Fall 2021

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Welcome to English Composition (English 201A)

I'm Colleen Harmon. You can meet me and see a bit of the course in the one-minute video below.

Now, here's some more information about this course and questions to pique your curiosity. Love curiosity!

Photo of Sister Rosetta Tharpe playing guitar. What do these two things

 have in common?

  1. The seal of the county in which Cuesta College is located.
  2. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the "godmother of rock and roll".

Answer: You'll quickly find out in class!

 

Have you ever used Wikipedia? Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia

Me, too! How would you like to help contribute to it? You'll have an opportunity to do so in this course while sharpening your research skills. 

 

Photo of a sculpture showing the heads of two people talking to each other.

Curious about effective ways to get your point across or to suss out someone else's point?

You'll learn more about crafting a strong opinion supported by evidence. What's more, you'll strengthen your skills in analyzing other people's opinions so you can home in on their main point, characterize where they're coming from, and evaluate how well they make their point.

What makes one person more believable than someone else? 

You got this! Bring your ideas about what makes a particular person or idea more credible than another. Plus, learn more about evaluating various avenues of information, including popular media. 

This course is completely online

And there are no books to buy! It's a nine-week, condensed version of English 201A that starts October 18th and finishes December 17th, 2021. You'll have access to the course in Canvas at cuesta.instructure.com.

There are no online lecture sessions like the kind you may have been required to attend during the past year. You'll have opportunities to meet online with your peers and me to ask questions and collaborate, and you'll be able to ask questions and collaborate using discussion forums and other online features of Canvas, too. 

The nine-week, condensed version of 201A gets you to the same goal in half the time: to be able to write college-level essays. So the pace is quicker, but the class is a lot of fun which makes the time pass even more quickly! You'll find that whatever your college writing skills are now, they'll be stronger by the end of the course, and you can proceed with confidence to your next college class knowing how to make writing essays easier and more effective. Bonus, you'll have plenty of support and feedback to guide you through the course so you can make the best of your learning opportunities. The course is designed to start with smaller steps and then to build on those steps weekly. There are plenty of practice activities where you're encouraged to explore your skills before tackling essays.

To enroll in the course, visit Class FinderLinks to an external site. to view either CRN 73313 or 74736 for the fall 2021 semester.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are valued

Photo of Cuesta students working together at a table.
Photo of Cuesta students collaborating on a project.

I’ve designed this course to be a welcoming environment where you can exchange ideas freely with your peers and me, where each person is respected and their perspective is valued. The strength of the course lies in the diversity of you, the students. You are a member of a learning community where everyone can participate and gain support from each other no matter their background or skillset. 

In addition, you'll have opportunities to learn more about diverse perspectives regarding key topics and issues throughout the course. Curiosity is the key!

Contact me

I'm interested in your success. Any questions or ideas you have about the course or how it works--or questions in general--are welcome. 

To contact me before the course begins, you can reach me by email at colleen_harmon@cuesta.edu. After the course begins, please contact me using the Canvas Inbox.

College policies

For college policies about adding and dropping a class and student conduct, check out PoliciesLinks to an external site..

This and more in English Composition

This is just a taste of what the course is like. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

And remember, no matter where you're headed career-wise or in life, the skills you strengthen in English Composition will serve you well. 

 

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