape the evil that threatens
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkks;dflkaks;fldskf;sdlllllllllllllllllwks;dlfk’safdksa;
them. The lesson which, it is said, the deeply moved spectator should learn from the tragedy is
submission to the divine will and realization of his own impotence.
Works Cited Page
(Trans. James Strachey)
This passage is of course a landmark in the history of modern thought, and it is fascinating to observe
Thisidea,
is anwhich,
example
of or
thenot,
tophas
of the
page ofinfluence,
a works-cited
that this
valid
hadfirst
enormous
stemslist.
from an attempt to answer a
literary problem – why does the play have this overpowering effect on modern audiences?”
(Knox, Bernard. Sophocles – The Three Theban Plays. Translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Books.
Copyright by Bernhard Knox, 1982. 132. Print.)
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Entries are in alphabetical order with second lines of each entry indented (hanging indentation).
See MLA Handbook - Seventh Edition. 131.
The Works Cited page must be on a separate page.
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Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. Edited by Edward Hubler.
A Signet Classic. Copyright by Edward Hubler, 1963. Print.
Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays – Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oeidipus at Colonus.
Translated By Robert Fagles. Penguin Books. Copyright by Robert Fagles, 1982, 1984. Print.
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Grading Policy
DUE DATES

Due dates will be determined during the semester. Students must hand papers in by the due dates to
receive credit. Late papers will not be accepted. Papers not handed in by the due dates will
receive a grade of F. This will be calculated into the final grade as a zero. It is with this in mind that
students are advised to hand in whatever they can. A passing grade, a C or even a D, does not impact
upon the final average nearly as much as an F.
INCOMPLETE (INC)

An INC grade is only to be given to students who have completed all of the course work satisfactorily
but missed the final essay exam. If a student is not in good standing in the coursework and misses
the final exam, then the student does not earn an incomplete.

To receive an INC, students must have a compelling reason. This can be a serious medical or family
problem that prevents them from coming to class. In the case of a medical problem, a doctor’s note is
required for verification.

Students must request an INC no later than one week prior to the last day of class to receive one.
Requests for an INC made later than this time will be denied.

If the teacher has not received a request for an INC, he will determine the final grade by averaging the
grades of whatever papers the student has handed in.

There is no obligation on the part of a teacher to give an INC. This matter is entirely up to his or her
discretion
FAILURE (F) or (WU)

Students who hand in less than three papers will receive an F.

Students who miss more than four classes will receive an F or a WU
OFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL (W)

The W grade signifies OFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL. Students who want to withdraw from the class
should do so prior to the date specified in the Academic Calendar posted on the BMCC website.

It is advisable for student to withdraw who:
a. have been excessively absent.
b. have failed to hand in the assignments.
It is better to drop a class than to receive a failing grade.
Remember to withdraw before the withdrawal date specified in the Academic Calendar.
Students who fail to withdraw before this date will receive a WU which has the same numerical
value as an F.