Syllabus

Composition for Narrative Medicine | Fall 2023

Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar 10113-MED5 (41484)

Room: Harris Hall 404A

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00–3:15 p.m.

Jarrett Moran (he/him)  ❖  jmoran@ccny.cuny.edu

Office hours:  I’m available in NA 6/335A on Mondays from 1–2 p.m (before class). and Tuesdays from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Please let me know in advance if you’re planning on coming, so that I’ll know to expect you.

Just send me an email, or stay after class, if you would like to talk. I’m also available on zoom.

course description

Welcome to your Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar!

The course is broken up into two equal parts: a topic seminar guided by Mario De La Cruz, and a writing seminar facilitated by me (Jarrett Moran). These two seminars are closely linked; instructors and students will work together both in class and online. You will receive individual grades for each section of the course, and they are worth three credits each (a total of six credits).

The writing seminar is devoted to the craft of producing strong analytic writing. We will work towards building a community that fosters the development of unique voices and shared values about writing and the work that writers do. Participation as a member of the writing community requires that your writing be public within the classroom. The purpose of sharing writing is to get a sense that academic writing is more than a matter of private communication between student and instructor. Writing that has a real sense of audience tends to have a real purpose, which in turn creates a foundation for effective writing.

This semester, we will help each other develop writing practices that we can use in academic, professional, and personal settings. As such, the focus of every class period will be writing. There will be extensive in-class writing periods supplemented by assessment and peer review.

course texts and materials

This is a “ZERO Textbook Cost” course. As such, all materials will be accessible on this website.

We will also read a collection of student writing (yours, your peers’, and others’). Please either print or have digital access to all course documents and materials for class.

Recommended Open Education Resources.

Use these additional resources as needed for help with the writing process, editing, and formatting.

https://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fieldguide/index.asp

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1v2xmaster/

https://writingcommons.org/

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

UNC Writing Center

online technology and software requirements

You will need to regularly access to:

  1. This website!
  2. Blackboard, where you will submit and receive feedback on assignments
  3. Google Drive (a free online file storage site where we’ll share and collaborate on our writing)
  4. CUNY Academic Commons (where you’ll create a digital portfolio)
  5. Word-processing software of your choice: Microsoft Office, Office365 (available for free to CCNY students), Google Docs, etc. No matter what you use, please save all documents as .doc or docx files and please no links, PDFs, or Pages files.

I strongly recommend you make an effort to organize our course documents and your work. Create a designated folder on your computer for our course and be strategic in how you use subfolders and title documents. You will need to return to assignments, so the more organized the better. Save your work frequently and back up your files (in multiple places!).

course learning outcomes

Students successfully completing a Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar will demonstrate ability to:

  1. Explore and analyze a variety of genres and rhetorical situations in their own and others’ writing.
  2. Develop and use strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing.
  3. Practice systematic application of citation conventions (MLA).
  4. Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.
  5. Develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
  6. Understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.
  7. Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine, and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.
  8. Compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation.

grading

We will use a Grading Contract for this course. In short, your grade will be based on the labor that you put into the class: your attendance, your completion of all minor and major assignments, and how diligently you practiced the specific goals of each assignment.

extra credit

Visiting the Writing Center is extra credit. It can make up for an absence, late assignment, or make-up assignment, or it can contribute to raising your grade from an A to an A+.

Just send me email confirmation of your visit, and I’ll mark it in the grade book.

assignments

You will complete five major assignments, including a final portfolio with an introduction. These assignments are described in the assignment pages available on this website.

  • All five of the major assignments must be successfully completed in order to pass this course. You will write multiple drafts and revise each major assignment based on the peer feedback you receive.
  • The full schedule and information about each of the assignments are available on the course website.
  • All assignments are due on Blackboard at the dates and times specified on the Course Schedule. First drafts will be due the day before our class meeting on Blackboard and Google Drive (for workshopping and peer review).
First Assignment: Outsider NarrativeLength: TBDFirst Draft: Tuesday 9/5 (not a class day)Peer Review: Wednesday 9/6Final Draft: Wednesday 9/13
Second Assignment: MetaphorLength: 800–1200 wordsFirst Draft: Monday 10/2Peer Review: Monday 10/2Final Draft: Tuesday 10/10
Third Assignment: Critical LensLength: 1200–1500 wordsFirst Draft: Wednesday 10/30 (not a class day)Peer Review: Thursday 10/19Final Draft: Tuesday 10/31
Fourth Assignment: 
Research Project (we will work on this project throughout the semester!) 		Length: Broken into parts listed belowDue Dates: listed below
Invention AssignmentVariesMonday 10/30
Part 1 (what I know/believe)200–500 wordsMonday 11/6
Proposal600–900 wordsWednesday 11/8
Informal Assignment: Source ReportTBDTuesday 11/14
1-on-1 meeting with instructorN/A Sign up on 11/16
First Draft of Part 2 1500–2000 wordsTuesday 11/20
First Draft Annotated BibliographySix entries, 150–200 words eachTuesday 11/20
Final Draft of Annotated BibliographySix entries, 150–200 words eachTuesday 12/5
Final draft of Part 3: Reflection250–500 wordsTuesday 12/5
Final Draft of Part 2 Write Up1500–2000 wordsFriday 12/15
Final Draft of Research ProjectFriday 12/15
Fifth Assignment:
Portfolio with Introduction		Length: 1200–1500 wordsFirst Draft: Wednesday 12/6Peer Review: Thursday 12/7Final Draft: Friday 12/15

course policies, procedures, and pertinent information

Contacting Your Instructor: I want to get to know you, and I take my role in supporting your learning seriously. I strongly encourage you to email me and talk after class or during office hours. I expect you to keep me informed about your work, your progress, your questions, and your problems, preferably BEFORE your grade is the central concern. Do not hesitate to email me to ask questions or send me important reminders.

Professional Courtesy: It’s essential that we are all courteous and considerate of each other at all times. As a group, we will represent diverse cultural, racial, linguistic, and gendered identities and abilities. We must all commit to honoring, respecting, and accounting for our differences. As your instructor, I am committed to this.

Technology Expectations: I ask that you please turn off all electronic devices that are not to be used during class time. We will sometimes rely on our cell phones, laptops, or university desktop computers (located in library computer labs). You are tasked with accessing and submitting documents online, as well as creating a digital portfolio. Learning about and regularly accessing technology is thus a critical part of our course.

Participation: I care deeply about students being present and engaged in class, and I’ll do my best to make class meetings meaningful and useful. I ask that you come to class on time and prepared with all relevant readings or texts. I understand that everyone has different approaches to participation, so I welcome you to engage in class in a way that best fits you (by quietly but actively listening, taking notes, asking questions, and/or offering comments). Everyone is required, however, to collaborate with peers during group work.

Language: Students are expected to take an active role in developing their writing and language. I recognize that students come from different educational, linguistic, and racial backgrounds and that it takes several years, not a semester, to develop English academic language, especially if English is a student’s additional (and not first) language. As your instructor, I am committed to adopting approaches deemed most effective by the fields of Second Language Writing and Composition and Rhetoric: I will provide ongoing feedback on your writing to highlight potential areas to revise/develop (including language uses), and I will refrain from penalizing you for your language.

The Writing Center: The CCNY Writing Center provides a supportive learning environment where students can have one-on-one tutoring sessions with experienced writing consultants. The Writing Center is available for virtual meetings. Students can schedule an appointment through the online booking system. This is a free resource available to all students and recommended for all writing assigned in this and other classes. Visit their website for more info http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/writing/ and to book an appointment.

Academic Integrity: All writing submitted for this course is understood to be your original work. In cases where I detect academic dishonesty (the fraudulent submission of another’s work, in whole or part, as your own), you may be subject to a failing grade for the project or the course, and in the worst case, to academic probation or expulsion. For a more detailed description of the guidelines for adhering to academic integrity, see CCNY’s Policy on Academic Integrity on the college website: https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/it/academic-integrity-policy. As part of this course, we will discuss responsible source use practices.

Special Needs and Accommodations: There are several Student Support Services available for CCNY students. Check this website for more information: https://ccny.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2019-2020/Undergraduate-Bulletin/Student-Support-Services-Program. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact CCNY’s AccessAbility Center (Student Disability Services), https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/accessability or call (212) 650-5913 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. I am committed to accessibility; please do not hesitate to reach out to me so that we can determine ways to make this course accessible to you.

CCNY Resources

  • Gateway Academic Center (GAC), 1/219– advises freshmen and transfer students in their first year at City College who have not yet decided on a major or are fulfilling requirements to apply to one of the College’s professional schools.
  • Samuel Rudin Writing Center, NAC 3rd floor plaza – offers writing assistance to all CCNY students through one-on-one tutoring and group workshops (ESL tutoring is also available through the Writing Center).
  • AccessAbility Center Tutoring Services, NAC 1/218 – provides one-on-one tutoring and workshops to all registered students with learning or physical disabilities.
  • SEEK Peer Academic Learning Center, Location: NAC 4/224–offers counseling and peer tutoring for students in need of academic and financial support who have registered for the SEEK Program.
  • Visit https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/academics/tutoring for a complete list

CCNY Quick Links