BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The City University of New York

Description

This is an upper-level intensive developmental writing course for students scoring 5 or 6 on the CUNY ACT. Students are instructed in basic components of effective writing, including word selection, punctuation, spelling, grammar, sentence structure and paragraph development. Students are given frequent in-class writing exercises that focus on argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas. Individual conferences with instructors are frequent.

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites

A score of 5 or 6 on the CUNY--ACT.

Requirements and Evaluation of Students

Students will write multiple essays. Essays will go through a process of planning, writing, and revision. Some drafts will be written in class. Students will create and maintain critical weblogs, and comment on each others weblogs. In order to receive a passing grade of S, students must participate and complete all assignments. All students who have completed the course assignments will be eligible to take the CUNY ACT exam at the end of the course. A passing score on this exam will allow students to continue to English 101.

Objectives

• To help students develop basic writing skills
• To help students improve their mastery of grammar, idiom, and syntax
• To help students improve their ability to develop, organize, and revise essays
• To provide students an introduction to the skills required to write on a level suitable to the various college disciplines and majors
• To improve students' technological skills and critical thinking

Policies

Attendance and participation in all class activities is required. All assignments must be completed and handed in on time.

Computer Work

Some of the work of the class will be carried out on computers. We will meet once a week in the computer lab. You can also do this work from any computer (at home, in the library, in the cafeteria or wherever) which is connected to the Internet. Point your browser to http://www.cuny.edu and login to the CUNY Portal, in order to login to Blackboard.

Tutorial Assistance

Tutorial assistance for English 095 is available in the Basic Skills Writing Lab in S500
In addition, e-tutoring is available online at www.bmcc.cuny.edu/etutoring.

Materials

You will need to buy one book for this class:

Keys for Writers 4th Edition by Ann Raimes

Published by Houghton Mifflin

It is available at Manhattan Books (150 Chambers Street, 212-385-7395).

Good Luck, and Don't forget to email me with any questions (bmccjoe@yahoo.com)