Patrick Flink
Associate Professor
Academic Literacy and Linguistics
EMAIL: pflink@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: N-473
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 220-1418
Expertise
English Education, Composition, Bilingual Education, Adult Education, Disability Studies
Degrees
- Ph.D. Education: English as a Second Language, 2015, Northcentral University
- M.S. Disability Studies in Higher Education, 2019, CUNY School of Professional Studies
- M.S. Higher Education Administration, 2015, National University
- M.A. English,2009, National University
Courses Taught
- Students will learn academic strategies for reading and writing effectively and critically in the humanities and related fields (e.g., anthropology, law, political science, philosophy, religion, etc.). Students will apply strategies for navigating and interpreting an array of authentic texts in the humanities by focusing on vocabulary, grammatical and rhetorical choices, and authorial awareness. This course will ultimately help students think, read, and write like experts in the humanities.
- This course 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 3 CRS.6 HRS.NULL LAB HRS.CRT 100.6 (Critical Thinking for ESL Reading & Writing Proficiency (Same as CRT 100))
- This course combines Critical Thinking (CRT 100) with the highest level of ESL. 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 in their academic, professional, and personal lives.
While studying Critical Thinking, ESL 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 read and respond to a variety of texts and use argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing.
Students will receive an earned grade in CRT 100.6, which is equivalent to a grade earned in CRT 100.
This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing CRT 100.6 meets the reading and writing proficiency milestone requirements. Students who pass CRT 100.6 are exempt from further ESL reading and writing courses. CRT 100.6 may not be taken by students who have passed CRT 100 or are exempt from reading and writing.
Please note: Tuition for this corequisite course is charged by the equated credit (hours) not per credit. - ESL 96 is an intensive integrated skills course that emphasizes academic writing and critical reading for ESL students. It focuses on basic components of effective writing and reading, including essay organization, paragraph development, sentence structure, word choice, and content. Students demonstrate comprehension of texts of varying lengths and genres by reading and responding to a variety of texts and using argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing. Students demonstrate critical reading skills related to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This course is designed to help students master and apply a full range of college-level reading and writing skills in English.
Research and Projects
Publications
Flink, P., & Leonard, T. (2023). Students with disabilities: Skills, strategies, and dispositions for success at a community college. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 23(17). 169-181.
Flink, P. (2023). Invisible no more: The state of transgender service members in the U.S. military. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 13(1), pp. 9-26. ISSN 2164-0262, eISSN 2378-3524.
Flink, P. J., & Leonard, T. J. (2022). Learning walks and universal design: Assessing physical accessibility at a community college. Journal of Teaching Disability Studies, 3. https://jtds.commons.gc.cuny.edu/learning-walks-and-universal-design-assessing-physical-accessibility-at-a-community-college/
Leonard, T., & Flink, P. J. (2022). Integrating service-learning pedagogy into community college coursework: A phenomenological study. Management Association, I. (Ed.). Research Anthology on Service Learning and Community Engagement Teaching Practices. IGI Global. doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-3877-0
Leonard, T., & Flink, P. J. (2020). Integrating service-learning pedagogy into community college coursework: A phenomenological study. International Journal of Innovative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 1(1), 25-36. doi:10.4018/IJITLHE.2020010103
Leonard, T., & Flink, P. J. (2019). Challenging heternormativity: Contextualizing the need for queer studies in academia. Journal of Education and Social Development, 3(2), 10-13. doi:10.5281/zenodo3370781
Flink, P. (2019). Person-first & identity-first language: Supporting students with disabilities on campus. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. doi:10.1080/10668926.2019.1640147
Flink, P. J. (2019). Second life and virtual learning: An educational alternative for neurodiverse students in college. College Student Journal, 53(1). ISSN 0146-3934.
Flink, P., & Leonard, T. (2018). Students with disabilities: Experiences attending a two-year community college. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 43(12), 891-903. doi:10.1080/10668926.2018.1554514
Flink, P. J. (2018). A silent reading intervention for developmental students: Exploring attitudes toward reading in college. Reading Improvement, 55(4). ISSN 0034-0510
Flink, P. (2018). Assessment of disability services information variability among websites of one university system. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 43(12), 829-839. doi:10.1080/10668926.2018.1539676
Flink, P. (2017). Invisible disabilities, stigma, and student veterans: Contextualizing the transition to higher education. Journal of Veterans Studies, 2(2), 1-10. http://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v2i2.20
Flink, P. J. (2017). Adapting self-selected reading practices for college-level developmental reading courses. Reading Improvement, 54(3), 87-92. ISSN 0034-0510
Flink, P. J. (2017). Latinos and higher education. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 1-13. doi:10.1177/1538192717705701
