English 111: Freshman Composition 1
In English 111, students consider language and how it is used in various situations; thus, they learn the concepts of discourse community and genre, and how a written text is informed by and informs its social and rhetorical situation. Their primary purposes are to understand how language works in different communities, to examine how written and spoken discourse can meet the expectations of particular audiences, to develop analytical and evaluative reading strategies, to engage with a recursive writing process, and to produce academic essays and “new media” texts that clearly demonstrate mastery of course objectives and Highlands core curriculum traits.
The Composition Program produces its own textbook, with a revised edition each year, in order to fully serve Highlands’ unique student population and the demands of the 111 curriculum.
English 111 curriculum is driven by these course objectives:
- Summarize, paraphrase, and quote from a complex text.
- Recognize the distinctions between opinions, facts, and inferences.
- Analyze and evaluate written communication in terms of situation, audience, purpose, genre, and point of view.
- Express a primary purpose in a thesis statement and organize supporting evidence from a variety of sources.
- Practice writing and speaking processes such as planning, collaborating, organizing, composing, revising, and editing, in print and electronic genres.
- Demonstrate academic conventions regarding essay structure, appropriate tone, formal citation, and sentence clarity.
English 111 curriculum is also designed to facilitate student growth in two of Highlands University’s four traits:
- Critical and reflective thinking
- Effective use of technology