The following course are offered by Academic Literacy and Linguistics Department
Academic & Critical Reading
- This introductory college level reading course emphasizes improved reading comprehension through the practice of literal, inferential and critical reading skills, vocabulary development, writing, flexible reading rates, and study skills. A variety of materials is used to enrich students??A? basic understanding of reading.
- This advanced reading course is designed to help students master a full range of college-level reading and related skills, including critical comprehension, vocabulary, writing, flexible rates of reading, and study strategies. A variety of college-level materials is used.
- Literacy in American Society asks students to investigate the varieties of literacy behaviors in American society as sociocultural phenomena. Students will be exposed to the research of major scholars in the interdisciplinary field of literacy research (e.g., New Literacy Studies) as a means of considering the role literacy and literacy behavior plays, both historically and in a contemporary context, in a diverse American society. Students will analyze the various definitions of literacy and track the development of multiple literacies in American society, specifically studying the transmission of literacy as a cultural value, particularly in oppressed communities. The course will provide the students with the opportunity to analyze and reflect on their personal relationship with literacy and opportunities for upward mobility in a stratified United States.
- This course combines Literacy in American Society: Contexts & Practices (ACR 150) with Academic and Critical Reading. Literacy in American Society asks students to investigate the varieties of literacy behaviors in American society as sociocultural phenomena. Students will be exposed to the research of major scholars in the interdisciplinary field of literacy research (e.g., New Literacy Studies) as a means of considering the role literacy and literacy behavior plays, both historically and in a contemporary context, in a diverse American society. Students will analyze the various definitions of literacy and track the development of multiple literacies in American society, specifically studying the transmission of literacy as a cultural value, particularly in oppressed communities. The course will provide the students with the opportunity to analyze and reflect on their personal relationship with literacy and opportunities for upward mobility in a stratified United States. Students will receive an earned grade in ACR 150.5 that is equivalent to a grade earned in ACR 150.
This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing ACR 150.5 meets the reading proficiency milestone requirement; students who pass ACR 150.5 are exempt from further developmental reading courses. ACR 150.5 may not be taken by students who have passed ACR 150 or ACR 95 or are exempt from Reading. - In this course, students will examine how, in both “developed” and “developing” contexts, local, national, and global policies and institutions affect an individual’s socialization into and acquisition of literacy (e.g., in educational and social contexts). Specifically, students will examine how socialization into and acquisition of literacy relate to the civic participation and socioeconomic opportunities of members of marginalized and minority communities (e.g., communities organized around gender, class, colonial status, race/ethnicity/tribal affiliation, sexuality, and/or religious sect). Students will analyze, through intersectional and postcolonial lenses, how cultural conventions (e.g., norms, prejudices, hierarchies, and traditions) influence and are influenced by local, national, and global policies related to literacy practices and education (particularly as they relate to gender). Further, students will examine how, in an increasingly globalized and neocolonial world, conceptions of and access to literacies can affect a) the maintenance of cultural values and practices and b) an individual’s rights, agency, and mobility (particularly as these phenomena relate to gender). Emphasis will be on how literacy acquisition, civic participation, social justice, and socioeconomic opportunities relate to how gendered individuals are valued, perceived, and defined in various cultural contexts.
- This course is designed to help students understand a) how diverse children and adolescents learn, acquire, and utilize literacy skills and engage in literacy practices in varied contexts and b) how to support children's literacy and development through culturally relevant practices. Students will analyze how cultural values affect beliefs about what it means to be literate in childhood and adolescence, and students will examine the relationship between cultural values, literacy practices, families, and communities. Students will practice meaningful strategies that will help them understand how to integrate literacy into family and community-based settings.
- Through this course, students will learn about diverse perspectives about language and literacy development, specifically atypical development, of children (birth through adolescence). Students will confront questions facing scholars regarding typical and atypical development as well as the nature of typical and atypical second and multiple language development. Specific attention will be paid to language disorders, language delays, dyslexia and developmental disorders related to language and literacy. Prerequisites: ENG 100.5 or ENG 101 or Departmental Approval
Critical Thinking
- Critical Thinking (Same as CRT 100) is designed to develop the mind and help students learn to think clearly and effectively. Through substantive readings, structured writing assignments and ongoing discussions, students will examine concrete examples from their own experience and readings and contemporary issues in the media to learn how to analyze issues, solve problems, and make informed decisions in their academic, professional, and personal lives.
- This course combines Critical Thinking (CRT 100) with Academic and Critical Reading and Writing. Critical Thinking is designed to develop the mind and help sharpen students' ability to think clearly, logically, thoroughly, critically, and effectively. Through substantive readings, structured writing assignments and ongoing discussions, students will learn to use analytical skills in reading, writing, oral presentations, researching, and listening. Students will examine concrete examples from their own experience and readings and contemporary issues in the media to learn how to analyze issues, solve problems, and make informed decisions their academic, professional, and personal lives. While studying Critical Thinking, students will also study advanced level reading and writing to master and apply a full range of college-level reading and writing skills, including critical comprehension, flexible rates of reading, essay organization, paragraph development, sentence structure, vocabulary and word choice, content, and study strategies. Students will receive an earned grade in CRT 100.5 which is equivalent to a grade earned in CRT 100.
This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing CRT 100.5 meets the reading and writing proficiency milestone requirements; students who pass CRT 100.5 are exempt from further developmental reading and writing courses. CRT 100.5 may not be taken by students who have passed CRT 100 or ACR 95 or are exempt from Reading and Writing. - This course combines CRT 100 and ESL 95. As a CRT 100 course, this class is designed to develop the mind and help sharpen students' ability to think clearly, logically, thoroughly, critically, and effectively. Through substantive readings, structured writing assignments and ongoing discussions, students will learn to use analytical skills in reading, writing, oral presentations, researching, and listening. Students will examine concrete examples from their own experience and readings and contemporary issues in the media to learn how to analyze issues, solve problems, and make informed decisions in their academic, professional, and personal lives. As an ESL 95 course, this is an intensive writing class for ESL students, which focuses on basic components of effective writing, including essay organization, paragraph development, sentence structure, word choice, and content. Students read and respond to a variety of texts and use argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing. To pass this course and continue on to English 101, students must receive a passing score on the CUNY Assessment Test in Writing (CATW). CRT 100.6 may not be taken by students who have passed CRT 100 or ESL 95 or are exempt from Writing.
- In this course, students will build and apply critical thinking skills, including making and evaluating arguments, to questions of social inequalities, especially those related to race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Using a variety of historical, literary and theoretical texts, students will look at ways that existing power structures benefit some groups and limit or oppress others. Students will be asked to reflect on their own experiences and attitudes and consider what they can do to build a more just and equal society.
- This course develops students' abilities to reason well about scientific claims, scientific research, and the nature, value, and limits of scientific inquiry. To reason well about scientific claims, students understand and apply central scientific concepts, such as experiment, explanation, cause, effect, correlation, random sampling, testability, prediction, verification, and falsification. In addition, students evaluate instances of reasoning with such concepts by evaluating arguments for and against scientific claims and assessing the significance of possible outcomes of experiments. To reason well about the nature, value, and limits of scientific inquiry, students are introduced to central issues in the philosophy of science, such as the demarcation between science and pseudo-science, the reliability of scientific research, and the (un)reasonableness of beliefs about claims, such as moral and other normative claims, that fall outside the scope of sciences.
- This course engages students in critical inquiry through the lenses of queer theories (e.g., theories related to the LGBTQI + spectra). Emphasizing how queer theories help thinkers across disciplines engage in observing, viewing/positioning, examining, analyzing, and constructing queer subjects, this course asks students to examine how, within and between disciplines, a) thinkers' perceptions and investigations are influenced by ideologies related to queerness and b) thinkers employ queer theories to create diverse ways of seeing/thinking, constructing/creating about the body, gender, sex/sexuality/sexual identities. Particular attention will be paid to how queer subjects have been pathologized and marginalized and how ideologies about queer populations affect reception of creative, scholarly, and professional works.
- Critical Thinking and Media Literacy is designed to help students become truth-seekers in the world of new media. Students develop a critical understanding of the nature of diverse media discourses – including aims to inform, entertain, and persuade – and evaluate their contents for veracity. This course exposes the students to two sets of basic concepts: First, epistemic concepts such as truth, falsity, knowledge, and belief; and second, media concepts, including both traditional (e.g., news, commentary, reporting) and contemporary ones (e.g., social networks, new media, fake news, click-bait). In addition, it provides them with analytical methods to interpret different kinds of media contents, as well as to write critical medial analysis.
English as a Second Language
- This course is designed to support the improvement of writing skills of ESL 54 students. It is obligatory for one semester for all incoming ESL students whose placement shows a need for instruction at this level.
Corequisite: ESL 54 - This course is designed to improve the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of beginning and low-intermediate level students. It is obligatory for one semester for all incoming ESL students whose placement shows a need for instruction at this level.
Corequisite: ESL 49 - This is a high-intermediate level course that combines listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Narrative and descriptive writing are emphasized and expository writing is introduced.
- This advanced level course emphasizes writing and reading skills; however, oral skills are not neglected. In writing, students focus on introducing, developing, supporting, and organizing their ideas in expository essays as well as in narrative and descriptive writing.
- This intensive writing course for ESL students focuses on basic components of effective writing, including paragraph development and structure, sentence structure, word choice, and content. Students read and respond to a variety of texts and use argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing.
- ESL 96 is an intensive reading and writing course for ESL students. It focuses on basic components of effective writing, including essay organization, paragraph development, sentence structure, word choice, and content. Students read and respond to a variety of texts and use argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing. This course is designed to help students master and apply a full range of college-level reading, and related skills, including critical comprehension, vocabulary, writing, flexible rates of reading, and study strategies. A variety of college-level materials is used.
Linguistics
- This course will introduce the student to the study of Language and Culture. The course will introduce related topics, such as bilingual/bidialectal families and bilingual education, language and gender, literacy in a changing, technological society, child language acquisition, and different dialects and registers of English. The readings will draw on works in linguistics, literature and related fields. Students will work on critical reading and produce writing based on the readings in connections with their own experiences and backgrounds.
- This course combines LIN 100 and ACR 95. As a LIN 100 class, this course will introduce students to the study of language in multicultural urban settings. The course will introduce related topics, such as bilingual/bidialectal families and bilingual education, language and gender, literacy in a changing, technological society, child language acquisition, and different dialects and registers of English. The readings will draw on works in linguistics, literature and related fields. Students will work on critical reading and produce writing based on the readings in connection with their own experiences and backgrounds. As an ACR 95 course, this advanced level reading class is designed to help students master and apply a full range of college-level reading, and related skills, including critical comprehension, vocabulary, writing, flexible rates of reading, and study strategies. A variety of college-level materials is used.
Students who passed this course have passed the equivalent of LIN 100/ANT 115 and have exempted from ACR.
Please Note: This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content.
Course Syllabus - This course combines Language and Culture (LIN 100) and Intensive Writing (ESL 95). This course will introduce the student to the study of Language and Culture. The course will introduce related topics, such as bilingual/bidialectal families and bilingual education, language and gender, literacy in a changing, technological society, child language acquisition, and different dialects and registers of English. The readings will draw on works in linguistics, literature and related fields. Students will work on critical reading and produce writing based on the readings in connections with their own experiences and backgrounds. Students will receive an earned grade in LIN 100.6 that is equivalent to a grade earned in LIN 100.This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing LIN100.6 meets the writing proficiency milestone requirement; students who pass LIN 100.6 are exempt from further ESL courses. LIN 100.6 may not be taken by students who have passed LIN 100 or ESL 95 or are exempt from ESL courses.
- This course will introduce students to linguistics, the scientific study of language. Students will apply methods of scientific inquiry (including the scientific method) to linguistic systems (phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic) and language phenomena and events. Specifically, students will engage in observation of linguistic phenomena, collection of data, generation and testing of hypotheses, analysis of and interpretations of data, application and evaluation of theory, in order to form conclusions about linguistic phenomena.
- This course combines Introduction to Linguistics (LIN 101) and Intensive Writing (ESL 95). This course will introduce students to linguistics, the scientific study of language. Students will apply methods of scientific inquiry (including the scientific method) to linguistic systems (phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic) and language phenomena and events. Specifically, students will engage in observation of linguistic phenomena, collection of data, generation and testing of hypotheses, analysis of and interpretations of data, application and evaluation of theory, in order to form conclusions about linguistic phenomena. Students will receive an earned grade in LIN 101.6 that is equivalent to a grade earned in LIN 101. This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing LIN 101.6 meets the writing proficiency milestone requirement; students who pass LIN 101.6 are exempt from further ESL courses. LIN 101.6 may not be taken by students who have passed LIN 101 or ESL 95 or are exempt from ESL courses.
- This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the grammatical structures of standard American English, allowing them to read, write, and interpret written texts critically and efficiently Through analysis and discovery, students will learn to evaluate the grammaticality of the written work they produce in their academic coursework. In addition, students will explore a variety of writing genres and styles, and learn to manipulate language more effectively, enriching both their production and understanding of written texts.
- This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the sound system of English, with a focus on Standard American English and non-standard dialects of American English. The course will introduce students to the physical production of sounds as well as the mental perception of sounds and how they pattern in English, allowing students to notice and identify the distinct sounds of English, and to develop an awareness of the rich variation within the language. The course will also introduce students to phonetic transcription, highlighting the contrast between sound and spelling, particularly in English.
- The survey course will introduce students to varieties of English around the world. (e.g., African and Caribbean varieties of English, English based Pidgins and Creoles). Students will be introduced to theories of language variation, examine forces that contribute to variation (e.g., colonization, language contact, and globalization), and describe the impact of English on other languages. Attitudes toward different varieties of English will be explored, with students analyzing how we perceive varieties of English and how these perceptions affect linguistic identities and ideologies. Implications of global variations of English for educational practices and language learning will also be discussed.
- This course combines World/Global Englishes (LIN 140) with Academic and Critical Reading. The survey course will introduce students to varieties of English around the world (e.g., African and Caribbean varieties of English, English based Pidgins and Creoles). Students will be introduced to theories of language variation, examine forces that contribute to variation (e.g., colonization, language contact, and globalization), and describe the impact of English on other languages. Attitudes toward different varieties of English will be explored, with students analyzing how we perceive varieties of English and how these perceptions affect linguistic identities and ideologies. Students will receive an earned grade in LIN 140.4 that is equivalent to a grade earned in LIN 140.
This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing LIN 140.4 is equivalent to passing ACR 94, and students will be eligible to register for ACR 95 or an ACR 95 co-requisite course. LIN 140.4 may not be taken by students who have passed LIN 140 or ACR 94 or ACR 95 or are exempt from Reading. - This course explores historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language, race, and ethnicity in the United States and its territories. It examines how language is understood to reflect, reproduce, and/or challenge and defy racial and ethnic boundaries, and how ideas about race and ethnicity influence the ways in which people use and construe language. It covers topics such as racialization and racism, ethnicization, notions of authenticity, repertoire, codeswitching and style shifting, linguistic mocking and linguistic racism, language ideology, and identity formation. This course will examine language varieties such as Black American English and its cross-racial uses by other groups, Chicano English and Spanglish, Hawaiian English, and American Indian English.
- This course combines Language, Race, and Ethnicity in the US and its Territories (LIN 150) and Academic & Critical Reading. As a LIN 150 course, students in this class Will explore historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives on the between language, race, and ethnicity In the United States and its territories. This course examines how language is understood to reflect, reproduce, and/or challenge and defy racial and ethnic boundaries, and how ideas about race and ethnicity Influence the ways in which people use and construe language. It covers topics such as racialization and racism, ethnicization, notions of authenticity, repertoire, codeswitching and style shifting, linguistic mocking and linguistic racism, language ideology, and identity formation. This course will examine language varieties such as Black American English and its cross-racial uses by other groups, Chicano English and Spanglish, Asian American English, Hawaiian English, and American Indian English. As an ACR 95 course, this advanced level reading class is designed to help students master and apply a full range of college-level reading, and related skills, including critical comprehension, vocabulary, writing, flexible rates of reading, and study strategies. A variety of college-level materials are used.
This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Students will receive an earned grade in LIN 150.5 which is equivalent to a grade earned in LIN 150. Passing LIN 150.5 meets the reading proficiency milestone requirement; students who pass LIN 150.5 are exempt from further developmental reading courses. LIN 150.5 may not be taken by students who have passed LIN 150 or ACR 95 or are exempt from Reading. - The first part of this course introduces students to theories of first language acquisition (e.g., developmental sequence, innateness hypothesis). In the second part of the course, students will become familiar with the theories of second language acquisition and factors such as motivation, age, learning styles that affect language learning. Students will develop an awareness of processes involved in language acquisition, both first and second. Prerequisites: Any 100-level LIN course or Department Approval
- This introductory course provides an overview of the psychological, social, and political aspects of bilingualism. Topics covered include definitions of bilingualism, language development in bilingual children, the linguistic behaviors of bilingual speakers, language loss and maintenance, and socio-political issues pertaining to bilingual language policy and planning. Prerequisites: ENG 100.5 or ENG 101 or Any 100-level LIN course or Departmental Approval
- This course will provide students with an understanding of the theoretical foundations and principles of language instruction and language learning. Special emphasis will be on studying pedagogical approaches to TESOL that address the learning needs of diverse language learners in multiple settings (e.g. one-on-one or small group tutoring vs. classroom). Topics will include relationships between and identities of practitioners and learners (e.g. racial, ethnic, linguistic, typical and atypical), research-based methodologies, teaching for productive and receptive language skills, and the relationship between curriculum planning, assessment, and feedback. Prerequisites: [ENG 100.5 or ENG 101] and LIN 120 or Departmental Approval
- Through this course, students will analyze how power manifests itself through language and how people use language to create, reproduce, or resist/defy power. By studying the relationship between language and capital, language and institutionalized oppression (e.g. racism, ethnocentrism), and language and activism, students will explore the relationship between language, inequity, domination, and resistance. Students will analyze, through applying Critical Discourse Analysis to language events related to politics, policy, media, and institutional interaction, the power and perceived value of certain dialects and languages (e.g., discrimination towards and ideologies about languages/dialects). Students will engage with relevant critical social and linguistic theories relating to power. Prerequisites: ENG 100.5 or ENG 101 or Any 100-level LIN course or Departmental Approval
- This three credit, 200-level course will explore the complex relationship between language and the law. The course critically considers the role of language and its power in the legal process. Three branches of forensic linguistics (handwriting, phonology, and discourse analysis) will be discussed. We will examine the work of dialectologists, creolists, and graphologists who have used linguistic evidence to interpret evidence (e.g., blackmail and ransom notes), and voice and spectrogram analysis will also be discussed. The course will also examine how linguists are involved in the legal process when they serve as expert witnesses. Prerequisite: ENG 201
- This course introduces students to the study of language events related to gender and sexuality. Practicing framing, speech act analysis, and discourse analysis, students will examine the relationship between cultural values, language, gender, and sexuality. Students will analyze, with examples from global languages, how gender and sexuality affect language use and communities of practice as well as language affects understandings of gender and sexuality. Prerequisite: [ENG 100.5 or ENG 101] and LIN 100; or departmental approval
