LARTS 161-162 — English and Communication

3 credits per semester
Fall and Spring
Robert Wilson, Sandro-Angelo De Thomasis

English and Communication is designed to advance the academic language skills of emergent bilingual English speakers. The primary course objectives are to increase grammatical accuracy and fluency and orient students to norms and conventions of academia in the United States. Specifically, we review grammar rules and practice grammar forms (e.g., subject-verb agreement, fragment avoidance, run-ons/comma splices, tenses). Working with a combination of classic and contemporary essays, we examine elements such as topic, thesis, coherence, tone, and style. We practice the writing process, including planning, generating ideas, organizing and drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. Regarding paragraph-level writing, we work on the formation of claims (as distinct from opinions) and support, with attention to the differences among introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. Students learn and practice reading strategies in order to recognize (and later produce) rhetorical patterns associated with description, narration, exposition, and argument.