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, 2013.
Hacker,
Diana, and Nancy I. Sommers. A Pocket Style Manual. 6th ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.