Composition 1 is a first-year required course. This course introduces students to the writing process and to the conventions of written English, teaches students to write grammatically accurate sentences, well-formed paragraphs with clear topic sentences and supporting details, and coherent short essays. Written assignments include journals, paragraphs, and short essays in one or more drafts. This course is taught in tandem with Oral Training 1.

1. You will learn to analyze the structure of sample texts. Both the reading and the analyzing of texts outside class will be encouraged. 2. You will learn to read and evaluate rough drafts and finished papers, both your own and those of your peers. Formal peer review will be taught and practiced in class. 3. You will strengthen your capability of writing sentences, with special focus on the clarity and logic of the presented ideas. You will start with simple sentences, and complex sentences should only be attempted when simple sentences have been mastered. 4. You will be able to express a single idea in a topic sentence and in a paragraph. You will learn how to get and develop ideas for writing as well as how to narrow and focus. 5. You will learn to use appropriate connectors and transitions. 6. You will learn the different steps in writing. Attention will be focused on learning concepts such as brainstorming, prewriting, free-writing, questioning, listing, clustering, outlining, crafting topic sentences, writing first drafts, revising, and editing. The concepts of unity, support and coherence will be explained and practiced.

Smalley, R.L., M.K. Ruetten, and J.R. Kozyrev (2001) Refining Composition Skills: Rhetoric and Grammar, 5th edition, Boston: Heinle and Heinle.