Focus on techniques of effective written expression.

Students in this class will write a series of essays that build upon each other as a sequence of successively complex cognitive tasks. They will also learn about written communication as an individual and a social activity.

Purposes of the course include the following: developing students’ writing abilities as reflected in coherent thought, effective organization, and reasonable stylistic force and fluency; fostering an appreciation of how writing functions in personal, social, historical, and cultural contexts, both as a means of expression and as a mode of learning. Students in the class engage in writing as a process for each of the formal assignments—from prewriting activities through drafting to revision. These assignments are supplemented by readings in the texts, by in-class group activities, and by writing of a less formal nature.

Students should demonstrate satisfactory performance in all class activities, including both informal and formal writings and the final examination.