Outcomes for ENGL 120 and 121 at

Outcomes for ENGL 120 and 121 at Eastern Michigan University

Click here for a pdf of these outcomes. This version includes a table outlining curricular strategies for developing students' work with these outcomes.

Outcomes for English 120 and English 121 (Effective 2009-2010 academic year)

English 120 (Composition I: Writing the College Experience) and English 121 (Composition II: Researching the Public Experience) are inquiry-based writing classes. In them, students both develop their critical writing, thinking, and reading strategies, and explore these strategies as subjects of study.

The outcomes for English 120 and English 121 are grounded in research-based definitions of "good writers." The work of these writers demonstrates their abilities to understand the expectations of audiences for writing, identify the genres (and conventions) associated with those expectations, and consciously draw on critical writing, reading, and thinking strategies to meet those expectations.

Specifically, English 120 and English 121 focus on assessing audience expectations; reading critically; engaging with others' ideas in analytic and research-based writing; developing control over surface features of writing; and discovering, cultivating, and being reflective about their writing processes.

This development takes place recursively – that is, students develop these strategies by practicing with them repeatedly through their work in these two courses and others at EMU. This work begins in ENGL 120 and continues through ENGL 121. Specifically, both courses will focus work with these outcomes in six key areas:

Investment and engagement (the writer’s attitude toward the subject and process of writing)
Autonomy and authority (the writer’s sense of agency in relation to the process and products of writing)
Sense of perspective (the writer’s sense of relationship to the subject of the writing, and the writer’s sense of the relationship of the subject of the writing to other subjects)
Reflection (the writer’s awareness of her or his own writing, reading, research, and thinking processes)
Competence and confidence (the writer’s understanding of her or his abilities to achieve the objective of the assignment or task)
Resource use (the writer’s use of available resources, including technology)

By the conclusion of English 121, the most successful students will have achieved the outcomes described through producing accomplished writing in the context of English 121; however, other students might still be at earlier stages of beginning writing, developing writing, or competent writing.

Critical Reading and Analysis
Writing will demonstrate students’ proficiency with:

Reading for multiple purposes associated with different contexts (eg., academic disciplines) and audiences
Incorporating reading that purposefully supports the goal(s) of the writing
Referring to and incorporating reading in ways that are appropriate for the genre of writing

Research Practices and Processes
Writing will demonstrate students’ proficiency with:

Using research to identify and develop a subject or subject(s) of interest
Gathering and critically evaluating sources relevant to the purpose(s) and focus(or foci) of the writing using multiple modes of inquiry
Situating research interests within academic disciplines
Developing and employing a process for research evident throughout the writing

Writing Processes and Representation
Writing will demonstrate students’ proficiency with:

Developing and using processes for writing evident throughout the writing
Recognizing and using at least one relevant sequence of activities necessary for composing in multiple genres
Recognizing and using appropriate genre conventions
Making relevant rhetorical choices so that the writing meets audience expectations and accomplishes its purposes

Use of Evidence
Writing will demonstrate students’ proficiency with:

Supporting and developing the purpose(s) of writing with appropriate evidence
Selecting, representing, and offering sufficient background information, details, and/or examples to develop the focus (or foci), to achieve the purpose(s), and to meet audience needs for the writing
Situating evidence using appropriate genre conventions

Syntax and Mechanics
Writing will demonstrate students’ proficiency with:

Identifying differences between intentional and unintentional divergences from standard syntax and mechanics
Recognizing patterns in and rectifying unintentional divergences from standard syntax and mechanics
Controlling conventions according to genre expectations