Interactive Syllabus – English 110: F21

Hi! I'm Dr. Lindsey Albracht. You can call me Dr. Albracht, or Professor Albracht, or Lindsey. What's your name?(Required)

First Last

Is that the name you prefer to be called?(Required)

Yep.

No, I go by something else.

What name should I use?(Required)

Some people have trouble pronouncing my last name. I say it like this: ALL-brahkt (rhymes with SMALL-socked.) What's the best way to pronounce your name?(Required)

My pronouns are she, her, and hers. Some people use he, him and his; some people use they, them, and theirs; some people use a combination or other pronouns that aren't listed here. What do you prefer to use? You can also write "I'd rather not say."(Required)

Can you put an e-mail address in the box below that you're the most likely to check?(Required)

Should plagiarism always be punished? Does texting ruin your writing skills? Is there only one "correct" way to write and speak in English? This class, Bad Ideas About Writing, will investigate myths about writing, schooling, language, and education that impact the way that we understand ourselves as "good" writers. We’ll think about where they came from, why they’re “bad,” how to challenge them, and what alternatives are possible. You'll also conduct some research into your own questions about writing (or reading, or language) to see what the scholarship says. And you'll practice communicating what we learn with audiences inside and outside of the university. Along the way, you’ll also learn some skills that will help you with reading, writing, and conducting research that you can use throughout your college career. Does that sound good?(Required)

Yes, sounds good.

I don’t understand.

Please tell me more! What questions do you have so far?(Required)

Throughout this semester, you'll work toward several learning goals. Those goals are: (1) Produce writing that responds appropriately to a variety of rhetorical situations with a particular focus on academic argumentation. (2) Learn reading strategies to summarize, synthesize, analyze, and critique other people’s arguments and ideas fairly. (3) Learn research practices that will help strengthen your writing and thinking. (4) Produce writing that shows how writers may navigate the diverse processes of composing including revision and collaboration. (5) Take ownership of your work and gain an understanding of their own voice, style, and strengths. I know this is a required class, but which of these goals sound like they might be useful to your future goals?(Required)

So, you've heard a bit about MY goals for you. What are YOUR goals for you this semester? What do you want to learn or achieve in this class or just generally in this semester?(Required)

OK. Enough of the lofty stuff. Let's talk about the basics. You know that this is a hybrid class, right? So, we'll be meeting in person once a week (on Mondays), and online the other day (Wednesday)(Required)

Yep: I’m excited to be (back)on campus!

Yep: I couldn’t find an online section, but I’m a little freaked out to come back in person.

Uh-oh. This is partially in person? I didn’t know that.

Honestly? Me too. I'm required to keep this in person until CUNY tells me otherwise, but I've got immune compromised folks in my family, and I'm worried about the spike in COVID cases. Let's help each other out: be in touch with me if there's anything I can be doing to help you feel safer, OK? I'm going to be as flexible and accommodating as I can as we learn how to navigate this return to campus together, and I hope that you'll do the same for me.(Required)

Got it.

I love your enthusiasm! This is my very first semester on campus as a full-time faculty member, so you'll have to tell me all of your best on-campus navigation secrets.(Required)

Great!

This is my first semester on campus too.

Not that I want you to go away, but just so you know, you can drop this class for a 75% tuition refund up until February 3rd. No hard feelings: people add and drop for all kinds of reasons in the first week. I also want you to know that I have a flexible attendance policy and ways for you to make up the class when you need to miss.(Required)

Got it.

There's no coursebook in here, and I use all open access materials so that you don't have to pay extra money to take this class on top of the money that you already paid. But this means that you'll be reading the coursebook online rather than a printed copy. Is that OK?(Required)

Yes, reading a textbook online should be fine.

I have a question about this.

Thanks for letting me know. What's your question?(Required)

My office hours are going to be on Wednesdays after class (from 3:30-4:30). Does this work in your schedule, or is there a better time for you to meet with me if you need to chat?(Required)

I'm planning to use Slack to help you keep track of your progress in this course. This is also where you can access stuff that I don't want the whole internet to be able to access (like our Zoom link), and a place where you can reach me or your classmates if you need to get in contact with us. You'll get reminders about stuff that is due on your phone if you download Slack there, or you can opt out of getting reminders if you want. You should have information in the first e-mail that I sent out to the class about how to access Slack. Can you think of any problems that you might have with this?(Required)

Yes: I’m worried about this.

No: this sounds fine.

Thanks for letting me know. Can you say a little more about why you're worried?(Required)

So there are three "major" assignments in this class. In the first one, you'll explore your own experiences in relation to one of the chapters from Bad Ideas About Writing. You’ll begin by briefly summarizing a chapter that interests you, and you’ll practice making claims about specific parts of the chapter by using your own experiences to support, expand, or refute what the author says.(Required)

Sounds OK.

Yikes, I’m worried about this one.

Thanks for letting me know. Can you say more?(Required)

In the second assignment, you'll develop a research question that is different, but related to, a “bad” ideas about writing. For example, if the bad idea is “Teaching Grammar Improves Writing,” the research question might be “What are some examples of ways that schools teach students to write in more authentic and real-world ways?” This should be something that you don’t already know, but that you want to learn more about. You'll find at least 3 scholarly sources that relate (broadly) to your topic, summarize and synthesize them, and tell us how they help you to answer your question. Then, you’ll write a brief proposal explaining how you’ll use this information to communicate with an audience outside of this class(Required)

Cool. I think I can do this.

Yikes, this one sounds scary.

Thanks for letting me know. Can you say more?(Required)

The last "major" assignment ties everything together that you’ve been learning in English 110: communicating with audiences, academic argumentation, research, revision, and cultivating your voice. In this project, you’ll teach an audience outside of this class something that you’ve learned in the research you conducted, OR you’ll design or conduct some primary research to contribute to the existing scholarly conversation about your topic. You will choose the audience you want to engage, and that choice will determine how you engage them. This means that rather than writing a “traditional” research paper, most of you will translate your research into a format where you can reach an audience that you want to reach to tell them about what you’ve learned. This might mean that you ultimately make a video, a podcast episode, an informational guide of some kind, or, yes, even a “traditional” research paper.

I think I can do this.

Yikes, this one sounds scary.

Thanks for letting me know. Can you say more?(Required)

Coming to class and keeping up with your work is super important in here: we're going to do a lot of collaborating. But we're also still in a full-on global pandemic, and I imagine that some of us will be out sick this semester. If you can't come to class, you're going to have the option to "make it up" by reading some recaps that your classmates produce and filling out an exit ticket (a form like this one — not this long, though!). You'll be able to find these in the #whatyoumissed channel on Slack. But this is really not as good as attending class: it's just a "better than nothing" alternative. Do you think you'll be able to come to class a lot when you aren't sick?(Required)

Yeah, I’ll be in class or read recaps and fill out exit tickets when I can’t make it.

I might need to miss class a lot, and watching recaps isn’t going to work.

Thanks for letting me know. Can you say more about why?(Required)

Tell me a little bit about your thoughts on class participation. What does it mean to you to "participate" in class? What helps you and encourages you? What makes you hesitate to participate?(Required)

I do not “directly” penalize late work (e.g. with a points deduction). But turning in work late can mean that you don't get feedback. This can negatively impact your experience in the class, and also your grade because you will give yourself less time to revise assignments that don't meet requirements. So, try to turn stuff in on time, or let me know ASAP so we can come up with a new deadline.(Required)

OK. I won’t expect feedback if my work is late, and I’ll let you know ASAP if I need an extension.

Hmm, I have a question about this.

Tell me more. What's your question?(Required)

Sometimes, you're going to write in class. Do you have a device that you can take with you to school to do this?(Required)

Yes, I do.

No, I don’t.

If you get distracted and start using your device for stuff that is not related to this class, what's the best way for me to respond?(Required)

Sometimes, students stop coming to class and and turning in work, and they also stop responding to e-mails or other attempts from me to reach out. If this happens to you, what's the best way for me to handle it? Should I leave you alone? Keep trying to contact you? Tell someone in your life? Something else?(Required)

On the second day of classes, we're going to talk about the grading system in this class, which is a little non-traditional. But basically, you can earn a good grade in here by doing your work on time, revising it when it doesn't meet requirements, coming to class (or catching up when you miss), and completing all of the major assignments. The amount of work that you do will determine the grade that you earn: not the quality of your writing. Does that kind of make sense?(Required)

I….think so? I’m fine with waiting to hear more about it.

I’ve taken a class with you before / a class with a grading contract. I get it.

Oh no, not at all. Help!

What worries you about this system, or what questions do you have?(Required)

It is important to me to provide an accessible learning environment for all of the students in this class. I'll ask for your feedback on how to make this happen, but you may also contact Dr. Mirian Detres-Hickey at the Office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities at QC.SPSV@qc.cuny.edu or 718-997-5870 for more information about receiving additional support services and accommodations. Do you want to tell me about any accommodations that you need right now or any other accommodation requests?(Required)

Yes: I need to tell you about an accommodation need.

No: I don’t need to tell you about an accommodation need.

Thanks for telling me. What's up?(Required)

You've got to wear a mask in here properly (covering your nose and mouth) all the time. Please don't make me be the mask police, OK?(Required)

OK. I’ll wear one correctly at all times.

This is going to be a problem for me.

This one is a New York State law and a CUNY regulation, so please let me know why you will not be able to do this and how you'll provide proof that you have an exemption or an accommodation.

Do you need for me to wear a mask that has a clear plastic window so that you can see my lips moving (you might need this if you are a person who is deaf or hard of hearing.)(Required)

Yes: I need you to do this.

Nope, it’s OK for you to wear a mask that hides your mouth.

What are the three most important takeaways for you about this class or these policies so far?(Required)

You'll be able to find all of the information that you just read and learned about on our course website: the same site that you're on right now. You can also locate the reading and assignment schedule here, and all links to class readings. After you're done with this form, feel free to look around, but just a heads up that all of the information might not be ready yet if you're filling this out before classes start.(Required)

OK, got it.

You did it! This is the last question. Is there anything else you'd like for me to know about you? Sometimes students like to tell me about their caretaking responsibilities, their job, anything that's going on in their life that might interfere with their ability to take or finish this class, their star sign, their Tik Tok handle, or their hobbies. Some students give me a link to the writing that they do outside of school. Some students share a fun fact, and others leave this blank.