Section Description:

Our main focus will be sharpening your writing skills. To do this there will be two basic tracks: learning and practicing techniques and features of college-level academic writing, and discussing content, ideas, positions, and arguments. 

This semester we will focus on what it means to go to college, a pressing topic of conversation and debate of late. As students at an institution of higher learning, this will be an opportunity for you to explore curiosities you might harbor about just what you’ve gotten yourselves into. We will explore topics such as the relationship between college and careers, the cost of education, how institutions balance prestige and access, and how they interact with social values, particularly the freedom of speech. These are just some of the topics we will explore, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts!

Our focus on the writing process will help you hone the ways you present and organize information in service of a claim and as well as how you construct arguments to advance your ideas. Over the course of the semester you will write four major essays, each of which will give you the chance to try out your thoughts on these matters.

From the Course Catalog:

In this course students write coherent essays in varied academic formats, both in and out of class, responding to culturally diverse materials and using appropriate technology. Students focus on critical and analytical skills through reading and listening. They also study aspects of argumentation, including formulating theses; researching and identifying sources; evaluating and documenting sources; and communicating persuasively across contexts, purposes, and media. Admission is based on college placement test scores. The course meets four scheduled classroom hours per week. CUNY Pathways: Required Core-English Composition