Course Description

English 1301 (Foundation for College Writing) prepares students to read, write, and think competently, analytically, and critically—which means "with discernment—at the college level. Students will explore various analytic strategies as they draft and revise thesis-directed arguments in response to a few selected texts representing a range of genres. As they work to develop purposeful and persuasive arguments, students will also review the mechanical and stylistic conventions of Standard Edited American English and MLA documentation form. A final grade of C- or above is required for course credit.

ESL sections of the course are offered.

TOPICS
More specifically, students will learn:

1. To examine a range of texts to discover meaning as a complex interaction among the reader, the text, and its context.
2. To demonstrate an ability to grasp the fundamental points of an essay’s argument and to explain to readers the central issue within the essay.
3. To articulate the strategies a writer uses to make a case.
4. To show how the relations of parts of the text to one another or to an interpretive perspectives can yield new knowledge and insight.

TEXTS
A handbook, Criteria, and a reader or selected materials for analysis.

INSTRUCTORS
Rhetoric faculty of the English Department.

METHOD OF STUDENT EVALUATION
Individual instructors will design their courses and make assignments as they see fit. However, each student will 1) write 18-20 pages (5400-6000 words) of closely graded work distributed over 4-6 formal essay assignments (instructors may also assign a number of informal writing tasks over the course of the semester, such as journal entries, free-writing, non-graded essays, and drafts); and 2) write in-class on at least two occasions, aside from the final, to gain practice in writing for tests in other classes and to help instructors determine what students are capable of writing without extensive revision and assistance.

Successful completion of this course requires a grade of C- or better. This course cannot be dropped.