Composition I: LIIP

Fall, 2001

Course Description and Me

Course Description and My Philosophy

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

- 1

“Love your calling with passion, it is the meaning of your life.”

-          2

In accordance with the Salem State College Undergraduate Catalog, this course focuses on expository writing.  We will learn about the writing process—the process professional writers use to write—which includes prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.  We will also work on developing strategies to help you become stronger writers of academic and persuasive discourse.  We will do a good amount of reading.  Recent studies show that those who read a lot are better at writing than those who do not.  In addition, the more we read, the more we increase our understanding of the world and our place in it.  The more we understand the world around us, the more adept we are at advocating changes that make the world a better place. 

Personally, I believe “intelligence” is as much a product of hard work, determination, and curiosity, as it is of genes.  I have had many students enter my classes and say to me, “I was never very good at English.  I just can’t do it.”  I don’t believe that.  I believe we all have the potential to do anything we want to, it’s just that some things come easier for some people. (The way math and physics comes more easily to my husband than it does to me.  But I do “get it” when I work at it.)  I also believe that everyone—like the authors we will be reading—has something important and significant to share with the world.

In my opinion, the only way to gain true, lasting knowledge is to want that knowledge and work for it.  It is only through active learning—questioning, contemplating, and doing--that any student truly “learns.” My role in this course is to provide you, the students, with guidance and the opportunity to learn from what I have learned from my experience and from my teachers. Certainly, I hope you will all become better writers, but I assume I will learn in this process, too.

One of the most important things I hope we all gain from this course is a deeper understanding of the world around us and how we might "fit" in it.  As I enter my fourth year of teaching in the Language Intensive Interdisciplinary Program, I can honestly say that I've learned as much from the LIIP alumni as I hope they've learned from me.  I always say that teaching in this Program is like having a passport to a trip around the world.  I feel fortunate to have learned so much from so many students: to learn about their cultures, their values, their traditions, their language and communication.  I truly believe that to make a difference in the world we must be willing to listen, to learn, and to act on what we, as individuals, feel strongly about. I also am committed to the notion that excellent communication skills--listening and speaking, reading and writing--are essential to today's students and tomorrow's leaders, whether they are church youth leaders or international environmental activists.

In closing, please don’t hesitate to approach me with any questions or concerns you might have about the course, or college in general. I am certain that with all of us working together, this class will be a great learning experience.

Note: Instead of names following them, the quotes at the top of the page simply have numbers.  Find the person who said these famous words and I will give you extra credit on one of your quizzes!  Be smart though; don’t give the info away once you find it.