English 1102: Critical Reading and Writing Instructor: Mr. Topper Email: [email protected] Location: England Please recognize timezone difference during correspondence. Course Description This course is designed to help prepare you for academic reading and writing. Through activities that emphasize both collaborative, process-oriented learning as well as individual, self-motivated learning, you will be introduced to the following three skills: Critical Reading This course is reading-heavy. You will read multiple essays nearly every week. Some essays will be challenging to grasp, but thoughtful writing begins with thoughtful reading. Critical Writing This course is also writing-heavy. Like any craft, strong writing is produced through rigorous practice. You will write every week, sometimes formally and sometimes informally, through discussion board posts, journal entries, and essays. Critical Thinking By focusing on reading and writing, this course is centered around critical thought. Whether you are responding to an assigned reading, responding to a fellow student, or articulating your own argument, the depth of your thought will weigh heavily on your grade. Course Values Empathy Always consider other points of view, whether that be from an author or a classmate. Honesty Read and write honestly: questioning, challenging, and developing your own worldview. Community This course is a digital community. Play your part by posting meaningful contributions to discussion board conversations. Close Reading Read meticulously. Move to generalizations only after you have lingered over the intricate details of a text. Clarity Support your claims with evidence, organize your thoughts effectively, and utilize proper punctuation to write concise, legible prose. Rhetoric Always keep in mind your audience, your purpose, and your overall rhetorical situation. 1 Idaho State University, Department of English and Philosophy, Spring, 2015 mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] Course Goals and Learning Objectives Each student should display competence in all three skills mentioned in the course description: critical reading, critical writing, and critical thinking. Likewise, each student’s work should reflect all six of the course values: empathy, honesty, community, close reading, clarity, and rhetoric. Each student’s competence in these three skills will be judged by the ways in which each student’s work reflects these six values. Required Text The Norton Reader, 13th Edition. Homework Submission All assignments will be submitted on Moodle, not via email. All discussion board posts will be submitted on the corresponding week’s discussion board. All assignments are due by 11:55 pm (Mountain Timezone) on the day they are scheduled as due. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you find yourself i ...