One of the most useful skills developed in college should be
your ability to communicate written information effectively. Thus, in English 100, we will spend
significant time concentrating on the process of how to write now, so you will
be able to focus more of your time on what your are writing in future work.
This course is designed to develop your college writing and critical thinking
skills, and in it you will often focus on writing about topics of your own
choosing. Thus, you should be interested in what you are researching and
writing and should concentrate on topics which will enrich your life and
understanding.
We will spend a large portion of our time together
writing and revising. Writing is a process, and focusing on the individual
steps of that process, such as brainstorming, creating a rough draft, editing,
peer review, and revising to the final draft, is a significant key to creating
a successful paper. This semester you will draft, and eventually revise, four
essays, each using a different approach. Approaches include a personal
narrative essay, a rhetorical analysis of a documentary film, an op-ed argument
essay, and a research essay with citations. We will also be frequently writing
smaller pieces such as journal entries and other assignments geared toward the
process of writing. Class will be both discussion and lecture based, thus
students should expect to think on, write and talk about their writing every
day. We will benefit from the wide variety of topics and ideas that each person
brings to class and create an interesting and rich environment in which to gain
greater confidence in writing.
Required
Texts:
·
Ballenger, Bruce. The Curious Writer: The
Brief Edition, 4th Edition. Boston: Longman, 2012.
·
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy I. Sommers. A Pocket Style Manual. 6th ed. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.