In the three class meetings we’ve had in this period, we’ve started discussing short fiction, art, and folktales in translation. We’ve started thinking about plot and narration, and we’ve developed our first essay questions. Thursday, we plan to workshop draft thesis statements, and next Tuesday, we’ll work on citations and editing with full drafts of the first paper. That paper is due to Blackboard by 11:59pm on Tuesday. Instructions and prompts are posted under Assignments.
Welcome to Class
Welcome to English 201: Introduction to Literature. This course is the second of two composition courses you’ll take here at BMCC. I’m Tim Dalton (preferred gender pronouns: he/him/his). You can call me Tim or Prof. Dalton–whatever you’re more comfortable with. The only thing I dislike is a dangling “Professor,” which always seems to suggest that the student I’m talking to has forgotten my name.
I started teaching at BMCC in 2008, and ENG 201 is one of my favorite courses to teach here. Much of the information about our course is available on our CUNY Academic Commons webpage, here. The current draft of the syllabus and schedule is there, and you’re welcome to take a peek. We’ll use this webpage, the fiction anthology A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (Oh & Chapman), and two apps, Google Drive & Google Docs, as our main resources for reading, writing, and learning this semester.
I’d like you to complete a few tasks by the start of our first class at 9:30 next Tuesday, January 29:
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Please email me at [email protected] to say “Hi” and to let me know if your preferred name is something other than what appears on the syllabus.
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Even if your name in the CUNY system is just how you prefer it, let me know in your email your preferred pronouns. You might also take the opportunity to let me know anything you’d like me to know about you and this course.
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If you are registered with the Office of Accessibility, this introduction email would be a good time to let me know what accommodations will help you be most successful in this course. Even if you don’t identify as a student with what sometimes gets termed a “Learning Difference,” every student learns differently. If there’s a way you learn best, let me know at any point in the semester. I’ll do my best to accommodate us all. (And: whether or not you have a documented disability, remember that many student support services exist to help you successfully navigate BMCC. These resources include the Writing Center, Single Stop, the Counseling Center, and the Office of Compliance and Diversity. More information about these offices are on our syllabus and on the BMCC website.)
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Please download two apps onto your phone: Google Docs and Google Drive. Create a Doc file called “ENG201-YourName-Notebook.” Share it with me at [email protected]. Give me privileges to comment but not to edit. Use the text of your emailed introduction as your first entry.
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Please register for an account with CUNY Academic Commons. This will allow you to contribute to pages, posts, publications, and projects on the course website.
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Please purchase a print copy of our required text, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (Oh & Chapman). It’s available for less than $15 from various online retailers.
Our first class will be spent mainly going over the syllabus. Our second class will involve a diagnostic writing exercise — it’s my way of getting to know you as writers. After that, it’s on to the first reading in Oh & Chapman, Roshani Chokshi’s “Forbidden Fruit” and some research on the mythology on which it is based.
Looking forward to working with you this Spring.
