In this course, you will learn how to write effectively for a variety of audiences and in a variety of forms so that you will be better prepared to identify and work across the writing contexts you’ll encounter in your college courses and, even, outside of them (e.g., in your job). You’ll learn to identify and effectively address an audience, to conduct research and engage with source material, as well as planning and revision strategies. We’ll start small, and over the course of FOUR ESSAYS, work up to writing a large research-based persuasive paper. In total, you’ll produce 5,000 words of revised prose for this course. Sounds like a lot! But don’t worry: I’ll support your efforts at each step.
You will be asked to explore the theme of SOCIAL JUSTICE. In an America that exists after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, we must become aware of the ways people are marginalized—else that tragic event, and the many that happened before it, were for nothing. You’ll have opportunities to explore how discrimination affects BIPOC, LGBTQ+ people, neurodivergent individuals, the disabled community, and more. You might even explore the systemic inequalities that exist within Hawai’i, that are enforced by outside forces. We won’t ever talk about how you vote or identify politically—that’s a choice you must make on your own—but we’ll explore the factual ways in which different groups have been and continue to be disenfranchised in the US. It’s my experience that English 100 students have much to say on these topics, so much that it turns the stress of major essays into passion to write: Instead of struggling to write, they can’t stop writing. In short, basing my course around social justice themes has gotten me stronger essays, which translates into higher grades.
This will be a F2F course; there will be no textbook but readings assigned through the learning management system.