Sections 01 & 02, Spring 2006	Home • Policies • Evaluation • Schedule • Grades
Instructor: Dr. Jason A. Pierce	Phone: (828) 689-1237
Office: Cornwell 203	Classroom: Renfro 133
Office Hours: M-F 11-12 & by appt.	Class Hours: MWF 9-10 (01) & 10-11 (02)
Email: jpierce@mhc.edu	Homepage: http://users.mhc.edu/facultystaff/jpierce/

Course Description

ENG 111 is a first-year composition course designed to develop and refine the expository writing and critical thinking skills that are essential for success in future college coursework and in the world beyond the classroom. Students will learn to approach writing both as a process and as a product. Topics will include prewriting, formulating effective thesis statements and topic sentences, developing effective essay structures, understanding and using expository modes, and identifying and correcting errors. The course is the first half of the college composition Connector component of the general education curriculum; students must earn at least a C- to qualify for ENG 112 and to satisfy graduation requirements.

Course Materials

• Axelrod, Rise B., & Charles R. Cooper. Axelrod & Cooper’s Concise Guide to Writing. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. (companion site)
• Burch, C. Beth. A Writer’s Grammar. New York: Longman, 2003.
• Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. (companion site)
• a three-ring binder & a two-pocket folder (see materials guidelines)
• a working MHC network account

Goals & Objectives

1. Write in a variety of forms about well-defined subjects drawn from personal experience, from focused reading, and from careful reflections about either of the above. The primary form of writing will be the expository essay. Each essay must meet the following criteria:
   1. Afford a clear sense of introduction, body, and conclusion, with a clearly stated thesis as part of the introduction.
   2. Achieve unity, coherence, and appropriate emphasis in sentences, paragraphs, and the whole essay.
   3. Demonstrate comprehension of standard written English, including conventions of sentence structure and punctuation.
2. Write in meaningful depth for different purposes and different audiences, partly through mastery of the elements of style (appropriate diction, varied sentence structure, consistent tone, and effective figurative language).
3. Read a variety of essays and stories for content and style to cultivate reading skills, gain knowledge, generate ideas, and comprehend the elements of rhetoric.
4. Approach writing as a multi-step process.
5. Edit assigned writing to eliminate errors such as faulty spelling, mechanics, and punctuation.
6. Assimilate constructive responses from the instructor and other readers at various stages in the writing process.
7. Prepare and deliver in class an oral presentation.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in word processing.
9. Demonstrate competence when writing essays in a timed situation.

Instructional Methods

This course will be primarily discussion- and workshop-based with occasional lectures on key concepts. Students will spend class time writing, discussing their writing, and participating in exercises to develop writing skills; significant out-of-class time will be devoted to reading, writing, and completing exercises.