CUNY ENG112 Complete Course Latest 2021 January (No Quiz)

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Response to Reading #1

What are your thoughts after reading "The Pros and Cons of Gentrification"? What information was most interesting? Why?

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Response to Reading #2

What are your thoughts after reading "Gentrification: Progress or Destruction?" Which part was interesting and why? Hit reply to post.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Response to Reading #3

How are your thoughts changing after completing Reading #3? How do the readings confirm or contradict your ideas?  

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Response to Reading #5-6

How are your thoughts changing after completing Greenberg's article? How do the readings confirm or contradict your ideas?  

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Response to Reading #7-8

How are your thoughts changing after completing all the readings and videos for this course? What were some points you learned new or you would want to incorporate into your paper?

Here is a sample:

I really liked these videos and particularly the video showing a good debate between Jason Palanco and Ed Garcia. I think these readings ane videos confirm my ideas about gentrification.  My idea about it is that gentrification has both positive and negative effects on the people. And that the positive effects outweigh the negatives ones. I think gentrification is a great thing and reading #7  shows one the benefit of it. An increase in credit score for people living in gentrified neighborhoods is due to people getting better jobs and end up having economic growth. For reading #8, it shows that the Bronx is being gentrified. The aspects that make us said that is that people are moving in and being part of it. People start investing around the Bronx and contribute to the community, which shows how the Bronx is being gentrified. I believe gentrification in the Bronx is good progress for every aspect, because of that the Bronx will be a good place to live and safe; and a place where people can find a good job. I believe that gentrifying the Bronx will benefit many people even the poor ones.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Meet & Greet

 Please upload a short video of introducing yourself to me and your classmates. Add a picture to your profile. Where did you grow up? What is your major? What makes you "you"? What is one thing people cannot guess by just looking at you? Please hit reply to post.

To embed your video in your post, get the URL of the video from Youtube, click the icon with the little triangle (4th from the right on the bottom row of menus), change to "iframe," and paste the URL.

Here is my intro:

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Mini Argument

 Now that you learned what a claim, reasons, and evidences are, post an argument example identifying what the claim, reasons, and evidences are. Examples can be from everyday life (for example an advertisement you have seen or a conversation you just had) or something you just made up. Hit reply to post.

Here is a sample:

This is an advertisement I saw in my neighborhood.

Claim: I can be a great boyfriend.

Reason #1: I am creative.

Evidence #1: I am a professional artist.

Reason #2: I am tired of the singles scene and different from other singles.

Evidence #2: I'm posting this ad with my photo in streets.

Reason #3: I am serious.

Evidence #3: I typed "This is not a joke" several times on the ad and mentioned about a relationship morphing into something more profound.

Is this a strong argument? Probably not mostly because of the weak reasons. Regardless of the strength of argument, try to find or develop arguments from everyday life.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Pick one of the opinions from “The Pros and Cons of Gentrification?” and summarize the section by paraphrasing the ideas into your own words. You may want to focus on the main claim and reasons. Hit reply to post.

Here is a sample:

According to Christopher Shea in The New York Times' "The Pros and Cons of Gentrification," a good school makes the neighborhood. As the president and chief executive of East Baltimore Development, Shea states that one way to prevent displacement that comes as a result from the gentrification process in a given neighborhood is to give the long-time residents incentive to stay through quality public school education. He adds that investing in the future of those family’s children becomes an undeniable living proof of the neighborhood’s interest in its families long-term. Shea notes that providing the neighborhood with good public education not only reduces the risk of displacement but catches the attention of new generations of working families. As a result, available vacancies in neighborhoods are filled and the desolation that often results from gentrified communities can be halted. Their desire to belong to a place where they can ensure their children’s futures just as well as their own is what would drive them there, if given the confidence to do so through appropriate and convenient neighborhood services that ultimately fulfill their most basic needs. Shea believes that the success of any neighborhood in any American city relies on their ability to provide a safe haven for the working class, by aiding and encouraging them to grow and flourish. As Shea expresses, “American cities will live or die by their ability to keep and support them [the working class]”.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Brainstorming

What are your thoughts about gentrification so far? Besides the pros and cons, what are some of the aspects of the controversy interesting to you? Make a list of 3 things that are interesting to you so far then relate it to the readings or videos we have watched together. What are some new aspects you are learning about gentrification? Or what do you think people are missing? Then in 3 minutes or less, try to discuss these verbally. Make a recording of your thoughts through Vocaroo and then paste the link when you hit reply. https://vocaroo.com/

Remember that this is brainstorming so just talk aloud what you are thinking. You will not be judged on how eloquently you speak nor how logical your ideas flow. This is just an exercise to speak out what you have in mind. If you prefer to record in a language that is not English which you prefer, that is fine as well.

Here is a video of how you can upload your recording through vocaroo.

Here is a sample recording: https://voca.ro/1lJjZTSLWjZh

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Thesis Statement

Now that you have been reading and discussing gentrification for a week, what is your opinion regarding gentrification? Write up your response in a thesis statement. Your opinion may change throughout the course but articulate what you believe now. But your thesis statement should be debatable (not something too obvious) and supportable (can supply reason and evidence). Hit reply to post.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Evaluating Reasons and Evidence

Please respond to all 4 parts of this assignment. After reading Reading #5, i) copy and paste parts from the article that you could potentially use for your paper. You can screen capture the chart if you want. Then ii) briefly explain how you might use that part in your paper (will it be a reason? evidence?), iii) why it is a strong reason/evidence and iv) how YOU understand them.

Here is a sample:

1)“In fact, 75% of New York’s homeless are families with children, and at least a third of the adults in these families have jobs”(2).

ii)  This part is giving a percentage of the homeless in New York that have jobs and still could not afford a place to live in.

iii) This evidence is strong to me because it gives a specific calculation of a major number of homeless families.

iv) when I read this paragraph of page number 2, I was surprised by the fact that these families are working, some full-time jobs, without warm homes to go back to. This is reflecting the difficulty of rent an apartment in New York, especially after gentrifying most of the city.

2)“S- who left on Schenectady  Avenue in Crown Heights for twenty-three years and raised her 18th-year-old daughter there told me she was recently presented with a new lease in which the rent went from $1,017 to $2,109 per month”(4).

ii) This quote is telling somebody's story with gentrification. It shows how her rental price went up suddenly after she lived with her daughter for twenty-three years in the same apartment.

iii) this small story is proof of the negative impact of gentrification upon long-term residents.

iv) My eyes had opened up more about the oppressed that could target poor people who barely can afford the money to live in the present days. Even after S’s daughter’s full-time job, she couldn't pay the rent and they had to leave because of the gentrifying of the building.

3)“Tenants in at least 250,000 rent-stabilized apartments pay preferential rents, which gives an idea of how many New Yorkers are in immediate danger of losing their homes as a result of drastic increases when their leases come up for renewal”(4).

ii) Gentrification affects tenants by raising taxes on landlords. then the landlords have to raise the rental price.

iii) this shows how landlords took advantage of the renewal leases to raise the rent, while it is perfectly legal.

iv) I understood this quote that many New Yorkers are expected to lose their homes. The rise of the rental prices are twice to triple the old leases agreement, so it is directly intimidating residents to be displaced.

4)“In 2014, a management company purchased the building and set out to get rid of as many rent-stabilized tenants as possible. Over the course of a year, they were able to brush out about a third”(6).

ii) This quote will help me give evidence of the company's carelessness about residents. They buy buildings then cast aside as many tenants as possible by raising rental or other methods.

iii) It is strong evidence because it is documented under 2014 documentaries of companies part of gentrification.

iv) This quote made me realize how companies think of how to maintain their businesses regardless of people’s homes who lived for over a decade in most cases. I saw their intention of purchasing the building that was to gentrify the area, then they remove a third of the old residents.  

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Evaluating Reasons and Evidence II

Please respond to all 4 parts of this assignment. After reading Reading #5, i) copy and paste parts from the article that you could potentially use for your paper. Then ii) briefly explain how you might use that part in your paper (will it be a reason? evidence?), iii) why it is a strong reason/evidence and iv) how YOU understand them.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Finding and Annotating Evidence

After conducting research on your own about gentrification in the Bronx, list at least TWO evidence (quotes, statistics, charts, etc.) you could be using for your paper. For each evidence you found , i) copy and paste the evidence; ii) explain how you think each evidence proves your point.

Here is a sample:

Evidence # 1

Hankins, Katherine B. "The final frontier: Charter schools as new community institutions of gentrification." Urban Geography 28.2 (2007): 113-128.

“The neo-liberalization of social service provision has enabled private groups, such as middle-class gentrifies, to transform critical social institutions in gentrifying neighborhoods. One such institution is a charter school, which enables private management of public dollars to provide public education. Through interviews and archival analysis, these new dynamics in the gentrification process are explored by examining the importance of a place-based community that is produced and consumed by gentrifies in an in-town neighborhood.”

In the above article, the author discussed the increase of rich and well-educated people (middle class) in gentrified areas who contribute to the improvement of local public schools. On the other hand, regretted that these schools are funded at the expense of poor and lower-income people who are forced to move out of the gentrified areas.

I will use the above statement to justify my thesis that gentrification has both positive and negative effects on our neighborhood.

Evidence # 2

Atkinson, Rowland. Does gentrification help or harm urban neighborhoods? An assessment of the evidence-base in the context of a new urban agenda. Vol. 5. Glasgow: ESRC Centre for Neighborhood Research, 2002.

“The government is committed to encouraging the revitalization of our towns and cities in a socially just vision of development. However, there are concerns that encouraging a back to the city movement of the middle classes may lead to gentrification or that similar results may” come about if private sector re-investment is encouraged in the most deprived areas through tax relief on conversions and re-use and the decontamination of inner-urban land.”

The evidence from the above-named article will enable me to answer the question ‘Does gentrification help or harm urban neighborhoods?’ The government's effort to encourage the development of our neighborhood is a good intention. However, back to the city movement of the middle classes may lead to gentrification.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Composing an Introduction

Based on the "Fairy Tale Introduction" video, write your own introduction paragraph about gentrification in 4 sentences in GoogleDocs.

1) Go to docs.google.com. You will need to sign in with your Google account.

2) Write your introduction paragraph in the Google Doc.

3) When you are finished, click "Share" on the top right and share it with me ([email protected]) and copy the link.

4) Paste your link on this board. The link will look something like this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17SufwczONAnK16AwaqbfpgBMDcsDL6vsvYg_qpTsnlI/edit?usp=sharing

You can revise your thesis statement from the previous assignment based on the feedback you received and place it at the end of this paragraph.

1st sentence (Status Quo):

2nd sentence (Destabilizing Condition):

3rd sentence (Consequence):

4th sentence (Thesis statement):

Status Quo

Once upon a time…

“What is this?”

Make your topic or issue at stake clear.

Describe unchanging facts about the topic/problem. State common but incorrect or incomplete assumptions.

• For many years, people have debated about ~

• ~ has been controversial because ~

• ~ has dominated discussions of ~

• Many people think ~

• At first glance, it may seem like ~

Destabilizing Moment

Suddenly…

“Why should I read it?”

State something the reader does not know yet.

Describe something that reveals the status quo assumptions to be incomplete or inaccurate. What specific fact or concept helped you to discover the thesis?

• This initial perception fails to take into account ~,

• This theory can’t explain ~

• People have failed to notice, however, ~

Consequence

So what?

“How does it affect me?”

Show readers why they should care.

Make clear how the issue at stake relates to the reader. State or hint consequences that will follow if your reader does not act as you say. What bad or good things will happen if people continue to believe the status quo? What bigger questions has it helped you answer? What problems has it helped you to understand or solve?

• If we continue to believe~ , we'll never understand the larger question of ~.

• Unless we change ~ , we will continue to have trouble with ~.

• Once we understand ~, we'll begin to see the answer to the problem ~.

• By rethinking our approach to ~, we can fix ~ .

Resolution

Finally…

“What am I going to do?”

State your thesis.

Provide a better theory or explanation to replace the status quo. Name something interesting that you've learned about the topic from reading, discussions, and research.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Developing Reasons

In the same Google Doc you shared with me, add in reasons that will become the topic sentences of your main body paragraphs. Review all the evidences you have gathered so far and your thesis statement. What are your reasons that connect your evidences to your thesis statement? In other words, why do you think your thesis statement is true? Remember that your evidences cannot be your reason. Each reason will begin your main body paragraphs as topic sentences.

List 2 of your reasons as a topic sentence form under your introduction paragraph and post your Google Doc link here.

Here is a sample:

Reason #1:

Although low income and long-term residents of gentrifying neighborhoods and cities have access to more job opportunities, they don’t necessarily become financially stable; by not being able to thrive in a gentrifying environment, they are left with deprived quality of life.

Reason #2:

Regardless of the rapid increase with which gentrifying neighborhoods and cities create and provide new and enhanced housing opportunities, most low income and long-term residents are eventually left physically displaced and in need of a home.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Putting Together a Paragraph

In your Google Doc, write ONE main body paragraph utilizing one of the reasons you developed as the topic sentence, bringing in one your evidences that prove your reason, then explaining your evidence in your own words. Again post your Google Doc link here after you are done.

Here is a sample:

Although low income and long-term residents of gentrifying neighborhoods and cities have access to more job opportunities and services, they don’t necessarily become financially stable; by not being able to thrive in a gentrifying environment, they are left with deprived quality of life. When a community undergo economic and social revolution and new services that either weren’t there or were poorly provided are made available, it’s natural to conclude that quality of life for the residents of that community have gone up. Physically improved properties and public spaces, new businesses, and increased public safety are all indicators of local investment. As a result, communities expand and grow; convenience takes place and local residents experience the benefits of satisfying their necessities and running errands within easy reach. As services are made available, jobs are also made accessible. Higher job demand and geographic comfort makes it easier for local residents to find and keep employment. However, gentrification doesn’t always mean affordable; more job alternatives doesn’t guarantee higher compensation. Therefore, financial stability and living conditions for the financially vulnerable can detriment. In his article, author Michael Greenberg puts it this way, “The hard fact is that behind the wildfire of new construction, new restaurants, retail outlets, bars, music halls, cafés, tech and media start-ups, and nearly full employment, real poverty in New York is on the rise” (11). Alongside all the benefits, gentrification also increases living expenses. Residents may enjoy significant cutbacks from their commuting burden as getting to work and places in general becomes easier; they may have diversity and better options at hand, but prices can go up so high it can surpass their capacities. Consequently, left with fewer options and bounded to manage with what they can afford and receive, vulnerable residents experience physical displacement.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - In-Text Citation and Works Cited

After carefully reviewing the MLA Format powerpoint presentation, complete the following two:

1) In-text Citations

Copy and paste all the quotes or paraphrasings you will be using for your paper. At the end insert correct in-text citations. Remember that in-text citations are in parentheses only---no URL, title, etc.

2) Works Cited

Create a Works Cited by listing all the works in MLA format.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Paragraph Development

Write up another main body paragraph with the topic sentence upfront (one of your reasons), backed up by evidence, and your interpretation of evidence into your GoogleDoc.

https://youtu.be/ixdxYUiVJes

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Discussion - Research Paper

Now you need to go back and make all the revisions based on my comments and suggestions. Add at least another main body paragraph and conclusion paragraph. Again when you are done, post your Google Doc link here.

https://youtu.be/nJtnXKtUHgo

Abide by the standard MLA format---Times New Roman 12, double space, 1 inch margins. There is no word count requirement---your argument is done when you feel you are persuasive. Your paper will be grade with the following criteria.

 

ENG112 English Composition II: Writing and Rhetoric

Course Orientation Quiz

 Question 1Which one is incorrect?

Question 2What is due on the last day of class?

Question 3Which is incorrect about this course?

Question 4Which one is correct about plagiarism?

Question 5What is the correct grade breakdown for this course?

Question 6Where can I check my grades and instructor's feedback for different assignments?

Question 7When do you have the thesis statement due?

Question 8Where can I find all the assignments?

Question 9Which one is incorrect?

Question 10Which one is incorrect?