Travel Writing in Metz and Alsace-Lorraine: Navigating the Art and Science of War and Peace

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3234
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

With Gallo-Roman ruins, art museums, sweeping cathedrals, winding water ways, mysterious passages, and the ghosts of three recent major wars haunting the streets and surrounding landscapes, Metz and the Lorraine region offer an interesting conversation between war and peace that may be compelling to diversity of artistic and historical sensibilities. We will process this sensorial experience through the genre of travel writing. Travel Writing is an exciting reflection on travel by connecting with foreign places through our unique, personal perspectives. Travel writing is not neutral or objective. But it isn’t fiction either. You will be constantly asked to make comparisons between your cultural experiences and observations with ones made in France. Renowned travel writer Pico Iyer claims that “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.” For our topic, we must consider that war destroys lives but also familiarity and tradition. However, in the wake of peace, creation abounds. New landscapes, design, art, history, and ways of thinking reflect the shifts in consciousness after war. This course will help you produce clear, expressive prose, sharpen your eye for travel detail, and cultivate your individual voice through the lens of art and history shaped by the painful events in war, but also by the rich culture developed in peace, in Metz, the Lorraine, and Alsace.

Course learning outcomes:
  • Through course readings and discussions, students will demonstrate knowledge of the origins and types of travel writing.
  • Students will be able to conduct close textual analyses of selected travel writing.
  • Through course readings and discussions, students will demonstrate knowledge of the moral and ethical issues involved in the act of writing about other cultures.
  • Through course readings and their own written work, students will show an understanding of narrative structure, as well as the importance of style, voice and ethos in the genre of travel writing.
  • Write lucid, well-constructed arguments analyzing and interpreting texts.
  • Synthesize primary and secondary readings to write an extended paper on the course theme.
  • Students will utilize their own travel writing as a tool for analysis of cultural and political issues relevant to Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, and France.
  • Understand basic concepts of intercultural sensitivity, worldview structures and mindful learning
  • Situate Metz, France and the Grand Est region and Europe in broad historical, cultural, and geopolitical contexts
  • Develop and sharpen critical thinking skills and apply them to concepts and debates around identity, globalization, and notions of globalism and global citizenship
  • Understand and analyze socio-cultural and political developments and current societal debates in France and Europe and be capable of considering these phenomena in cross-cultural, cross-regional and cross-national contexts 
Required course materials:

Course Reader - available on Canvas Course Site

Grading policy:

Students will keep a travel journal and will write regularly. These writings will serve as the basis for class discussion, workshops, and travel essays. The journals will be checked and evaluated several times over the semester. They will be turned in along with the periodic essays that will be due. Recommended journal: MOLESKINE or another cheaper journal with hard cover. Travel journals can be purchased at Carrefour bookstores, “librairies” and stationary stores “papeteries.” You can also just use a regular notebook, but the travel journal is a place of portable free expression - take it everywhere and tape, glue, attach, or draw in it as you would like. 

Students will write 2 travel writing essays over the course of the semester that reflect the themes and forms studied. Some of the journal entries serve as kind of a rough draft. They will turn this essay into the instructor and to the group. Students and instructor prepare for the group writing workshop the following class. During these workshops, students will critique writing and give feedback to others. Reading assigned material and rigorous participation in the workshops is expected. 

The final project will culminate in a multimedia class travel blog that we will work on throughout the semester. Students will polish their travel essays to get them ready for publishing on the blog, which means many revisions are possible on one draft. Students may revise as many times as they like after receiving a travel essay grade until they obtain the desired grade. 

As a class, we will study other travel blogs and come up for the best format for ours. Students will choose the final version two of their travel essays and upload it to the blog, adding photos, videos clips, a list of recommended visits, and other media. Possibilities for video and photos essays are possible. They will also be asked to comment on other class blogposts. The final class will be a presentation of the final blog entry and a brief explanation of the revision process the student undertook to get it to a publishable state. 

 

Participation and Classroom Conduct  

Good participation entails not only speaking and sharing your thoughts on a regular basis, but also being considerate and respecting the views of others. This is especially important during writing peer workshops. To earn high points in the participation part of the final grade, students will have demonstrated their awareness of the different functions of classroom comments by:  

1. varying their discussion strategies, 

2. considering what they say before they say it, 

3. taking intellectual risks, and 

4. always respecting the feelings of peers by not interrupting classmates while speaking and acknowledging interesting ideas. 

Rubrics and Detailed Assignment Descriptions

 For each assignment, you will receive a detailed assignment description well in advance of the deadline, which will include the grading rubric. I aim to return your assignments graded within one-two weeks maximum of the due date. 

Attendance policy:

You are required to attend all classes and excursions. You can miss a maximum of 2 class days, no questions asked. Excursions count as classes, but they do not count in the allotted two days of absences. The excursion days entail assignments linked the outing that can only be completed on-site.

Each unexcused absence after 2 will result in 1 point deducted from your final grade. You must have approval and justification from the GTE administration in writing for an absence to be excused and not counted toward your 2 absences. If you miss on a portfolio workshop day, you will still be expected to do the work in your peer group. Missing a day of class does not excuse you automatically from turning an assignment due that day. 

Coming to class late and leaving early for an unexcused reason will result in an absence. This includes, among other things, leaving early to make a train or plane for independent travel. Coming more than 15 minutes to class for an unexcused reason will result in an absence. Leaving up to 15 minutes early with an unexcused reason will also result in an absence for that day. If you need to leave class early or come late for an excused reason, you  must have approval and justification from the GTE administration in writing.

Cancelled or late trains and flights, travel snafus, travel with friends or family DO NOT count as excused unless you have administrative approval. This means written permission from Paul Voss, the Dean Representative. 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Arts, Humanities & Ethics 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 interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?

 

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:

  • Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts in English or other languages, or of works in the visual/performing arts.

 

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:

  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Information Literacy
  • Intercultural Competence
Instructor First Name:
Jennifer
Instructor Last Name:
Orth-Veillon
Section:
RMZ
CRN (you may add up to five):
31765
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
ENGL
Course number:
1102
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

Mycological networks offer remarkable examples of communication within and across species. Through complex chemical exchanges, mycelia “talk” to each other and other organisms, creating vast networks of knowledge-sharing that exist in a variety of modes. These networks allow mycelia to ward off disease, negotiate with life-partners, attract pollinators, and much more. Alongside texts like The Mushroom at the End of the World (Tsing) and Entangled Life (Sheldrake), we will explore what these entanglements can show us about our own communication practices, habits, and assumptions. At the beginning of the term, you will be assigned to a cohort of 3-5 people (depending on class size), with whom you will work closely for the rest of the semester. Projects include a research paper, a collaborative research poster and presentation, and an assemblage art piece.

Course learning outcomes:

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
Required course materials:
  • Writer/Designer, available through The Bedford Bookshelf (recommended)
  • The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available for free at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu
  • The Mushroom at the End of the World, by Anna Tsing. ISBN: 9780691220550
  • Entangled Life, illustrated edition, by Merlin Sheldrake. ISBN: 9780593729984
Grading policy:

Assignments in this course are graded using a modified labor-based grading system. Here’s what that means:

  1. All process work, in-class writing, and minor assignments are graded on a complete/incomplete scale. Final drafts of projects receive a letter grade that represents your grade for the whole unit. Thus, assignments other than final drafts are marked as not counting toward the final grade in Canvas. This is not because they are unimportant, but because they contribute to the unit grade, which then contributes to the final grade.
  2. To be “complete,” an assignment must: a) be submitted by the deadline or within your official extension period; b) fulfill the requirements of the prompt/instructions; and c) show evidence of engagement with course learning outcomes. If an assignment does not fulfill one or more of those qualifications, it will be marked incomplete.
  3. Completing a predetermined amount of work (labor) in each unit guarantees you a B for that unit. Work that is essential to earning a B is marked by an asterisk (*) in assignment titles on Canvas.
  4. To earn an A, you must fulfill B-level requirements and then complete more work (labor). In each unit, you will choose from a selection of A-level assignments listed at the end of the project prompt. Completing the number of activities indicated by the prompt qualifies you for an A in that unit, assuming that your B-level requirements are fulfilled.
  5. Attendance, participation, and engagement will be evaluated by the instructor. You will complete a short reflection from time to time that helps the instructor understand how you see your participation habits.
  6. Final grades are calculated based on weighted unit grades using GT’s GPA scheme. Therefore, an A = 4, B = 3, etc. Totals will extend to two decimal points and then be rounded up (.50 and above) or down (.49 and below). There are no other percentage, numeric, or +/- grades in this course.
Attendance policy:

Attendance and participation are essential to success in courses in the Writing and Communication Program. Because of this, you are expected to attend class. Not attending a scheduled class session in-person results in an absence. Please let me know in advance (if possible) if you have to miss so that I can plan group activities accordingly.

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. Exceptions are allowed for Institute-approved absences (for example, those documented by the Registrar) and situations such as illness, hospitalization, or family emergencies (documentation by the Office of the Dean of Students required).

You have three “free” absences that you can use at any time for any reason. Beginning with the fourth absence, your final grade will be impacted by -3% per absence. Up to two absences can be made up and their points regained by completing make-up work assigned by the instructor. 

Tardies: Showing up more than 8 minutes late qualifies as tardy. Four tardies equals one absence. Tardies (and any absences resulting from them) cannot be made up. The instructor may forgive a tardy in specific cases. *Please note: arriving late on peer review days means you might provide a review for someone without receiving one in return, especially if peer review has already begun when you arrive.

If you do miss class, it’s your responsibility to 1) check Canvas and 2) contact your peers for notes. After taking those steps, you are welcome to email me or come by my office to chat about what you missed. Absences and tardies may be forgiven at the discretion of the instructor, usually in the case of emergencies.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

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?
Instructor First Name:
Megan
Instructor Last Name:
Fontenot
Section:
D2, H3, K04
CRN (you may add up to five):
31664
35142
28530
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sun, 01/11/2026
Course prefix:
ENGL
Course number:
1102
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

A composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation, and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods. Develops communication skills in networked electronic environments, emphasizes interpretation and evaluation of cultural texts, and incorporates research methods in print and on the Internet.

Course learning outcomes:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves understanding social and cultural texts and contexts in ways that support productive communication and interaction.

  • Analyze arguments.
  • Accommodate opposing points of view.
  • Interpret inferences and develop subtleties of symbolic and indirect discourse.
  • Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.
  • Integrate ideas with those of others.
  • Understand relationships among language, knowledge, and power.
  • Recognize the constructedness of language and social forms.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric focuses on available means of persuasion, considering the synergy of factors such as context, audience, purpose, role, argument, organization, design, visuals, and conventions of language.

  • Adapt communication to circumstances and audience.
  • Produce communication that is stylistically appropriate and mature.
  • Communicate in standard English for academic and professional contexts.
  • Sustain a consistent purpose and point of view.
  • Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences.
  • Learn common formats for different kinds of texts.
  • Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics.
  • Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • Create artifacts that demonstrate the synergy of rhetorical elements.
  • Demonstrate adaptation of register, language, and conventions for specific contexts and audiences.
  • Apply strategies for communication in and across both academic disciplines and cultural contexts in the community and the workplace.

Process

Processes for communication—for example, creating, planning, drafting, designing, rehearsing, revising, presenting, publishing—are recursive, not linear. Learning productive processes is as important as creating products.

  • Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources.
  • Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
  • Understand collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
  • Critique their own and others’ works.
  • Balance the advantages of relying on others with [personal] responsibility.
  • Construct and select information based on interpretation and critique of the accuracy, bias, credibility, authority, and appropriateness of sources.
  • Compose reflections that demonstrate understanding of the elements of iterative processes, both specific to and transferable across rhetorical situations.

Modes and Media

Activities and assignments should use a variety of modes and media—written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal (WOVEN)—singly and in combination. The context and culture of multimodality and multimedia are critical.

  • Interpret content of written materials on related topics from various disciplines.
  • Compose effective written materials for various academic and professional contexts.
  • Assimilate, analyze, and present a body of information in oral and written forms.
  • Communicate in various modes and media, using appropriate technology.
  • Use digital environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts.
  • Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official (e.g., federal) databases; and informal electronic networks and internet sources.
  • Exploit differences in rhetorical strategies and affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.
  • Create WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) artifacts that demonstrate interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and judgment.
  • Demonstrate strategies for effective translation, transformation, and transference of communication across modes and media.
Required course materials:
  • Writer/Designer, available through The Bedford Bookshelf
  • The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu.

Other texts will be distributed through pdf's or will be available for digital purchase.

Grading policy:

Assignments

  • Common First Week Video: 5% of final grade
  • Project 1: 15% of final grade
  • Project 2: 20% of final grade
  • Project 3: 20% of final grade
  • Final Portfolio: 20% of final grade
  • In-class Participation: 10% of final grade
  • Journals/Activities: 10% of final grade

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:

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).

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 or M/W classes or six (6) for M/W/F classes over the course of the semester without penalty. Each additional absence after the allotted number deducts 2% from a student’s final grade.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

ENGL 1102 ENGL COMPOSITION II

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
Instructor First Name:
Benjamin
Instructor Last Name:
Rutherfurd
Section:
L9
CRN (you may add up to five):
25117
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sun, 01/11/2026
Course prefix:
ENGL
Course number:
1102
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

A composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation, and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods. Develops communication skills in networked electronic environments, emphasizes interpretation and evaluation of cultural texts, and incorporates research methods in print and on the Internet.

Course learning outcomes:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves understanding social and cultural texts and contexts in ways that support productive communication and interaction.

  • Analyze arguments.
  • Accommodate opposing points of view.
  • Interpret inferences and develop subtleties of symbolic and indirect discourse.
  • Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.
  • Integrate ideas with those of others.
  • Understand relationships among language, knowledge, and power.
  • Recognize the constructedness of language and social forms.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric focuses on available means of persuasion, considering the synergy of factors such as context, audience, purpose, role, argument, organization, design, visuals, and conventions of language.

  • Adapt communication to circumstances and audience.
  • Produce communication that is stylistically appropriate and mature.
  • Communicate in standard English for academic and professional contexts.
  • Sustain a consistent purpose and point of view.
  • Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences.
  • Learn common formats for different kinds of texts.
  • Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics.
  • Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • Create artifacts that demonstrate the synergy of rhetorical elements.
  • Demonstrate adaptation of register, language, and conventions for specific contexts and audiences.
  • Apply strategies for communication in and across both academic disciplines and cultural contexts in the community and the workplace.

Process

Processes for communication—for example, creating, planning, drafting, designing, rehearsing, revising, presenting, publishing—are recursive, not linear. Learning productive processes is as important as creating products.

  • Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources.
  • Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
  • Understand collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
  • Critique their own and others’ works.
  • Balance the advantages of relying on others with [personal] responsibility.
  • Construct and select information based on interpretation and critique of the accuracy, bias, credibility, authority, and appropriateness of sources.
  • Compose reflections that demonstrate understanding of the elements of iterative processes, both specific to and transferable across rhetorical situations.

Modes and Media

Activities and assignments should use a variety of modes and media—written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal (WOVEN)—singly and in combination. The context and culture of multimodality and multimedia are critical.

  • Interpret content of written materials on related topics from various disciplines.
  • Compose effective written materials for various academic and professional contexts.
  • Assimilate, analyze, and present a body of information in oral and written forms.
  • Communicate in various modes and media, using appropriate technology.
  • Use digital environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts.
  • Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official (e.g., federal) databases; and informal electronic networks and internet sources.
  • Exploit differences in rhetorical strategies and affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.
  • Create WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) artifacts that demonstrate interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and judgment.
  • Demonstrate strategies for effective translation, transformation, and transference of communication across modes and media.
Required course materials:
  • Writer/Designer, available through The Bedford Bookshelf
  • The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu.

Other texts will be distributed through pdf's or will be available for digital purchase.

Grading policy:

Assignments

  • Common First Week Video: 5% of final grade
  • Project 1: 15% of final grade
  • Project 2: 20% of final grade
  • Project 3: 20% of final grade
  • Final Portfolio: 20% of final grade
  • In-class Participation: 10% of final grade
  • Journals/Activities: 10% of final grade

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:

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).

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 or M/W classes or six (6) for M/W/F classes over the course of the semester without penalty. Each additional absence after the allotted number deducts 2% from a student’s final grade.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

ENGL 1102 ENGL COMPOSITION II

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
Instructor First Name:
Benjamin
Instructor Last Name:
Rutherfurd
Section:
K0
CRN (you may add up to five):
30297
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sun, 01/11/2026
Course prefix:
ENGL
Course number:
1102
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

A composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation, and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods. Develops communication skills in networked electronic environments, emphasizes interpretation and evaluation of cultural texts, and incorporates research methods in print and on the Internet.

Course learning outcomes:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves understanding social and cultural texts and contexts in ways that support productive communication and interaction.

  • Analyze arguments.
  • Accommodate opposing points of view.
  • Interpret inferences and develop subtleties of symbolic and indirect discourse.
  • Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.
  • Integrate ideas with those of others.
  • Understand relationships among language, knowledge, and power.
  • Recognize the constructedness of language and social forms.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric focuses on available means of persuasion, considering the synergy of factors such as context, audience, purpose, role, argument, organization, design, visuals, and conventions of language.

  • Adapt communication to circumstances and audience.
  • Produce communication that is stylistically appropriate and mature.
  • Communicate in standard English for academic and professional contexts.
  • Sustain a consistent purpose and point of view.
  • Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences.
  • Learn common formats for different kinds of texts.
  • Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics.
  • Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • Create artifacts that demonstrate the synergy of rhetorical elements.
  • Demonstrate adaptation of register, language, and conventions for specific contexts and audiences.
  • Apply strategies for communication in and across both academic disciplines and cultural contexts in the community and the workplace.

Process

Processes for communication—for example, creating, planning, drafting, designing, rehearsing, revising, presenting, publishing—are recursive, not linear. Learning productive processes is as important as creating products.

  • Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources.
  • Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
  • Understand collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
  • Critique their own and others’ works.
  • Balance the advantages of relying on others with [personal] responsibility.
  • Construct and select information based on interpretation and critique of the accuracy, bias, credibility, authority, and appropriateness of sources.
  • Compose reflections that demonstrate understanding of the elements of iterative processes, both specific to and transferable across rhetorical situations.

Modes and Media

Activities and assignments should use a variety of modes and media—written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal (WOVEN)—singly and in combination. The context and culture of multimodality and multimedia are critical.

  • Interpret content of written materials on related topics from various disciplines.
  • Compose effective written materials for various academic and professional contexts.
  • Assimilate, analyze, and present a body of information in oral and written forms.
  • Communicate in various modes and media, using appropriate technology.
  • Use digital environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts.
  • Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official (e.g., federal) databases; and informal electronic networks and internet sources.
  • Exploit differences in rhetorical strategies and affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.
  • Create WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) artifacts that demonstrate interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and judgment.
  • Demonstrate strategies for effective translation, transformation, and transference of communication across modes and media.
Required course materials:
  • Writer/Designer, available through The Bedford Bookshelf
  • The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu.

Other texts will be distributed through pdf's or will be available for digital purchase.

Grading policy:

Assignments

  • Common First Week Video: 5% of final grade
  • Project 1: 15% of final grade
  • Project 2: 20% of final grade
  • Project 3: 20% of final grade
  • Final Portfolio: 20% of final grade
  • In-class Participation: 10% of final grade
  • Journals/Activities: 10% of final grade

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:

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).

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 or M/W classes or six (6) for M/W/F classes over the course of the semester without penalty. Each additional absence after the allotted number deducts 2% from a student’s final grade.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

ENGL 1102 ENGL COMPOSITION II

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
Instructor First Name:
Benjamin
Instructor Last Name:
Rutherfurd
Section:
G0
CRN (you may add up to five):
28526
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Shakespeare

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3228
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This course, framed as “Shakespeare, the Art and Science of Attention,” introduces Shakespeare’s major works and representative genres, including the English sonnet, narrative poem, occasional poem, comedy, tragedy, history, and romance. Through sustained attention to Shakespearean language, form, and performance, we will consider questions about cognition, artificial intelligence, creativity, and authorship against the backdrop of what may be the most radical textual revolution since Gutenberg’s printing press. Writing during a period of unprecedented technological change, Shakespeare staged the faculties of the mind and body—thinking, sensing, desiring, forgetting, dreaming, grieving—by dramatizing a cognitive ecology where thought emerges not only from the brain but also from the confluence of language, feeling, and the environment. Importantly, Shakespeare’s plays and poems occasion opportunities for us to practice our own cognitive skills, including memory, attention, and ethical reflection, so that we may more fully and responsibly engage multiple intelligences. English 1102 is a prerequisite for this course. 

Course learning outcomes:
  • Analyze Shakespeare’s works across multiple genres (sonnet, narrative poem, comedy, tragedy, history, romance, and occasional poem), identifying how genre shapes representations of cognition and affect.
  • Practice sustained attention by engaging closely with Shakespeare’s language, demonstrating how meaning emerges through text, brain, and embodied experience.
  • Interpret literary texts through cognitive frameworks, explaining how Shakespeare stages thinking, feeling, remembering, desiring, and grieving as processes distributed across bodies, environments, language, and social relations.
  • Demonstrate memory, voice, and embodied understanding through recitation and performance, reflecting critically on how memorization and vocalization alter interpretation, comprehension, and affective engagement with texts.
  • Evaluate the role of artificial intelligence in literary interpretation, assessing the accuracy, limitations, ethical implications, and environmental costs of generative AI tools when applied to Shakespearean scholarship.
  • Collaborate productively in structured conversations and creative projects, practicing active listening, inclusive dialogue, and shared intellectual responsibility while engaging diverse perspectives.
Required course materials:
Grading policy:

Grading System: A (90 - 100), B (80 - 89), C (70 - 79), D (60-69), F (below 60)

  • Participation (20%)
  • Quizzes (5%)
  • Facilitation (15%)
  • Sonnet Cycle (10%)
  • Recitation (10%)
  • Midterm Exam (15%)
  • Imitation (10%)
  • Final Exam (15%)

Note: More specific instructions for assignments and grading rubrics will be posted on Canvas. If you have a question about the particulars of an assignment, course policy, or grade, please contact your instructor by email as soon as possible. Finally, please keep in mind that grades are not a judgment of your intelligence or value as a person. Assignments and exams provide opportunities to evaluate what you understand and where there is a need for more learning.

Attendance policy:

Attendance and active participation are essential to your success in this course. Because this course is grounded in close reading, performance, memory, and ethical interpretation, participation is not measured by how often or how loudly you speak, but by how attentively, thoughtfully, and responsibly you engage—with Shakespeare’s language, with your peers, and with your own habits of attention.This course is a collaborative learning community. Students are expected to come to class prepared, having completed the assigned readings, and ready to engage in discussion, close reading, recitation, performance, and reflective activities. Participation may take many forms: attentive listening, asking genuine questions, offering textual insights, reading aloud, contributing to small-group work, engaging in performance exercises, or sustaining moments of focused silence when the text calls for it.

Be mindful of the following course policies:

  • Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Please contact me as soon as possible if you have serious extenuating circumstances that affect your ability to attend class.
  • Preparation: Students are required to bring the assigned text(s) to class, whether in physical or approved digital form. If you are unable to obtain a text due to financial hardship, please contact me as soon as possible.
  • Technology: Cellular phones are not allowed in class. Laptops and tablets are permitted only for ADA accommodations or for clearly class-related purposes.
  • Deadlines: All assignments must be submitted on time. Late submissions are not accepted.
Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. The immediate objective of an Academic Honor Code is to prevent any Students from gaining an unfair advantage over other Students through academic misconduct. The following clarification of academic misconduct is taken from Section XIX Student Code of Conduct, of the Rules and Regulations section of the Georgia Institute of Technology General Catalog: Academic misconduct is any act that does or could improperly distort Student grades or other Student academic records. Such acts include but need not be limited to the following:

Unauthorized Access: Possessing, using, or exchanging improperly acquired written or verbal information in the preparation of a problem set, laboratory report, essay, examination, or other academic assignment.

Unauthorized Collaboration: Unauthorized interaction with another Student or Students in the fulfillment of academic requirements.

  • Plagiarism: Submission of material that is wholly or substantially identical to that created or published by another person or persons, without adequate credit notations indicating the authorship.
  • False Claims of Performance: False claims for work that has been submitted by a Student.
  • Grade Alteration: Alteration of any academic grade or rating so as to obtain unearned academic credit.
  • Deliberate Falsification: Deliberate falsification of a written or verbal statement of fact to a Faculty member and/or Institute Official, so as to obtain unearned academic credit.
  • Forgery: Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any Institute document relating to the academic status of the Student.
  • Distortion: Any act that distorts or could distort grades or other academic records.

While these acts constitute assured instances of academic misconduct, other acts of academic misconduct may be defined by the professor. The Honor Agreement may reappear on exams and other assignments to remind Students of their responsibilities under the Georgia Institute of Technology Academic Honor Code. 

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities 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 interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works? 

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome: Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts. 

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies: Ethical Reasoning; Information Literacy; Intercultural Competence.

Instructor First Name:
Perry
Instructor Last Name:
Guevara
Section:
B
CRN (you may add up to five):
31552
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Literature and Medicine

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3219
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

In her essay, “On Being Ill,” Virginia Woolf diagnoses the impoverishment of the English language for its failure to accurately represent the experience of sickness. For centuries, writers have attempted to give linguistic shape to physical and mental suffering, but Woolf insists we need a new vocabulary—words “subtle” and “sensual”—to faithfully express the body’s tremors and throes, cancers and convulsions. In this course, we will trace literary and medical representations of illness and healing from the early modern period to the present, paying attention not only to those who suffer but also to those who care for the suffering. Authors may include Audre Lorde, Paul Kalanithi, Atul Gawande, Jeannette Winterson, Margaret Edson, and John Donne. Topics may include biopolitics, illness and metaphor, mental health, the ethics of care, disability, and the evolving field of the health humanities.

Course learning outcomes:
  • Analyze how literary forms—including poetry, memoir, drama, and film—represent illness, pain, disability, mental health, and care, with attention to language, form, and medium.
  • Explain how medical knowledge and practices are historically and culturally situated, and how concepts such as illness, health, disability, and depression change across time, communities, and institutions.
  • Evaluate the ethical stakes of representing illness and suffering, including the risks of metaphor, narrative, and interpretation.
  • Practice slow reading as a critical skill, demonstrating how sustained attention, listening, and restraint shape interpretation in both literary study and clinical contexts.
  • Apply concepts from the health humanities—such as narrative medicine, health humanities, and disability studies—to analyze texts, films, and other cultural artifacts related to medicine and health.
  • Articulate how categories of difference shape experiences of illness and care, and how literature can both expose and resist structural harm.
Required course materials:

  • Audre Lorde, Cancer Journals (ISBN 9780143135203)

  • Jeannette Winterson, Written on the Body (ISBN 9780679744474)

  • Margaret Edson, Wit (ISBN 9780571198771)

  • Susan Sontag, Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors (ISBN 9780312420130)

  • Melancholia (dir. Von Trier, 2011)

  • Keywords in the Health Humanities, eds. Altschuler, Metzl, and Wald (ISBN 9781479808106)
Grading policy:

Grading System: A (90 - 100), B (80 - 89), C (70 - 79), D (60-69), F (below 60)

  • Participation (20%)
  • Facilitation (15%)
  • Poetry Reading (10%)
  • Midterm Exam (20%)
  • Adaptation and Imitation (15%)
  • Final Exam (20%)

Note: More specific instructions for assignments and grading rubrics will be posted on Canvas. If you have a question about the particulars of an assignment, course policy, or grade, please contact your instructor by email as soon as possible. Finally, please keep in mind that grades are not a judgment of your intelligence or value as a person. Assignments and exams provide opportunities to evaluate what you understand and where there is a need for more learning.

Attendance policy:

Attendance and active participation are essential to your success in this course. Because “Literature and Medicine” depends on careful reading, ethical listening, and sustained attention, participation here is not measured by how often or how loudly you speak, but by how thoughtfully and responsibly you engage with texts, with one another, and with yourself. This course is a collaborative learning community. Students are expected to come to class prepared, having completed the assigned readings, and ready to engage in discussion, close reading, and reflective activities. Participation may take many forms: attentive listening, asking questions, contributing insights, reading aloud, participating in small-group work, or engaging seriously in moments of shared silence and reflection.

At several points during the semester, we will practice slow reading: sustained, device-free attention to a short text in class. During these sessions, students will read quietly and without discussion for an extended period of time, followed by reflection or conversation. These moments are not breaks from participation—they are participation. Slow reading is treated in this course as an ethical and intellectual practice, one that cultivates patience, care, and attentiveness.

Be mindful of the following course policies:

  • Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Please contact me as soon as possible if you have serious extenuating circumstances that affect your ability to attend class.
  • Preparation: Students are required to bring the assigned text(s) to class, whether in physical or approved digital form. If you are unable to obtain a text due to financial hardship, please contact me as soon as possible.
  • Technology: Cellular phones are not allowed in class. Laptops and tablets are permitted only for ADA accommodations or for clearly class-related purposes.
  • Deadlines: All assignments must be submitted on time. Late submissions are not accepted.
Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. The immediate objective of an Academic Honor Code is to prevent any Students from gaining an unfair advantage over other Students through academic misconduct. The following clarification of academic misconduct is taken from Section XIX Student Code of Conduct, of the Rules and Regulations section of the Georgia Institute of Technology General Catalog: Academic misconduct is any act that does or could improperly distort Student grades or other Student academic records. Such acts include but need not be limited to the following:

Unauthorized Access: Possessing, using, or exchanging improperly acquired written or verbal information in the preparation of a problem set, laboratory report, essay, examination, or other academic assignment.

Unauthorized Collaboration: Unauthorized interaction with another Student or Students in the fulfillment of academic requirements.

  • Plagiarism: Submission of material that is wholly or substantially identical to that created or published by another person or persons, without adequate credit notations indicating the authorship.
  • False Claims of Performance: False claims for work that has been submitted by a Student.
  • Grade Alteration: Alteration of any academic grade or rating so as to obtain unearned academic credit.
  • Deliberate Falsification: Deliberate falsification of a written or verbal statement of fact to a Faculty member and/or Institute Official, so as to obtain unearned academic credit.
  • Forgery: Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any Institute document relating to the academic status of the Student.
  • Distortion: Any act that distorts or could distort grades or other academic records.

While these acts constitute assured instances of academic misconduct, other acts of academic misconduct may be defined by the professor. The Honor Agreement may reappear on exams and other assignments to remind Students of their responsibilities under the Georgia Institute of Technology Academic Honor Code. 

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities 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 interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works? 

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome: Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts. 

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies: Ethical Reasoning; Information Literacy; Intercultural Competence.

Instructor First Name:
Perry
Instructor Last Name:
Guevara
Section:
A
CRN (you may add up to five):
35311
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Disability, Accessibility, and Culture

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3206
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

LMC 3206, Communication & Culture: Examines ways in which forms and media of communication create and are created by other cultural constructs.

CRN 31550, Spring Semester 2026, Section AS, "Disability, Accessibility, and Culture:" What does it mean to have a disability? How is this shaped by cultural, historical, technological, biomedical, educational, political, legal, and economic forces? What is the history of disability rights and how can we design a more accessible world? This course will examine both historic and contemporary theories and representations of disability in scholarship, criticism, film, art, social media, and pop culture. 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of LMC 3206, students will be able to…

  • Define “disability,” “accessibility,” “culture” and “communication” and articulate features and examples of their interplay
  • Critically trace historical and theoretical perspectives on disability and apply them to contemporary issues
  • Apply theories of inclusive and universal design to foreground disability and accessibility to communication
  • Compose in a variety of media for different audiences.
Required course materials:

You do not need to purchase any books for this course. All required reading and viewing for this course will be made available on Canvas or through the Georgia Tech Library resources. 

Grading policy:

Note that these are just brief descriptions. Each project has multiple required components (e.g., brainstorming activities, outlines, reflections, etc.) and full assignments will be provided on Canvas. See the course calendar for due dates.

Discussion Lead (10% of final grade) Once during the semester, you and a partner will prepare a brief presentation (5–10 minutes) that introduces one of the readings for a class period, before leading the class in discussion and/or an activity on that reading. 

Reading Quizzes (10% of final grade) To ensure that students complete the assigned reading, there will be eight individual quizzes over the course of the semester. These quizzes will be unannounced, and make-up assignments will only be given if arrangements are made with the professor prior to the missed class. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped, thus only seven will count toward your grade. If 85% or more of the class completes the CIOS at the end of the semester, then the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped for each student.

Campus Tour and Evaluation (15% of final grade) Explore a campus space or city neighborhood to assess its accessibility. Make a note of anything you find that’s inaccessible, then determine how these issues get fixed. Write a brief report on your findings, analyzing them to make conclusions on disability, accessibility, and the design of the built environment. 

Accessibility Audit (20% of final grade) Using principles and heuristics like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, develop a protocol to audit the accessibility of a website or mobile application. After conducting the audit using your protocol, you will write a brief report detailing your findings and recommendations for improving the site or app’s accessibility. This project may be completed individually or in pairs.

Resource Build (30% of final grade) You’ll develop some kind of resource to educate others and/or guide their work around disability and accessibility. This could be a website, a video, a quick-start guide, an educational game, a photo illustration, a pamphlet, a zine, a lesson plan, or some other kind of resource(s).

Reflection and Assessment (5% of final grade) By assessing your learning during this semester, you will consider your own work and take stock of your growth.

Short Assignments, Classroom Participation, and Professional Ethos (10% of final grade) Participating in classroom activities, writing short assignments, peer reviewing classmates’ drafts, and engaging in other work will form this component of your course grade.

FINAL GRADE POLICY:

I do not curve/round up grades or offer extra credit at the end of the semester. The grading scale for this course follows the standard Georgia Tech grading system:

A: 100%–90%, 4.0
B: 89%–80%, 3.0
C: 79%–70%, 2.0
D: 69%–60%, 1.0
F: 59% or below, 0.0

Attendance policy:

Participation is essential in this course. Come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Plan on expressing your ideas, frustrations, questions, confusions, etc., even if you’re not able to articulate them without some hesitation—sometimes, ambivalent or ambiguous remarks spark the liveliest discussions! Although your participation will not be explicitly graded, you will be evaluated on your preparedness for class. I will use my assessment of your participation to manage borderline grades; thus, it will help you to attend class, share your views on readings, and participate in activities. If you repeatedly arrive late to class, expect that your grade will also be lowered. If you are concerned about this assessment at any time, you can contact me to request a “snapshot” of your current grade or discuss ways to improve your participation.

You have six (6) permitted absences regardless of documentation or excuse; for each absence after six (6), your final course grade will go down 5% (or half a letter grade). Absences will be recorded through the Attendance function on Canvas; it is your responsibility to keep up with your absence count in the class. It is also important to come to class on time. Therefore, if you are more than 20 minutes late to class, you will be marked absent for that class period. If you are absent, you miss valuable class time with your colleagues, as well as instructions for assignments and projects that will help you complete quality work. If you miss class, you are still responsible for obtaining class notes and completing work you missed. 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities area (see https://undergradcurriculum.gatech.edu/general-education/ for more information).

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 thus directs students toward a broad Orienting Question: How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome: Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.

Content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies: 1) Ethical Reasoning, 2) Information Literacy, 3) Intercultural Competence.

Instructor First Name:
Allegra
Instructor Last Name:
Smith
Section:
AS
CRN (you may add up to five):
31550
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Intro to Media Studies

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
2400
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:
  1. This course focuses on introducing students to foundational approaches in media studies, with attention to how media forms develop historically, operate culturally, and shape everyday life.
  2. This course provides students with core concepts and analytical frameworks for interpreting screen-based media and other cultural artifacts, while emphasizing discussion-driven learning, close reading, and clear communication in both written and oral forms.
Course learning outcomes:
  1. This course provides students with a broad understanding of the historical development and cultural impact of media, a set of theoretical tools for critical analysis, and a vocabulary for describing formal and cultural elements of media texts.
  2. This course also provides practice in communicating analysis clearly and concretely, locating and using scholarly research through Georgia Tech library resources, and participating in respectful, thoughtful, and professional discussion and collaboration across differences in perspective and experience.
Required course materials:
  1. This course provides all required readings through PDFs on Canvas, with additional assigned media such as videos, films, and podcasts when appropriate; accommodations are available for students who cannot purchase required works.
  2. This course focuses on readings that build media literacy across three connected units: legacy media (how earlier media forms such as photography, film, and print established key theories of representation, spectatorship, and cultural power), media transformation (how media logics shift through technological change, remediation, and institutional reorganization), and new media (how contemporary digital platforms, networked culture, games, and algorithms reconfigure identity, attention, labor and meaning-making).
Grading policy:
  1. This course provides a points-based grading structure in which the final grade is calculated as the sum of attendance, discussion lead, discussion participation, and three major assignments (Creative Reflection Presentation, Decoding Art Presentation, and Final Paper).
  2. This course provides ongoing grade posting for discussion lead and assignment grades after each item is completed, while attendance and discussion participation grades are typically available closer to the end of the semester; students are encouraged to raise grade questions early, and grade-related requests will not be considered after final assignment due.
Attendance policy:
  1. This course provides an attendance system based on in-class participation checks rather than daily roll, with an expectation that students attend in person approximately 90% of the time.
  2. This course focuses on active presence through semi-random call-outs, and if a student is called and not present, the absence results in a 5-point reduction; students should email in advance for planned absences, notify the instructor as soon as possible after emergencies, and provide documentation when absences exceed two.
Academic honesty/integrity statement:
  1. This course provides clear expectations for academic integrity, including specific guidance on AI use: brainstorming support is permitted, but any AI-generated writing or images must be cited, and uncited AI use is treated as plagiarism and may receive a grade of 0.
  2. This course focuses on maintaining professional academic standards consistent with university norms and emphasizes responsible attribution and ethical scholarship in all coursework.
  3. The Georgia Tech Honor Code is explicit in defining plagiarism as “the deliberate use of any outside source without proper acknowledgment,” including “appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts of passages of his or her writings, or language or ideas of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.” If caught plagiarizing, you will be dealt with according to the GT Academic Honor Code. The full Honor Code is available online: http://osi.gatech.edu/content/honor
Instructor First Name:
Cecile (Yangminming)
Instructor Last Name:
Zhang
Section:
B2
CRN (you may add up to five):
25107
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Composition II

Last Updated: Sun, 01/04/2026
Course prefix:
ENGL
Course number:
1102
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

A composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, that emphasizes interpretation and evaluation, and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods. Develops communication skills in networked electronic environments, emphasizes interpretation and evaluation of cultural texts, and incorporates research methods in print and on the Internet.

Course learning outcomes:

ENGL 1102 ENGL COMPOSITION II

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
Required course materials:

Required Course Materials

  • The WOVENText Open Educational Resources, available at woventext.lmc.gatech.edu.
  • Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects by Cheryl E. Ball et al. (Available through Bedford Bookshelf)
  • Gertrude Stein, Tender Buttons, The Corrected Centennial Edition, City Lights Books, 2014 ISBN 978-0-87286-635-5
  • Other readings provided as pdf’s or links through Perusall* on Canvas.

* Perusall is an online social annotation platform that we will be using to access and annotate our course readings. Reading assignments will be posted on the course schedule on Canvas and accessible through the Perusall site (accessed through our Canvas page). 

Grading policy:

Grades for this course, including the final grade, will adhere to the following scale:  

A: 90% - 100%  

B: 80% - 89%  

C: 70% - 79%  

D: 60% - 69%  

F: 59% or below  

Attendance policy:

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.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

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.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

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
Instructor First Name:
Jacqueline
Instructor Last Name:
Kari
Section:
L6
CRN (you may add up to five):
35060
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Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication
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