ENGL 151-01-03, First Year Writing Seminar, Fall 2004

Abstract

The primary goal of this course is to help you become a better writer. The course assumes that you have things to say, voices with which to say them, and a good knowledge of English that comes from many years of usage -- speaking, reading, and writing. English 151 understands that writing is a continuing process of thinking, of discovery, of learning , of communication, and that you will need these skills as you continue a Rhodes and especially as you enter the world at large. This course offers you the occasion to explore the purposes, intents, and audiences of personal, public, and professional writing. It provides the opportunity for you to become more conscious about the strategies involved in shifting focus among the writer, message, audience, style and medium. By the end of the semester, you will have not only learned the conventions of academic writing and research, but will have fine-tuned your personal style and voice. The secondary goal of this course is to make you more aware consumers of popular culture. Specifically, we will be devoting considerable attention to both visual and verbal literacy, to the ways that our own culture uses texts and images to construct identity. In our increasingly multimedia world, it is crucial to be able to interpret the texts around us, and to SEE the way images influence us everyday. “Effective seeing begins with noticing what is obvious and pushing beyond convenient labels and language to discover new dimensions of the world around you (Intro, 2). Thus, we will be using visual, as will as verbal texts, as a springboard for our writing.