Textbook:  No text is required.

Reading: Online handouts or assigned websites as well as the writing of others in the class.  

Writing: Five-seven expository essays including a final exam (developed from rough drafts through finished papers)The writing you will be doing for this course is predominately analytical in nature and is designed to sharpen your critical thinking skills. At the instructor’s discretion, one of those pieces of writing may be a project involving multimedia elements, such as image scanning, desktop publishing, web page construction, or a PowerPoint presentation.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives:
   Learn to write a well-organized, thesis driven essay, with clear internal organization governed by a series of controlled paragraph topic sentences;
   Learn to move logically in a body paragraph from the generalization of the topic sentence to more specific clarifications;
   Learn to understand and appropriately apply modes of expression in written communication.
   Learn to maintain a logical movement through an essay with control of transitions, clarifications, and reasonable conclusions to ideas;
   Learn to analyze an audience to determine the best strategies for convincing it; 
   Demonstrate an understanding of some basic research techniques such as quotation integration and citation; 
   Demonstrate some research and library knowledge;
   Demonstrate some knowledge of bibliographic form; and 
   Demonstrate mastery of conventional English.
   
Grades:
   Discussion Board participation
   Grammar quizzes
   Five-seven essays including a final exam
*(Failure to complete the final exam may result in a failing grade).