Spaces and Materials

Online Spaces	CUNY Academic Commons (Create an account) For Assignment Submissions, Announcements, Reading PDFs, Handouts, etc.
	Google Docs/ Drive (Use any Google Account to log in) For Drafts of Assignments and submissions in the form of links posted on the Commons.
Readings All readings will be provided to you via CUNY Academic Commons. You may print them or read them electronically. You must either have a device or a hard copy of the reading in class. If you do not have regular access to a computer or the Internet or are unsure of availability here at QC, please come speak to me. *Please note: some of our readings and materials not only deal with controversial and sensitive topics but also contain explicit language.**

Course

Course Policies

• Class time allotment 

10:05 AM- 11:20 AM	11:20-11:55 AM
Class Discussion	Conference Hour
For a great Class Discussion, you should come prepared for the day’s activity, including having access to the textbook and other materials you will need for the day, having carefully read any assigned reading, and being ready to engage in class or group discussions. I expect you to remain involved during the full class period.  Note that I may cold call to assess if you if you did the readings. Your participation grade can be affected by disrespectful, uncivil, or discriminatory behavior. I will evaluate your participation and engagement based on your completion of the responsibilities and activities outlined in the previous paragraph, and I will let you know if your performance is not satisfactory.	Conference Hour refers to the last 30 minutes of each class. During this time, we will work in smaller groups or one-on-one with me on supplemental materials or intensive writing workshops. You must attend your group’s sessions to receive participation credit. You will sign up for a conference hour group (Group A or B) on the first day of class. Conferences are your time to discuss questions or concerns you have about your writing and/or reading for the class and a time to receive more individualized attention and feedback on your learning. You must come prepared with specific questions or concerns.

• Expectations about Attendance

Attend class every day barring ONLY emergencies and illnesses. 

At the beginning of each class, I will pass around an attendance sheet, which you are responsible for signing. I expect that you’ll all be here on time and ready to engage in the day’s activities. This means you should come to class before it starts and you should time your commute well. If you come to class significantly late (after 15+ minutes), it will affect your participation.

Discussion and writing activities during our class meetings are essential to completing the formal assignments, and the goals of the course. If you must miss class, email the instructor to inform them and contact a classmate for any material you’ve missed. (This means getting a classmate’s number/email on the first day or later if you forget!)

• Materials

Bring the readings and course materials to class every day. As this class builds on material from previous sessions, it is best to have all of the material with you each day. If you use an electronic device to take notes or access the readings in class, you are expected to remain in the relevant windows only and wait to respond to messages until the class session is over. I reserve the right to remove students from class and/or penalize the use of non-relevant materials.

• Reading & Homework

Please complete all reading and assignments by the time listed on the syllabus.  

Being prepared for our class meetings asks that you are ready to discuss them either with questions or thoughtful comments. If you have any problems accessing the material and have tried all commonsense approaches (e.g. turning the computer off and on or trying a different browser), notify your instructor immediately and contact a classmate who might have it.

If you are unable to complete your weekly work, please let me know as soon as possible so we can make arrangements. 

• Formal Assignments

All assignments should be submitted in MLA 9th.

Late assignments will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor.  (This means I may not take them!) If you think you are going to miss a deadline, please contact me to make an alternate arrangement. With each passing day, your grade will drop 0.5 points.

• Communication & Email

All students should check Brightspace regularly, at least 3-4 times a week. All communication that happens outside of class will be through Brightspace or my email. The most important rule for writing effective e-mails is to write an informative subject line. Never include a blank subject line since that reflects a lack of thought about the reader’s needs, as well as a lot of people will not open e-mails without a topic. To decrease response time, please begin the Subject line of all emails with ENGL110. Many students ask about how to write an e-mail to an instructor. Here is a quick guide to Email a Professor. For the e-mails that you will send to me, you may address me as Prof. Meha. I welcome emails that are direct questions/ concerns/ comments and more.

• Classroom Behavior

Students are encouraged to question, critique, and challenge the readings, the instructor, and even each other within the classroom context. However, communication in this context must adhere to a certain standard of respect for others. Each student (and the instructor!) is expected to listen with an open mind and communicate dissent or disagreement with clarity and consideration. One can disagree with an idea but not with a person in and of herself. While I do not foresee any problems, I reserve the right to remove from the class students who do not adhere to this standard. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to me if you encounter disrespectful treatment in the classroom.

• Note on AI: As an English professor, I can tell if your writing is organic or AI-written; I do not need plagiarism software for that. I will not accept any written work written by ChatGPT or AI. From the onset, I do not encourage the use of any Al tools in a writing course. I hold the opinion that it may interfere with the organic development of your writing skills. But if you wish to use it, you must acknowledge it. Suppose you use Al tools in a nefarious, unacknowledged, or plagiaristic manner such as generating entire essays. In that case, this will be considered a serious breach of academic integrity and necessary penalties will be sanctioned. If I find that over 60% of your essay is plagiarized, you will get an F. If you wish to use it for idea generation or edit an AI-written paper, you need to speak to me first and we might find a plan for your project.