ENGL 1102 English Composition II

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
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:

The Bedford Bookshelf (ISBN: 9781319530327) 

WOVENText Open Educational Resource (https://woventext.lmc.gatech.edu)

Grading policy:

Assignments
Common First Week Letter: 5% of final grade
Project 1: 20% of final grade
Project 2: 20% of final grade
Project 3: 25% of final grade
Final Portfolio: 15% of final grade
Participation: 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.

One serious kind of academic misconduct is plagiarism, which occurs when a writer,
speaker, or designer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, images, or other original material or code without fully acknowledging its source by quotation marks as appropriate, in footnotes or endnotes, in works cited, and in other ways as appropriate (modified from WPA Statement on “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism”). If you engage in plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment in which you have engaged in academic misconduct and be referred to the Office of Student Integrity, as required by Georgia Tech policy. We strongly urge you to be familiar with these Georgia Tech sites:
Honor Challenge — https://osi.gatech.edu/students/honor-code

Office of Student Integrity — http://www.osi.gatech.edu/index.php/

 

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:
NAMRATA
Instructor Last Name:
DEY ROY
Section:
E2
CRN (you may add up to five):
35046
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

ENGL 1102 English Composition II

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
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:

The Bedford Bookshelf (ISBN: 9781319530327) 

WOVENText Open Educational Resource (https://woventext.lmc.gatech.edu)

Grading policy:

Assignments

Common First Week Letter: 5% of final grade

Project 1: 20% of final grade

Project 2: 20% of final grade

Project 3: 25% of final grade

Final Portfolio: 15% of final grade

Participation: 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.

One serious kind of academic misconduct is plagiarism, which occurs when a writer,
speaker, or designer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, images, or other original material or code without fully acknowledging its source by quotation marks as appropriate, in footnotes or endnotes, in works cited, and in other ways as appropriate (modified from WPA Statement on “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism”). If you engage in plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment in which you have engaged in academic misconduct and be referred to the Office of Student Integrity, as required by Georgia Tech policy. We strongly urge you to be familiar with these Georgia Tech sites:
Honor Challenge — https://osi.gatech.edu/students/honor-code

Office of Student Integrity — http://www.osi.gatech.edu/index.php/

 

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:
NAMRATA
Instructor Last Name:
DEY ROY
Section:
A2
CRN (you may add up to five):
35044
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Major Authors

Last Updated: Mon, 01/05/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3226
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This course examines the life, works, and career of pioneering Black science fiction author Octavia E. Buter within the historical and cultural context of the twentieth century.  We also pay close attention to how Butler’s oeuvre charts the arc of American history from the Civil Rights Movement to the Iraq war and the significance of Butler’s prophetic warnings in the novels, short stories, and critical writings by and related to Butler’s canon.

Course learning outcomes:

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 students 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  
Required course materials:

By Octavia E. Butler

Kindred (both the original and graphic novel adaptation)

Wild Seed

Blood Child and Other Stories

Dawn

Parable of the Sower

Fledgling

Access to a dictionary, thesaurus, and Hulu 

Other texts will be handouts and/or available online on our Canvas site: canvas.gatech.edu   

Grading policy:

Assignments

Participation - 20%

Critical Reflections – 40%

Midterm Essay and Presentation – 15%

Final Research Paper - 25%

About Grading

Remember, your performance determines your final grade.  Keep in mind that hard work alone will not earn you an “A.” However, not working hard will almost certainly not earn you an “A.” Moreover, assignments and participation that simply meet minimum requirements or that are severely flawed will not earn grades higher than a “C.”  A “B” clearly exceeds all minimum requirements.  An “A” is a superbly executed assignment that is clearly well above average. 

I do not discuss grades on the day you receive them, nor do I change grades during or at the end of the semester unless there has clearly been a mistake. However, I do welcome discussion on what is strong and what or how to improve performance during the course of the semester. Do not wait until the end of the semester to consult me about your grade. “Grade-grubbing” at the end of the semester will not raise your grade in this course. Do not even consider it.

Attendance policy:

Attendance is crucial.  Your final participation grade will reflect your class attendance. You are permitted three unexcused absences per semester. Consider these absences your “PTO.” After three unexcused absences, I will deduct five points per absence from your participation grade. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences. 

If you are absent for one of the excused reasons listed in the University catalog please discuss your absence and, if appropriate, bring your written excuse to me on the first day you return to class. Some examples of excused absences include illness, medical emergencies, job interviews, religious observances, and approved Institute activities, such as professional conferences and athletic events. You have one (1) week (from the date of the absence) to turn in any make-up work unless we have arranged otherwise. Anything submitted after that point will not be accepted.

Coming to class on time is also crucial. I consider you tardy after five minutes; I consider you absent after ten minutes. Please note that three tardies are equal to one unexcused absence. Leaving early from class without permission will also result in a deduction of participation points.

Please note that in-class writing assignments, such as quizzes and certain writing reflections, cannot be made up in the case of unexcused absence and/or tardiness.

I do not accept late work without prior permission. If you think you need an extension for an assignment, please be sure to ask me at least 24 hours in advance of the assignment’s due date. If you do not submit your work by the deadline, you will receive zero credit.

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.

This class strictly enforces the Georgia Tech Honor Code. Do not submit work that is not your own. When direct quotations are used, they should be indicated, and when the ideas of another are incorporated into a paper, they must be appropriately acknowledged.

This course is meant in part to improve and evaluate your writing ability. For this reason, for the purposes of this class, any student found to have used AI technologies or programs (e.g. Chat GPT) to compose part or all of any submitted work will face the same penalties as a student who submits plagiarized work (i.e. a failing grade in the course). 

For more details, see GT’s Academic Honor Code.

Instructor First Name:
Susana
Instructor Last Name:
Morris
Section:
SM
CRN (you may add up to five):
35296
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Seminar in Film Studies: Film Criticism

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
4500
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

How do we write, read, and talk about films we love? How might we reconcile our unique experiences of films—the memories, dreams, desires, hopes, and fears that they conjure—with those of a mass audience? How might film criticism help us appreciate both the audiovisual richness of cinema and the expressive capacity of language? Who gets to be a critic, and how? Whose voices aren’t we hearing, and why? How does the history of film criticism—in tandem with the history of film—reveal societal trends and power dynamics? This intimate and rigorous seminar studies the work of canonical film critics alongside contemporary modes of film criticism (e.g., print/online journalism, video essays, podcasts, Letterboxd reviews, and social media posts). Students will create original work within a supportive workshop environment that emphasizes craft, practice, and revision; students will also have the opportunity to write and edit film criticism for the international undergraduate film journal, Film Matters. 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Read film criticism with discernment about film analysis (how does the critic approach the film itself?), writerly craft (how does the critic shape their assessment via style and structure?), and socio-historical context (how does the critic participate directly and indirectly in both a historical conversation and contemporary dynamic about film experience and culture?)

• Describe with more self-awareness the kind of writing that captures their attention and/or the kind of writing they want to read, in relation to experiencing film

• Think more intentionally about what criticism is and does, in relation to art and daily experience

• Register (to a cursory degree) the gravity of film criticism within broader socio-cultural movements, insofar as film criticism impacts our perception (and the kinds of films that are made and that receive attention)

• Appreciate writing as a process (and not a whimsical act of genius or fleeting inspiration), insofar as writing benefits from revision in response to one’s own and peers’/editors’ feedback

• Situate their own film experience and their practice of reading/writing film criticism (however informal) relative to cultural trends and historical trajectories

• Collaborate on a student editorial board to evaluate submissions and work with student writers to shape their writing into publishable form

• Offer incisive criticism that supportively critiques and assesses peers’ work (and their own work)

• Work together as a seminar group that has high standards and inspires each other to create their best writing

Required course materials:

Essays (uploaded/linked within Canvas)

Grading policy:

CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT (10%): Structured as a dynamic sustained conversation instead of a lecture course, this seminar class expects your prepared, thoughtful, and respectful participation. Your discussion contributions need to reflect your careful reading, screening, and thinking about class materials. Engagement doesn’t mean simply talking but also listening, responding to, and asking questions of your colleagues and professor. Substantive participation involves respect for each other’s ideas alongside careful attention to the assigned texts/films. Your classroom engagement should demonstrate:

• Careful reading of texts and screening of assigned films/clips before coming to class;

• Preparedness to be an involved discussant and engaged listener (not a spectator);

• Active thinking about questions and issues raised during class;

• Courage in trying out your own ideas, exercising vulnerability, and asking for help;

• Respect for the ideas and worth of others in the discussion; and

• Effort and thoughtfulness on any written exercises assigned to prepare you for discussion.

Moreover, in this seminar that involves the professional responsibilities of collaborating and evaluating submissions for publication with Film Matters, engagement means that you are proactive, trustworthy, collaborative, responsible, and congenial. Instead of my evaluating (in ways that seems tedious and micromanaging) your every move as part of the editorial board, I am here opting for this more holistic assessment as to your engagement. To earn engagement points, you should be involved in every class. 

CRITICS ON CRITICISM (20%): A major part of our semester involves the opportunity to meet leading film writers and editors. Out of respect to our guests and with hopes to make the most of our time together, we will prepare for these visits by not only reading and discussing but also writing about their work and their recommended pieces. This exercise helps you to ask thoughtful questions that expand upon what our guests have already created (instead of asking questions that are readily answerable in their writing), and this assignment also helps you with your own craft of criticism. Your writing should demonstrate that you’ve thought about the texts with care (as opposed to offering more agreeable or obvious ideas that could be offered without reading the text). Take note of passages, and look for trends and exceptions. Describe as specifically as possible, while also trying to make generalizations about, this editor/writer’s style, concerns, structure, voice. What passages do you most admire? What sentences do you wish you’d written? What confuses you or impresses you? What do you wish were otherwise? Explore this guest’s work beyond the required readings on the syllabus. What fascinates you about this writer/editor, and what do you want to learn? What questions do you have for this person, and what questions do they seem already to have answered? How do you see this writer’s work and interests fitting within the pieces we’ve studied thus far in our class? You are able to drop your lowest grade here. (roughly 1000 words).

FILM REVIEW (draft and final, 15%): This assignment expects that you review a film for Film Matters. Your first draft will undergo peer review within a workshop discussion, toward your submitting your best work. Exemplary reviews will be published within Film Matters.

DISCUSSION POSTS (15%): These assignments extend and enrich our in-person class discussion, as indicated in the syllabus (and as further prompted via Canvas). Your lowest grade will be dropped (you can either skip one or have a second chance to improve a lower grade). Writing all posts will favorably factor into your engagement grade. Given the timely nature of these posts, late submissions will not be accepted (the whole point of this assignment is helping you to keep up with the course and to maintain engagement with your peers), and a missed post will simply be recorded as a “zero” and will be the one that you drop. 

PEER REVIEWS (15%): This class enjoys a seminar structure that strengthens through dedicated attention to your peers' work (and learning how to incorporate this feedback in your revisions). Students will be expected to comment formally on drafts of a film review and also a final film essay, in addition to discussion posts. The cumulative effort of these peer reviews (details will be distributed in class) will comprise a substantive portion of your grade in this course. 

FINAL FILM ESSAY, DRAFT (20%) and FINAL (5%): This final project—and accompanying artistic statement/rationale—represents your culminating work in the course. This project will be phased into our semester via in-class exercises, a pitch to your peers, and a workshop of your draft. More details TBD. Exemplary writing will be published within Film Matters.

Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:

A 90-100%

B 80-89%

C 70-79%

D 60-69%

F 0-59%

 

Attendance policy:

This class expects that you will be present for our meetings. Absences for religious holidays and observances, Georgia Tech athletic competitions (for athletes), illness, and sanctioned school functions will be excused (with notice). You can achieve the objectives of this course only through regular, responsible attendance and active engagement during our meetings. Students who miss more than three classes without documentation of illness or family emergency will see a lowered final grade, and students who miss more than six classes for any reason will fail the course. Students who are absent do not have the option of accessing a recorded class or participating remotely.

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):

n/a

Instructor First Name:
Kristi
Instructor Last Name:
MxKim
Section:
A
CRN (you may add up to five):
31545
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Film Sound

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3253
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

“The ear goes more toward the within, the eye toward the outer,” claims French filmmaker Robert Bresson, renowned for his sophisticated cinematic soundscapes. Though we commonly speak of seeing films, we less often talk about hearing them. Listening is something we do more than practice, and this Film Sound course helps us hear the movies by attuning our senses to cinema's fuller acoustic richness. Through listening to films and mapping sound patterns, exceptions, and exemplars, this class combines the history of film sound (as dialogue, voice, music, effects, and silence) with theories of how and why sound moves us and makes meanings, within films by prominent sound-focused filmmakers (such as Bresson, Jane Campion, the Coen brothers, Alfonso Cuarón, Michael Haneke, Spike Lee, Terrence Malick, Jordan Peele, Kelly Reichardt, Martin Scorsese) and examples from a variety of films such as M, Le Million, Modern Times, Singin' in the Rain, Playtime, Star Wars, Blue, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Lives of Others, Arrival, 45 Years, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Passing, Drive My Car, Memoria, Zone of Interest. In addition to written assessments and experiential projects (e.g., sound walks), students will create projects that remix, transform, and expand film history. 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Attend to the nuances of film soundtracks by listening with acuity
  • Describe what they hear within vivid, precise, and accurate terminology of dialogue, effects, music, silence
  • Create arguments about how film sound amplifies audiovisual complexity, through close analysis of the soundtrack
  • Grasp the history of film sound, in terms of technological advances and changes in acoustic media
  • Situate film soundtracks within basic theoretical foundations about how sound (voice, dialogue, music, effects, silence) works in film
  • Consider how film sound functions in relation to everyday sound and acoustic experience
  • Appreciate the complexity of histories and theories of film sound (insofar as this course is a gateway and not an exhaustive means to an end)
  • Reflect on how their individual patterns of attention compare with those of peers, film artists, and film scholars
  • Create original claims and new work—written and multimodal—that remix and build upon existing film history

 

Required course materials:

Michel Chion, Audio-Vision

Essays, videos, and readings (linked in syllabus and/or uploaded to Canvas)

Grading policy:

Classroom Engagement (10%): This advanced class expects your prepared, thoughtful, and respectful participation. Your discussion contributions need to reflect your careful reading, screening, and thinking about class materials. Engagement doesn’t mean simply talking but also listening, responding to, and asking questions of your colleagues and professor. Substantive participation involves respect for each other’s ideas alongside careful attention to the assigned texts/films. Your classroom engagement should demonstrate:

  • Careful reading of texts and screening of films before coming to class (unless otherwise indicated in the syllabus);
  • Preparedness to be an involved discussant and engaged listener (not a spectator);
  • Active thinking about questions and issues raised during class;
  • Courage in trying out your own ideas, exercising vulnerability, and asking for help;
  • Respect for the ideas and worth of others in the discussion; and
  • Effort and thoughtfulness on any written exercises assigned to prepare you for discussion. 

Discussion Posts (25%): These assignments (i.e. introducing yourselves, participating in a sound walk, isolating a scene for close listening, remixing a scene with a new soundtrack, etc.) extend and enrich our in-person class discussion, as indicated in the syllabus. Your lowest grade will be dropped (you can either skip one or have a second chance to improve a lower grade). Writing all posts will favorably factor into your engagement grade. Given the timely nature of these posts, late submissions will not be accepted (the whole point of this assignment is helping you to keep up with the course and to maintain engagement with your peers), and a missed post will simply be recorded as a “zero” and will be the one that you drop. 

Essay (17%): This assignment asks you to braid together the texts of our course with our in-person discussion and engagement. You will have a choice of several prompts, which will be introduced in more detail during class. 

Group Presentation (8%): This assignment creates camaraderie among students while introducing students to films beyond those featured on our syllabus.

Quizzes (30%): These in-class handwritten quizzes will assess your comprehension of and engagement with course texts. Three quizzes will be given, but only your two highest grades will count. 

Final Project (10%): This media project—and accompanying artistic statement/rationale—represents your culminating work in the course. This project will be phased into our semester via in-class exercises, to help you give shape to your work. 

Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:

A       90-100%

B       80-89%

C      70-79%

D      60-69%

F       0-59%

Attendance policy:

This class expects that you will be present for our meetings. Absences for religious holidays and observances, Georgia Tech athletic competitions (for athletes), illness, and sanctioned school functions will be excused (with notice). You can achieve the objectives of this course only through regular, responsible attendance and active engagement during our meetings. Students who miss more than three classes without documentation of illness or family emergency will see a lowered final grade, and students who miss more than six classes for any reason will fail the course. Students who are absent do not have the option of accessing a recorded class or participating remotely.

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. Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help students 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:
Kristi
Instructor Last Name:
McKim
Section:
B
CRN (you may add up to five):
35297
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
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:

A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L’Engle

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (translated by Katherine Woods)

The Giver, Lois Lowry

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler

The Maze Runner, film directed by Wes Ball

WALL-E, film directed by Andrew Stanton

Grading policy:

Participation = 20%

Pop and Announced Quizzes, Asynchronous Discussion Posts, Peer Reviews = 10%

Introductory Video = 5%

Text Presentation and Multimodal PowerPoint with Partners = 10%

Group STEM Workshop for Atlanta Elementary School Students = 20%

Research Essay Analyzing a Course Text = 20%

Final Portfolio = 15%

 

Evaluation Equivalencies Table 

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. In such cases, your absence may be excused if you let your instructor know ahead of time. Your instructor can also 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. You may need to complete that work before your absence is excused by your instructor.

If your instructor does not excuse your absence, then it is up to you to keep up with the material that you missed and ensure that any assignments due during your absence are still submitted on time or in accordance with your instructor’s late work policy. Each unexcused absence after the third (T/TH or M/W) or fourth (M/W/F) will result in a 2% deduction on your 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:
Yvonne
Instructor Last Name:
Medina
Section:
L8
CRN (you may add up to five):
35130
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
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:

A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L’Engle

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (translated by Katherine Woods)

The Giver, Lois Lowry

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler

The Maze Runner, film directed by Wes Ball

WALL-E, film directed by Andrew Stanton

Grading policy:

 

Participation = 20%

Pop and Announced Quizzes, Asynchronous Discussion Posts, Peer Reviews = 10%

Introductory Video = 5%

Text Presentation and Multimodal PowerPoint with Partners = 10%

Group STEM Workshop for Atlanta Elementary School Students = 20%

Research Essay Analyzing a Course Text = 20%

Final Portfolio = 15%

 

Evaluation Equivalencies Table 

 

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. In such cases, your absence may be excused if you let your instructor know ahead of time. Your instructor can also 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. You may need to complete that work before your absence is excused by your instructor.

If your instructor does not excuse your absence, then it is up to you to keep up with the material that you missed and ensure that any assignments due during your absence are still submitted on time or in accordance with your instructor’s late work policy. Each unexcused absence after the third (T/TH or M/W) or fourth (M/W/F) will result in a 2% deduction on your 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):

 

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:
Yvonne
Instructor Last Name:
Medina
Section:
J9
CRN (you may add up to five):
35129
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

English Composition II

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
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:

A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L’Engle

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (translated by Katherine Woods)

The Giver, Lois Lowry

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler

The Maze Runner, film directed by Wes Ball

WALL-E, film directed by Andrew Stanton

Grading policy:

Evaluation Equivalencies Table 

Participation = 20%

Pop and Announced Quizzes, Asynchronous Discussion Posts, Peer Reviews = 10%

Introductory Video = 5%

Text Presentation and Multimodal PowerPoint with Partners = 10%

Group STEM Workshop for Atlanta Elementary School Students = 20%

Research Essay Analyzing a Course Text = 20%

Final Portfolio = 15%

 

Evaluation Equivalencies Table 

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. In such cases, your absence may be excused if you let your instructor know ahead of time. Your instructor can also 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. You may need to complete that work before your absence is excused by your instructor.

If your instructor does not excuse your absence, then it is up to you to keep up with the material that you missed and ensure that any assignments due during your absence are still submitted on time or in accordance with your instructor’s late work policy. Each unexcused absence after the third (T/TH or M/W) or fourth (M/W/F) will result in a 2% deduction on your 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):

 

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:
Yvonne
Instructor Last Name:
Medina
Section:
E8
CRN (you may add up to five):
35128
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Peak TV

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3252
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

Explores in depth a theoretical issue central to film and/or television. Among its concerns are authorship, genre history, spectatorship, ideology, narrative theory, and the relationship between these media and social history. [Section focus: the formal meaning and artistic as well as societal impact of television and post-television]

Course learning outcomes:
  • Apply key theories and concepts from television and media studies to the contemporary history and narrative conventions of home, mobile, and personal cinemas in the late 20th and 21st centuries including broadcast and cable television, video forms, feature film on televisual/digital platforms, and all forms of ”post”-TV (such as streaming), in cogent, supported ways, on a semi-weekly basis in short, informal, written mini-essays
  • Through collaborative work with peers, design a formal presentation that critically highlights a produced show, miniseries, film, special, or video presented in one of these small-screen audiovisual formats, and that explains a scholar’s or media critic’s critical assessment of that text—such that the intellectual and artistic questions in readings and class discussion are addressed, through an engaging, slideshow-aided talk and through a thoughtfully guided, interactive discussion of specific scenes, arcs, cinematic elements, writing tricks, genre mixes, and plot structures of that text
  • Research, design, and execute either a creative script or a research paper—one that addresses the core questions of millennial or peak or prestige television studies, in ways that exhibit awareness of the connections between genre hybridization, auteurism, media aesthetics, cinematic techniques, and audience impacts
Required course materials:
  • Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood (2023), by Maureen Ryan
  • Pandora’s Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV (2023), by Peter Biskind
  • Various PDF articles on film studies, genre theory, and creative industries will be posted to the Canvas course website
  • Subscriptions required to Prime, Disney, Netflix, and other streaming services (can be viewed together with classmates)
Grading policy:

Out of a total possible 100 points maximum (90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; 59 and under = F), these are the required grade items that help build your total score.

20 (10 points each): Production studies evaluative reports of Ryan’s and Biskind’s books

30        Participation including regular attendance, in-class discussion/Q&A, Canvas Discussion posts, and in-person as well as Canvas/virtual groupwork

20        Group presentation and slideshow on approved sf/f cinematic/televisual text

30        Final Paper (Short Feature/Pilot Screenplay) including final paper talk

Attendance policy:

In-person attendance is mandatory. After the 4th absence (including the first day and week of class), they will lose 2 points of participation for each session not attended from the start to the finish time. Students with valid doctor’s notes or students listed in the GT Athletics Dept.’s ongoing notifications of official Georgia Tech games will be excused. Regardless of the reason, absent students should keep up with coursework and learn from classmates what they have missed, also checking in with the Canvas website or notifying the instructor in advance of missing class.

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.

For information on Georgia Tech's Academic Honor Code which students are expected to follow, please visit:

http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/policies/honor-code/ or

http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/18/.

Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on an oral exercise, presentation, or writing assignment will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity, who will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for violations. This class prohibits use of AI except for specific in-class exercises under the guidance of the instructor; if Artificial Intelligence is used outside of that to perform the homework or assigned homework, this will be considered cheating and/or plagiarism.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities area [See https://undergradcurriculum.oue.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 students 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.   

  • 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:
Ida
Instructor Last Name:
Yoshinaga
Section:
IY
CRN (you may add up to five):
33271
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication

Science Fiction Film and Television

Last Updated: Sat, 01/03/2026
Course prefix:
LMC
Course number:
3215
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This course investigates science fiction as the genre developed during film history and has become one of the most popular forms of television narrative.

Course learning outcomes:
  • Apply key theories and concepts of cinema studies and science-fiction/fantasy (sf/f) genre theory to specific movies and to select episodes of television/”post”-TV, in cogent, supported ways, on a semi-weekly basis in short, informal, written mini-essays
  • Through collaborative work with peers, design a formal presentation that critically highlights a particular speculative/fantastic film, video, or show and a scholar’s or media critic’s critical assessment of that text—such that the intellectual and artistic questions in readings and class discussion are addressed, through an engaging, slideshow-aided talk and through a thoughtfully guided, interactive discussion of specific scenes, arcs, cinematic elements, writing tricks, genre mixes, and plot structures of that film or series
  • Research, design, and execute either a creative script or a research paper—one that addresses the science fiction/fantasy cinema discourse of academic and/or mass media journalism, in ways that exhibit awareness of the connections between genre form, media aesthetics, cinematic techniques, and audience impacts
Required course materials:
  • Various PDF articles on film studies, genre theory, and creative industries will be posted to the Canvas course website
  • Subscriptions required to Netflix and Disney+ streaming services
Grading policy:

Out of a total possible 100 points maximum (90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; 59 and under = F), these are the required grade items that help build your total score.

20        10 points each: Cinematic Elements Exam and Screenplay Formatting Quiz

30        Participation including regular attendance, in-class discussion/Q&A, Canvas Discussion posts, and in-person as well as Canvas/virtual groupwork

20        Group presentation and slideshow on approved sf/f cinematic/televisual text

30        Final Paper (Short Feature/Pilot Screenplay) including final paper talk

Attendance policy:

In-person attendance is mandatory. After the 4th absence (including the first day and week of class), they will lose 2 points of participation for each session not attended from the start to the finish time. Students with valid doctor’s notes or students listed in the GT Athletics Dept.’s ongoing notifications of official Georgia Tech games will be excused. Regardless of the reason, absent students should keep up with coursework and learn from classmates what they have missed, also checking in with the Canvas website or notifying the instructor in advance of missing class.

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.

For information on Georgia Tech's Academic Honor Code which students are expected to follow, please visit:

http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/policies/honor-code/ or

http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/18/.

Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on an oral exercise, presentation, or writing assignment will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity, who will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for violations. This class prohibits use of AI except for specific in-class exercises under the guidance of the instructor; if Artificial Intelligence is used outside of that to perform the homework or assigned homework, this will be considered cheating and/or plagiarism.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities area [See https://undergradcurriculum.oue.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 students 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.   

  • 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:
Ida
Instructor Last Name:
Yoshinaga
Section:
B
CRN (you may add up to five):
29521
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Literature, Media, and Communication
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