The Writing Center is an academic and intellectual support space where Queens College students (undergraduate, graduate, and non-matriculated) work in collaboration with a writing consultant to improve their writing. In other words, the Center is here to help students put together stronger, more effective pieces of writing. We work on everything from the smallest pieces of writing (for example, free writes or outlines) to more complex pieces of writing (such as research papers or creative writing assignments). Our undergraduate or graduate peer writing consultants will sit with you for 25-minute or 50-minute sessions. In these sessions, we will look over your writing, listen to your concerns, and try to give you a clear, concise direction for tackling your concerns. Please note: we do not “magically” fix a paper. But we will work with you on identifying your errors and mistakes, and help you correct them on your own. For more information, visit the Writing Center’s website at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/wc/

The Office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities at Queens College is dedicated to providing supportive services for all students with disabilities. We ensure their accessibility to all academic and social activities and teach self-advocacy for their success at Queens College and leadership roles in society.​ Contact Dr. Mirian Detres-Hickey at the Office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities at [email protected] or 718-997-5870 for more information about receiving additional support services and accommodations. To receive these services, a student must first register with the office in Frese Hall Room 111. To do so, you must bring proper documentation pertaining to the nature of your disability from a qualified professional. To learn more about CUNY Assistive Technology Services at Queens College, call (718) 997-3775 or visit Frese Hall Room 012.

The Queens College Carroll and Milton Petrie Student Emergency Grant Fund provides quick response emergency grants (money) to students in good academic standing who are experiencing personal emergencies. The goal of the fund is to help students remain in school and successfully complete their degree. Applicants are required to submit a statement of need explaining the emergency, and how, if awarded, the funds will be used to resolve it. Applicants may also be expected to supply documentation. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. For more information on the emergency fund grant and what it covers, go to this website: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/sl/petrie-student-emergency-grant/

The Queens College Knights Table Food Pantry offers meals to CUNY families once per week on Tues. from 10:30am – 3pm, and pantry items on Monday-Thurs. from 12pm-4pm. To make an appointment, go to this website: https://booking.setmore.com/scheduleappointment/d4c1bd69-ae2b-4bee-9179-b9072019e8b6.

First Year Experience (FYE) is a student success program designed to support first-year freshmen and transfer students in their undergraduate careers. Through FYE, students have access to support in study skills, time management and academic planning through peer mentorship, hands-on workshops, and online video tutorials. Students interested in taking advantage of these opportunities can visit FYE virtually at fye.qc.cuny.edu or in-person Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm in Honors Hall room 5. Email any questions to [email protected]. For more information about office hours for peer mentors, check out the first-year experience website here: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/fye/

The Counseling, Health and Wellness Center seeks to support the physical, psychological, educational, and social well-being of Queens College students. Here, students can seek accommodations and support for their disabilities; consult a nurse and health educator about health, diet, and reproductive concerns; discuss academic and personal issues with licensed mental health professionals; receive pre-professional personal advisement for minority students; and learn about the peer support services program. All services are confidential and free of charge. For more information, e-mail [email protected], go to the first floor of Frese Hall, call 718-997-5420 or visit the Counseling Services website here: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cs/

The Center for Career Engagement and Internships provides career education to students by offering coaching, internships, jobs, and professional connections for success in a transforming global workforce. Our team is comprised of educators, connectors, and collaborators. We implement quality and innovative services through the engagement of students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers, and the community. To learn about the center’s services and upcoming events, visit their website here: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/cei/

Rosenthal Library has purchased laptop computers with funds made available through the CUNY/QC student technology fee. These laptops are equipped with wireless network cards for use wherever the campus wireless network exists. Wireless is available throughout the Library and much of campus. The laptops have Microsoft Windows™ and the Microsoft Office™ Professional Suite of programs. QC students can use the laptops for word processing and other MS Office functions, accessing Library databases, and accessing the Internet. Accessing Library databases or the Internet require a QC computer account. The laptops may be charged out at the Media desk on Level 1 of Rosenthal Library. Only currently enrolled students with no holds on their library records are allowed to charge out a laptop. Laptop loan policies are available at the Level 1 Media desk inside of the library.

There is a lot of flexibility in this class as long as you’re communicating with me. While I do have deadlines, and you do have to be responsible for your own work, you can almost always ask for extra time (an extension) when you need an additional day or two. There are ways to make up your absences when you’re gone. If you get really far behind, you can always meet with me to discuss how to get back on track. The best thing to do when you’re struggling is to contact me as soon as possible so we can work together to help you catch up. If I know what’s going on, I can help. If you wait until it’s too late, it’s harder for me to help you.

Would it surprise you if I told you that I didn’t think I was good at writing when I came to college? It’s true! Writing, and learning to write for particular audiences, is not a skill that you develop in one semester. The good news is that I don’t expect you to. If you’re keeping up with the work in this class, coming to class regularly, and revising things that need to be revised, you can do well in this class, even if you don’t think your writing is “good.” You are assessed based on what you complete.

Speaking multiple languages is a gift! In this class, you can compose in languages other than English, because (at least in some assignments) you might be composing for a non-English-speaking audience. There is the option to translate all course materials into a more familiar language (you may have noticed that there’s a translator in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen — it’s not a perfect translation, but please feel free to use this!) And, depending on who’s in the class, there might be opportunities to work with other people who share your language background. It’s understandable to worry about your English language skills in an English class, but I hope that this class will be a place where all students can bring their full selves and that we can treat additional languages as assets. If there are ways that I can better support you as the semester goes on, please let me know.

Cool! Welcome to New York. International students are an important part of our community at Queens College. One thing to keep in mind is that, because you’re on a student visa, passing this class (so, making a grade of A, B, C, or D) and not withdrawing are particularly important, because failing or withdrawing can sometimes negatively impact your ability to stay on your student visa. If you’re with a program like GSSP, the advisors can help you to make sure that you’re staying on track. If you ever have doubts of how you’re doing in this class, just come talk to me.

Most of my students at Queens have a job (and sometimes two or three). I also worked several on-campus and off-campus jobs when I was an undergrad, so I get how this can make it hard to balance everything. I want you to know that it’s OK to ask for extra time and to take some breaks now and then. Be in contact if you’re worried about getting so far behind that you can’t catch up, and if you need an extra day or two on something, just let me know in advance. It’s fine to ask for this!

Caretaking responsibilities are common for students at Queens. Whether you’re caring for someone in your family who has an illness, you’re the parent of a child or children, or you have another person in your life who needs care, being a caretaker and a college student at the same time can present unique challenges. Please know that there is flexibility in this class. Don’t hesitate to ask me for extra time with assignments, or meet with me to talk about how I can better support you.

While not ideal, I know that taking more than a full-time load is sometimes unavoidable. I have been trying to get better at offering time estimates so that you know about how long it’s going to take most students to finish something. I also offer extensions. If there are other ways that I can support your success in this class, please let me know.

Yeah, this word “rhetorical situations” is kind of complicated. But this goal really just means that you’re going to learn some strategies and practices for writing in a lot of different kinds of situations and for several kinds of audiences. We’re going to talk about how “good” writing is writing that succeeds at its purpose for the audience it is addressing, so this really means that “good” writing can look a lot of different ways.

In order to write effectively in college, you have to be able to understand what you’ve read and what you’re responding to. So this class will cover some techniques that show you how to understand the main idea of something, bring multiple texts “into conversation” with each other, offer analysis, and engage with other people’s ideas. All of these are essential to the writing process.

Writing is a PROCESS: not just a finished product. To become a good writer, you have to learn how to draft, revise, give and receive feedback and collaborate. If you speak multiple languages, you might also need to translate. So this goal relates to teaching you how to think of writing more complex, college-level compositions as a process with many steps rather than just something that you can sit down to do in an hour or two.

How you write — the words you choose, the language(s) you compose in, the way you structure your work, how you choose to deliver it — will largely depend on who you’re writing to. This goal relates to helping you to make more intentional selections designed to appeal to YOUR audience, and to improving the range of choices that you can make when you write.

Achievement of this goal can mean a lot of things. It can mean that you have a better understanding of avoiding plagiarism. It can mean that you have a better understanding of how to find your interest and motivation in course material that might not be inherently interesting to you. It can mean that you’ve learned how to take accountability: to ask for help, to seek out sources of support, to get what YOU need out of your college education so that you can take your next step.