We will use writing to enhance your critical thinking abilities and to learn about the content we are studying. As the semester progresses, I’ll ask you to write a lot, both on your own and with other people, since you can greatly improve your writing skills by observing other people’s writing process. You will:
- Understand ways to generate and develop topics for writing;
- Understand and practice several different text types (e.g., informal text types such as freewriting, journal writing; and formal texts such as introductory paragraphs in academic writing or response paragraphs);
- Understand and practice peer response to writing;
- Understand and practice effective revision techniques;
- Understand and use rhetorical strategies for achieving clarity, coherence, and adequate development;
- Understand the ways reading and writing reinforce one another;
- Enhance powers of written expression, including vocabulary and style;
- Understand the importance of standard surface mechanical conventions and apply them appropriately;
- Know ways to evaluate writing according to specific audience needs;
You’ll also be provided with structured guidance as you reflect and analyze, revise and refine your ideas. In sum, we will be concerned with ways of developing the thinking that goes into (reading and) writing.