Time Schedule:
Nancy A Fox
ENGL 121
Seattle Campus
Study and practice of good writing; topics derived from reading and discussing essays and fiction about current social and moral issues. Cannot be taken if student has already received a grade of 2.0 or higher in either ENGL 111, ENGL 121, or ENGL 131.
Class description
In this course you'll learn how to analyze arguments about social issues in films and written texts. You'll learn how to write compelling arguments that have value in the university as well as the public arena, and how to present those arguments in multi-media forms. This means you'll pay close attention to audience, purpose, and strategy in presentng your point of view of social issues.
The specific course title, taken from a documentary film we'll view and relate to our experiences with our community partners, is "I Am a Promise."
All texts will be available in our coursepack and our class website on Catalyst. Please do not purchase "Acts of Inquiry" or "The Everyday Writer." If you have already bought these texts, please return them to the bookstore for a refund -- you don't need them in this course.
Student learning goals
Our continuous process of draft and revision, which culminates in your final argument, your portfolio, will teach you how to add your own distinctive voice to the conversation, or discourse, of the university, and write your own argument with clarity, confidence, creativity, and informed critical thought.
This class conforms to the specific outcomes required for success in UW's Expository Writing Program.
General method of instruction
We'll engage with our films and written texts by class- and group-discussion. The requirement for all EWP courses is the final portfolio (in our case, an e-portfolio) that includes your choice of four projects from a total of eight (6 short projects; 2 major). We'll use our field notes, journals, and reflections as resources for those projects. There will be at least one collaborative experience, and at least one short film or multimedia project.
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
All projects will be aligned with service activities.
