ENGL 1101. English Composition I
A composition course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts, with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation, and also including introductory use of a variety of research skills. Develops analytical reading and writing skills through the investigation of methods used in cultural and literary studies and the application of those methods to specific texts.
ENGL 1101 Course Learning Outcomes:
Rhetorical Knowledge
Rhetorical knowledge focuses on the available means of persuasion, considering factors such as context, audience, purpose, genre, medium, and conventions.
- Explore and use with purpose key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of written texts. These concepts include:
- Rhetorical situation: purpose, audience, context
- Genre
- Argumentation: controlling purpose, evidence
- Develop an understanding of the ways in which rhetorical concepts can be transferred to multimodal artifacts
- Gain experience reading and composing in several genres to understand how genre conventions shape and are shaped by readers’ and writers’ practices and purposes
- Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
Critical Thinking, Writing, and Composing
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, situations, and texts.
- Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various rhetorical contexts
- Read a diverse range of written texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion and evidence, to patterns of organization, to the interplay between verbal and nonverbal elements, and to how these features function for different audiences and situations
- Use strategies—such as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign—to compose texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources
Processes
Writers use multiple strategies, or composing processes, to conceptualize, develop, finalize, and distribute projects. Composing processes are recursive and adaptable in relation to different rhetorical situations.
- Understand that writing is a process
- Develop a writing project through multiple stages
- Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing
- Use composing processes and tools as a means to discover and reconsider ideas
- Experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
- Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
- Reflect on the development of composing practices and how those practices influence their work
Knowledge of Conventions
Conventions are the formal rules and informal guidelines that define genres, and in so doing, shape readers’ and writers’ perceptions of correctness or appropriateness.
- Develop knowledge of linguistic structures, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling, through practice in composing and revising readers’ and writers’ perceptions of correctness or appropriateness
- Learn common formats and/or design features for different kinds of written texts
Explore the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate documentation conventions
Required Course Materials
TLDR: Please purchase an e-copy of The Everyday Writer through the GT Bookstore, download your free copy of WOVENText, and purchase access to Netflix for the duration of our course.
Texts and Resources to Purchase:
ENGL 1101 uses two required texts:
- The Everyday Writer, available through The Bedford Bookshelf
- The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu.
Access codes for The Bedford Bookshelf are available at the GT Barnes and Noble bookstore. You can also purchase and access the textbook directly through Macmillan Publishing.
For this course, our “texts” will often be multimedia—stand-up comedy videos, audio recordings, and, of course, essays and scholarly articles.
- Instead of additional books, please find a way to have access to Netflix for the duration of the course (you’ll be assigned to watch some stand-up comedy specials).
- Essays, scholarly articles, and other readings will be posted on our course Canvas site.
Other Things You’ll Need:
- This semester, I’m asking everyone to please bring to our class meetings: a paper notebook and something to write with.
- Please make sure you can connect to our course Canvas site, where you’ll get messages from me, information about the upcoming week, and where you’ll submit assignments. Please set your notifications so you'll be alerted to Announcements for our course.
Please obtain your free (included with tuition) copy of Microsoft Word through Georgia Tech. Install it at the beginning of the semester, try it out, and we’ll talk about how best to use it.
Grading Policy
Grading Breakdown for ENGL 1101 – Writing with Humor:
Artifact 0: 5% of total course grade
Artifact 1: 15% of total course grade
Artifact 2: 15% of total course grade
Artifact 3: 15% of total course grade
Readings, Annotations, and Pre-Class Discussion Posts: 8% of total course grade
Participation and Class Engagement: 8% of total course grade
Peer Review: 8% of total course grade
Process Documents: 7% of total course grade
Multimodal Rhetoric Posts: 4% of total course grade
Final Multimodal Reflective Portfolio: 15% of total course grade
Evaluation Equivalencies for ENGL 1101:
A: 90-100
Superior performance—rhetorically, aesthetically, and technically—demonstrating
advanced understanding and use of the media in particular contexts. An inventive spark
and exceptional execution.
B: 80-89
Above-average, high-quality performance—rhetorically, aesthetically, and
technically.
C: 70-79
Average (not inferior) performance. Competent and acceptable—rhetorically,
aesthetically, and technically.
D: 60-69
Below-average performance. Needs substantive work — rhetorically, aesthetically,
and/or technically.
F: 0-59
Unacceptable performance. Failure to meet minimum criteria rhetorically,
aesthetically, and/or technically.
Attendance Policy
Absences
This is a small, seminar-style, discussion-based course. It may be unlike any of the other large lecture courses you attend this year.
Attendance and participation are essential to success in courses in the Writing and Communication Program. Because of this, you are expected to attend class in person. Not attending a scheduled class session in-person results in an absence.
There may be times when you cannot or should not attend class, such as if you are not feeling well, have an interview, or have family responsibilities. Therefore, this course allows a specified number of absences without penalty, regardless of reason. After that, penalties accrue. Exceptions are allowed for Institute-approved absences (for example, those documented by the Registrar) and situations such as hospitalization or family emergencies (documented by the Office of the Dean of Students). If you feel sick, please do not come to class.
Your instructor can communicate with you about how to access materials or make up work you may have missed during your absence or suggest ways to participate in class remotely and/or asynchronously.
Students may miss a total of four (4) classes for T/Th over the course of the semester without penalty. Each additional absence after the allotted number deducts 2% from a student’s final grade. Missing more than 6 classes in a T/Th course may result in failure of the class, as determined by the instructor of the course in consultation with the Director of the Writing and Communication Program.
Please keep track of your absences and tardiness so you'll never be surprised about where you are. I'll be keeping track and I'll send out periodic updates so we're on the same page. You can also always ask for an extra update at any time.
Tardiness
I truly value our face-to-face time in class together, as it’s where the most dynamic and exciting learning happens. I’ll make an effort to ensure in-class activities are helpful and engaging, and I plan our class time carefully.
Please make a concerted effort to plan ahead and arrive in class on time (even for the dreaded 8am section). This really helps me get class started smoothly. I’ll often use our first 5 minutes for a warm-up activity, short clip, or check-in survey. I plan these carefully to set up the rest of our day, and late arrivals mean wasted time for the rest of your peers, so please try to arrive by the start of class.
After our grace period during the first two weeks of class, tardiness will begin to add up to replace one of your “free” absences.
Students may be late a total of two (2) times per semester without penalty. Each additional instance of tardiness— meaning arriving after I’ve taken attendance—will count as half an absence, which means one full point deducted from your final course grade. If you are significantly late, (i.e. if you miss half of class), we’ll adjust accordingly.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
Academic Honesty
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
For “Writing with Humor”: This course is all about teaching you about the ethics of quotation, citation, and the generous use of other people’s words and ideas. We’ll talk about what makes work “original,” best practices for writing with sources and colleagues, and how to do citation. When in doubt, let me know and we’ll work it out together!
I am most interested in your ideas, your way of writing, and your words. In college, we value your unique contribution and quality critical thinking over some nonexistent “right answer” or perfect grammar. Accordingly, please pay attention to the below policy on generative AI. We’ll discuss this policy and make adjustments as they come up. The most important thing is for you not to sabotage your (expensive) education by letting AI do tasks that are meant to make you learn and grow.
Academic Honesty and Generative AI
This course is about growing in your ability to write, communicate, and think critically. Generative AI agents such as ChatGPT, DALL-E 2, and others present great opportunities for learning and for communicating. However, AI cannot learn or communicate for you, and so cannot meet the course requirements for you.
In this course, using generative AI tools in the work of the course (including assignments, discussions, ungraded work, etc.) is allowed only in instances specified by your instructor.
In “ENGL 1101: Writing with Humor,” using software and AI tools for things like spell-checking is always okay. However, using the generative or conversational functions of gen AI is allowed only when specified by the instructor—we’ll have a clear policy for each assignment or type of work. When AI use is permitted, I’ll ask you to acknowledge how you used the AI in a transparency statement. We’ll talk about how to engage with gen AI ethically and in a way that supports your learning, and I’ll walk you through expectations for transparency and documentation.
As with any technology, generative AI tools need to be used critically and according to academic and professional expectations. Thus, in instances in which your instructor allows generative AI tool use, you are expected to adhere to these principles:
- Responsibility: You are responsible for the work you submit. In instances in which your instructor allows generative AI tool use, this means that any work you submit should be your own, with any AI assistance appropriately disclosed (see “Transparency” below) and any AI-generated content appropriately cited (see “Documentation” below). This also means you must ensure that any factual statements produced by a generative AI tool are true and that any references or citations produced by the AI tool are correct.
- Transparency: Any generative AI tools you use in the work of the course should be clearly acknowledged as indicated by the instructor. This work includes not only when you use content directly produced by a generative AI tool but also when you use a generative AI tool in the process of composition (for example, for brainstorming, outlining, or translation purposes).
- Documentation: You should cite any content generated by an AI tool as you would when quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing ideas, text, images, or other content made by other people.
Using generative AI tools at times not allowed by the instructor will be considered an infraction of the Georgia Tech Honor Code subject to investigation by the Office of Student Integrity. Likewise, using generative AI tools in the course without adhering to these principles will be considered an infraction of the Georgia Tech Honor Code subject to investigation by the Office of Student Integrity.
ENGL 1101 ENGL COMPOSITION I: This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Writing area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I write effectively in different contexts?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcomes:
- Students will communicate effectively in writing, demonstrating clear organization and structure, using appropriate grammar and writing conventions.
- Students will appropriately acknowledge the use of materials from original sources.
- Students will adapt their written communications to purpose and audience.
- Students will analyze and draw informed inferences from written texts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
Persuasion