English 100 teaches you what to do with academic arguments—not just how to read and analyze them, but also how you can use other people’s arguments in order to make your own. This section of English 100 will focus in particular on arguments about sustainability. You’ve probably heard that word in the context of environmental debates about pollution, renewable energy, and climate change. In this class, we’ll discuss these issues, but we’ll also learn to understand “sustainability” more broadly as a way to identify important issues for our communities. Further, as we read, research, and write about sustainability, we’ll also think about ways to make our own academic habits more sustainable, turning your interests and scholarly energy into “renewable resources.” By the end of the semester, you’ll not only have mastered the foundations of academic reading, research, and communication; you’ll also be able to think critically about your values and beliefs and to enter sustainability debates at the University of Hawai‘i and beyond.
Texts
Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Third Edition. ISBN: 978-0393935844
All other readings will be made available on Laulima. Films will be posted online or placed on library reserve, and may be screened in advance depending on student interest.
Assignments
In a series of short (3 page) papers, you’ll practice expository, analytic, and persuasive writing before embarking on a longer (7 page) scholarly project. We’ll work up to each paper with short, low-stakes assignments, and you’ll workshop drafts before turning in revised final drafts.