Time Schedule:
Emily C Toler
ENGL 131
Seattle Campus
Study and practice of good writing: topics derived from a variety of personal, academic, and public subjects. 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
The main goal of this course is to understand how language works in a variety of situations, both inside and outside UW, and to learn to write powerfully in those situations. You will: - analyze the rhetorical choices you make in your own languages and writing, - compare those choices to choices you make in other discursive contexts, - identify the opportunities all of those choices give you, and - assess the effectiveness of particular choices in particular situations.
Although you will learn how to write Academic English, you will also be learning to use other forms of writing and analyzing how they work for discursive communities inside and outside the university. Ultimately, this course will equip you to make powerful rhetorical choices that you're confident in and committed to, and that help you communicate your ideas effectively.
The topic(s) you choose to investigate and write about are up to you.
Student learning goals
To demonstrate an awareness of the strategies that writers use in different writing contexts.
To read, analyze, and synthesize complex texts and incorporate multiple kinds of evidence purposefully in order to generate and support writing.
To produce complex, analytic, persuasive arguments that matter in academic contexts.
To develop flexible strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading writing.
General method of instruction
- discussion (small group and large group) - collaboration - individual in-class writing
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
In addition to low-stakes, in-class writing tasks, you will complete two significant assignment sequences. Each sequence comprises 3 short assignments (2-3 pages) and 1 major assignment (5-7 pages), so you'll be writing a lot. You will also submit a final portfolio of your work.
The topic(s) you choose to investigate and write about are up to you.
Final portfolio (70%) Class participation (30%)
