Essentials of College Writing

Course Description

This course covers the essential writing skills required for college-level coursework. Students will learn to distinguish between interpretive and analytical writing while using the writing process and specific rhetorical strategies to develop position and persuasion essays and a case study analysis, and Learning Teams will prepare an applied research paper. The course offers exercises for review of the elements of grammar, mechanics, style, citation, and proper documentation.

Topics and Objectives

Writing Situations

• Apply appropriate rhetorical strategies to a persuasive essay.
• Utilize different types of writing and writing styles as appropriate for mood and point of view.

Academic Essay Analysis

• Interpret data for analysis in writing.
• Demonstrate organization and focus in an academic essay.
• Demonstrate the ability to perform each of the steps involved in the writing process.

Research and Supporting Evidence

• Apply critical thinking skills to essays, research papers, and case study analyses.
• Evaluate the relevance, reliability, and objectivity of sources.
• Identify the characteristics of a good resource as it relates to a specific topic.

Collaborative Writing

• Use peer editing methods to produce clear and concise writing.
• Demonstrate the ability to support ideas with appropriate evidence
• Transform written material into an integrated learning team presentation.
• Synthesize research information and materials to produce a research paper.

Documentation, Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics

• Apply the rules of English sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, style, and usage in written documents.
• Apply the rules of APA style to a written research paper, using appropriate methods to summarize, paraphrase, cite, and reference sources.