(Image of Emily Dickinson’s fascicles)

Here you will find a sample English 307 syllabus from the Fall of 2023. Course readings fluctuate by semester, yet the course’s basic structural elements do not (at least for now). Below are some highlights from the syllabus that give a sense of how the class is pedagogically positioned.

Letter to Students on the First Day:

Hi all. Before I go about listing more information on this syllabus, I want to begin by writing a brief, open-ended letter to you. I do this in order to set the tone for the semester and to let you know that I want this class itself to be an open-ended invitation for us to learn, think, inquire, struggle, strive, and even dream together. As a teacher, I deeply value every student’s unique perspective and contribution to the learning community that is our classroom. And while I am “the professor” in this class, I am certainly not the proprietor of any exclusive or privileged body of knowledge. For me, this is not what teaching is or should be about. Rather, as a teacher, my ultimate goal is to help others open doors to their own intellectual and creative freedom, not to police or gate-keep those doors. Knowledge making is world making. As such, it is for anyone and everyone. My pledge to you this semester is that I will try to conduct myself in a way that upholds these general principles and values (even though I may fall short at times). What I expect from you in return (beyond striving to meet the basic course requirements listed below) is simply that you try to make something meaningful out of your learning experience and time in this class, and that you invest in your own critical thinking, following it in whatever direction/s it may take you. And please let me know how I can best support you in this process. 

Yours sincerely,
Austin Bailey

 

Learning Goals/Outcomes:
Demonstrate knowledge about, and familiarity with, key themes and ideas in the American literature texts covered

Show analytical facility with one or more texts/authors through student writing and/or multimodal projects that engage texts creatively as well as critically  

Be able to discuss at least some of the historical events and contexts in which the literature of the periods covered was produced   

Demonstrate the ability, through both writing and class discussion, to analyze and close-read literary texts

Demonstrate the capacity for self-reflection and metacognitive self-awareness about one’s learning, particularly by way of completing the ungrading process (as detailed below)

Course Encouragements:
In addition to course requirements, I like to list some course encouragements. Course encouragements are less about requirements you need to meet and more about things you might do to care for yourself. Truthfully, I think of all learning as an invitation to gain something, not as a potential to demonstrate one’s lack of something (which, sadly, is how education is too-often framed). Let’s work towards co-learning with that idea in mind. To that end, here are some course encouragements:

Try to find some joy in the work you do. I realize this is not always easy or even realistic. But I think it is worth reflecting on what gives you joy: on what makes the work you do in this class enjoyable for you and see if you can’t cultivate that practice to help you learn. 

Be kind to yourself; practice self-care in ways that work best for you. Think about what you should do (or not do) to be kind and forgiving to yourself, and don’t be afraid to tell me how I might be able to help you in this area. 

Try not to worry about being an “expert.” This class is not about judgment or expertise, it’s about critical engagement and finding out what interests you. One of the most common things I hear from students who seldom speak in class—students who write phenomenal papers with wonderful insights—is that they are afraid to sound unintelligent compared to their classmates. Ironically, it’s very likely that any one of their classmates could be having the same exact fear. This doesn’t mean that I expect you to speak up. I understand students can feel more comfortable listening, and that participation depends on a lot of (often hidden) factors. However, I encourage you to try to practice non-judgment toward yourself and to avoid holding yourself to impossible (and likely arbitrary) standards. 

Read with a purpose, that is, actively rather than passively. I encourage you to read slowly, deliberately, and to ask questions about the text as you go along. It helps to write these questions down, as well as make underlines in the text for passages you find important or interesting. Even if you are not able to read all of the assigned material, it is best to carefully and closely read at least some of the material. I would argue that doing so is better than reading too quickly or carelessly for total coverage. The reading this semester is fairly short but challenging. I encourage everyone to reflect on your reading process. What do you do when you read? Do you take notes in the margins? Do you google the author and view their Wikipedia page? Do you see what other people have said or written about an author or text online? Do you verbalize your thoughts back to yourself or to someone else? Do you journal? Do you post Facebook or Twitter posts about your reading? All of these things are strategies for interacting meaningfully with the texts. It’s important that you discover for yourself what your best reading process is and try as much as you can to utilize it. That said, it is always better to read something rather than nothing. See if you can’t come to class with at least one idea to contribute to discussion.

Ungrading the Classroom:
I practice something called “ungrading,” a pedagogy that strives to decenter grades as the primary means of assessment. We will read and discuss the blog post below on ungrading by Jesse Stommel as a way of familiarizing ourselves with some of ungrading’s core ideas and beliefs. We will discuss it, and pedagogy in general, during our first week of class. 

https://www.jessestommel.com/why-i-dont-grade/

Instead of receiving grades, students in this class will submit two reflective writings for the whole semester, which I call Learning Narratives (LNs): one at the midterm point and one at the end of the semester. Both of these informal assignments are generally open-ended but should respond to two separate prompts (see below). These LNs will serve as markers of your learning progress and process. They will also enable us to engage in a dialogue about your learning, which will lead us to an alternative way of assessing educational growth beyond grades. 

Since grades must be assigned for this course (as CUNY is a grade-giving institution), you will be asked to assign yourself a tentative grade, both in your midterm and end-of-term LN. These grades will apply not to any individual assignments but rather to your overall course performance. In other words, you are reflecting on yourself holistically. I will offer you feedback on your formal writing assignments but I will read your LNs first so that they color my perspective on your writing. This is a deliberate act; it is a way of putting you in control of your own learning narrative and asking me to be responsive to it. LNs are informal writing assignments, so I will not offer much feedback beyond a comment or two. 

I aim to have minimal intervention in your process when it comes to your LNs. I will only step in if I think you are evaluating yourself too harshly (which happens more than you might think) or if I feel that your self-reflection is significantly out of synch with what I’m seeing in the classroom and in your essays. Each LN will be submitted simultaneously with your formal essay assignments/projects when those are due. 

Midterm Learning Narrative:

Tell me a story about who you are as a student. 

How does this class fit into that story?

You might discuss why you are in college, what you’re interested in achieving with your degree, and how this class fits into your broader educational goals. 

What, for instance, do you value most about your education? How might this class play some role (big or small) in achieving it? 

Based on these reflections, what overall (tentative) course grade do you think you have earned at this point in the term?

Please reflect on and answer these questions holistically, without itemizing them. I am interested in your thoughts about this as a process, so please do not feel like you have to justify your course grade. As mentioned above, you are not on trial. This activity is meant to be an open-ended and thoughtful exchange. I am genuinely curious about your own reflections on your learning process. My goal is to let your Learning Narrative guide the feedback I give you on your formal essays, and to have the opportunity to get to know you as a student better. Remember, too, that you do not have to share any information you are not comfortable sharing. What you write about is completely your choice. 

Final Learning Narrative:

Now that we have come to the end of the semester, reflect briefly on the work you’ve done, all that you have learned (if you stop and think, it’s probably more than you realize), and your previous LN. 

What has transpired? 

Do you feel as if you have achieved your goal/s this semester and have those goals changed? If they have changed, how and why? 

Lastly, what is one thing about your learning experience in this class that you will always remember? 

Based on these reflections, what overall course grade do you think you have earned?