Course descriptions

English 103

English 103 uses an intensive approach to the basics of academic writing with emphasis on building written fluency, using conventions of standard written English, and editing for precision and correctness. The course asks students to engage with difficult texts and provides different models and examples of academic writing. English 103 is a writing course in which students read different essays and discuss ways to formulate their writing. Peer revision, collaboration with class members, in-class writing activities, reading, extensive revision of essays, class discussion, and error pattern identification comprise the core requirements. The treatment of writing as a process and as a craft is an essential component of the course. English 103 is required for students who need extra preparation before entering ENG 105. The course does not count for credit toward graduation.

English 105

The first semester course in our one-year sequence introduces students to college-level reading, writing, and thinking.  The class provides students with a small-scale version of the larger discourse community they have joined, one that values critical thinking and fosters an understanding of the ways in which ideas are constructed and expressed.  Students work on a sequence of writing assignments that enable them to  exercise habits of mind and methods of inquiry that yield sophisticated questions and significant answers.  Classroom work is oriented toward the students' own process of writing:  They learn ways to improve their own work and provide constructive feedback on that of others.  Instructors may ask students to freewrite, keep reading response journals, blog, or chat online using the Blackboard course system, as well as to produce polished, formal papers--all with the goal of helping them develop and organize complex ideas, and gain awareness of how to address various audiences for various purposes.

English 106 

The second course in the first-year sequence builds on the work of English 105 by asking students to focus more specifically on textual analysis. Students choose from a variety of sections of the course, each of which centers on materials that are thematically related.  Whether considering subjects of an historical, social, psychological, or literary nature, students engage in close examination of texts from both academic and popular realms that may include fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry, and non-print sources such as film and music. Students carry out in-depth research, weigh competing sources against one another, forge complex arguments, and become conversant with the different citations styles used in the academic genres. They continue to refine their strategies for improving their writing based on feedback from instructors and from their classmates.

English 107

English 107 is designed for engineering and science majors and substitutes for English 106.  Students read and write about science, medicine, and technology, with the goal of learning to produce accounts of theory and research for a general audience, and to craft well supported arguments about topics in a variety of fields.  Sections of the course are broadly themed, with readings drawn from the history, philosophy, and culture of science, science journalism, nature and environmental writing, and science fiction. Students work with scientific databases and peer-reviewed journal articles, and in assignments, translate technical material so that it can be easily understood.  They produce several different types of texts, including formal papers using appropriate scientific citations; informal online postings, such as wikis or blogs; and multimedia assignments, such as short videos or podcasts; and are asked to present at least one project orally. 

English 230

English 230, Advanced Business Communication, is designed primarily for students pursuing a degree in business and is integrated with their other undergraduate coursework. Students learn the purposes and approaches behind conventional forms of professional writing, such as memoranda, letters, e-mails, and proposals. Through real-world examples, the course underscores the value of clean, correct, and attractive writing in business. With an eye to their own professional development, students practice communication skills: analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information from a variety of sources and perspectives, developing a clear, concise, and functional communication style in multiple forms. This course also emphasizes the use of technology for planning, composing, and editing documents with attention to effective design and presentation. Examining and evaluating ethical issues inherent to professional communications, students also act as critics and editors, developing a sense of professionalism to be continued throughout their career.

English 306

English 306 Advanced Composition is a writing-intensive course designed to help students develop critical thinking skills by building on the skills learned in English 105 and 106.  Topics vary, but the goals are consistent: Students learn how to make effective, ambitious arguments and engage in rhetorical analysis. Since students are assumed to have the ability to write papers for college courses, the focus of this course is to give them the necessary skills to articulate their ideas in the world beyond the classroom.  In the past, courses have focused on webzines, blog writing, writing in philosophy, and magazine writing.  

English 331

What do Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justices Antonio Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Attorney Gerry Spence and other lawyers, Editor and Entrepreneur Bryan A. Garner, law students, and English 331 students share in common? Each can--and does—write and win arguments. In English 331, Legal Writing, students critically read legal arguments in different contexts, analyze what makes the arguments more or less effective in "moving" the audience, and apply principles they discover.  Sources include court decisions, oral arguments, model briefs and memoranda, dramatic films, role playing, classic arguments, and articles by selected legal scholars.  In this critical reading and writing process, students then apply skills to develop their writing and reading to higher levels. The process also includes consideration of moral and ethical issues in persuasion and development of both individual style and flexibility in adapting written arguments to audience, purpose, professional tradition, and strategies in "getting to yes."

English 333

English 333 is an advanced level writing and research course taken primarily by Continuing Education students.  In line with the core interdisciplinary colloquia, it aims to strengthen both critical thinking and writing skills. The course familiarizes the student with the research tools and strategies necessary to produce written work that incorporates secondary sources effectively. English 333 examines and develops the kinds of reading, writing, and thinking performed in the academy.  This class will model a discourse community that values critical thinking, synthesis, consideration of multiple perspectives, placing information in a historical and social context, and an awareness of the constructed nature of written discourse.