Course Content:

• All materials for this course will be available through the classroom website or in electronic form from the Brooklyn College Library. 
• You should know how to access digital materials through the college library.
• Any materials you need for individual or group projects will be up to you to procure (though I will help.) 
• You may wish to create a free archive.org account to be able to access and borrow additional materials for these projects, or to make use of a public library.
• A few books and recommended books are available in the bookstore for optional purchase, if you prefer a physical book for some of these materials. 

Class Website

• Our class will make use of a website on the CUNY Academic Commons.  
• All of our class readings and assignments are listed and linked on this website.
• The website is set up to have you work through materials in a particular order each class week.   
• The CUNY Academic Commons is a WordPress-based platform that is available to the entire CUNY community.  It allows anyone to create their own website or become an author on another site as you will be for this class.
• You will need access to a CUNY email in order to get set up on the Commons.  After that, you can use any email you wish.
• Most materials on the site are publicly available Open Educational Resources.  You will be making public comments on them
• You will be creating web posts with some of your presentations and assignments.
• By creating posts for your assignments, you will be learning to use the technology that powers upwards of 40% of the internet.
• Any material that needs to be password-protected using the password given to you on the first day of class.

Additional Technology

• You will need access to some kind of device in class (phone, tablet, or laptop) for some in-class activities. Please only use these when asked to do so and not when someone is presenting.  (Class time is not for other schoolwork….)
• I will be asking you to collaborate on assignments digitally while in class or refer to an electronic text.
• We will also be making use of other free technologies such as Kahoot!, Padlet, Google Slides, Jamboards, Documents, etc.
• Zoom – Due to space constraints and scheduling, the best way to meet with me is virtually on Zoom.  I am only physically on campus for the mornings of our class and on Wednesday afternoon.
• If you choose to join the class remotely, I ask that your camera be on.

At no time should access to materials or technology be a prohibiting factor from allowing full engagement in this course.  If you have a concern, please see me privately to work out a solution ahead of time.

CLASS POLICIES/Health & Safety/Modalities

This class is scheduled to meet in person. However, things are flexible.

As we all know, we remain in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Circumstances may cause things to shift collectively or individually.   I have planned this course to allow it to be fully accessible via in-person, online synchronous, and in some cases asynchronous engagement.

Some of the activities traditionally in this course have been reconfigured or continued to be done in a digital form in our present circumstances.

Health and safety are a priority.

• Please do not come to class if you are sick – COVID or otherwise.  That’s why there’s a Zoom link or an asynchronous catch-up. 
• While masking is no longer a requirement, I continue to strongly encourage it whenever possible. 
• If you are wearing a mask – where a good one and do it properly.  Be like the good doggy.
• Please follow any advised quarantine guidelines and precautions.
• If you need to be out for any health or safety reasons, please let me know.
• Ongoing uncertainty affects everyone differently.  Please be gentle with one another.

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Synchronous Zoom Sessions

A synchronous zoom session will be available for any class meeting. I will try to make the experience as equitable to in-person as I can.  Please have your camera on if you are Zooming in and be ready to fully participate.

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GENERAL CLASS  POLICIES:

1. Your safety and wellness, physical and mental, are paramount.
2. It’s ok to make mistakes, not succeed at something, try something out, etc., because that is how you learn.
3. Ask questions! Questions lead to further learning and exploration. If it isn’t the right moment, write it down to ask later.
4. Participating doesn’t just mean speaking up, it’s also listening and online discussion.
5. Listen and respond to each other, not just me.
6. Have good intentions for your fellow students. Therefore, assume good intentions from your fellow students.
7. Give your classmates your full attention when they present, either in-person or virtually.
8. If someone pushes back on something you said, listen before reacting.
9.  No “devil’s advocate.” The Devil is not registered for this class. 
10.  No, “some people say.” Which people?
11.  Refer to the text(s) directly to make your points. 
12. We are all busy people; let’s start (and end) on time despite the best efforts of the MTA.
13. If we are on Zoom – you know the drill by now. 
14. Anything not up here? Let’s add it on day one, or day 31.

Read. 

It truly is the best way to learn.  You will be reading a lot.  This class will present with a broad range of literature that has been written for young people.  We will be thinking about how and why certain stories have been presented to children and why some stories continue to be told.  Some of what has been given to children to read historically may surprise and even shock you.  We will be encountering difficult and troubling material in this course. I will try to give heads up when possible and you can always speak to me about materials.

Write. 

Reading and Presentations are the basis of this course, but the ability to communicate ideas in writing is a vital skill that needs continuous practice to build and maintain. Academic writing is a way for you to respond to the views around you and synthesize them with your thoughts creating new knowledge that can be shared.  This process is one of the most challenging things that we can do as human beings. It involves constant decision-making.  Good academic writing requires you to hold multiple pieces of information in your brain, think about what they mean,  and anticipate a potential reader (even if it is just yourself!) to whom you have to explain the connections that underlie your thinking.  Even though writing may seem like a solitary process, it never really is.  The best writing is collaborative somewhere in the process and goes through edits.   Expect throughout the semester to share your writing not only with me but also with your peers. 

• Throughout the course material, you will see different questions and prompts in the course materials that you will be responding to in short informal ways either online or in class.
• You will be doing one research project resulting in an annotated bibliography. 
• You will write 2 formal short papers of approximately 3 pages each.  (This is part of the course module responses instead.)
• There will be a final 2-page self-reflection for the course. 
• Please be sure to edit your work. You will be partnered for each assignment for peer editing in class, and a draft is due one week before the final due date so that you and your partner can work together. 
• Full directions will be included on the class site for all assignments. 

Engage. 

This class aims to improve your presentation skills and your facility with speaking about and using literature. This will necessitate active participation and listening to your peers.  This course is also about tapping into your creative energies.

   Participate.   

• There will be discussions as a class and as smaller groups.  
• There will also be activities that we do collectively in class, or at home as part of the course materials that work on utilizing the voice and body.  You may feel silly about this at times.  Embrace it!

Performances/Presentations

Performances are the basis of this course. These are where you will put into action the presentation skills that this course is meant to focus on.

• There will be five total presentations of approximately five minutes each.
  • Most of these will be with material of your choice, but one presentation will be on an assigned book related to a class topic.
• You will deliver these in a combination of in-person and video formats
• Presentations should all be between 3-6 minutes in length total. Don’t hog the mic…
• The goal of the performance assignments is to work on performance and presentation skills and introduce the class to a range of different materials. 
• Try things out! Experiment! Be creative! 
• REHEARSE. It helps.
• Don’t be afraid to not to have something work out just right. 
• The performances are meant to be learning experiences, not perfection. 
• Performances will almost always include an introductory context where you offer us an oral analysis of the material you are presenting.
• Please pay close attention to the directions for each assignment. 
• You may be asked to submit your performance choices ahead of time. This will help me guide you and warn you if something may not work for the assignment parameters. 
• Everyone starts from a different comfort level in creating these performances. Please be respectful to one another. 
• Video presentations do not have to be elaborate, we are looking at your presentation skills, not your house.  
  • They can be recorded on your phone, by you, by someone else, etc.
  • The focus is on developing your skill as a storyteller and reader, not on additional effects or video production.  
  • Don’t feel like you have to take multiple takes or do any editing.
  • YOU are the focus, not a book’s text or even images.
    

Listen/Give and Recieve Feedback

• I will give feedback in-class or digitally on your performances.  Listen and consider how you might apply it to your own performances.  
• I might ask you to try something again with something specific in mind. Do your best and give it a try. 
• Before I give feedback, I will ask you to give feedback and constructive criticism to each other.  
  • Do you tend to do something that they are doing? How do you overcome it? Do you have a question for the presenter (or me) about how to do something that you see and like? What might help the presenter go further the next time? 
  • Do you have a question or comment about the material that they are presenting? Ask it!
  • Try to be specific and limit criticism to one point or idea, but ask as many questions and give as many compliments as you wish! 

   

  

• We have a limited amount of time together over the semester. Use it.   
• If you are physically sick, STAY HOME, this will not count against your grade. 
• You can always join class via Zoom on any given day (a head’s up email is always appreciated.)
• If you are scheduled to present but will be joining by Zoom you can either present via Zoom or post a video by the end of the day of your presentation. 
• If you are really sick – don’t feel like you have to Zoom in. Get well.
• If this causes you to miss more than two sessions in a row, we’ll discuss an asynchronous make-up option.   
• If you email me to let me know that you’ll be absent, I appreciate it, but may not always have a moment to respond..  
• Everyone needs a mental health day now and then; you get one, no questions asked.  This does not excuse you from turning in any assignments.
• You will be allowed to make up presentations for excused absences – we will determine how. 
• Unexcused absences and excessive lateness will factor into our final grade assessment.
• Ongoing COVID situations and online accessibility may alter this policy and we will discuss changes and accommodations as needed in class.

In this course we will be using a form of  what has become known as “ungrading.”  More appropriately, however, it should be called “alternative assessment.”

Extensive research has shown that grading is often prohibitive of deeper learning and reinforces existing biases and injustices. Materials on this will be on our course site and discussed in further detail – to start you may wish to read: https://tinyurl.com/7h2j2udy. Grades encourage distance from the learning process, can inhibit creativity, and reify structural hierarchies of race, gender, and class. 

In choosing to give consistent qualitative feedback and not assign letter grades, I hope to encourage you to engage with this course more deeply and without consideration of a final point outcome. Brooklyn College does require a final grade for the course, which you will determine based on your own outcome in the course.  You are in control of your final grade, but you must earn it and show me how you have. 

You know when you are doing the bare minimum or when you are giving it your all and fully engaged. You know not only when you have been attending class but the attention you’ve given. You know if you need an extension on a written assignment. That’s fine; it happens.  I’d rather you engage with the work fully than rushed and at the last minute. That said, if you turn in late work, I will not be able to give it back to you with the same timeliness and thoroughness as if you submit it on time. You will also not be able to engage in peer feedback, a vital part of the learning process.   I would also expect that you will take excessive absences, lateness, and late assignments as part of your thinking about your overall course grade. 

In lieu of a final exam, you will write a detailed self-reflection and you and I will meet to discuss the justification for the grade you will give yourself.  In nearly all past cases, students and I have immediately agreed with the grade that they have given themselves.   In the rare event that we do not agree we will discuss why and possible options to bring your grade in line with your thinking or come to a mutually agreeable grade. 

Below is a breakdown of course components and a holistic rubric to help guide you. 

Engagement with readings and assignments	20%
Short Papers (2)	15%
Annotated Bibliography	15%
Presentations (5)	40%
Class Engagement	10%
Self Reflection	n/a	Required to receive a grade in the course

	ENGAGE	READ	WRITE
A	I came to all classes.  I was an active contributor in discussions and in-class activities.I was an equal participant in group activitiesI embraced the creative assignments.I tried all the vocal exercises.I rehearsed my presentations.I took a lot away from the course.	I did all the readings.I responded to readings throughout to express my own ideas and questions as I read.I investigated and explored when I didn’t understand something.I contemplated and absorbed complicated ideas.	I submitted all the written work on time.I put my all into the work I submitted.I engaged critically in my writing.I made thoughtful and careful edits.I know my work was consistently strong.
B.	I came to all or most classes.  I contributed to discussion and in-class activities at least some of the time.I was an equal participant in my group projects.I put some effort into the creative assignments.I tried some of the vocal exercises.I could have put a little bit more in some areas.I took quite a bit away from the course.	I did most of the readings.I responded to some prompts, but just the minimum required.I engaged with most of the readings but didn’t always process them fully.	I submitted all the written work mostly on time.I put in the effort required to complete them.I could have gone a bit deeper in analysis.I made the recommended edits.I know my work was good but could be improved further.
C	I came to most classes.  I rarely contributed to discussion, but I did the in-class activities.I didn’t contribute as much as I could to the group project; I let them carry me.I did the creative assignments but without a lot of effort.I could have a lot more into this class overall.I took some away from the course.	I did some of the readings.I didn’t really engage with any discussion online.I didn’t really engage with the readings in any depth.	I submitted most of the written work; often late.I put the minimum effort in to complete them. I didn’t really use the assignments to learn and connect with the course.I didn’t do any editing.I know my work was average at best.
D	I showed up for a lot of classes.I didn’t really pay attention. I disappeared from the group project.I really didn’t do much in terms of the assignments.I didn’t take away almost anything from the course.	I pretended I did some reading or I read a couple of modules.I didn’t participate in any discussion in the modules..	I turned in less than three assignments.I didn’t turn in a self-reflection or meet with the professor.
F	I came a few times. I actively distracted or hindered my group or the class.I probably should have withdrawn.	There was a website? Readings?	I did nothing.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: 

Official BC policy: The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies.  If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation. Students should be aware that faculty may use plagiarism detection software.

My Addendum: Plagiarism is the representation of work that is not your own as yours via lack of citation, improper citation, direct copying, etc. I expect you to properly cite material for this course in a style of your choice. (I recommend MLA or Chicago based on the materials we will be using. 

Official BC policy: The Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) is committed to ensuring students with disabilities enjoy an equal opportunity to participate at Brooklyn College. In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations, students must first be registered with CSDS. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to schedule an interview by calling (718) 951-5538 or emailing [email protected] If you have already registered with CSDS, email [email protected] or [email protected] to ensure accommodation emails are sent to your professor.

My Addendum:

I do my best to make my materials as accessible as possible.  I am aware that the process of seeking official accommodations is challenging and may take a prolonged time.  If you have a specific need that is not already being met, please let me know, regardless of official status. Accessible accommodation is something that we should all default to and that we will work as a class to increase.