Course Description and Outcomes:

English 106 is designed to increase the student’s awareness of the various rhetorical situations they will confront while attending Purdue University. Over the course of the semester the student will be exposed to various writing styles emphasizing the traditional standards of academic writing. Students will also be exposed to a variety of research methods, including searching for online sources, to prepare them for future academic endeavors. By the end of the semester, students should be able to:

• engage in the collaborative act of writing and use writing as a tool for learning
• consider their audience and the social aspects of writing
• gather, summarize, synthesize, and analyze information from various sources
• critique their own and other’s work in written and verbal formats
• produce coherent, organized, readable prose for a variety of rhetorical situations
• critically analyze a variety of academic essays and articles
• reflect on what contributed to their writing process and evaluate their own work
• distinguish creditable sources when conducting academic research

Course work will focus on helping students produce short argumentative and expository essays by strengthening their awareness of audience and establishing a clear purpose and organization of ideas. Throughout the semester the students will be responsible for responding to a variety of essays by examining them in context with the major writing issues discussed in class. Students will also be responsible for weekly writing assignments and responding to other students’ writing.

Required Materials and Technology:

• Aaron, Jane. The Little, Brown: Compact Handbook. ISBN: 0-321-40914-0
• Digital reading packet, available online at: https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jbacha/106/calendar.php
• Access to a digital camera, available at the DLC
• Access to Purdue’s Online Writing Lab located at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• Access to a Purdue Student Account
• Notebook paper and a pen/pencil.