E110 is designed to help students become stronger writers-especially in the field of academics. Ten weeks are spent building a foundation that will serve students well in future classes and in the rest of life. The course focuses on two things: Structure and style. By style, we mean all the ingredients that will help students craft cleaner, crisper, and more engaging sentences and paragraphs. These basic skills play a vital role in success as a writer in all professions and areas of academia.
An equal amount of time is spent on structure. By structure, we mean the basic elements of a solid, cohesive paper-one that makes sense. This portion of the course is as much about thinking as it is about writing, perhaps even more so. It will sharpen analytical skills and help take some of the mystery out of writing a college-level paper. This course is 8 weeks long.
Become a stronger written communicator.
Develop strategies for clear thinking.
Develop a firm grasp of expository writing; this includes writing flowing sentences and cohesive paragraphs, improving transitions, and developing the use of correct syntax and diction.
Eliminate clutter, clichés, and passive voice from your writing.
Write a strong, defensible thesis statement that will serve as the rudder of your paper.
Becoming a careful editor of your writing.
Overcome "writer's block."
Understand and implement the various writing strategies, such as narrative, compare and contrast analysis, cause-and-effect analysis, and argument.
Understand the opportunities for spiritual growth that writing presents to both writers and readers.
Read assigned textbooks and take a test on the Zinsser book (non-proctored).
Participate in group development and editing of class papers.
Write Five papers: a personal narrative, a process analysis, and three argument papers.
*English Composition has been developed in an enhanced-podcast format. The enhanced podcast format layers audio over powerpoint-style slides, so that students can observe more visuals during lecture, and so that lecture time can be saved to allow more time for writing practice.