Learning Goals

The following are learning goals that the college writing program has approved and that should be kept in mind for all students in the composition sequence:

After completing ENG 2100 and 2150, students should be able to. . .

 

  • read a variety of articles, essays, and literary works, identify their key ideas and techniques, and subject these works to logical analysis;
  • practice writing as a process requiring the outlining of ideas, multiple drafting, and revision of complete essays;
  • create an original and cogent thesis and develop an imaginative argument in unified and coherent paragraphs;
  • observe sentence boundaries, punctuate correctly, vary sentence structures, and employ the conventions of standard English grammar and usage;
  • engage with different genres of writing, including the short story, the novel, the essay, poetry, and drama, and comprehend and use appropriate vocabulary in interpreting the material by paying close attention to language and style;
  • identify, analyze, and synthesize multiple sources as support for written arguments;
  • gauge the value of different strategies for argumentation, including the use of counter-arguments;
  • produce researched essays that incorporate sources and that effectively evaluate multiple (and even conflicting) points of view;
  • avoid plagiarism and understand why it is unacceptable in the research process;
  • imagine the needs of one’s reader when writing in different rhetorical modes and social contexts and take audience and occasion into account when writing.

 

Additional notes:  your success in this course will depend primarily on how much effort you invest.  It is not enough to simply attend the course and participate in discussions; you must also read outside of the classroom and spend time writing your essays. You must spend some time writing a first draft, and then revise and proofread it before you hand it in. While it may be fun to debate and drive your point home in the classroom among your peers, you must learn to write your argument down constructively as well.  Be prepared to spend a significant period of independent time each week reading and writing for this course.