FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE

❝ Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. ❞

~ RITA MAE BROWN

WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

ON WRITING:

This course focuses on development of thesis-driven essays supported by multiple sources and tailored to a target audience. Students will gain competency in synthesis, analysis and evaluation of multiple sources as well as demonstrate proficiency in conducting research and applying MLA and/or APA format. Students engage in discussions and activities that enhance their understanding of, make connections to and reflect upon diverse cultures, as they examine power structures. The course satisfies the college's General Education requirement for Research Writing. Prerequisite: A Grade of C or higher in College Writing I (ENG-111) or course equivalency.

ON LANGUAGE:

For the purposes of building our critical reading and thinking practices, we will engage several readings on a shared course topic of inquiry: “The Politics of Language.” We will explore questions such as these: What roles do language and literacy play in U.S. society? How do our language backgrounds affect our lived experiences and how we are perceived and treated by others? Who has access to literacy and who/what are the gatekeepers of that access? What are the historical and political implications behind how literacy education is valued and traditionally approached? What is the relationship between literacy and social differences, such as race and culture? How are we—the readers and writers participating in this class—affected by the ways that language and literacy function in the U.S.?

❝ A different language is a different vision of life. ❞

~FEDERICO FELLINI

WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO LEARN?

ON WRITING:

HOW TO:

Analyze, articulate, and synthesize one’s own and other’s assumptions, biases, and experiences in different rhetorical and cultural contexts
Adapt and apply an understanding of multiple world views, experiences, and power structures
Evaluate texts for logical thesis support
Demonstrate information literacy in conducting research
Employ a writing process to create thesis-driven essays supported by multiple sources and tailored to an academic audience
Consistently use MLA and/or APA documentation style

ON LANGUAGE:

SIX PREMISES:

Language is one of the most powerful forces in human culture.
Language supports structures of power and privilege-it helps those in power remain in power, and it prevents others from challenging them.
Language shapes our assumptions and beliefs.
Language can bring some issues and questions to the forefront of our thinking, and make others appear insignificant-or render them invisible.
Language motivates us to act-or keeps us from acting.
Understanding the power of language can be profoundly empowering.

ON POWER:

WE WILL EXPLORE:

How people are judged and treated because of the way they speak.
The ways language influences our thinking about race, gender, sexual orientation, and species.
The persuasive use of language in social media and politics.
The use of language in education and the workplace.
Language as a human rights issue.
The poetry of code-meshing and the importance of linguistic capital.
Our rights as language agents and purveyors of meaning in the classroom and in our lives.

❝ Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation. ❞

~ ANGELA CARTER

THE BASICS

WHEN DO WE MEET?

This course will meet remotely once a week via Zoom during the synchronous meeting times listed below:

ENG-112-11: M 10 AM - 11:15 AM
ENG-112-13HB: M 11:30 - 12:45 PM
ENG-112-18HB: T 10 AM - 11:15 AM

CLICK FOR COURSE TYPES

WHERE DO WE MEET?

This class will not meet face to face on campus. It will meet remotely via Zoom during the scheduled times listed. In addition to class meetings on Zoom, students will participate in independent coursework on Moodle, our course learning platform. Zoom and Moodle require access to the Internet.

CLICK TO JOIN OUR CLASS

WHAT WILL I NEED?

A device with internet access to navigate ZOOM, Google Drive, CANVA, WeVideo, and MOODLE where our weekly readings will be posted
A positive attitude and an open mind
A willingness to learn an grow
A willingness to collaborate with peers and engage with difficult content

click to access moodle

❝ The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. ❞

~ LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

THE FOUNDATIONS

ON DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION:

Ongoing collaboration and dialogue are essential to our course, so it is important that you participate regularly. Participation takes many forms: attending synchronous classes, joining discussions, engaging with the online material, and keeping up with weekly Moodle reflections and assignments. Those who do not participate regularly according to the guidelines may receive limited credit for participation. Of course, I am sensitive to the needs of each and everyone of you. The key to success is frequent and open communication.

In our discussions and dialogues, we will have many opportunities to explore challenging issues and increase our understanding of different perspectives. Our conversations may not always be easy; we might sometimes even make mistakes in our speaking and our listening; sometimes we will need patience or courage or imagination or any number of qualities in combination to engage our texts, our classmates, and our own ideas and experiences. Always we will need respect for others. An additional aim of our course will be for us to increase our facility with the sometimes difficult conversations that arise as we deepen our understandings of multiple perspectives – whatever our backgrounds, experiences, or positions.

ON 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 uses, 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.

ON EQUITY & INCLUSION:

Every student in this class, regardless of background, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, political affiliation, physical or mental ability or any identity category, is a valued and equal member of the group. We all bring different experiences to this class and no one experience has more value or import than another. In fact, it is our different experiences that will enrich the course content. I encourage every student to share their own experiences as they are relevant to the course, but I also stress that no student is ever presumed to speak for anything or anyone more than their own experience or point of view.

Furthermore, in this classroom, you have the right to determine your own identity. You have the right to be called by whatever name you wish, and for that name to be pronounced correctly. You have the right to be referred to by whatever pronoun you identify. You have the right to adjust those things at any point. If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don't hesitate to come and talk with me. I want to be a resource for you. I (like many) am still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it.

ON ACCOMMODATIONS:

There are several Student Support Services available for BHCC students. Click on "Campus Resources" in the main menu or check this website for more information: https://www.bhcc.edu/handbook/supportservices/. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact https://www.bhcc.edu/disabilitysupportservices/disabilitydocumentationguidelines/or call 617-228-2327 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.

ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

All writing submitted for this course is understood to be your original work. In cases where we 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 "Campus Resources" on this site. As part of this course, we will discuss responsible source use practices.

ON MEETING ONLINE:

Meeting as a group online is hard. The out-of-class distractions are higher and not everyone has the sort of space/resources that make meeting online feasible. To whatever extent possible, find some private/quiet space during meetings. I also ask that you please turn off all electronic devices that are not to be used during class time. Keep your “mute” button on if you’re not talking and, whenever possible, keep your video going so that we can see you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re worried about meeting online. For more information see "Zoom Manifesto" on this site.

The above statements have been adopted and adapted from: Monica Linden (Brown University), Alisse Portnoy (University of Michigan), Missy Watson (CCNY), and Matt Fois (Albright College). My gratitude to each of you!

❝ ..if culture was a house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside. Without it, he said, you ended up wayward, without proper home or a legitimate identity. ❞

~ KHALED HOSSEINI

COLLEGE WRITING II

❝ Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. ❞

~ RITA MAE BROWN

WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

ON WRITING:

ON LANGUAGE:

❝ A different language is a different vision of life. ❞

~FEDERICO FELLINI

WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO LEARN?

ON WRITING:

ON LANGUAGE:

ON POWER:

❝ Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation. ❞

~ ANGELA CARTER

THE BASICS

WHEN DO WE MEET?

WHERE DO WE MEET?

WHAT WILL I NEED?

❝ The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. ❞

~ LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

THE FOUNDATIONS

ON DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION:

ON LANGUAGE:

ON EQUITY & INCLUSION:

ON ACCOMMODATIONS:

ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

ON MEETING ONLINE:

❝ ..if culture was a house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside. Without it, he said, you ended up wayward, without proper home or a legitimate identity. ❞

~ KHALED HOSSEINI

*By staying in our course, you agree to all of the above terms, and I agree to keep track of the above details responsibly and enforce them democratically.

COLLEGE WRITING II

❝ Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. ❞ ~ RITA MAE BROWN

WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

​ON WRITING:

​ON LANGUAGE:

​​❝ A different language is a different vision of life. ❞​~FEDERICO FELLINI

WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO LEARN?

​ON WRITING:

​ON LANGUAGE:

​ON POWER:

❝ Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation. ❞ ~ ANGELA CARTER

THE BASICS

WHEN DO WE MEET?

WHERE DO WE MEET?

WHAT WILL I NEED?

❝ The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. ❞ ~ LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

THE FOUNDATIONS

ON ​DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION:

ON LANGUAGE:

​ON EQUITY & INCLUSION:

ON ACCOMMODATIONS:

ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

ON MEETING ONLINE:

❝ ..if culture was a house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside. Without it, he said, you ended up wayward, without proper home or a legitimate identity. ❞ ~ KHALED HOSSEINI

*By staying in our course, you agree to all of the above terms, and I agree to keep track of the above details responsibly and enforce them democratically. ​

❝ Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. ❞

~ RITA MAE BROWN

ON WRITING:

ON LANGUAGE:

❝ A different language is a different vision of life. ❞

~FEDERICO FELLINI

ON WRITING:

ON LANGUAGE:

ON POWER:

❝ Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation. ❞

~ ANGELA CARTER

❝ The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. ❞

~ LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

ON DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION:

ON EQUITY & INCLUSION:

❝ ..if culture was a house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside. Without it, he said, you ended up wayward, without proper home or a legitimate identity. ❞

~ KHALED HOSSEINI

*By staying in our course, you agree to all of the above terms, and I agree to keep track of the above details responsibly and enforce them democratically.