Course Objectives for First- Year English 101 and 102
Department of Languages and Literatures, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
English 101 and 102 provide students with a foundation for the development of critical thinking and writing skills that are necessary for attaining success in college and afterwards. The two-course sequence is required of all students in the university and is a central component of the UW-Whitewater General Education program.
Guidelines for English 101
The literary component of this course will include reading and discussion of at least 300 pages of narrative fiction, nonfiction prose, poetry, drama and other texts. Studying literature helps students acquire a more complex understanding of their own culture. The analysis of literary texts draws on knowledge from almost every other field of study including history, psychology, economics, political science, philosophy, the physical sciences, art, music, as well as pop culture and sports. Attention to language and literary conventions helps students advance their critical thinking and writing skills.
The writing component of this course will include at least 3500 words (about 13-15 double-spaced pages) of formal writing which should include a variety of modes and formats such as expository essays, narrative, descriptive and reflective essays, persuasive arguments and essay exams. Additional informal writing assignments may be assigned as well. Though many students initially think of writing as something like a container for thoughts already understood, we understand writing as a process for developing and refining thinking. Learning multiple writing strategies helps students gain intellectual and skill-based proficiencies that transfer across disciplines and into the work world.
Course Objectives for English 101 and 102
English 101 aims to help students acquire academic skills that are also transferable to their other college classes.
To promote Critical Thinking skills, classroom instruction will help students to:
- Locate knowledge and information within various social contexts and situations
- Craft thoughtful arguments in response to a variety of texts
- Develop and refine skills of summary, comparison, classification, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
- Connect ideas and also make meaningful distinctions among them
To cultivate Close Reading skills, classroom instruction will help students to:
- Read texts actively and analytically, identifying the purpose(s) and audience(s) for which a given text has been written
- Assess the way an author’s work is affected by historical, social and cultural norms
- Identify the way the text uses oral or written conventions and genres
- Recognize basic elements of persuasive and argumentative writing (appeals, claims, reasons, evidence, counter-arguments)
To foster Academic Writing skills, classroom instruction will help students to:
- Be aware of audience and the style in which you are expected to respond to a particular assignment.
- Revise your writing and use prewriting steps such as brainstorming, drafts, editing, and revising to improve your final paper.
- Use peer editing to get useful advice from others and recognize weaknesses in your paper that you might not initially recognize.
- Compose a debatable, specific thesis to structure your insights.
- Make sure that your use of paragraph structure, grammar, style, and formatting enhance your writing and are appropriate to the assignment given.
- Edit work for clarity, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Make sure that your analysis is logical, uses evidence effectively, and takes into account opposing perspectives.
Guidelines for English 102
The literary component of this course will include reading and discussion of at least 300 pages of narrative fiction, nonfiction prose, poetry, drama and other texts. The writing component of this course will include at least 4500 words (about 18 double-spaced pages) of formal writing that must include a research paper, but can also include a variety of other modes and formats such as an annotated bibliography, summaries, or other short papers.
English 102 aims to help students practice and advance the critical thinking, close reading, and writing skills as outlined above for English 101, and it introduces instruction on researching and writing a lengthy academic paper.
To develop Research and writing skills, classroom instruction will help students to:
- Identify subjects of inquiry and appropriate research topics/questions
- Sustain a controlled idea/argument throughout a lengthy academic paper
- Master the basics of academic research:
- Utilize academic databases and library search engines
- Assess the credibility of research sites and material
- Discover the importance of scope in selecting topics and pertinent research
- Understand what it means to join an academic “conversation” on a topic
- Select appropriate sources relevant to a research subject and become familiar with scholarly sources
- Effectively integrate and document sources according to the assigned documentation style
In addition to these listed outcomes, the Writing Matters Rubric, developed by faculty and staff from all the various departments at UW-Whitewater, can serve as a guide to these cross-disciplinary analytical and writing skills.