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.