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| ENG 105 | First semester of first-year composition sequence. Serves primarily traditional first-year students. | “English 105 focuses on increasing students' written fluency--their ability to use the writing process as a means of discovering ideas; to see revision as a necessary and recursive part of the writing process; and to see good writing as dependent on its context” (EC college catalog description). | English 105 is a challenging, intensive course in writing, reading, thinking, and speaking. At the same time, the course should enable first-year students to gain confidence in themselves as writers. I accomplished these goals through the use of structured invention exercises that generate ideas for writing; peer review and instructor feedback on drafts; and ample opportunities for revising and re-thinking written work. |
| ENG 106 | Second semester of first-year composition sequence. Fulfills General Education credit in Writing. | 1.use writing as a tool for learning and discovery; 2. articulate ideas to a variety of audiences; 3. analyze and synthesize challenging ideas in an effectively written document; 4.construct a logical and persuasive argument; 5.properly use research materials and facilities | In order to produce a well-argued research paper that demonstrates personal engagement and critical reading, students must 1. summarize and paraphrase source material; 2. analyze and respond to complex arguments from different disciplines (such as political science, economics, and literature) ; 3. synthesize ideas from multiple reading; 4. find and use sources to discover ideas and construct a logical argument; 6. learn how to cite sources appropriately and avoid plagiarism (for example, through end-of-semester draft conferences and “source checks”) |
| English 201: Classical Rhetoric and Contemporary Discourse | Serves undergraduate English majors who are seeking secondary certification or pursuing a writing emphasis. | A study of ancient rhetorical traditions and their applications. Students learn the meanings and practical uses of the classical canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) and the elements of persuasion (ethos, pathos, and logos). Students apply these principles to analyze and produce various genres of contemporary discourse, including letters, newspaper articles, web sites, and encomia (discourses of tribute or praise). | A central challenges of this course is to educate students about the inter-relationships of ethics, rhetoric, and writing. In American culture, we don't usually refer to good people–persons of integrity and good character–as practitioners of "rhetoric." Instead, we associate rhetoric with greedy advertisers, corrupt politicians, and tricksters of all kinds. This course helps students to develop a more critical eye toward false and misleading rhetoric when and where it does occur. However, this course also assumes that people of integrity and good will use rhetoric to persuade and convince, to change minds and hearts, and to make things better for all of us. In short, English 201 aims not only to make students better writers, but also more active, effective citizens. |
| English 401: Composition Theory | Serves undergraduate English majors who are seeking secondary certification or pursuing a writing emphasis. | English 401 is a writing course that introduces students to the scholarly field of composition studies. Students read and respond to texts that define contemporary theories of, and report recent research in, composition and rhetoric. The course includes practical experience in tutoring students in 100-level writing courses. | In English 401, students investigate relationships among theory, research, and pedagogy in the field of composition studies. This course challenges students to develop their writing and research skills to a more advanced level, particularly within the domain of composition studies; develop a greater “reflective” capacity—the ability to consciously synthesize meanings from different sources of knowledge and experience; and develop a greater “critical” capacity—the ability to purposefully invoke a variety of questions and perspectives when they analyze texts and/or experiences. |
| English 531: Seminar in Literacy | Graduate course for students pursuing M.A. in English Studies (primarily grades 6-12 language arts teachers) | English 531 “examines theories and practices of ‘literacy,’ a concept highly dependent upon context and enmeshed in economic, social, cultural, and political issues” (M.A. English Studies program description) | In this course, graduate students investigate literacy through the lenses of multiples theoretical perspectives and approaches, including historical; cognitive; cultural; developmental; political & discourse-oriented; and public policy perspectives. |
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