Course description: Emphasis is on developing skills of writing, reading, analytical thinking, and research. Students are introduced to thought provoking ideas in readings from a variety of disciplines and learn to organize material, analyze ideas, and produce clear writing. These skills are the basis for success in all college courses and in professional careers. By reading, analyzing, and interpreting material from a variety of writers and, in turn, writing and thinking about the ideas, the student should become more proficient at communication skills. This course fulfills open and liberal arts electives.

Course objectives (writing)
Students will:

1. Use the writing process to collect ideas, focus, plan, draft, revise and edit a coherent written essay.

2. Understand the basic structure of a paper which includes an introduction, a body of supportive information, and a conclusion.

3. Write an introduction with a statement of purpose (i.e., thesis). Support the main ideas with examples and details.

4. Write a conclusion that provides more than a basic summary.

5. Produce writing that is clear, specific and readable.

6. Demonstrate the ability to write in a variety of rhetorical forms.

7. Maintain academic honesty by giving proper credit to words and ideas of others.

Course objectives (reading)

Students will:

1. Recognize and explain main and secondary ideas as well as stated and implied ideas.

2. Recognize an author’s intent by discerning bias, propaganda and personal prejudice. Evaluate ideas and recognize author’s viewpoint in relation to their own viewpoint. Recognize styles, rhetorical forms, and organizational patterns.

3. Draw conclusions and relate ideas from the reading to life experience.

4. Improve vocabulary through using context and a dictionary.

Course objectives (research)

Students will:

1. Locate, evaluate and select resource materials in the NSCC Library and on the world wide web.

2. Provide precise and correct documentation (i.e., in text citations and a works cited page using the MLA format.

3. Integrate ideas from outside sources into own writing.

4. Avoid plagiarism.

See below for full syllabus:

Composition SL – North Shore Community College 2016